While the Ye family was investing in Song Yifeng and planning to marry their granddaughter to him, they would never allow their family members or servants to show any coldness towards the Song mother and son. However, in the eyes of the extremely proud yet deeply insecure Song mother and son, sending them silver every month was seen as looking down on them.

Yet they had no choice but to accept this money. It was an extreme humiliation for them.

“Really? The Education Commissioner said that? That’s wonderful!” Upon hearing this, Madam Yu instantly forgot the displeasure Ye Yaming had caused her, her face beaming with joy.

After her initial excitement, she expressed regret: “Alas, I regret arranging this engagement for you. You passed the provincial examination at such a young age, and you’re so handsome. If you weren’t engaged, the Education Commissioner would certainly have betrothed his daughter to you. If you had waited until after passing the imperial examination to get engaged, perhaps high officials in the capital would have been competing to marry their daughters to you, or the imperial family might have chosen you as a prince consort.”

Saying this, her voice grew increasingly bitter: “Just thinking about how you’ll have to marry a merchant’s daughter in the future, while the wives of your colleagues will all be ladies from official families… when I have to mention this to others, it will be embarrassing. It truly doesn’t sit well with me.”

Song Yifeng frowned, his expression very displeased.

“Son,” Madam Yu asked in a low voice, “can we break off this engagement?”

Song Yifeng shook his head: “If we could break it off, I would have done so by now. Why do you think the Ye family sends us so much silver every year? It’s only because they see that I’m intelligent, capable of passing the imperial examination and becoming a high official, someone who can provide them support in official circles.”

He snorted coldly: “Now that they’ve finally seen me pass the provincial examination, how could they be willing to let go? Although they are merchants, they have money and can influence the Prefecture Magistrate’s secretary. If this matter were to reach the ears of the Education Commissioner and other officials, saying that I broke my word, it would be most inappropriate.”

Madam Yu grew angrier, cursing bitterly. Then, seeing the maid Xiao Xiang standing nearby, she immediately redirected her anger: “The young master has returned, why haven’t you told the cook to serve the meal? Are you dead? Do I have to tell you before you move?”

Xiao Xiang hurriedly agreed and walked out towards the kitchen.

Madam Yu and her son were not originally from Linan City, but from a small village thirty li away. After Song Yifeng’s father died, Madam Yu and Song Yifeng lived together with Song’s grandmother, elder uncle, and second uncle’s families.

The Song family had always been poor, with only a few acres of thin soil and rented fields from the village landlord. The whole family lived in great hardship.

In such circumstances, as a widow and orphan, Madam Yu and her son naturally lived in extreme difficulty, often unable to afford food and frequently bullied by the Song family.

Madam Yu’s maiden family had advised her to remarry, but she couldn’t bear to part with her son, so she stayed.

Madam Yu was intelligent, resilient, and calculating.

She saw that her son was extremely smart and had the potential for scholarly pursuits. If they remained in Song village, he would only become a farmer who would struggle all his life without getting ahead, living a predictable and limited life. Conversely, if he could study, even if he only passed the lowest imperial examination, she and her son could live a life that the Song family would have to look up to forever.

After much consideration, she gritted her teeth, took her son and money borrowed from her maiden family, and moved to Linan City. She supported herself by washing clothes and mending for others while looking for a private school for her son. After finding a suitable one, she moved near that school, continued to earn money by washing clothes, and let her son eavesdrop on lessons.

She believed that once the private school teacher recognized her son’s intelligence, they would appreciate his talent and accept him as a student. Even if they couldn’t waive the tuition, they might charge less. If they met someone who both appreciated talent and was generous, they might not charge at all and might even provide some assistance to the mother and son.

At that time, they rented a house near the Yin family, and Song Yifeng often went to eavesdrop outside Yin De’an’s private school.

Things indeed unfolded as Madam Yu had anticipated: Yin De’an accidentally discovered Song Yifeng’s exceptional intelligence and, appreciating his talent, immediately accepted him as a student, charging only a minimal symbolic fee.

Reading books was truly an expensive affair. Yin De’an had to support two sons in their studies for the imperial examinations and wasn’t wealthy himself. Even though he wanted to help Song Yifeng, he was limited in what he could do.

However, the money Madam Yu earned from washing clothes was far too little. The mother and son couldn’t even eat their fill, and studying required more than just waived tuition fees. They still needed to buy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Seeing that Song Yifeng might have to give up his studies due to poverty, Yin De’an deeply regretted this. He knew that his in-law Ye Chongming was looking for a scholar to marry his granddaughter, and seeing that Song Yifeng’s appearance was also suitable for his granddaughter, he recommended Song Yifeng to Ye Chongming.

As Ye Yaming’s maternal grandfather, Yin De’an, would never harm her, and Ye Chongming would not doubt a student whom Yin De’an endorsed, he agreed to the engagement.

With the Ye family’s support, Song Yifeng could not only continue his studies without worrying about books and writing materials, but the mother and son also lived a life free from concerns about food and clothing. They even bought this residence and hired three servants.

The original owner’s Nanny Xia was a calculating person. She felt that although the house and servants were purchased by the Song family, the money came from the Ye family. These servants should recognize who their true masters were.

So when she accompanied the original owner to the Song family, she took the opportunity when the original owner, Madam Yu, and Bai Rui went out shopping to reveal to Xiao Xiang and the cook the connection between the Song family and the Ye family.

As for the other servant in the Song household—Song Yifeng’s attendant—he had been brainwashed by Song Yifeng. Nanny Xia, having spent a lifetime in the household, was well-versed in worldly matters and naturally would not share such information with the attendant.

Therefore, knowing the background of the Song family, when Xiao Xiang heard the conversation between the Song mother and son earlier, she couldn’t help but feel boundless contempt.

Meanwhile, seeing that Ye Yaming didn’t go to the Song family, Ye Hongsheng’s expression improved somewhat.

Seeing this, Ye Yaming couldn’t help but ask, “Father, do you dislike the Song family?”

Ye Hongsheng shook his head: “No.”

Ye Yaming could tell at a glance that he was saying this against his true feelings.

Probably because the original owner didn’t like others speaking ill of her beloved, Ye Hongsheng was aware of this and thus denied it.

She didn’t correct Ye Hongsheng’s words and continued on her own: “If I were to break off the engagement, would you support me?”

“Break the engagement? You want to break the engagement?” Ye Hongsheng was greatly surprised, staring at Ye Yaming’s face to discern the truth of her words.

Ye Yaming nodded.

“You know I often visit the Song family. Nanny Xia frequently accompanies me there and chats with the Song family’s cook and maids. She inadvertently learned that the Song mother and son are very dissatisfied with me and this engagement. Now that Song Yifeng has passed the provincial examination, he looks down on our merchant family background. It’s said that the Education Commissioner wants to marry his granddaughter to him, but is hindered by his engagement, causing mutual regret.”

Few fathers-in-law in this world approve of the pigs that take away their precious daughters. Ye Hongsheng was the kind of doting father who loved his daughter dearly. Although others said he and Madam Yin had found a good son-in-law, seeing the cold manner in which Song Yifeng interacted with his daughter, he was deeply dissatisfied with this engagement in his heart.