After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 662 Four Years Later

In the blink of an eye, four years have passed.

Just after the Double Ninth Festival in the 37th year of Emperor Deguang's reign, the results of the Shaanxi provincial examination were announced. The outside of the Chang'an Imperial Examination Hall was crowded with students and their families and servants who came to see the results, and the surrounding teahouses, food shops, and restaurants were also full of people.

Haitang was sitting in a private room on the second floor of one of the teahouses. She was sitting in the same room with Zhou Yijun, the cousin of the third branch of the Zhou family, and Wu Qiong, the orphan of the Wu family who was staying in the Zhenguo Mansion. They were all here to see the list, but they didn't squeeze in with others. Zhou Yijun and Wu Qiong both sent their servants to look at the list, and they just sat in the teahouse and waited for the news.

Zhou Yijun was fine, she was talking to Haitang calmly. They hadn't seen each other for more than half a month, and it was rare for them to meet outside, so she naturally wanted to have a good chat with Haitang. But Wu Qiong was restless, and she kept looking out the window, not paying attention to what the two besties were talking about. Haitang called her, but she was still in shock: "What?"

Haitang smiled helplessly, "Why are you so anxious? It's a good thing that your brother can pass the exam. If he doesn't, just work harder. He has been studying under my cousin for less than five years, and he has already passed the exam and won the title of scholar. So many elders think that he can definitely take the provincial examination to test the waters. With such results, he will pass sooner or later, so you don't have to worry so much."

Wu Qiong laughed dryly and walked back to the table and sat down: "I'm not... worried that he will be disappointed if he fails the exam. So many people are optimistic about him, but he didn't pass the exam. I wonder what he would feel in his heart..."

Zhou Yijun said, "It's his first time taking the provincial examination, so it's normal for him to fail. How many people in the world can pass the provincial examination in one try? Besides, your brother is still young, and he will have plenty of opportunities in the future. You don't have to worry."

Wu Qiong sighed. How could she not worry? Since her mother passed away due to illness the year before last, she only had her cousin as a relative. In the past two years, the brother and sister have depended on each other. Thanks to the care of the Zhenguo Mansion and the care of Mr. Xie, Cao, and Lu, they can live a stable life. But the brother and sister are getting older every year, and it is not a long-term solution to always rely on the Zhenguo Mansion. The most terrible thing is that since the death of their mother, the two uncles who returned home have sent people to send letters to Chang'an from time to time. Under the banner of visiting their nephew, they disturbed the Zhenguo Mansion and spread rumors, questioning the cause of their sister's death, trying to throw dirty water on the Zhenguo family.

If they really cared so much about Madam Gui's sister, why didn't they come to visit her even though she had been ill for several years? It was clear that the two Gui brothers had been idle at home in the capital, with nothing to do.

Wu Qiong had long felt disgust and hatred for her uncles, but as a junior, it was not easy for her to quarrel with her elders openly. She discussed with her cousin privately, and they both wanted to move out of the Duke's Mansion so that they could no longer trouble the Zhou family. If her cousin could pass the imperial examination, he would have a chance to find a good marriage, and take this opportunity to buy a property in Chang'an City and live independently. The imperial examination could also stop the so-called "concern" of the brothers who came back home, and prevent them from finding reasons to take their niece Wu Qiong away, which would make Wu Ke and the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion have concerns. But if her cousin failed the examination, he would only have the title of scholar, and the brother and sister were not very old, so they could not stop the brothers who came back home, and I am afraid that the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo would not agree to let them go.

Since the future lives of his brothers and sisters are at stake, how could Wu Qiong not care about the results of this provincial examination?
Although Wu Ke could still try again after three years even if she failed, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo had already started to look for marriage partners for the siblings. After three years, Wu Qiong felt that she should have married, and even if she moved out of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she could not move into the new house with her cousin.

She grabbed her sleeves, still struggling. Seeing that she was distracted again, Haitang smiled and didn't bother her. She turned around and continued chatting with Zhou Yijun: "Do you think your uncle can pass this subject? If he can pass, I'm afraid he will be very nervous."

Zhou Yijun pursed her lips, smiled and shook her head: "Even for a scholar, he took many years to pass the exam. During the last provincial examination, he came to join in the fun, and his essay was often laughed at for being vulgar. Now only three years have passed, how could he easily pass the imperial examination? My grandmother once secretly asked someone to take his essay to Mr. Xie to read, and Mr. Xie said that he was still far from ready. If he worked harder and got guidance from one or two famous teachers, maybe he would have a chance to pass the imperial examination when he was fifty?"

However, Zhou Jinpu was never a studious person. In Chang'an, no kind-hearted scholar could tolerate his bad temper and bad reputation and be willing to accept him as a student. His passing the examination for the title of scholar was the result of his father Zhou Shigong's personal tutoring for several years and his painstaking efforts. However, now even Zhou Shigong had no patience to instruct his eldest son on his studies, and left him to study on his own. He soon lost the good habit of studying hard for six hours a day under his father's supervision and became lazy again. It was impossible for him to pass the provincial examination.

Zhou Yijun really didn't want to talk too much about Zhou Jinpu. In the past few years, she lived with her grandmother, father, mother and brothers, and her life was peaceful and smooth. Grandfather Zhou Shigong stayed at the farm all year round, either teaching his eldest son Zhou Jinpu and eldest grandson Zhou Lianghou to read, or taking care of Zeng's two nephews. He only stayed at home in the city for three to five days a month at most. He met less and quarreled less with his wife and youngest son, but their relationship was quite harmonious. However, Zhou Yijun remembered the lonely expression that her grandmother occasionally showed in the upper room of the main courtyard, and she couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards her grandfather. She didn't like her grandfather's favorite uncle at all, and didn't want to talk too much about him.

She just came here to watch the list with her friends today, so she naturally didn't want to be affected by irrelevant people.

She changed the subject and asked Haitang, "How is your aunt's health these days? I heard from my grandmother the other day that my aunt was planning to buy some good wolfberries to make medicinal soup for my uncle, but the wolfberries on the market were not satisfactory to her. It just so happened that someone in my family just sent a cart of wolfberries, all of which are of the best quality, and each one looks as big as a soybean. Does your family still want some? If so, I will tell my grandmother when I get home and ask her to send half a cart to your house."

Haitang smiled and said, "You don't need this. Yesterday, Uncle Cui bought a batch of good wolfberries. I heard that they are all from Zhongwei, Ningxia. The berries are full and the color is bright red. I guess the new batch from your family is the same batch that came into the city. My grandma got this batch of wolfberries, which is enough for her medicine. If your family sends more, we really can't finish it."

"If you can't finish it, give it as a gift. Nowadays, it's fashionable to use medicinal herbs as gifts, which can save a lot of money." Zhou Yijun sighed, "Thanks to my great-uncle's matchmaking, my father was able to open this trade route for his old colleagues in Ningxia Zhongwei. Ningxia Zhongwei is now living a much better life than before, and no longer has to worry about food and clothing. Even if my father stays in Chang'an to work, he doesn't have to worry about his old friends all the time, feeling guilty for leaving them behind to come back and enjoy a good life."

Haitang smiled and said, "It was just something I did casually. It's not a big deal. I also want to thank my cousin Jinlin for teaching my brother the art of war. The provincial military examination has just ended. Although the results are not out yet, my brother has a high chance of passing. He will soon be a man of honor. This is all thanks to the advice of my cousin Jinlin!"

The two cousins ​​were still being polite to each other when Wu Qiong suddenly exclaimed, "Here they come! Our people are back after looking at the list!" The two of them hurriedly turned around and went to the window with Wu Qiong, watching the Wu family's servant running towards the teahouse.

(End of this chapter)