Chapter 629 The Early Death of the Scholar's Daughter (Part 3)

This morning at breakfast, there was no steamed egg custard to eat. Now that I'm better, I can't eat it every day. The only time my father-in-law gets this treat is when he comes home, or when a woman gives birth, or at the very least, when she's sick and needs to recover. My grandparents are also reluctant to eat it.

In fact, with the Jiang family's wealth, they could afford to eat well, but that would mean they wouldn't be able to save money. For example, this time, when the family was sick and they had no money, how would they afford to hire a doctor? Also, Jiang's father had to go out to take the imperial examination. Not to mention the travel expenses, that alone was a problem. They could only relax when he passed the exam and was appointed to an official position, or when he gave up the imperial examination altogether.

However, with Jiang's father's current academic degree, he could earn a lot of money by opening a school. If he was lucky, he could even become a minor official in the county government. But that would require connections and relationships, which ordinary people wouldn't have.

After dinner, her aunt and uncle went to wash the pots and dishes, while Jiang Yue continued to coax her younger brother to talk: "Come on, learn from your sister, say, 'Sister~'"

"Ahhh!"

"Sister~"

"Ah~?"

"Call me 'sister'."

"ah!!"

Although he hasn't learned to call her "sister" yet, he still gives some feedback, unlike when his mother teaches him and he's too lazy to respond. After a while, the little guy got sleepy. There's nothing we can do; he's still young and only wakes up for a few hours each day, spending the rest of his time sleeping.

A few days later, the snow outside melted, and the ground was no longer as muddy as before. With the good weather, Jiang Yue took a long-awaited stroll. She walked along the familiar paths in the village and saw the village children playing together.

Her older brothers were also inside. Some of the children were brandishing homemade wooden swords, as if imitating martial arts heroes. When the older brothers saw Jiang Yue coming, they sent their youngest brother to watch over her, while the others were too busy playing the hero to pay attention to her at the moment.

After watching them play for a while, they went to the village center. There were still quite a few people there even though it was winter. Several adults from the family were also there. When Grandma saw Jiang Yue, she called her over. Many people didn't understand why their family liked a girl, and at first, quite a few people made sarcastic remarks.

They would get scolded by Jiang Yue's grandmother whenever they spoke, and after being scolded so many times, now that Jiang Yue is four years old, everyone has gotten used to it. Although there are still some who don't like it, no one comes to their faces to complain anymore; at most, they just mutter about it behind their backs.

Grandma straightened Jiang Yue's clothes and told her to be careful while playing, so she wouldn't sweat too much and catch a cold. Just as Jiang Yue was about to leave, she saw dust rising on the road into the village, accompanied by the sound of horses' hooves and the clamor of gongs and drums.

People sunbathing nearby stood up and looked into the distance to see what was going on. As time passed, some quick-witted people realized: "Auntie, did your third son pass the imperial examination?"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that this scene had happened once before when the scholar passed the imperial examination. Grandma, Aunt, and Second Aunt were also excited. When the messenger came to announce the good news, the three people leading the group dismounted and bowed to Grandma, saying, "Congratulations, Madam, your master Jiang Xuan has achieved the seventeenth place in the provincial examination."

Then, she took the messenger home. When they arrived at the door, there were already many people there. Jiang Yue glanced around and saw that almost everyone in the village had come. As her grandfather, the head of the family, came out, firecrackers went off in a flurry. Since they had done this once before, Jiang Yue's grandfather quickly took out red envelopes and gave one to each of the messengers.

My second uncle and aunt brought out the table, and many other people went to their own homes to carry tables and chairs. My grandmother brought out some food and drinks and set them out so that everyone could share in the joy. All the food that was originally prepared for the New Year was brought out. After today, the Jiang family will be 'bankrupt'.

The messenger who brought the good news ate something to share in the joy before taking his leave. Before leaving, Grandpa asked about Jiang's father's whereabouts and was relieved to learn that he had gone to the capital to take the imperial examination. After they left, everyone relaxed a bit, as the villagers were somewhat reserved with them around.

After the yamen runners left, everyone started chattering. The flattery made Grandma Jiang and the others beam with joy. They had to say a few nice words, since the Jiang family was about to rise to prominence. They would become the first person in the village and even the county to pass the imperial examinations, and maybe even more. If they said a few nice words now, they might be able to ask for favors from the Jiang family in the future.

The crowd didn't disperse until it got dark. After the family went inside, the eldest and second aunts went to cook. Jiang's mother wanted to help but was sent back. After the food was served, tears welled up in the children's eyes. There was no other way but to have refined grains, meat, and scrambled eggs. It was almost like celebrating the New Year.

Grandpa and Second Uncle brought out half a jar of wine. After everyone sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed), they didn't rush to pick up their chopsticks, waiting for Grandpa, the head of the family, to speak. Since they were all family, Grandpa didn't say anything else, just said, "We're happy today, so eat as much as you want."

After saying that, she put a chicken leg on Jiang Yue's plate, and then everyone started eating. Jiang Yue was small and had a small stomach. She ate a chicken leg, a few bites of egg and rice and was full. She watched everyone eat and chat. Jiang's mother's eyes had been curved since morning, and of course, everyone else was the same.

There's nothing we can do about it; the Jiang family has a harmonious relationship. Grandpa and Grandma are good at interpersonal relationships and have a good eye for people. The wives they married for Uncle and Uncle aren't the troublemakers type. Of course, there have been times when they argued and had disagreements, but those were within acceptable limits. What family can truly be without any conflicts?

After dinner, Grandpa took out a silver note. Jiang Yue ran over to look at it. It was a fifty-tael note. Before anyone could ask him, he told them where it came from. It turned out that it was given to him by the yamen runner who came to deliver the good news today. He said that it was given to him by the county magistrate to sponsor his father's travel expenses for taking the exam.

"Dad, is it alright if we accept this money? Won't it affect our third son?"

The second uncle asked the grandfather a question, and the others turned to look at the grandfather. The grandfather was very calm: "Don't worry, it's fine. You can accept it. It's a good thing for the county magistrate that the third son passed the imperial examination. This is his achievement."

"That's good."

“I want to send this money to the third brother. He’s all alone in Beijing. If something happens to him, having money in hand will put his mind at ease. The money I gave him before has probably been spent long ago.”

"We'll have to wait for the third brother to write back. Wherever he is now, we'll send him there."

"Well, as long as you have no objections."

"What opinions could we possibly have? This money isn't for us anyway, and besides, I know the gravity of the matter."

After the formal discussion, it was time for miscellaneous matters. Grandpa asked Grandma to give some money to Second Uncle, so that he could go to the county early tomorrow morning to buy some food and drinks. The matter of passing the imperial examination was not over yet. Some relatives who lived far away had not yet come, such as Jiang Yue's maternal grandparents and uncles. The news would probably spread tomorrow, and they would definitely come to congratulate her when they found out.