Chapter 224: Capital, Early Spring

Pei Yue naturally had no objection. Seeing that Su was a little hesitant, she also advised: "Yes, you and Qingyan can move in and save yourself from running back and forth. If there are any urgent business matters that need to be discussed, you won't be delayed on the road. This is also for everyone's benefit."

Just as he finished speaking, a young man's cheerful voice suddenly rang out in the yard and spread into the house from afar.

"Mother, Auntie, I'm back! Where's Sister Lan?"

The eight-year-old Zhu Chao pushed open the door. The warm winter sun cast a shadow behind him. Behind Zhu Chao followed Zhu Hongming, who was covered in snow.

After only two months of not seeing each other, Zhu Chao had grown taller, with a pair of obsidian eyes that shone with intelligence, and his black hair was neatly combed into a small bun. At such a young age, his brows were already stained with a bit of bookish air.

Just now when Zhu Hongming went to the school to pick him up and mentioned that Zhu Lan was back, Zhu Chao immediately ran home.

Zhu Chao rushed into the side hall and nearly bumped into Zhu Qingyan who was closest to the door. Only then did he realize how many people were inside. He hurriedly stopped and bowed to his elders like a little adult.

"Sister Qingyan is here too!" Zhu Chao gave Zhu Qingyan a big smile, then moved closer to Zhu Lan and asked her if she had brought back anything fun from her long journey.

Zhu Lan pretended to be serious and frowned, "I brought you two books. They are Yunzhou specialties. We can't buy them here!"

"Ah?" Zhu Chao's face suddenly fell, the light in his eyes disappeared, and he hung his head, "Why is it a book again..."

"If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old." Zhu Lan stared at him for a moment before finally unable to hold back his laughter and said, "I was kidding you, look at what this is?"

She took out a bamboo waist fan from behind her back and said, "Here, a little thing from Yunzhou."

Zhu Chao took it happily, looked over and over at the bamboo tube-like object in his hand, frowned, not knowing how to use it.

Zhu Lan demonstrated to him. She unfastened the buckles on the bamboo strips, and the strips spread out softly like a mat. Then she pinched the edges of the strips with her fingers and gently rotated them ninety degrees. The strips were then stuck horizontally into the fan ribs, turning them into a hard fan.

Zhu Chao found it novel. This little gadget was like a round fan when in use, and could be folded into a bamboo tube and hung around the waist when not in use. It was both practical and elegant, so he accepted it with great interest.

"All you do is play around all day long." Du Lanfang condemned, but his tone was not harsh.

After saying that, he looked at Zhu Hongming and said, "Hurry up and pack up, and go to school with your son. Now that we have enough food and clothes in our house, you can just pick up those books and read them peacefully. Look at how promising the two younger generations, Lan Jie'er and Yan Jie'er, are. Our Chao'er will not be far behind his two sisters in the future, and you, as a father, will be even worse than his son."

"We are all family, so it doesn't matter who is successful." Zhu Hongming has always had a very good temper. He smiled and picked up Zhu Chao, "Come on, son, go to school with daddy!"

Zhu Hongming took Zhu Chao away. Since they were talking about studying, Du Lanfang couldn't help asking:

"The Spring Examination will be held in two months. Are you two going to go to the capital then?"

Zhu Lan said: "The Spring Examination is held in the Imperial Examination Hall in the capital, so of course we have to go to the capital."

"If you need any help preparing anything on the way, just tell your second aunt. Don't be polite!" Du Lanfang was delighted, as if she had already seen the bright future of the Zhu family, especially Chao'er.

In the past, I always thought about dividing the family and how to compete with Pei Yue for that little bit of property. Now I think that I was really blinded by greed. Fortunately, Pei Yue was kind and did not make a fuss with me.

Zhu Hongming was right. Now that Lan Jie'er and Yan Jie'er were so promising, he should serve them attentively and cling to their thighs!

"In the past, our Zhu family had two successful candidates in the imperial examination, and we became famous in Jiangzhou City! If the two of you can bring back two top scorers, we will be considered a first-class family in Jiangzhou!" Du Lanfang said happily, as if Zhu Lan and the other two had already passed the imperial examination and won two top scorers.

Pei Yue smiled and shook her head. "I think they should just try their best and don't need to be so stressed. Even if they don't pass any exams, we can still support them."

Su also raised the corners of her mouth and nodded, her voice gentle, "Mrs. Pei is right."

"You two mothers are really...hahaha..." Du Lanfang laughed helplessly.

The snow in Jiangzhou City fell heavier and heavier until it was completely covered in silver. The falling snow covered the dead branches and leaves on the ground, but it could not cover up the bursts of laughter coming from the Zhu residence.

…

The tender bamboo shoots that had been buried for a whole winter finally broke through the soil after more than two months.

When the spring breeze comes in February, the ice and snow on the ground begin to melt slowly, revealing dots of emerald green. Flowers bloom on the branches, the grass is as green as new, and everything seems full of vitality.

Just when the ice and snow in Jiangzhou had just melted, the capital city was already bustling with activity.

The warm spring sun shines on the bustling streets, reflecting the unique elegance and splendor of Shangjing. Students from all over Daliang gather here, dressed in neat Confucian clothes, wearing square scarves on their heads, with elegant temperaments and calm steps.

Some of the students were in groups of three or five, discussing academic matters enthusiastically; some were alone, carrying their luggage, silently reviewing poetry and books; and some were visiting the capital for the first time, looking around in amazement at the prosperity of the city.

The capital city is similar to Jiangzhou. Whenever there is an important imperial examination, the major inns that serve as reception and send-off places will put up signs, saying that all students coming to take part in the spring examination can stay at half price or even for free.

After all, among these students, it is hard to say who will be the future Jinshi or even the top scholar. If an inn provides a candidate who has passed the imperial examination, it will be more valuable than a golden signboard!

There are no fools who can do business in the capital. No one will care about the small profits in front of them. Based on the concept of "casting a wide net and focusing on training", they all want to vacate all the guest rooms for these students to stay in during the period before and after the spring examination.

Zhu Lan, Qiao Youyou, Liang Zhou and others also came to the capital for the first time, but they had seen a lot in the modern era, so they were not shocked by the prosperity here and looked calm.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Jiuzhou Inn?" Zhu Lan stopped a person passing by and asked.

The other party quickly pointed them in the direction.

The group arrived outside the Jiuzhou Inn. The waiter knew at a glance that they were all here to participate in the Spring Examination, but he said with a bitter face: "Ladies and gentlemen, it's really unfortunate that our room is fully booked..."

"We are here to look for someone." Zhu Lan said with a smile, "Please take us to see the guest in Room No. 3."

The waiter immediately agreed and led a few people upstairs. When they arrived in front of Tianzi's room No. 3, he asked them to wait for a moment, pushed the door open and went in to ask. He came out soon and said, "Please come in. If you have any requests, just tell me."

The guest rooms at Jiuzhou Inn are famous for their spaciousness, and the Tianzi rooms are of the highest quality. The layout and facilities in the room are just like a small house.

Zhao Sicheng and Xu Shiming, who had been waiting in the room, stood up immediately. Zhao Sicheng smiled and stretched out his arms to Xiao Wan. The two gave each other a big hug, their eyes filled with joy of reunion after a long separation.

There was a man standing against the light by the window, silently. Fortunately, Liang Zhou recognized him with his sharp eyes and shouted, "Hey! Lao Chang! You're here too!"

Chang Yunxiao, whose face was still thin, pursed his lips for a rare moment and nodded to a few people.