On the day when the results were announced, Jiang Erlang was not stuck in the house, but was watering the flowers and plants in the yard of the rented house.

He looked at his mother, who was constantly pacing back and forth in the yard, and his sister Jiang Wei, who was sitting on a stool, craning her neck to pay attention to the movements outside the house, and said, "Mother, don't worry, sit down and rest."

If he could pass the college entrance examination this time, he would become a scholar in the future. He was very confident about the result, but he was unsure about his ranking.

There is always someone better than you. When he was taking the exam, he found that there were even hunchbacked old men with gray hair among the candidates. Compared with these people who were much older than him, his road to the imperial examination was just the beginning so far, and it was already much smoother than many people.

Qian Xiuzhu paused. "My child, how can a mother not be anxious about something like this? If you fail this time, it will take at least two years, at most three years. Just recently, you've been studying so hard that your eyes are almost hurt. What will happen if you have to wait another two or three years?"

Jiang Erlang put down the water in his hand, looking quite helpless. "Mother, I have never taken an exam before. I was so unsure a while ago that I felt like this. I will pay attention next time."

Qian Xiuzhu agreed. Although her second son looked mature, he was actually very anxious inside. He would not say it out loud and was just a taciturn person.

Thinking of this, she stopped walking back and forth, so as not to make her second son even more anxious.

"Mom, is the wedding money ready?"

Seeing her mother walking towards her, Jiang Wei asked again with a nervous look on her face.

"You look at me stuffing money into my purse and ask me again what I'm doing?" Qian Xiuzhu found it funny.

I prayed in my heart that the person who brought the news would come quickly, otherwise the whole family would be so anxious that they would not be able to eat lunch.

As I was thinking this, I heard some noise outside the courtyard.

"Congratulations, Jiang Xun got first place in the college entrance examination!"

The voice had arrived before the person arrived. Qian Xiuzhu paused, her hand clutching her purse paused, and she stood up in surprise. She looked at Jiang Wei, who had also stood up, and asked in disbelief, "Which number is it?"

Jiang Wei stamped her feet excitedly, "Mom, first place! Second brother is first!"

Before Qian Xiuzhu could digest the news, the gate of the courtyard was opened. The person who brought the good news showed a face full of smiles and repeated what he had just said.

"Congratulations, congratulations! Come on, have a cup of tea. Thank you for your hard work!"

After sending off the person who brought the good news, Qian Xiuzhu personally set off a string of firecrackers. With such a big happy event, no one could stop her from wanting to show off!

Soon, groups of people came to the gate of the courtyard to congratulate.

The small courtyard was also rented. In order not to disturb Jiang Erlang's studies, a courtyard far away from the alley was deliberately chosen. Originally, it was planned to let Jiang Erlang share the house with the Zhou family members as last time. However, Qian Xiuzhu heard that Jiang Erlang had eaten something bad before the exam last time and had to recover before the exam, so this time he insisted on coming with him.

She took care of the food and clothing, and also saved her second son from being burdened by trivial matters and distracted during the exam. As for Jiang Wei, she had to come to help.

Those who came to congratulate were all neighbors. Some of them did not leave after congratulating Qian Xiuzhu, and talked to her for a long time. As they talked, they gradually talked about Jiang Erlang's marriage.

This kind of thing is not surprising. I have heard that people would catch a son-in-law from the list before. Now that she caught her son, she feels very happy.

Qian Xiuzhu had already prepared an excuse. She used the excuse that her father-in-law had just passed away last year, Erlang was filial, and she planned to observe a three-year mourning period for him, and rejected all mentions of marriage.

After she had said that Jiang Erlang should not get married before he came of age, she had regretted it. Twenty was a little too old. Although her son's looks and talents meant he wouldn't have trouble finding a husband, he was still a little old.

But in front of so many people, what she said could not be taken back, and she could not go back on her word.

Besides, even if it were possible to get married earlier, it couldn't be now. If my second son were to pursue a career in the government, he would definitely need to find someone of equal status.

After sending away all the people who came to congratulate her, Qian Xiuzhu breathed a sigh of relief for a short time, and called Jiang Wei over, planning to show off her skills today and reward her children.

Before she could start the stove, she heard voices outside. She dropped the work in her hands and walked to the kitchen door. It was Zhou Mo.

Zhou Mo first smiled and said "congratulations" to Jiang Erlang, then greeted Qian Xiuzhu before telling her the purpose of his visit.

"Wensi Garden?"

"Yes, after the establishment of the new dynasty, all students who passed the imperial examination in Ganzhou have this tradition. Wensi Garden is a good place to meet people. You ranked first in the academy exam, so it would be unreasonable not to go."

Jiang Erlang thought for a moment and then agreed.

Qian Xiuzhu hurriedly gave a few instructions, then watched the two disappear around the corner. Her desire to show off her skills was greatly reduced. She turned her head and saw Sister Wei looking at her eagerly. She smiled again, "If your brother doesn't want to eat, he's just missing out. Let's eat it ourselves!"

Jiang Wei's joyful laughter rang out from the kitchen.

"Mom, my second brother has become a scholar. Does that mean we don't have to pay taxes anymore?"

"Only twenty acres of land don't need to be paid. The extra land still needs to be paid, but we don't have that much land right now. Besides, your second brother told me that the top scorer in the college entrance examination seems to be a certain student who can receive food every month!"

Jiang Wei's eyes sparkled when she heard this. "That's great! Our family will never go hungry again."

She didn't know what she was thinking about, but her mood suddenly took a turn for the worse. She held her face in her hands and said wistfully, "It would be great if my youngest sister was here too. I wonder if the capital is okay?"

"Lord Chen loves Miss Xu very much. With him protecting her, nothing will go wrong. As for you, do you recognize all the characters on the letters he sends every month?"

"Mother!" Jiang Wei complained, "Little sister must know that the writing is too profound for us to understand. Tian Ya can recognize half of what she wrote. Am I worse than Tian Ya?"

"Learn more words so that you can ask Sister Xu to teach you a lesson next time."

Jiang Wei was amused. "What do you mean by 'quack eyes'? That's 'look at me with new eyes'..."

Shen Huaixu, who was worried about him, sat in Jishitang. Looking at the girl dressed as a maid in front of him who was almost crying with anxiety, he said slowly: "Don't be anxious. Tell me slowly. Is it you who is not feeling well or is it others who are not feeling well?"

The maid ran so fast that her mind was slow to react. When she heard Shen Huaixu's question, she said in a tearful voice, "My young lady is having a difficult labor. Please, doctor, save her!"

As she said this, she knelt down.