This journey allowed Xichun to truly witness the diversity of scholars in ancient times.

Geniuses ranging from those in their fifties and sixties to those in their teens and twenties all gather here.

Besides the scholar Lin, who left a deep impression on Xichun, the only other scholar who in his twenties, but accompanied by four young girls, intrigued both Xichun and Sister Cao.

However, this Scholar Xie was a gentleman, unlike the old scholar.

There was no other reason than that these girls were all from respectable families and were relatives of that scholar. They didn't want to marry that scholar, but rather wanted to take advantage of his connections to go to the capital and marry into a good family.

"Sister-in-law Fu, do you have any extra bowls and chopsticks here? I'll return them to you when we get to town."

One of the girls walked up to Xichun's carriage and saw her cooking with the servants, and looked on with disbelief.

"It's Guizhi. Did you break your bowls and chopsticks again?" Xichun remembered that they had come to borrow them just two days ago.

"Yes, I fell again. We haven't even reached town in the last two days, so I have no choice but to borrow from you."

Guizhi felt very embarrassed. Among the sisters, there was always jealousy and rivalry, and naturally, some minor accidents would happen during their arguments.

Xi Chun saw that she was honest and kind, and perhaps that was why the older sisters called her out to borrow things. So she didn't make things difficult for her and had someone bring her a bowl.

“We’ve been traveling for a month now, and we’ll reach the capital in another month. You can work hard for a few more days, and then you can have a good rest once you get to the capital.” Taozi had already prepared today’s meal, and Fu Changfeng was eating while talking to the others.

“Brother-in-law, we’re not the ones who are working hard. You’re the one who’s working the hardest. You travel like this every day, yet you still insist on studying. No wonder you passed the exam. If I had your perseverance, I’d probably have opened a shop in Yizhou Prefecture by now.”

Taozi greatly admired Fu Changfeng's willpower. In recent days, he had seen different kinds of scholars, some of whom studied hard all day like his brother-in-law, but there were also those who traveled around and had no mind on the exam.

"Taozi is also very good. It's his first time traveling with us, and we haven't heard a single complaint. He's been working hard all the way, taking care of us and these two horses. You're the one who's been working the hardest." Fu Changfeng had certainly noticed Taozi's hard work, so they started praising each other.

"Alright, you two aren't strangers, so stop being so polite with each other. Hurry up and eat, we still have a long way to go." Seeing the two of them still being so polite, Xichun interrupted their mutual flattery.

"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Eldest sister, second sister, stop fighting!" Before they had finished eating, they heard Guizhi's voice from not far away. This time it sounded serious; it seemed like a fight had broken out.

"Xiaoyue, go and see what's going on over there. Why are they fighting all of a sudden?" Xichun didn't want to get involved in other people's family affairs, but this was really a mess.

"Stop it, all of you! Stop fighting! You lot, your aunt and uncle told you they were sending you to the capital to broaden your horizons. Why are you fighting now? I see you're all being unruly. If you continue to disobey, I'll find someone to send you back when we get to the next county."

"Cousin, we're not going back. It's all my sister's fault. She was the one who tried to take my things from me first," the scolded girl said indignantly.

"Alright, alright, don't give me any complaints. Look at the mess you've made on the way here. I've made up my mind, you can all go back now. I have servants to take care of things here." The scholar Xie was so disturbed by their noise that he couldn't concentrate on his book.

If he hadn't grown up in his mother's family home, he would definitely have refused his aunts' and maternal aunts' requests. But now all his well-behaved younger sisters from home have turned out like this, and he's afraid something will happen to them before they even reach the capital. So, he has no choice but to send them back.

"I saw those young ladies crying and sobbing. Now they've really been sent back. They were really too noisy. They didn't even consider that Scholar Xie still has to study. No wonder Scholar Xie was angry."

Xiaoyue told Xichun about the final results of the group, and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.

"Never mind, that's their family matter. As long as nothing serious happens, we shouldn't get involved. Of all those girls, only Guizhi is reliable; the rest are too restless."

The next day, when they arrived in the county town, the girls were indeed sent back by Xie, the scholar. Now their group was much quieter, and Xie had extra energy to read. He would also come over from time to time to discuss scholarship with Fu Changfeng.

"Madam, look, it seems to be a large river ahead." That day, their group arrived at the riverbank, where many boats were coming and going.

“This must be the Minjiang River of our Great Zhou. It is the longest river in the Great Zhou. This should be within the territory of Minjiang Prefecture in Shannan Circuit.” Fu Changfeng had some knowledge of this area.

“Brother Fu is right. This is indeed Minjiang Prefecture. I’ve been here with my classmates before. This is Minshui County under Minjiang Prefecture. The Minjiang River flows through the county town. If we walk another ten miles, we’ll reach the county seat. This county is very special. Every year on the sixth day of the eighth lunar month, they hold a grand sacrificial ceremony on the banks of the Minjiang River. If you have the chance, you should definitely come and see it.”

At this moment, Xie Juren also heard Fu Changfeng's words and stepped forward to answer everyone's questions.

"Hehe, if you have the chance, you must come and see it." Hearing this, everyone became even more interested in this place. If they weren't thinking about getting on their way, they would probably want to experience the local customs and culture.

Because of this river, the county is more prosperous than other county towns. You can take a large boat from the county town, carrying people and horse-drawn carriages, and ride to the other side of the river, which saves a lot of travel time.

So everyone decided to stay overnight in the county town and catch the earliest passenger ship the next day.

It was early November, and the wind on the river was howling. Even though Xichun was wearing a cloak, she was still almost cold. Sister Cao was also wearing a thick cloak. The two of them boarded the boat and then felt the vastness of the river.

"If I hadn't gone out this time, I really wouldn't have had the chance to see such a scene. Such a wide river is rare even in our area. If I have the chance to come again in the future, I'll definitely take advantage of a nice spring day to come and see it." Sister Cao said to Xichun while holding the hot water bottle.

"Yes, it's rare to see such a sight. If Brother Zeng comes to this place to select officials in the future, you'll have a good look at it."

"The exam hasn't even started yet, so how can we be sure? I can only thank you for your kind words, sister. If we both have that opportunity, then we can really visit each other more often in the future."

Sister Cao was also somewhat confident in her husband's upcoming exam, and since the two were familiar with each other, she dared to say such arrogant words.