Soon, on April 15th, the day of the Dazhou County Examination arrived.

Early that morning, everyone in the Ye family stood at the door to see them off, even Jin'er and Huan'er had gone to bed.

Madam Du looked at Ye Xuan with concern: "Xuan'er, are you really alright?"

Ye Daquan rolled his eyes: "Can you solve the problem?"

"I'm just worried!"

Did you know that in the days leading up to the county examination, Zhao Jinshan studied day and night at Master Qian's house, and even Ye Peng was forced to memorize texts until the wee hours of the morning?

But Ye Xuan was quite relaxed and only attended classes for half a day.

Ye Caiping said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. If Master Shen says he can do it, then he can."

Ye Xuan said, "The master said yesterday that as long as I answer normally, there will be no problem."

Mrs. Du wrung her hands anxiously, saying, "I'm afraid you'll be nervous."

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow: "The master said that being nervous is fine, as long as you don't faint."

Ye Caiping nodded; those were the words Shen Zhiyan would say.

"Good morning, Father, Mother, Elder Brother, and Sister-in-law!" Wei's laughter rang out.

Ye Caiping turned around and saw Ye Erquan and his wife, along with Yinhua, surrounding Ye Peng as they approached.

Grandma Ye smiled and said, "Peng'er, you must also work hard."

Ye Peng scratched his head awkwardly: "Haha, standing here is already my best effort."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Bah! If you're going to say something, you'll definitely live up to Grandma's high expectations." Madam Wei said with a serious face.

Although she knew her son had no interest in studying and wouldn't do well academically, she couldn't help but believe in miracles!

Thinking it over, Ms. Wei encouraged him earnestly:

"Peng'er, don't say discouraging things. Keep a positive attitude and try your best in the exam. You know, luck plays a big role. Maybe you can just write something casually and still pass!"

Ye Peng rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky...

Grandma Ye smiled and nodded: "Your mother is right. Since we have to go anyway, we can't be discouraged. We should do our best on the exam."

Ye Peng then replied, "I understand."

At this moment, Zhao Tieniu and his wife, along with Zhao Jinshan, walked over together.

Tie Niu's wife smiled and said, "We're late."

“It’s not too late, it’s just right,” said Mrs. Du.

Last night, the families with members who were in school discussed it and decided to go to the exam together.

Zhao Jinshan looked a little dejected and gave a perfunctory greeting: "Second Brother Xuan, Third Brother Peng, have you had breakfast yet?"

Ye Xuan nodded.

Ye Peng asked in a low voice, "Where's the donkey?"

Zhao Jinshan chuckled: "The donkey is with us too? How would I know? Isn't he the hope of your entire clan? You should know better."

Just then, Ye Li came over with a man in his early twenties.

Ye Peng quickly waved with a smile: "Brother Donkey, you're here!"

The man in his early twenties turned pale. His name was Ye Lu!

However, since most of the villagers are illiterate, they all thought his name was Ye Lu (Donkey Ye), so when he was a child, everyone called him Donkey, and he still calls him that now that he's grown up.

Ye Lizheng had already greeted Ye Caiping and the others.

Ye Lizheng laughed and said, "Caiping, thank you for giving the donkey a ride."

Ye Caiping said, "It's nothing. We're all students taking the exam, and we're from the same village and clan, so it's only right that we look out for each other. Come on, get in the car!"

Ye Xuan, Ye Peng, and Zhao Jinshan boarded the carriage one after another, and Ye Lu also got on the carriage with a sway of his hem and a straight face.

Next were Madam Du and Madam Wei, who were there to see the examinees off.

The horse stable was crammed full of six people.

"Giddy up!" Ye Daquan flicked the reins lightly, and the carriage slowly drove away.

Ye Lizheng and Tie Niu's wife and husband left with smiles, and Ye Erquan and Zhao Tie Niu also left in a hurry.

Only after Ye Lizheng left did Jin Hua whisper:

"I don't know what that donkey is so arrogant about. Before, he and Jinshan were the only two scholars in the whole village. It was one thing for him to be so haughty, but now my second and third brothers are also studying! They are all scholars, so why does he look down on anyone?"

Grandma Ye gave her a reproachful look: "Alright, after all, the donkey is very knowledgeable and is the hope of our entire Ye family."

“I don’t believe it. My second brother is the one! Not only did Master Qian praise him for his promising future, but he also became a disciple of a retired teacher from the capital.”

The grandfather and grandson walked into the house, muttering to themselves.

Ye Caiping followed behind them, smiling but saying nothing.

In fact, Qinghe Village has not produced a single scholar in decades.

The one with the highest level of learning was Ye Lu's father.

His father was a student who had passed the preliminary examination, but unfortunately he never did, and now he no longer takes the exam. He works as an accountant in a jewelry shop in the county, and his wife also works in the jewelry shop.

It is said that the couple had an income of four taels of silver per month, making them the most respectable and wealthy family in the village.

Of course, that was in the past. Now, the most prestigious and wealthy family is Ye Caiping's family.

Because his family was wealthy, Ye Lu began his formal education at the age of six and studied for more than ten years before being admitted to the county school. He was the only one among the younger generation to be admitted to the county school.

Therefore, Ye Lu was the most likely person in the whole village to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.

Ye Lu and Ye Caiping's family were also quite close.

Ye Lu's grandfather was Ye Lizheng's elder brother, and Ye Lu was Ye Lizheng's grand-nephew.

Jin Hua and Grandma Ye chatted as they entered the main room.

Ye Caiping sat down in the armchair on the left: "Jinhua, you've been resting at home for a long time, haven't you?"

Jin Hua sat next to Old Lady Ye on a small stool and said, "Mm."

"You should find something to do. Since you like making clothes, you should find a place to study properly."

Ye Jin'er said, "Speaking of which, I almost forgot! Sister Manman just talked to me about it yesterday! She said that since my cousin is staying at home now, why doesn't she come to her house to take classes together? She said that if more people come, there will be more people to play with her."

Grandma Ye exclaimed excitedly, "Miss Chen really said that? Jin Hua can attend classes with you all?"

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