After the ancestral worship ceremony, Wujia Village returned to its former tranquility.

The students in the school were even more enthusiastic, and their loud reading brought vitality to the early summer.

The Jiang family also made a list of the gifts they received. They accepted the more ordinary gifts, noted who sent them, and planned to return them with gifts of equal value on future holidays.

Some of the more valuable items were tallied up and returned along with thank-you notes.

It is obvious that the gift Qingyun received was of significantly higher value than the gift Changjun's family received.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Qingyun achieved the top three honors, while Changjun's ranking was slightly lower...

It took three days to return most of the generous gifts without offending anyone.

At the academy, Jiang Yue took fifty taels of loose silver from the public funds and gave it to Qingyun, telling him to pick out some gifts to give to the dean. The rest was for Qingyun's own pocket money, so he could buy whatever he wanted and wouldn't be short of money.

Although he had some unpleasant encounters with some spoiled brats in the academy, the dean had once taken great care of Qingyun, gifting him many books and copies of past imperial examination papers.

Both morally and logically, we should repay them properly.

Considering her in-laws' financial situation, Jiang Yue, without hurting Da Xue's pride, took fifty taels of silver from the public funds and, under the cover of night, had Qingshan secretly deliver it to her mother-in-law's family.

Qingshan initially declined, as his eldest son's family still had several hundred taels of silver; how could they possibly accept his mother's money?

But his mother told him that if the two of them secretly gave money to his wife's family, given his mother-in-law's personality, she would definitely not accept it!

“Just say this is from our family. Congratulations to Changjun for passing the imperial examination. The money was taken from the public funds. When Changjun becomes successful, he can slowly return it to our family.”

To put it bluntly, this money wasn't Qingshan and his wife's private savings; it was money she took from the family's public funds. After hearing this, Sister Liu, considering the family's situation, should accept it.

If she went by herself, she was afraid she would be overwhelmed with gratitude, and she couldn't bear that kind of scene.

As for this matter, let Aoyama, as the son-in-law, handle the talking.

"Yes, I understand, Mother. I'll go in a bit."

Qingshan knew his mother meant well for him and his wife, and he listened to her advice. He planned to go back to the room and say hello to his wife.

"Yes, the shop is busy, but Daxue is more important. Once she's trained, try to spend more time with her, okay?"

"Yes, I understand, Mother."

Qingshan solemnly agreed, saying that money can never be earned enough, and spending time with family is very important.

After arranging everything, Jiang Yue went back to her room to shower and wash her hair. Another day of worrying had come to an end...

When Qingshan returned to his room, he saw his wife leaning against the headboard, embroidering little shoes for their future child. On a whim, he quietly went over and leaned down to peck her cheek.

"Ah~"

Da Xue exclaimed in surprise, completely absorbed in the intricate stitching and unaware that her husband had returned to the house.

After regaining her senses, she said coquettishly:

You scared me.

"Hehe, it's my fault, I couldn't help myself~"

Qingshan sat down on the edge of the bed and comforted her for a while.

Then, with a solemn expression, he took out the silver from his pocket and told his wife what his mother meant.

Upon hearing this, Da Xue silently shed tears. Her mother-in-law was still so kind and understanding.

"Why are you crying? I didn't mean anything by it. I just hope that my mother-in-law's burden can be lighter."

Qingshan misunderstood, thinking that he had said something wrong and made his wife overthink.

"No, Mother is too good. I am really ashamed of myself."

Da Xue shook her head, pulled a handkerchief from beside her pillow, and wiped away her tears.

She was angry with herself for being incompetent, a burden to her husband's family, and unable to help her own family.

It's all thanks to the mother-in-law's thoughtfulness in helping her family!

"Husband, if you had married a girl from a similar social class, would you...?"

Pregnant women are sensitive, and so is heavy snow.

"No, silly girl, what are you thinking!"

Qingshan pretended to be fierce, placed the work his wife was doing on the bedside table, then leaned in and hugged her, gently soothing her:

"When I was a child, my family was poor and we didn't know where our next meal would come from. Your family wasn't much better off."

"Back then, you secretly hid your own food rations to help me out. At that time, I thought, if I ever became rich and successful, I would marry you and give you the best of everything!"

After hearing this, Da Xue felt somewhat better, despite her feelings of confusion and inferiority.

She cherished the memory of the nervousness she felt when her husband came to propose.

Thinking of her husband's tender care in the bridal chamber on their wedding day, and of the affection and importance her mother-in-law showed her in the months following their marriage, even though they hadn't consummated their marriage...

"Thank you, my husband."

Thank you, mother-in-law, for your tolerance and understanding.

She's already the happiest wife in the village, and the most envied person among her girlfriends...

Without delay, after dark, Qingshan went to Yue's house alone with the silver in his pocket.

Not to mention that Liu received the silver specially delivered by her son-in-law, and the whole family was extremely grateful for Jiang's generosity...

Their whole family will remember this kindness and will do their best to repay it in the future!

The banquet to thank the teachers was a great success, with two tables reserved to express gratitude to the teachers who had been kind to Qingyun and Changjun all along.

The women sat at one table, and the men at another.

The village chief and Old Master Wu, as representatives of the scholars, drank and kept them company at the head table.

Jiang Yue, along with her mother-in-law and Liu Shi and others, sat at another table to keep them company.

As the banquet ended, the dean specifically instructed that he had already sent a letter to the prefectural academy recommending Qingyun and Changjun to report for duty in May. Also accompanying them was the son of Magistrate Liu, who, although ranked last, had still passed the imperial examination and become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

After everyone thanked them, they split into two groups and escorted them home.

Jiang Yue couldn't help but laugh when she heard the name "Young Master Liu".

Old Mrs. Zhou also smiled. The magistrate's son—she had even spoken to him, and killed a chicken for him to eat!

That guy has a sweet tongue and is down-to-earth; she likes him quite a bit.

"When the time comes, have Dalang drive Qingyun and Changjun to Anqing Prefecture. If there's accommodation at the prefectural school, they can stay there; otherwise, they can rent a house outside..."

With a ruddy complexion, Mr. Wu said, "To be honest, I've spent most of my life working the land, and this is the first time I've sat at the same table with such learned gentlemen."

Being valued by others is something I never dared to dream of before!

Clearly, when it comes to educating one's children, having a capable member in the family is more important than anything else!

"That must cost a lot of money."

Old Mrs. Zhou felt a pang of heartache. Although she muttered this to herself, she was thinking to herself how much of the money she and her husband had saved for their funerals could be used to subsidize their third son's grandson.

"Mom, don't worry, the one thing our family has plenty of right now is money."

Jiang Yue leaned over and whispered to her mother-in-law that perhaps her possessions were insignificant in the eyes of wealthy people.

But in Wujia Village, he is definitely the richest man!

Give her three more years, and she will definitely become the richest person in Peach Blossom Town, no, Peach Blossom County!