She praised her son at length for his excellence and talent before finally asking, "I wonder if my son could study at Master Shi's school?"

He felt that this was already a done deal, and he was just asking casually to finalize the matter.

Who among those present could compare to his son? The so-called test was clearly just some country bumpkins from the surrounding area coming to broaden their horizons. How could they possibly beat his son?

If his son goes to Master Xu's place in the future, he will be even more outstanding, and it is very likely that he will become the top scholar in the provincial examination, the imperial examination, or even pass the imperial examination with flying colors.

He will never be able to look at these things again.

The shopkeeper stared longingly at Master Xu.

But I felt there was something off about his expression. However, considering his status and position, it was only right that he be serious.

The teacher simply gave him a cold look and asked, "So you're this child's father?"

"Yes, yes, it's one." He immediately nodded and bowed, pushing his son in front of Master Xu.

But his fat son just kept his head down, looking ashamed and sullen. He didn't stand up straight at this moment. The shopkeeper was so angry that he secretly gave his son a slap on the bottom, but the fat son curled up even more.

The shopkeeper chuckled twice, about to explain for his son.

But Master Xu spoke coldly.

"From what the shopkeeper just said, he is honest in his business and has a very good reputation."

Just as the shopkeeper was about to nod, Master Xu changed the subject, "Then how come your son turned out like this?"

The shopkeeper was stunned, unable to understand what this meant.

Master Xu's face turned extremely ugly. His fat son didn't dare to meet his gaze. Just as the shopkeeper was about to speak, Master Xu shouted sternly, "In the unified test in more than ten places, the students of the county academy have far surpassed everyone else. I am truly impressed."

The shopkeeper was starting to get confused. "Yes, isn't this the one who's far ahead of everyone else? That should be my son. What's the problem?"

Master Xu's next words revealed the truth.

"That's for the future. I really didn't expect that something like this would happen in a county academy. It's utterly disappointing."

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. It was just cheating, what was the problem?

"The most outstanding student in this top-tier academy actually brought in cheat sheets without permission!" Master Xu was heartbroken.

The shopkeeper, however, completely dismissed the issue, even complaining to Master Xu, "It's just a cheat sheet, aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill?"

Master Xu couldn't believe it. He turned to look at the shopkeeper and then understood why the child wasn't ashamed at all when he was caught cheating. It was all thanks to his family's upbringing!

"Did you know that if someone is caught cheating with a cheat sheet during the autumn imperial examinations, they will be disqualified and barred from participating again?"

The shopkeeper, however, didn't care at all. "So what? As long as we don't cheat during the autumn examinations."

So cheating is okay under normal circumstances?

Not only Master Xu, but also the other teachers at the academy felt extremely ashamed. The people around them were used to the manager's remarks, but at the same time, they felt very embarrassed.

“I will absolutely not accept this student. I suggest that the academy expel him.”

Previously, the shopkeeper had held this Master Xu in some respect, but now that he had said such things, he immediately became furious. "Who do you think you are? My son is destined for high school, what right do you have to expel him from the academy? Over the years, how much have I given to the academy...?"

"Shopkeeper, please stop making a fuss. Every candidate on the list has to be reviewed by Master Xu. Even if I don't remove them from the list, if Master Xu doesn't give his approval, he... will be unable to take the exam in the future."

The shopkeeper's expression changed, but then he remembered that he had connections with the county magistrate, and he had connections with the county magistrate as well. Was he afraid of a mere teacher?

"The first place in this test belongs to him, Chen Yiqi," said Master Xu.

At the same time, the look in his eyes when he looked at the eldest child was no longer one of disdain and coldness, but rather one full of relief and appreciation.

Yin Lan and Chen Yourun exchanged a glance, filled with disbelief, followed by boundless joy. If there hadn't been so many people present, Yin Lan would have picked up the baby and kissed him.

That's amazing!

The people around were also very surprised. They knew that this cold noodle beauty came from the village. Her children had never been to the county town before. They wondered how she studied so well that she could outshine the children from the academy.

Under everyone's gaze, Da Wa lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.

Yin Lan pursed her lips, walked behind Da Wa, and whispered in his ear, "Look up, straighten your back. What, did you cheat too? You're acting all smug and weak."

"No!" the eldest child said, looking up firmly in denial.

Then, remembering his mother's words, he straightened his back and raised his head high.

"You are number one, the undisputed number one!"

The eldest child was a little embarrassed, "Actually... I didn't perform very well..." so he was actually a little uneasy.

Yin Lan was even more delighted, "Do you still doubt Master Xu? Doesn't this mean that even without the best performance, you're still number one? Your number one ranking is even more well-deserved, isn't it?"

The eldest child thought about it and felt that his mother's words made a lot of sense.

"Since you're number one, enjoy everyone's praise. You deserve it, so why be shy?"

The older child saw the encouraging look in his mother's eyes and thought it was right, so he raised his little face.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!