Chapter 73
Just when everyone in Lu Lin Academy was filled with confusion, they saw the door of the examination room in front of them open.
The government soldiers lined up behind the examination hall and soon cleared space at the entrance. The academician came in person and first thanked the emperor for the favor, then spoke aloud some words of encouragement to the students.
As soon as the hour of Mao arrives, the candidates officially enter the examination room.
The students of Lu Lin Academy saw that the people they had been staring at for a long time dispersed one after another, and in the end only the one from Class C was left.
As they watched, Lu Shang took his exam badge and basket and walked into the examination room at a leisurely pace. When he was about to enter the inspection room, he stopped, turned around suddenly, and waved vigorously towards the crowded crowd in the distance, with a big smile on his face again.
Others didn't know why he did this, but Jiang Wanning and others who were surrounded by the crowd smiled with relief.
It turned out that this autumn examination, Lu Shang also had family members accompanying him to take the exam.
He studied seriously for half a year in the nameless private school. Not only did he have Jiang Wanning's after-school lessons, but Jiang's father also gave him extra lessons every now and then. The father and daughter had different approaches to problems, one was more novel, the other more experienced. Lu Shang accepted all of them and just wrote them down. If he really encountered such questions in the future, he would answer according to the examiner's preferences.
Just like the chief examiner of the Songxi County Examination this time is an important person sent by the imperial court. He is a person who values courtesy and morality. If you want to satisfy him, your answers must be standard. They may not be the most outstanding, but they will definitely not be inferior.
In the past six months, Lu Shang has been very hardworking and has a good chance of success in this year's special examination.
It was for this reason that when Grandma Lu and Mother Jiang offered to take him to the exam, he agreed without much hesitation.
Grandma Lu and Mother Jiang both came, and the remaining Jiang Wanning and Father Jiang naturally did not want to be left behind. In the end, the whole family came out and arrived at the examination room together.
Lu Shang had already experienced the provincial examination once, and with the explanation of the provincial examination in the private school, he was familiar with the examination process. While others were still nervously undergoing the examination, he and the students who had guaranteed each other a place had already passed the examination and were looking for their own rooms.
Fortunately, including him, the other dozen or so students from the nameless private school all had decent seats, not in the corners, and not near the toilets.
As the last candidate entered the examination room, the door closed heavily, and the three-day provincial examination officially began.
The people outside the examination hall also dispersed in groups of three or two. Jiang Wanning and others followed the crowd. As they walked, they couldn't help but hear the worries of others, or perhaps their earnest hopes for their own sons.
It was the first time that Grandma Lu personally escorted Lu Shang to the entrance, so she was inevitably affected. She silently grabbed Jiang Wanning's sleeve and finally walked to the place where the crowds were evacuated. She could no longer hold back and asked, "Wanning, do you think Shang'er can pass the exam this time?"
Jiang Wanning turned around and smiled faintly, "Grandma, are you worried?"
Grandma Lu nodded honestly: "Bu Shang'er just passed the exam once the year before last, and he failed the last time. Now he has dropped out of the academy. He won't be studying with you and your father-in-law for long. I'm really worried."
Without waiting for Jiang Wanning to reply, Jiang's father said, "Don't worry, Grandma Lu. Although Lu Shang hasn't been studying for a long time, Wanning and I have been teaching him everything we know. Besides, there are more places for the provincial examination this time, so I'm sure he won't have any problem passing."
"Besides, when it comes to learning, you can't rush it. Even if you don't pass this time, there will be regular exams next year, so it won't be a problem to take the exam again next year."
Although Jiang's father established himself by his talent and learning, he did not attach too much importance to fame and fortune. After all, Lu Shang's attitude of progress was good, so the result was not important.
In Grandma Lu's heart, the Jiang family elders were still very authoritative. Even this former Grand Secretary had spoken, so she was no longer as anxious as before and nodded in agreement: "My father-in-law is right. Shang'er will do his best."
Jiang Wanning held her hand gently and couldn't help but smile when she heard that.
Private schools and other places were closed during the days of the provincial examination, so Jiang Wanning was able to take a break from her busy schedule. Besides worrying about Lu Shang, she was able to have a good rest at home for a few days.
Jiang's father was invited to Qu Heng's house. For some unknown reason, he kept him at the house, saying that he would stay for ten days or half a month before returning.
After hearing the news, Jiang's mother didn't say much. She turned around and went to find Jiang Wanning. After thinking for a while, they left the house together. They first went to the famous commercial street in the city, found several tailor shops, and made two sets of clothes for each family member.
Under Lu Shang's influence over the years, Jiang Wanning has become accustomed to buying ready-made clothes.
It was only after Jiang's mother came that she persuaded her to buy cloth instead because she had excellent needlework skills and the price of the cloth was more than half cheaper than ready-made clothes.
At first, Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang were afraid that she would hurt her eyes if she did too much needlework, but Jiang's mother also had her own arrangements. She never sewed at night, and even if she did work during the day, she would choose a time when the sun was full, working for an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon, never overdoing it. This made her daughter and son-in-law stop talking and gradually get used to accompanying her to buy all kinds of fabrics.
Jiang's mother also had an excellent eye. On a shelf full of colorful items, she could pick out the most beautiful patterns at a glance. Without even asking Jiang Wanning to say anything, she negotiated a price with the shop assistant and packed the fabric quickly and efficiently.
She knew that her daughter was not good at needlework, so she did not force her. Occasionally, when Jiang Wanning came across her, she would give her some guidance. As for whether she would do it in the future, that was not within her scope of follow-up. It would be better to say that it was just a few casual chats rather than teaching.
After Jiang Wanning accompanied Jiang's mother to buy cloth, the two went into a cleaning shop and picked out two small earrings and two exquisitely crafted bracelets. Jiang Wanning kept the earrings for herself, and gave the bracelets to Jiang's mother and Grandma Lu, one each.
As the scale of the private school gradually expanded, although Jiang Wanning's income was still not as high as Lu Shang's, it was still easy for her to come up with money to buy expensive items. Besides, it was just some small jewelry, which would not cost much.
After receiving the bracelet, Mother Wei Jiang sighed again, "Thinking back then, I only hoped that you wouldn't be mistreated by your husband's family. I never imagined you'd have such a good family. Although Lu Shang is from a merchant family, he's a good boy. He cares about you, so don't let him down."
Jiang Wanning smiled and responded softly.
Three days passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, the provincial examination was over.
This time, Jiang Wanning was the only one who went to pick up Lu Shang. She did not go to the front and squeeze with the people, but waited outside with her family's carriage. She also hung a license plate on the carriage with a very conspicuous "Lu" on it, so that Lu Shang would see it as soon as he came out.
She waited by the carriage for about half an hour, and finally waited for Lu Shang to come out with several private school students.
After seeing the family carriage, Lu Shang subconsciously looked to the side and saw Jiang Wanning waiting there. His already cheerful mood became even more cheerful. He quickened his pace and quickly rushed over.
When the other students saw the teacher, they came over to greet him. Then they saw that the teacher and Brother Lu had something to say, so they quickly said goodbye.
Only Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang got on the carriage one after the other. With the sound of a whip, the carriage started moving slowly, and the two people in the carriage were already sitting together, shoulder to shoulder and legs close together.
Without waiting for Jiang Wanning to ask, Lu Shang immediately said: "Aning, I think I still have a chance of making the list this time!" His eyes were bright, and thinking of the countless lessons his wife had taught him in the past two months, he was even more grateful.
"So powerful—hmm!" Jiang Wanning didn't finish her sentence before her eyes went dark. The next moment, Lu Shang leaned over to her.
Jiang Wanning widened her eyes in shock, feeling the bumpy ride beneath her. She felt so embarrassed that she pushed Lu Shang away after just two breaths.
Lu Shang laughed stiflingly, but did not insist any further.
After returning home, Grandma Lu and Mother Jiang had prepared a large table of delicious dishes. Even though Father Jiang was not at home, it did not prevent them from having a happy meal.
At the dinner table, Jiang's mother asked about the provincial examination, and Lu Shang told her the exact topic.
Mother Jiang could only understand these questions, but she didn't know how to answer them. She listened to Jiang Wanning and said, "Didn't Dad and I tell you all this?"
"Otherwise, why did I say that there is a chance of making the list this time!" Lu Shang said with a smile.
After hearing this, Jiang's mother and Grandma Lu also understood.
No matter how difficult the test questions are, since they have all been studied before and the candidates themselves are confident, then as bystanders, there is of course nothing much to say. They can only express their congratulations in advance and wait for good news.
After the provincial examination, private schools will have a holiday of about a month and classes will not resume until the results are announced.
After staying at home for two days, Lu Shang suggested to everyone, "Why don't we stay in the mountains of Nanxing Village for a few days? There's a new bamboo house on the top of the mountain, so it's cool even in the summer. There's a mountain stream just a hundred steps outside the bamboo house. It's the perfect place for a vacation."
Jiang Wanning glanced at him sideways and said, "Husband, do you want to go on vacation, or do you want to see the farm in the mountains?"
Lu Shang didn't refute her. He raised his hand and pinched her fingers. "It's been a while since I last visited the mountain. I was worried about it. I happened to have some free time recently, so I wanted to go and see you... Aning, hasn't seen Fan Sanniang for a long time? I asked Lu Qi to bring his family over. It's a good opportunity for you to talk to Fan Sanniang. Lu Qi has a new daughter, and you haven't met her yet."
After saying this, he told Mother Jiang and Grandma Lu how beautiful the scenery on his mountain was and how fresh the food on the mountain was.
Seeing that the two elders were moved, Jiang Wanning had no choice but to agree.
Jiang's father was still at the county magistrate's residence, so they didn't go to disturb him. They just sent someone to deliver a message. By the time Jiang's father knew where they were going, the family of four had already set out on the road to the mountain farm.
When we got to the mountain, everything was just as Lu Shang had said.
The newly built bamboo house on the mountain was exactly what Jiang's mother and Grandma Lu liked. They loved it the moment they moved in.
Jiang Wanning first met Fan Sanniang and her one-year-old girl, and then many neighbors from nameless alleys came to visit. After asking carefully, she found out that it was Lu Shang who went to Tang Town and made them hear the news.
In recent years, the children of the old neighbors in Wuming Lane have all gone to work in the logistics team. This is because they were enlightened by her when they were young. They have been waiting for her to come back, and of course they don’t want to miss the opportunity. They either pack money or bring gifts, and come in groups of three or two.
So, Mother Jiang and Grandma Lu walked around in the mountains, and Jiang Wanning stayed on the top of the mountain to meet the guests.
With no one to supervise him, Lu Shang ran around all over Tang Town. He would personally visit wherever the logistics team was.
At the end of September, the results of the provincial examination were announced.
At that time, the Lu family members were still in the mountains. The yamen official who brought the good news spent two days searching for them before finding their whereabouts. After a long journey, he finally delivered the good news to Lu Shang: "Congratulations, Mr. Lu... No, from now on, you will be Mr. Lu!"
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