He felt a surge of emotion.
It must be admitted that Qiao Lian'er was right. Every word she said was telling him practical life lessons, and she only hoped that he could live a good life in the future.
"Okay, I've got it all. Thank you, Lian'er. Thank you, Grandpa Qiao."
"I will go to the prefectural capital now. I will do what I should do, and I will not do what I should not do."
It's time to prepare to leave.
"So, the five taels of silver you have on you aren't enough," Old Man Qiao said again.
"Then I'll eat less, stay in a less desirable inn further away, get up earlier, and if all else fails, sleep on the street. I'll eat steamed buns for every meal, and I'll still be able to save some money for this." Mu Xinghe had already come up with a plan.
"Oh dear, no way. You're not even getting enough to eat, and your nutrition isn't keeping up. How can you compete with others with all your might? Besides, others sleep longer than you and have more energy. While you're busy rushing around, they're sleeping or studying. They're completely relaxed, while you're tense."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xinghe lowered his head again, exuding an air of dejection and helplessness.
"But what can I do?"
His uncles didn't think much of him and wouldn't lend him money. He had already borrowed five taels from the Qiao family, so how could he ask for more?
Old Man Qiao untied the cloth bag from his waist and took out two taels: "Come on, everyone, let's pool our money for Xinghe, and add another five taels."
The Qiao family members put down what they were doing and came over. Each of them had some money on them. They opened their bags and searched their sleeves for money, and actually managed to scrape together five taels of silver.
Mu Xinghe's eyes welled up with tears, and he could no longer hold them back, covering his face and weeping.
"Nephew Xinghe, don't feel burdened. Just focus on the exam. Our Qiao family believes you can pass. Our village hasn't produced a scholar in ten years. Our hopes are on you," Madam Feng said with a smile.
“We’re not helping you for no reason. The Qiao family has had a tough time these past few years. When your mother was still alive, she would often send over eggs and pickled vegetables, saying that our family had a lot of people, while your family only had the mother and her two children, so they couldn’t eat too much.” Old Mrs. Qiao said with a kind face, “We all know it was your mother’s excuse. You need money for your studies, so wouldn’t it be better to sell those things? Instead, she brought them to our Qiao family.”
“We should give and take. Your mother is such a kind person. Now that you need help, we can’t just ignore it.”
Yes, the reason Mu Xinghe came to the Qiao family was because his mother had helped the Qiao family many times, and he felt that perhaps the Qiao family would remember the good things his mother had done for him in the past and help him.
He made the right bet.
He was deeply moved by the warmth shown by the Qiao family.
He knew that such kindness was rare, and he had to pass the exam this time, otherwise the expenses for travel, food, lodging, and exam papers would be a huge sum, and who else would he have to bother?
Mu Xinghe bowed to each member of the Qiao family, accepted the silver, wiped away his tears, and left.
"Old man, why are you being so kind? We've already lent out five taels, and you still want to give so much more." Old Mrs. Qiao said, a little puzzled.
Old Man Qiao tilted his head mysteriously and said, "Old woman, you don't understand my good intentions."
"What?"
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