Chapter 490 We are willing to do our part
The flowers swayed, filling the air with fragrance.
It wasn't the fragrance of chrysanthemums, but the aroma of roasted meat.
The men all volunteered to cook, while the women, wearing skirts, found it inconvenient and sat at their seats to wait for Granny Ma and the others to finish cooking and bring it over.
In addition to venison, there were also some vegetables to cut through the richness, such as roasted eggplant, green beans, and chives, as well as raw cucumbers and melons.
Granny Ma brought out a large plate of meat and placed some on each table.
"This taste is truly unique." Madam Lin took a bite and couldn't help but say, "It's still venison, but it seems like these spices have been added, making the meat even more fragrant."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "This is the secret dipping sauce of Dahe Banquet. No matter what you grill, sprinkling some of this on it will make it taste amazing."
She opened her mouth and ate the roasted chives. The chives originally had a strong smell, but after being roasted, the smell blended perfectly with the cumin and chili oil. One bite was simply irresistible.
She had hot pot a few days ago, and now she's having barbecue. Her life is complete.
Cheng Wanwan thoroughly enjoyed the barbecue feast.
After eating until she was about 80% full, she finally had the energy to talk to the people around her. Originally, Madam Meng was sitting next to her, but since Madam Meng and Cao Yingying were close, she had already moved to sit at the same table with her stepdaughter. Meanwhile, Madam Lin replaced Cheng Wanwan with Madam Lin.
Madam Lin genuinely wanted to befriend the people of Sui'an.
Firstly, she was a native of Sui'an; secondly, and most importantly, Lady Sui had saved her daughter, and she remembered this kindness.
"I heard that various banquets have been held in the provincial capital these past few days. The governor even attended the banquet hosted by the provincial education official," Madam Lin said with a smile. "My husband said that the governor is very fond of Young Master Cheng, so I imagine Young Master Cheng will rank among the top in this year's provincial examination."
A few days ago, Cheng Wanwan received a letter from Cheng Zhao. Although the provincial examination was over, the results had not yet been posted. Moreover, because the provincial examination was very important, after the results were released, each province still needed to cross-check the list of candidates, which meant that the results would not be available for at least a month. One can imagine how agonizing that month would be.
However, she believed that Zhao'er would be fine, as for Xiao Zheng... she could only pray to God for protection.
"And what else? Didn't the young master of the Zheng family also go to the provincial capital to participate in the provincial examination this time? It is said that he offended someone and was reported to the governor. If it weren't for Young Master Cheng stepping in to help, the young master of the Zheng family would probably be finished this time..." Madam Lin shook her head. "The upper beam of the Zheng family is crooked, and the lower beam is crooked as well. If it weren't for Lord Zheng's dedication to the people, my Lin family would never have let that matter pass so easily."
With a little planning, she obtained leverage over the Zheng family. Once this leverage was handed over to the high-ranking official in the capital who was in charge of investigating local officials, Lord Zheng would never be able to leave the jurisdiction of Fenghuang County for the rest of his life, and might even be dismissed... The Zheng couple came to her door every day, but she avoided seeing them. She was determined to make the Zheng family pay the price.
However, her husband carefully reviewed Lord Zheng's political achievements over the years. He had no outstanding accomplishments, but the people in his jurisdiction lived in peace and contentment, so he could be considered a good official.
So, her husband used that leverage against her.
Although the Lin family intended to let the matter drop, they did not plan to inform the Zheng family, leaving the Zheng family to live in constant fear and anxiety.
"Madam Qian, is what you're saying true?" Madam Meng's voice suddenly rang out. "Young Master Cheng really spoke with the governor? After passing the imperial examination, will he be able to become an official directly?"
It turned out that a group of merchant women were also talking about things in the provincial capital. Merchants travel around a lot, and it just so happened that Old Master Qian had been to the provincial capital yesterday and was quite familiar with the situation there. Madam Qian naturally knew some things as well and spoke eloquently about it.
“Young Master Cheng is indeed highly praised by the Governor,” Madam Qian said. “After passing the provincial examination, one can become an official, but I think Young Master Cheng will not stop there. He should go to the capital to take the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. At that time, he will have a higher official position.”
"Good heavens, did you hear that, Sui'an people? Young Master Cheng is going to become a Jinshi!" Meng Shi excitedly ran towards Cheng Wanwan. "Auntie is a noblewoman of the imperial court, and nephew is a high-ranking official. The Sui'an family is going to be very successful in the future!"
Everyone around looked on with envy.
Since the provincial examination at the beginning of the year, Cheng Zhao's reputation has spread far and wide. Everyone knows that the people of Sui'an have an outstanding nephew who topped the provincial examination and is sure to be on the list for the provincial examination. Now he has also won the favor of the governor and will go to the capital to take the imperial examination at the end of the year. He will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi... Once he becomes a Jinshi, he will be a protégé of the emperor...
Some quick-thinking people immediately offered their congratulations: "Congratulations to the people of Sui'an!"
"The results of the provincial examination haven't been posted yet, so we don't know how Zhao'er did," Cheng Wanwan said repeatedly. "I won't accept everyone's congratulations for now; we'll talk about it after the results are posted."
“No matter what, Young Master Cheng will definitely become a Juren!” Madam Meng said. “Young Master Cheng’s reputation only spread after he studied in Dahe Village. The unruly Young Master Shen also came to Dahe Village and passed the Xiucai exam… When my son grows up, I will also send him to Dahe Village to study!”
Madam Qian continued, "My husband also wants to send Hui'er to study in Dahe Village. He asked Master Yu, but Master Yu said that there are more and more students in the village now, and his energy is limited... Since we are from Sui'an, my Qian family is willing to pay for another teacher for the children in Dahe Village who are starting their education. We earnestly request that Master Yu be able to teach the children who will be taking the provincial examination next year!"
Madam Wu added, "My Wu family is also willing to do our part."
People with children in school all chimed in with their opinions.
They had all heard of Master Yu's reputation to some extent. Although his reputation wasn't good, judging from Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng, Master Yu was indeed a man of real talent and learning. Otherwise, he wouldn't have almost become the emperor's disciple at the young age of fifteen.
“I understand what everyone means,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “This is a major event for Dahe Village, and it needs to be discussed with the village head and Master Yu before a decision can be made. How about we send someone to inform everyone after the village has established its own regulations?”
The wealthy ladies here are all rich and willing to contribute money to develop education in Dahe Village, which is a wonderful thing.
Moreover, recently, villagers from nearby Chengjia Village and Wangjiadun have also been sending their children to school. With the number of children increasing, but there are only three classrooms and only one teacher, Teacher Yu is getting busier and busier. It is time to change the current teaching methods.
The group chatted and ate their barbecue until the sun began to set.
It can be said that this chrysanthemum appreciation event was a great success, as evidenced by the lingering reluctance in everyone's eyes when they left.
Cheng Wanwan kept the person in charge of tourism reception behind. This person was another person with a rare surname, surnamed Li, named Li Desheng. There were only three families with this surname in Dahe Village, which was considered a very small family. All the tourism-related matters in the village were coordinated and managed by Li Desheng.
She looked at Li Desheng and said, "There are some details we still need to pay attention to. When tourists enter the village, we need to arrange for someone to receive them, and we also need to introduce the scenery of Dahe Village along the way... Also, with so many people, the restrooms are not enough, so we need to expand them..."
Li Desheng nodded and carefully wrote down everything she said.
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