Xu Lingyi told Shiyi Niang about Xu Siyu's exam: "...He has already registered, and the exam will start on February 20th. I will ask Manager Zhao to accompany him to the exam. You don't have to worry about food and writing. You just need to see him off when the time comes."

Eleventh Lady agreed and made a purse with the words "Step by Step Promotion" on it and gave it to Xu Siyu.

When Xu Siyu came to greet Eleventh Lady, he thanked her respectfully. On the day of the exam, he hung up the purse and went to the examination room.

He felt pretty good after the test. He went to Shaohua Courtyard and talked to the Second Madam for a long time. When the Second Madam came to greet the Madam, she also said, "It shouldn't be a big problem!"

Aunt Qin was overjoyed when she heard this and wanted to make two pieces of clothes or food for Xu Siyu, but she was troubled by the lack of time - she had finally finished making shoes and socks for Brother Jie according to Eleventh Lady's request, and Eleventh Lady asked her to make a summer shirt for Xu Sijie.

Cui'er was thinking about Xu Siyu's bitter smile when he went to bring food to him.

"Sister Cui'er, tell my aunt not to send me gifts anymore and not to care about me anymore. If she has this time, she might as well serve the lady and the marquis well. I will study hard. Tell her not to worry about me."

But if that was the case, how could she dare to tell Aunt Qin, who treated the Second Young Master as a prostitute?

Seeing that Aunt Qin was worried, she couldn't help but persuade her: "Mrs. Qin, the Second Young Master has been studying hard at home every day. Now that the exams are over and it's early spring, why don't you go out and have a good time. Please let the Second Young Master rest peacefully! Don't worry about when you will send things!"

"You're right!" Aunt Qin said hurriedly, "He should be allowed to have a good rest. He has been working too hard these days."

Cui Er couldn't help but sigh. Seeing that Aunt Qin was hesitant, she was afraid that she would give her another difficult order, so she smiled and said, "There's not much silver frost charcoal left for the iron. I'll go get some. I'll also go see if the Second Young Master is home!"

"Go quickly, go quickly." Aunt Qin smiled with relief, "If he goes out, ask him where he went, when he will be back, and what he did these days?"

Cui'er smiled and said "yes", and went to the outer courtyard.

Xu Siyu did not go out, but went to the second lady's place. Wenzhu and others were packing up.

Cui'er was shocked when she saw it.

"…The Second Young Master said that no matter how well we do in the exam, we will go back to Le'an as soon as the results of the Tongshi exam come out." Wen Zhu smiled and invited Cui'er into the house for tea. "The Second Young Master and Master Yu have agreed to go to the Dafu Temple in Le'an to burn incense on April 8. If we don't set off in early March, we will miss it."

Cui'er was speechless for a long while, lowered her head and drank tea. Her eyes swept over Qinxiang and the others who were quietly packing boxes, but she found that what Mixiang put into the boxes was a bright blue three-shuttle cloth gown.

"What, what is this..." She stood up suddenly and pointed at the gown with her hands trembling.

"This is the clothes the second young master wore when he was in Le'an." Mixiang raised her head, looking a little depressed.

Cui'er looked at Wenzhu and said, "You, how could you let the Second Young Master wear this kind of clothes?" There was a hint of questioning in her tone.

"Why can't I wear it!" Wenzhu looked at Cui'er calmly with her clear eyes, "The Second Young Master said that if others can wear it, then he can wear it."

"The Second Young Master is still young, how can you just let him do whatever he wants? You should know that Madam sent you to the Second Young Master to serve him..."

"Sister Cui'er!" Wenzhu interrupted Cui'er, "We are doing very well in Le'an. Mr. Jiang only said that the second young master was an old friend, and the second young master never showed any arrogance in front of others. He wore the same clothes and ate the same food as his classmates, and when it was his turn to clean the school and toilets, he never complained. In addition, he studied hard, treated people humbly and politely, and studied hard. From the old gatekeeper to Mr. Jiang, no one disliked the academy. The second young master lived very happily there. Sister Cui'er, please don't say anything in front of Auntie, so as not to cause any waves."

Cui'er was silent.

Even if she told Aunt Qin, what else could Aunt Qin do except cry in secret?

But when I thought about the second young master actually wearing three-shuttle cloth, I felt uncomfortable and my eyes became wet.

"Sister Cui'er." Wenzhu held Cui'er's hand. "The second young master said that only those who have endured hardships can become the best. The second young master has such ambition, and we should be happy for him. We must not talk nonsense and make the second young master embarrassed. The prince will also be unhappy if he hears it." As he said that, he took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes.

Cui Er understood everything and nodded: "I understand. I won't say anything!"

Wenzhu smiled and made another cup of tea for Cui'er.

Cui Er thought about it, but couldn't help asking, "Does the Second Madam know?"

"I know." Wenzhu did not hide it from Cui'er. "The day after the second young master came back, the second lady came to see him. She knew that the second young master had the same food and accommodation as his classmates, and she also praised him for his ambition!"

Cui'er had nothing to say. After sitting for a while, she got up and said goodbye.

Wenzhu looked at her back and shook his head slightly.

Qinxiang saw this and asked worriedly, "Sister Wenzhu, are you worried that Sister Cui'er will tell Auntie about this?"

"Sister Cui'er is a smart person." Wenzhu shook her head gently, "She won't tell Auntie. I was just thinking..." She paused and turned to see Taoliu and Lianjiao looking at her with wide eyes, both of them looking childish. She couldn't help but sneer, "I was just thinking, it's a good thing I followed the Second Young Master to Le'an, otherwise, I wouldn't know how big the world is, there are so many interesting people and things."

Qinxiang and the others came up to her with a smile, hugging her and pushing her: "Sister went to Le'an alone without taking us, and you are still saying these sarcastic words here."

Wenzhu just smiled.

But in his mind, he recalled what Mr. Jiang said to the Second Young Master when they first arrived in Le'an: "... you will stand on the top of the mountain and look down on all the other mountains. When you can understand it, you will understand why your father sent you to study here."

She didn't know what the poem had to do with the second young master being sent to Jinxi Academy to study. She only knew that now that the mansion had a prince, the second young master would be in a difficult situation in the future, and she felt sad for him. But after returning from Anle this time, she somewhat understood what Mr. Jiang said - even if the Yongping Marquis's Mansion had a thousand advantages, with their status, they would be cautious and trembling with fear when meeting anyone. It was not as good as being in Anle, where although they had simple meals, they could speak loudly and laugh loudly...

Thinking of this, Wenzhu pursed her lips and smiled.

They are going back to Anle soon!

* * * * * *

At this moment, the main room was quiet, with only the ticking sound of the gears of the floor-standing clock in the east room.

Eleventh Lady was sitting cross-legged on the big kang by the window. When she looked up, she saw Xu Sijie standing under the eaves.

He wore a scarlet gown with cattail leaf patterns, and looked lovingly at his Nanyong wife who was surrounded by several maids. He held a small flute in his hand, and from time to time, with a red face, he would put it to his lips and play a few times, then look down at it in disappointment for a long time, pick it up again and play it, and then show an even more disappointed expression.

The corners of Eleventh Lady's mouth curled up slightly.

Xu Sizhun was learning to play the flute from Mr. Zhao. Xu Sijie's eyes sparkled when he saw it. When Xu Sizhun practiced, he leaned on his elbows and listened quietly. When Mr. Zhao saw it, he made a small flute for Xu Sijie and told him to play a measure of music. Xu Sijie learned it in a very serious way, as if he had got the most fun toy in the world. But he was young and could only blow out a note occasionally. Most of the time, he couldn't make a sound even if his face turned red. It made him very frustrated. But he didn't give up. He came back every day after school and practiced playing the flute under the eaves like Xu Sizhun.

Nan Yong's wife didn't dare to quarrel with Xu Sijie, so she just stood there and accompanied him every day.

Seeing his face bloom with a big smile again, Shiyi Niang knew that he had played another note. She smiled and lowered her head, inserting the thin embroidery needle next to the previous stitch. The embroidery needle slipped from the thin gauze...

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps.

A small crimson figure rushed in from outside.

"Mother, mother, listen, listen!"

Xu Sijie stood in front of the kang, breathing heavily and putting the flute to his lips.

"Woo woo..." The flute made two dull sounds.

"Oh my!" Eleventh Lady quickly put down her embroidery needle, leaned over and kissed Xu Sijie on the cheek, "Our Jie brother can now play the flute twice!"

Xu Sijie's face flushed with excitement. He picked up the flute and blew twice more: "You can keep blowing, keep blowing."

Shiyi Niang carried Xu Sijie to the kang. Nanyong's wife, who had come over, helped Xu Sijie take off his shoes. Shiyi Niang had already held Xu Sijie in her arms: "Our Jie brother is really good!"

Xu Sijie nodded repeatedly, struggled to stand up, straightened his small body, and blew twice more.

Eleventh Lady clapped her hands.

Xu Sijie laughed triumphantly.

Eleventh Lady smiled and touched his head.

Amber walked in quietly.

Eleventh Lady smiled and touched Xu Sijie's head, and asked her, "What's the matter?"

"The steward of the outer courtyard came back and said that the banquet at Chunxi Tower has been booked." She smiled, "They said that it will be delivered to Sixiang Hutong on the afternoon of March 17th at 5 pm."

Wu Niang now lives in Sixiang Hutong. The originally planned housewarming party was cancelled due to the death of the first wife, but the gifts from Si Niang, Qi Niang, Shiyi Niang and others were still sent over. Wu Niang sent someone to bring a four-color gift box to express her gratitude, and said that she would invite everyone to sit down after the one-year mourning period was over.

Eleventh Lady thought of Xu Siyu: "...The results should be announced tomorrow!"

"The results will be announced tomorrow." Amber said with a smile, "I'll go back to the office early tomorrow morning to wait for the news."

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded, persuaded Xu Sijie to put down his flute, and took him to the lady's house for dinner.

Amber went to the outer courtyard early the next morning. At the beginning of the day, she hurried in and said, "Madam, the second young master has passed the high school entrance examination!"

Eleventh Lady was handling household chores in the main hall of the front yard. The housekeepers nearby exchanged glances with each other upon hearing what had happened, but no one spoke a word of congratulation.

She couldn't help but laugh at what she saw, and told Mrs. Li, who was in charge of the kitchen, "Add more dishes today." She then said to Amber, "Go to the storehouse and get some silver ingots as rewards!"

The mothers in charge then rushed forward one after another to congratulate Eleventh Lady.

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This year is Valentine's Day, I wish you all a happy Valentine's Day!

O(∩_∩)O~