They were all incredibly jealous.
Why should they be so eager to please someone who treats them coldly?
Madam Xu's smile froze. She glared at the three of them and went to fetch the tea.
Qiu Yan did not see this scene, nor did she want to see it.
She, her younger brother and sister, and Gu Xiaoran were in the inner room talking to their aunt.
Qiu Yan left for one night, and Gu Xiaoran searched for her several times, assuming that her mother, like before, would be gone for many days.
So now he's like a tagalong.
"Grandma, is the baby in your belly a boy or a girl?" Gu Xiaoran asked Qiu Yumei.
"What do you think, Yi Yu'er?" Qiu Yumei stroked her belly with one hand, smiled gently, and asked Gu Xiaoran.
Qiu Yan, Qiu Ling'er, and Qiu Xu also turned their attention to Gu Xiaoran.
“In my opinion, it’s a girl,” Gu Xiaoran replied loudly.
Qiu Yumei's smile grew even wider. They say children are very good at judging people. "Yes, just like Yu'er."
Gu Xiaoran scratched her head. "No, it can't be the same as mine."
He's a boy.
"Why not be like Yu'er? In my opinion, Yu'er is clever and lovable." Xu Shi said as she carried tea and candy into the house with a cheerful smile.
At first, she thought Gu Xiaoran was too unruly, but the child's unruliness was within limits, and Xiaoyan had educated her very well.
However, Yu'er is a bit different; he seems to be more sensible than Gu Xiaoran.
She was puzzled. Where had that mischievous Gu Xiaoran gone?
Gu Xiaoran grinned and accepted the candy from Xu's hand, thanking him with a smile.
Qiu Ling'er received the candy and thanked them as well.
Then, she smiled at her aunt and said:
"Auntie, I want a little sister too."
Uncle Li's two younger brothers are both boys. If Aunt Li has a little sister, it will be much more lively for them to play together.
Otherwise, it would be so boring for her to be the only girl around.
"I hope so." Qiu Yumei also hoped it would be a daughter, so that she could have both a son and a daughter.
However, no one can say for sure about these things until the child is born.
Qiu Xu stayed inside for a while before going to find Zhao An and Zhao Yang.
He couldn't join in the conversation inside the room.
"Ah Xu, the preliminary examination for the imperial examinations will be held this February. Are you going to participate?" Zhao Yang asked.
"Of course I'll participate," Qiu Xu replied.
After more than a year of hard work, his confidence grew.
If his sister hadn't said that his term of study was too short and that he should take the exam again this year, he would have already taken the preliminary examination last year. However, whether he would have passed last year is another matter.
"I'm also taking the preliminary examination this year, and I'm a little nervous." Zhao Yang was unsure of himself, but seeing Qiu Xu's confidence, he felt more encouraged.
"Don't be nervous, it's not like you're taking the imperial examination. Cousin An'an, what about you, are you going to take the exam to become a student?" Qiu Xu asked.
Zhao An smiled and nodded, "Yes." To be honest, he was also a little nervous.
He failed the exam last year, which must have been a blow to him, but everyone goes through that. Life isn't always smooth sailing.
Suddenly, a mocking laugh rang out. Xu's eldest granddaughter, Zhao Cai'er, looked disdainful. "Zhao An, didn't you just pass the imperial examination last year?"
Her mother said that she would find her a husband this year, but she would only marry a scholar or a graduate.
Putting everything else aside, she would only be satisfied if Zhao An and Zhao Yang were one step ahead of each other.
Only in this way could she be considered superior to others in this family.
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