Soon, the news that Li Xiangkang had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar spread throughout Canghe Village.
Many villagers gathered at Yan Qingqing's doorstep, asking for lucky money.
The wedding money had been prepared by Yuan Huiniang long ago.
Ah Da and his men carried out two whole baskets.
Everyone who came to offer their congratulations would give them a handful, and the happiest of all were the village children.
These large amounts of copper coins could buy a lot of candy, or be saved up to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Li Kaishan also received the news and rushed over, just in time to run into Old Master Li, who had been summoned by Old Madam Li.
The two old men were grinning from ear to ear.
Li Kaishan said with a smile, "I don't know what kind of good fortune has been coming from our Li family's ancestral graves these past two years. Good things keep happening one after another."
It seems we need to pay respects to our ancestors sometime.
Old Master Li wholeheartedly agreed with Li Kaishan's words.
The main thing is that these good things kept happening to their family.
Old Master Li suddenly remembered the lucky star the fortune teller had mentioned.
"When the lucky star shines from all directions, things will go as you wish. You will be able to survive even when you are in dire straits, and you will be able to see the moon after the clouds have parted."
These four sentences have been etched in Mr. Li's mind all these years.
At first, Grandpa Li thought that the lucky star was Li Daniu, so he always praised this son highly.
After Li Daniu was completely ruined, Old Master Li believed that Li Xiangkang was the lucky star.
But over the past two years, the more Mr. Li thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
The reason why the Li family is where it is today, and even the entire Canghe Village, is because of his second daughter-in-law, Yan Qingqing.
Therefore, it is self-evident who this lucky star is.
When he first figured out this problem, Mr. Li was shocked and couldn't believe it. Later, he gradually accepted it, but dared not say it out loud.
After all, this matter can be big or small. Having a lucky star in the family is something to be happy about in private, but if word gets out, who knows how many people will be eyeing it?
Old Master Li has lived to such an old age, he must have some knowledge.
Unlike others who are not allowed to freely enter and leave Yan Qingqing's house, the two of them do not need to report their presence.
The gatekeeper, seeing that it was Li Kaishan and Grandpa Li, greeted them warmly, "Grandpa, Grandpa Village Chief, please come in."
The doorman chose to ignore Old Lady Li.
If it were Old Mrs. Li coming by herself, they would naturally try to stop her.
But this time, Mrs. Li came with Mr. Li.
So they had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
When Li Kaishan and his group arrived, Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangkang were talking in the courtyard.
Yan Qingqing said with a smile, "Our Fourth Brother has really made something of himself."
Mother only knew you were taking the preliminary examination for the imperial examination, but she didn't expect you to take the county-level examination as well.
Li Xiangkang quickly explained, "Son didn't mean to hide it from Mother."
I was also influenced by Brother Xu. Because of his family's poverty, Brother Xu wanted to take the preliminary examination last year, but his father fell ill, so he missed the examination.
The Master said that it was possible for students to take the joint examination for both the primary school and the county-level examinations, but it would be more difficult.
After Brother Xu told me, I kept it in mind.
I didn't tell my mother because I was afraid that I would disappoint her if I failed the exam.
Fortunately, he has not let his mother down.
Yan Qingqing was deeply moved upon hearing this. Having such a hardworking and ambitious son made her life worthwhile.
As the two were talking, they saw Old Master Li and Li Kaishan walk in.
Li Kaishan laughed heartily, "Good lad, you've really brought honor to our Li family."
I told you, you could do it!
Grandpa Li looked at Li Xiangkang with a loving expression.
Li Xiangkang respectfully bowed to the three of them and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, Village Chief Grandpa."
Li Kaishan laughed heartily and said, "Good, good, you really have the air of a scholar."
Our village has never produced a scholar before.
I was just talking to your grandfather. These past few years, our Li family has been very energetic, and we're thinking of opening an ancestral hall to worship our ancestors and pay homage to heaven and earth.
Of course I know that the greatest credit for our village's success today goes to your mother.
But we can't do without the protection of our ancestors, can we?
The ancients were superstitious, believing that no matter how great their achievements, they could never surpass their ancestors.
The higher one's official rank, the greater the merits of one's ancestors are naturally believed to be.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangkang glanced at Yan Qingqing, and seeing her nod in acknowledgment, he replied, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Grandpa Village Chief."
Grandma Li was also extremely excited. She pulled Li Xiangkang around, looking him over from left to right, and said with tears in her eyes, "My grandson has really made something of himself. He actually passed the imperial examination and became a scholar."
"No wonder he's a child of the Li family."
In fact, Li Xiangkang did not like Old Mrs. Li; he could not forget how Old Mrs. Li had treated them in the past.
But his mother said that he was a scholar who would become an official in the future. In addition to sincerely working for the benefit of the people, he also had to learn to keep his emotions in check.
So he smiled gently at Grandma Li and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Grandma."
Yan Qingqing and Li Kaishan and the others discussed and agreed on the date for the ancestral worship ceremony.
Then Grandpa Li said, "Such a joyous occasion, shouldn't we hold a banquet to celebrate with everyone?"
Actually, Yan Qingqing didn't want to hold a banquet; her family had held too many banquets in the past two years.
The more prosperous and glamorous something is, the more careful one needs to be.
But this was a major event for Li Xiangkang, and it would be unreasonable not to hold a banquet.
Fortunately, Li Xiangkang spoke up himself, saying, "Grandpa, let's let it go this time."
He was just a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), which was only the initial threshold for becoming a scholar.
"It's not too late to celebrate when our grandson passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar."
It is said that a poor scholar can become a poor official, while a rich one can become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. Only those who have achieved the rank of successful candidate in the imperial examinations are qualified to become officials.
Even if he doesn't participate in the palace examination, no one will dare to look down on him in the future.
Although Yan Qingqing did not agree with the large banquet, she did not want to make Li Xiangkang feel wronged.
So after thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this, we won't hold a big banquet for guests."
We only invited close relatives and friends over to have a lively gathering.
Then, when the time comes, worshipping our ancestors and the heavens will be a grand affair.
Grandpa Li and Li Kaishan agreed with Yan Qingqing's words, and since they couldn't change her decision, they nodded in agreement.
Yan Qingqing didn't know much about ancestor worship, so she left it entirely to Li Kaishan and Grandpa Li.
The two were delighted to hear this; who wouldn't want such an honorable thing?
Although Yan Qingqing did not intend to hold a grand celebration, she still made it public that Ming Zhaoshuo's son had skipped the preliminary examination and directly passed the county-level examination.
People came to the Li family to offer their congratulations every day in an endless stream, keeping Yuan Huiniang extremely busy.
This time, it wasn't just people from Chengyang County who sent gifts; most officials from the prefectural city also sent their congratulatory gifts.
Especially Madam Liu, whose gifts were noticeably more valuable than those of the others.
Yan Qingqing knew that she wanted to befriend her, so she specially gave her a return gift, which was cosmetics produced by her family's cosmetics workshop.
Everyone loves beauty, and Madam Liu was no exception.
It would also allow her to promote the city's wealthy ladies, making her a ready-made advertisement.
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