Lin Erxi said from the side, "Ah, Fenghe, you're really unlucky. I didn't expect that you didn't fail the exam but were sick and didn't finish it."
Song Anxin knew that the examination room in ancient times was a small cubicle where people had to curl up to sleep. The imperial examination required not only strength and physical fitness but also luck. On rainy days, there were even leaky examination rooms. Feng He caught a cold but managed to endure it until the third day. She couldn't imagine how Feng He survived.
She felt both heartache and reproach: "Fenghe, how could you be so foolish? You quit early when you were sick. Why did you insist on staying? Didn't I tell you that nothing is more important than your health?"
After coughing violently and catching her breath for a while, Lin Fenghe gave her mother a reassuring smile and said:
"Mother, I'm fine, just a slight cold. Uncle said it's serious, it's just a pity about the imperial examination this time... cough cough cough!..."
Before he could finish speaking, he started coughing violently again. Song Anxin quickly patted his back and said:
“Village head, since Fenghe is so ill, let’s not go to pay respects to our ancestors for now. I’ll take him home to rest first.”
The village head, seeing that Fenghe was so ill, naturally wouldn't force him, and said repeatedly:
"Alright, alright, let Fenghe recover first, no rush."
Lin Fenghe was quickly helped home by the whole family. Song Anxin greeted Song Anbang and Master Peng:
"Anbang, Master Peng, please come in quickly. You must be tired from your journey. Please wash up and rest first. I will have the kitchen prepare some dishes to welcome you later."
Song Anbang said to his elder sister, "Elder sister, I can't stay here. I have to go back."
Master Peng echoed, "Madam Hui, I will not trouble you any longer. My wife and children are waiting for me at home."
Song Anxin thought about it and realized that Anbang had passed the imperial examination and even ranked first in the provincial examination. She guessed that her mother, Old Madam Song, had received the good news from the official in the morning. Her mother should be excitedly waiting for Anbang to return home. Moreover, Anbang had promised to propose marriage to the Sun family as soon as he returned.
Since Master Peng had finally passed the imperial examination and become a scholar after so many years, she must have been eager to share the good news with her family. So she asked Qingshan to escort the two of them back to the county.
He had just turned to go back into the courtyard when Lin Lizheng called him back.
"Fengnian's mother, wait a moment, there are some things I want to discuss with you."
He didn't know when Fengnian's mother had become his pillar of support, and he would habitually consult her first about anything that happened in the village.
Song Anxin turned around and asked, "Uncle, is something the matter?"
Lin was all smiles, clearly very happy today. He began by saying:
"Regarding the matter of Master Peng coming to teach in Linjia Village in the future, I was thinking about whether we could start classes in the Linjia Village ancestral hall like the county school, with classes held in the morning and evening. If so, we can no longer pay Master Peng a little rice as tuition fee as before."
"Do you think it's okay for our Linjia Village school to charge Mr. Peng a tuition fee from the villagers? And how much would be appropriate? It's only recently that some girls in the village have started school, and I'm worried that if we charge too much, some families will say it's not worth the money for their daughters and won't let them go to school."
Lin Lizheng looked conflicted.
Upon hearing this, Song Anxin said, "Previously, Master Peng only stayed in our village temporarily. Now that he is settling down to teach in the village, it can formalize the Lin Family Village School. As for the fees," she thought for a moment and continued, "Uncle, you can start by collecting ten coins from each person. Now that the villagers have some spare money, they will definitely be able to afford ten coins without feeling the pinch."
Currently, there are over a hundred students in Linjia Village School, each paying ten copper coins, which is a little over one tael of silver. Now that our village has public funds, we'll take one tael of silver from the public funds each month to give to Teacher Peng. This way, Teacher Peng will have a little over two taels of silver a month for his tuition. I remember that teachers at the county academy receive three taels of silver a month. Although this is less than the county's rate, it's the village's greatest sincerity. Once the wood ear mushrooms sell for a good price, we'll increase Teacher Peng's tuition again.”
Lin Lizheng repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, Fengnian's mother will do as you say."
After thinking for a moment, Song Anxin added, "Uncle, the ancestral hall is ultimately just a temporary school. I think we can build a few more rooms next to it to formally establish our Linjia Village School, and let the villagers contribute adobe bricks and their labor to build it."
Lin Lizheng was very excited when he heard this: "Fengnian's mother, I have long wanted to build a real school in our Linjia Village. Your idea is good. If any family does not contribute the labor of making mud bricks, then their descendants will never be able to study at the Linjia Village School. However, it is busy with spring now, and the villagers are too busy to come here. I'm afraid we will have to wait for a while."
Lin Lizheng seemed to remember something and slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, Peng Tongsheng said he wants to bring his whole family to settle down here. I have to find a place for his family to stay as soon as possible. I can't neglect Master Peng's family. Fengnian's mother, I have to go now."
After saying that, Li Zhengjiu left in a hurry. Song An shook his head and smiled, then turned around and went home as well.
April arrived, and Lin Fenghe, young and healthy, fully recovered after a week of rest. On this day, Lin Fenghe was to return to the academy to continue his studies. Song Anxin and her sister-in-law also went to the county with Fenghe.
Because Song Anbang passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations), he became a student of a regular official school, and he was to report to the official school in Liuzhou in half a month.
Therefore, after Song Anbang returned to propose marriage, the Song and Sun families immediately set an auspicious date for the wedding. The wedding was to take place in seven days, on the seventh day of the fourth lunar month, which was indeed a bit rushed. So she had to go to the county to help her mother prepare some things for Song Anbang's wedding.
My sister-in-law happened to be off work at the duck egg shop today; she was going to the county to buy a full-month celebration gift for Taohua's baby.
Song Anxin took Lin Fenghe to the academy, and together with her sister-in-law, gave him some instructions before turning around and heading to her mother, Old Madam Song's, house.
"Don't worry, you're here. Dongzi's mother is here too. You're just in time to help me think things over."
When Grandma Song saw them arrive, her face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly went to greet them.
"Aunt Song, you really are in high spirits when you're happy. It's only been a short time since I last saw you, but you look several years younger," said Sister-in-law Lin.
Grandma Song couldn't stop smiling when she heard that.
"Oh my, Dongzi's mother, you're so good with words. What do you mean I'm young? Haha." She then asked Song Anxin, "How is Meizi doing? Is she still vomiting?"
Seeing the old lady so happy, Song Anxin smiled and replied:
"It's better, but I still can't stand the smell of oil; I vomit as soon as I smell it."
Grandma Song said, "The reaction is great! The stronger the reaction, the more likely it is to be a boy. I reckon it will be fine in another two months. I heard that Taohua also gave birth, and it's a big, healthy boy. There are so many happy events happening lately!"
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