Xu Genshan and the others tried to persuade him, but Old Man Xu acted as if he hadn't heard them and kept whipping the whip.
Old Mrs. Xu, who had been sitting there, couldn't bear it any longer. "Alright, if you keep hitting him, Genshu won't be able to take the Xiucai exam."
"Exams? He doesn't even go to the private school anymore, what kind of exams is he going to take?" Old Xu finally stopped, his face a dark red, whether from anger or from exertion, it was hard to tell.
Grandma Xu is a woman, and although she may be sharp-tongued, she has a soft heart.
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Seeing her son forcefully kneel down, her eyes reddened, and a stinging sensation rose in her throat. After a long while, she finally spoke, "Son, tell me, why don't you go to school?"
Xu Genshu lowered his head, his voice muffled, "Anyway, I won't pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, so I won't study."
"You're only saying you don't want to continue now? Where were you all this time? We've paid so much money for the private school this year, and you just say you don't want to continue?" Old Man Xu stood up angrily again. Fearing he would grab the whip again, Old Lady Xu pulled him back to his chair.
“Genshu, our family isn’t what it used to be. Before, when you said you didn’t want to go to school, your mother thought it was because we were poor, but now we have money. So why are you still going to school?”
Grandma Xu just couldn't understand it, and neither could the others present.
"Third brother, we're family. You should tell us what's going on." Xu Genshan and the others came over, looking at him with concern.
Although Old Xu turned his face away, he was listening intently, eager to know why.
Faced with the concerned eyes of his family, Xu Genshu finally couldn't hold back his tears, his Adam's apple bobbed, and two streams of tears flowed down his cheeks.
Xu Genshu and Xu Genshu patted his shoulders on either side without saying a word.
Nineteen-year-old Xu Genshu cried like a child. Old Mrs. Xu turned her face away and wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
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"I...I'm sorry to all of you, I've let you all down," Xu Genshu said, his eyes red.
In the early years, my eldest brother could still go hunting in the mountains. Every time he came back covered in blood, either his own or the blood of the prey. He would sell the prey, give some of the money to the family, and save some to pay for his tuition.
The same goes for his second brother. He remembers one year when it was snowing heavily, his second brother was still carrying a load of goods to sell in other villages. When he returned home, he was as stiff as an icicle.
He was afraid that the cold air on his body would affect his reading, so he wouldn't let anyone get close to him.
His father and mother were afraid that he wouldn't eat well or stay warm at the private school, so they would go to the school every few days. Sometimes they would just bring him a bowl of rice with slices of meat on it, and sometimes they would just bring him a pair of new shoes.
He also has two sisters-in-law. When he came home, they didn't let him do anything, but only told him to study hard.
"It's my fault for being useless," Xu Genshu said, choking back tears.
Several years ago, he became the only student in the village to pass the imperial examination, but he failed to pass the county-level examination every time. Little by little, his enthusiasm and willpower were worn away.
He was clearly studying hard, even more so than the others, and when the teacher checked his homework, he was clearly better than everyone else.
Everyone thought he could pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, but he never did.
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The most difficult time was before and after the exam when the villagers gossiped about him. Many people asked why the Xu family was still supporting his education, saying that with the money for his education, the Xu family could have built a new house.
Whenever he sees his family arguing for him, he doesn't know how he feels.
And when the results are in, the family members go from expectation to disappointment.
And the way everyone comforted and consoled him even though they were clearly disappointed.
There was also the whispering and pointing among classmates. In that private school, batches of students came and went, but he, like the teacher, was always there.
All of this almost suffocated him. What was the point of taking the imperial examination? He didn't deserve it. He should just start working as a shop assistant and contribute to his family.
Xu Genshu spoke incoherently, his words rambling and illogical, but everyone understood what he meant.
"Third brother." Xu Genshan held his shoulder, unaware that his younger brother was actually carrying so much on his mind.
"It's alright. If we pass the exam, we'll take it; if we don't, it's fine. Our family doesn't necessarily need a scholar."
Perhaps in earlier years the Xu family had this ambition. Having a scholar in the family not only exempted them from all taxes, making them the only family in the surrounding area, but also allowed them to participate in other examinations and the imperial examinations. How many scholars in the world did not strive to obtain official rank and fame?
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“Third brother, neither my eldest brother nor I liked studying when we were young. Only you finished studying. Look at you now, aren’t you the most learned person in the family? When your nephews come over with their homework, aren’t they looking for you?”
Xu Genzhu only studied for a few years before leaving school, so he's not completely blind now. He still greatly admires his third brother, who is literate and speaks eloquently.
Xu Genshu felt much better after finally saying what he had been holding back. But he had already made up his mind. "I'm not going to take the exam. It's good to copy books at the bookstore now. It's also a way of studying. I've read more books than I did at the private school."
"This..." Old Mrs. Xu was anxious. Now that everything had been said, how could she not go?
At this moment, Old Xu stood up and said, "Think it over carefully before you speak."
"Dad, I've made up my mind." Xu Genshu looked up and saw that his father had aged a lot and his back was hunched. Now, when he hit someone, it didn't hurt as much as when he was a child.
"Genzhu, take your brother back to his room. Think it over carefully these next couple of days, and come back to me when you've made up your mind." Old Man Xu waved his hand as if he hadn't heard Xu Genshu's words. Xu Genzhu and Xu Genshan quickly helped their brother out.
Ma Hong and Liu Fang also went out to help boil water and find medicine. The weather was getting hot, and they couldn't leave the wound untreated, in case it became infected.
The old couple were left alone in the main room. As soon as everyone else left, Old Xu sat down and shook his wrist. "I'm getting old. My hand hurts after just a few lashes."
Grandma Xu took his hand, gently rubbed his wrist, and sighed, "What are we going to do with Genshu?"
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Her youngest son, who usually seemed like a lovable and obedient child, was also the most stubborn.
It was the same when I was in school. I'm afraid that even if I say I'm not going to study now, it will still be the same. Once I've made up my mind, I won't change it.
Old Xu patted the back of her hand, "He's grown up and has his own ideas now. Let's listen to him this time." In the first place, his family made him take the exam to become a scholar. Now that he says he doesn't want to take it anymore, can they still force him to take it?
"Old man, do you think he'll take the exam or not?"
Old Xu looked at his calloused hands and remained silent; he didn't know either.
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