Chapter 252 Wasted Money
With Tan Qingrou by his side, Sheng An was not bored.
On the fourth day of the imperial examination, the clear weather was suddenly interrupted by rain and snow, and the chill of the night penetrated straight to the bone.
Sheng An was worried about Xu Jinnian in the examination hall. She worried that he would catch a cold and get sick, that there wouldn't be enough charcoal, that he wouldn't have enough to eat or sleep... She wished she could grow a pair of eyes that could see a thousand miles away so that she could see for herself.
The next morning, Tan Qingrou trudged through the ankle-deep snow to have breakfast with Sheng An.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Tan Qingrou understood the reason and comforted her:
“Jin Nian’s health has always been good. My brother said he doesn’t cough once all year round, so he’ll be fine this time too. Sister An’an, please don’t worry, so that the baby in your belly won’t be anxious.”
Compared to her brother Jin Nian, she was more worried about her own brother's not-so-strong physique.
I wonder if her brother will be able to stand up after the imperial examination.
Sheng An felt that her overthinking might be due to the effects of her pregnancy.
Not wanting Tan Qingrou to worry, she smiled and echoed her words: "You're right. Your brother Jin Nian is as strong as an ox. As long as he's not unlucky enough to be assigned to a leaky examination hall, the two fur coats he brought will be enough."
Tan Qingrou chuckled and put a steamed bun into Sheng An's bowl: "This bun is still warm, An An, eat more."
After breakfast, the two were playing chess in the house when a servant from the Tan family came in through the snow to report that Madam Tan had slipped and fallen, fracturing her left ankle and right wrist.
"How could the injury be so severe!"
Tan Qingrou was extremely anxious and couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up and said to Sheng An, "Sister An'an, I need to go back and see my mother!"
Sheng An said urgently, "Go quickly, be careful on the way, don't fall."
Tan Qingrou responded, returned to the courtyard where she was temporarily staying, tidied up briefly, and then got on her way home.
Madam Tan is an elder, and Sheng An should have gone to visit the Tan family.
However, the rain and snow were still falling, and the roads were slippery. It was not advisable for her to go out while she was pregnant, so she could only wait until the weather cleared up.
Watching the large snowflakes fall from the sky, Sheng An turned her gaze back to the brazier and sat down, picking up the sewing thread to continue making clothes for the baby in her womb.
Sheng An waited at the Jiang residence for the imperial examination to end, and news of her pregnancy reached Qingzhou with a second family letter.
The letter was delivered to Shengyuan. When Shuqi saw that it was from the capital, he was afraid that something urgent had happened, so he immediately handed it over to Xu Chenglin at the snack shop.
Xu Chenglin, disregarding his guests, quickly opened the letter and began to read it.
Upon seeing the news that Sheng An was pregnant, he excitedly pounded the wall and laughed, "Hahaha, hahaha, I'm going to be a grandfather! I'm going to be a grandfather! Hahaha—"
The diners were initially startled by Xu Chenglin's action of punching the wall, but upon learning that he was excited about being promoted in seniority, they all laughed in a friendly manner: "Congratulations, young boss!"
The small food stall was always run by Grandpa Sheng, Grandma Sheng, and Xu Chenglin. Since Xu Chenglin was the youngest in the family, the customers called him the "little boss."
Xu Chenglin readily accepted this title.
Hearing the congratulations from the diners, Xu Chenglin became even happier, his face flushed with excitement. He grinned and waved his hand, saying to the diners, "There's a happy occasion in the family, so this meal is on me!"
The diners were overjoyed at this unexpected good news, and their congratulations grew even louder.
Grandma Sheng, who had been busy in the kitchen, suddenly lifted the curtain, her face, which was covered in flour, showing a mixture of uncertainty and surprise: "Linzi, An'an is pregnant? Really pregnant?"
Xu Chenglin strode over, unfolded the letter, and pointed to a line of text: "It's true, absolutely true, you're going to be a great-grandmother!"
Grandpa Sheng, standing behind Grandma Sheng, took the letter with trembling hands and squinted to carefully read the line of text.
Even though he didn't recognize a single word, his eyes welled up with tears: "Good, good, An'an has an heir, my granddaughter has an heir..."
Grandma Sheng wiped away her tears: "I've been waiting for this for years, and it's finally here."
Sheng An and Xu Jinnian have been married for more than three years without having children, which has always been a worry for the Sheng family elders.
They didn't say it, but they were getting more and more anxious every day.
Whenever she returns to the village to pay respects at her daughter's grave and burn paper money, she always carries her granddaughter on her back and whispers in front of her daughter's grave, asking her daughter to bless her granddaughter so that she can get pregnant and give birth to a child soon.
It doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl, as long as I can have one child, I'll have someone to rely on when I'm old.
Now that Sheng'an is pregnant, the huge weight that had been hanging over the hearts of the two elders has finally been lifted.
The three elders were about to be promoted in their generation, and in their joy, they immediately closed the door and bought a bunch of incense, candles, and paper money to worship their ancestors, both as a way of expressing gratitude and as a prayer, asking their ancestors to bless Sheng An and ensure a safe delivery of the child in her womb.
After doing all this, Grandma Sheng calculated the time with her fingers, looked up in the direction of the capital, and asked Xu Chenglin:
"If Jin Nian passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, will he return to Qingzhou or stay in the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Chenglin knew what the old lady was thinking, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
"I heard Jin Nian mention it before. Those who rank in the top three in the exam will enter the Hanlin Academy and stay in the capital to serve as officials; those who do poorly and have no connections can only go to small places to serve as minor officials."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Sheng understood what was going on.
My grandson-in-law is really something; he came in first place in last year's provincial examination.
But the exams in the capital are different; most of the successful candidates in the country take the exam together, so it's too difficult for my grandson-in-law to get into the top three.
What if her grandson-in-law doesn't pass the exam or doesn't do well? Wouldn't the granddaughter have to run around with him while heavily pregnant?
Thinking about this, Grandma Sheng became very anxious.
Grandpa Sheng comforted him, "It's alright, both children are sensible and will definitely protect this hard-won child."
Grandma Sheng also realized she had been too hasty, and the worry on her face gradually gave way to joy: "Yes, let's wait at home for the children to come back."
Sheng An's baby was already three months along, so the three elders didn't try to hide it and delivered the good news directly to the Zhang family.
Xu Cuilian's surprise was no less than Xu Chenglin's. With her hands clasped together and her eyes red, she spun around on the spot, saying, "Thank you, Bodhisattva! Thank you, Buddha! Thank you, Goddess of Fertility!"
Butcher Zhang chuckled and said, "Looks like the money you spent on incense oil at the temple before the New Year wasn't wasted."
Xu Cuilian glared at him and said, "That's right, I added a whole five taels of silver!"
When she prayed for a good marriage, she only offered a few wild fruits picked from the mountain to the Buddha in the temple.
Five taels of silver could be exchanged for wild fruits from the mountains; her sincerity towards Buddha was truly boundless!
Fang Yuying, who was at home taking care of her child, overheard her in-laws' conversation and couldn't help but open the door and peek out, saying:
“If you count the days, my cousin-in-law got pregnant before she set off for the capital. It has nothing to do with whether or not Mother adds money for incense oil. Mother’s five taels of silver were wasted.”
The moment these words were spoken, the harmonious and joyful atmosphere in the room vanished without a trace.
Xu Cuilian's eyes twitched violently, and she glared at her clueless second daughter-in-law, angrily scolding her: "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"
Fang Yuying was so frightened that she immediately shrank back and slammed the door shut.
Looking at her son, who had been startled awake in bed, she felt a pang of grievance in her heart.
Waaah, my parents only gave me a mouth, why didn't they give me a brain?
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