Chapter 268 Invitation
The day before Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua set off, Xu Jinnian's official appointment document was issued, making him a seventh-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy.
This official position is relatively fixed, and each year's third and second-place winners have to spend several years honing their skills in this position.
The top scholar would be granted the position of compiler, a sixth-rank official.
Whether one can rise through the ranks in the Hanlin Academy and eventually enter the Grand Secretariat depends on their own fate.
Tan Zhenlin also managed to stay in Beijing through Tan's connections, becoming an inconspicuous seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Rites.
Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua were overjoyed that both of their junior brothers had found good places to go, finally putting an end to a worry before their departure.
Sheng An specially sent someone to invite Tan Zhenlin and his sister, and personally prepared a table of delicious dishes to see the two off.
After a few rounds of drinks, half of the dishes on the table had been eaten.
Fang Qingzhou raised his glass and gestured to Sheng An across from him: "Thank you for taking care of me over the past six months, sister-in-law. I'd like to toast you."
Given the extremely difficult conditions of this imperial examination, he believed that the reason he was able to endure nine days in the examination hall without developing any illness was because he drank nourishing soups cooked by his younger siblings every now and then.
After all, he always felt much better after eating the food his younger siblings cooked.
This was not his imagination; Yunhua felt the same way.
Sheng An picked up the teacup, feeling a little sad: "Senior brother, you flatter me. You have taken good care of Jin Nian over the years. I should be the one toasting you."
Fang Qingzhou smiled and said, "He is him, and you are you."
After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Then, Ye Yunhua also stood up to toast Sheng An, and the usually taciturn Ye Yunhua said many words of thanks.
Before Sheng An could show anything, Tan Zhenlin, somewhat drunk, burst into tears, staggered between Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua, and tightly hugged their necks, one in each arm.
"I can't bear to leave you all, waah, I can't bear it... You're just leaving like this, what will I do if the fox bullies me again? I'm so weak and pitiful, I can't fight back, waah—"
Fang Qingzhou: "..."
Ye Yunhua: "..."
This kid is talking nonsense; he looks really drunk.
Xu Jinnian rubbed his temples and met Sheng An's surprised gaze. He calmly explained, "It was just a normal sparring match."
Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief.
It's fine as long as it's just normal sparring, otherwise she would think that all these years, her husband has been abusing his junior brother every day in a corner she doesn't know about.
Tan Qingrou felt ashamed of her brother. She first covered her face, then quickly stepped forward, dragged her brother back and pressed him down in a chair: "Brother, if you say another word, Brother Jin Nian will really beat you up."
Tan Zhenlin was startled and immediately covered his mouth, his eyes darting around nervously, afraid that his childhood trauma would resurface and give him a beating.
The people present couldn't help but laugh, and dared not let him continue drinking. They took his wine glass away and had someone bring him a large bowl of hangover soup.
Tan Zhenlin was a good drinker; aside from speaking a bit too loudly, he didn't do anything out of line, only occasionally letting out a loud howl to express his reluctance to part with Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua.
It was getting late, and the group stood at the door watching the Tan siblings get into their carriage and leave.
The next morning, the guards loaded boxes onto the carriages and headed towards the dock.
After the last box of luggage was loaded onto the car, Tan Zhenlin rushed over, looking disheveled, to see his two senior brothers off.
Sheng An was too ill to go to the dock himself, and only watched as the four of his fellow disciples left in a carriage together.
An hour later, Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin returned to the Jiang residence.
Tan Zhenlin's eyes were red, clearly indicating that he had been crying on the way.
He assumed Sheng An wouldn't notice, and as usual, he grinned and approached her, saying, "Luckily, sister-in-law stayed in the capital, so I can come over to visit often in the future."
Sheng An didn't expose him, and said with a smile, "Then we should buy a house closer to yours, so it will be more convenient."
Tan Zhenlin's eyes lit up: "Buy a house? Yes, we really need to buy one. I'll ask around for my sister-in-law when we get back."
Sheng An accepted his kindness and briefly explained her requirements for the house.
Tan Zhenlin knew exactly how profitable Shengyuan and Shengshi Restaurant were, so he wasn't surprised at all when she mentioned buying a three-courtyard house. He turned to Xu Jinnian, who was drinking tea beside him, and gave her an envious and jealous look.
"Don't be fooled by our official positions. The annual salary we receive is less than fifty taels, barely enough to keep us from starving in a place like the capital. Those minor officials with no family wealth have to sneak out to the streets to sell calligraphy and paintings to earn money for their families, let alone buy a big house to live in."
Tan Zhenlin had been in Beijing for a while and had personally witnessed how those minor officials managed to support their families.
Some people were even worse off than he described; their official robes and boots were torn and they couldn't afford new ones, so they had to have their wives mend them.
If someone in the family falls ill and there is no money for treatment, they have to humbly borrow money from acquaintances to make ends meet, and then pay it back when they receive their salary.
"It's no use in you being envious. Women like your sister-in-law are extremely rare. Only those with great fortune are lucky enough to marry her."
Xu Jinnian put down his teacup and casually boasted to Tan Zhenlin, praising both of them in the process.
Tan Zhenlin was utterly exasperated by his shamelessness. A slight twitch at the corner of his mouth led him to say sourly, "Your sister-in-law is a rare find. As for you, hmph, you just got lucky!"
After saying that, he stepped forward and grabbed Xu Jinnian's hands with both of his, rubbing them together with a mysterious smile on his face.
He also wanted to share in the dead fox's good fortune and find a wife as outstanding as his sister-in-law, so he could bring his wife to the dead fox every day to show off their love.
Xu Jinnian was disgusted by the boy's sudden action and pushed him away as if he had touched something dirty: "Stay away from me!"
Tan Zhenlin had already taken advantage of the situation and didn't care about his attitude at all; he just looked at his hands and chuckled.
Xu Jinnian's gaze towards him gradually became strange.
"Pfft~ Hahahaha!"
Sheng An, who witnessed the whole thing, slammed her hand on the table and burst into laughter, which made the baby in her belly start to protest, moving around inside.
Tan Zhenlin was completely bewildered, not understanding what she was laughing at. In the end, Xu Jinnian kicked him out, telling him to stay home and not to disturb their peace.
There aren't many houses for sale in Beijing, and only three meet Sheng'an's requirements.
Xu Jinnian inspected the property himself and then took Sheng An on another tour. In the end, he bought a three-courtyard house in the southeast for 1,600 taels of silver.
This residence is some distance from the Jiang and Tan residences, requiring about two incense sticks' worth of travel by carriage. However, it is relatively close to the Hanlin Academy, making it convenient for Xu Jinnian to commute to and from work.
Because of its good location, this house is two hundred taels more expensive than a house of the same size.
Before her pregnancy became too advanced, Sheng An and Xu Jinnian discussed it and decided to move into their new house at the end of the month.
This makes time a bit tight.
Fortunately, the couple had plenty of money. They hired craftsmen to repair the areas that needed fixing, then had the place thoroughly cleaned, and furnished it with a full set of furniture. Finally, they were able to move in with just their bags.
At this moment, Song Zhihang personally delivered the invitation.
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