"They're back! They're back!"
"My parents are back..."
For the past two days, Huang Zhixin has been taking his younger sister to wait for Lin Xue and her husband to return under the big willow tree at the village entrance.
That day, seeing a horse-drawn carriage approaching from afar, Huang Zhixin and his sister hurriedly ran towards Old Huang's house. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they began to shout loudly.
Why were these two children so convinced that this was the carriage their parents were riding in?
That's because, apart from his parents, no one else in Huangjia Village would come back by carriage!
In Huang Zhixin and Huang Cuijuan's hearts, their parents were the most powerful people in the entire Huangjia Village.
"Third son's wife, it's my third son's wife who's back!"
Grandma Huang was pickling vegetables inside the house when she heard her two grandchildren's words. She immediately stood up and, in her haste, kicked over the stool next to her.
"Zhixin and Cuijuan, did you both see clearly? Is it really your parents who have returned?"
Old Huang had just given some water to the five horses and one cow in the livestock shed.
Now the water in those two buckets of medicine has long been drunk up, and Old Huang has added some cooled boiled water to them, continuing to feed the livestock a bowl every day.
Believe it or not, whether it was a placebo effect or the effects of the medicine hadn't completely worn off, the livestock at home had been behaving well ever since they drank the two buckets of medicine that Lin Xue brought.
They eat well every day, and compared to other livestock, the five horses and one cow belonging to Old Huang's family are clearly more intelligent and humane.
Even the chickens, ducks, and geese in the house were more obedient than those in other households. Occasionally, Grandma Huang would release these chickens and ducks into the field behind the house.
Every evening, the chickens and ducks would come back on their own and obediently go into their sheds, so Grandma Huang didn't have to worry about them at all.
She only needs to put food and water in the containers, and now the chickens, ducks, and geese in her home only need to be fed once a day.
At other times, just hurry to the fields at the back.
The chickens and ducks never go into the vegetable garden to damage the vegetables; they all stay in the fields pecking at insects and eating grass!
The excrement they produced after eating was also left in the fields, with nothing wasted.
And the hens, ducks, and geese at home, when it's time to lay their eggs, will automatically run back to their nests, lay their eggs, and then flap their wings and head towards the backyard.
Even if Grandma Huang sometimes forgets to close the wooden fence of the vegetable garden, the chickens, ducks, and geese will act as if they don't see it, and will go around through the alley to the fields.
Because the Huang family releases their chickens, ducks, and geese into the fields every day, some envious villagers try to sneak into the Huang family's fields and steal one or two of them when they're not looking.
But these people often failed to steal chickens and ducks; instead, they were chased and pecked by the two big white geese.
When Lao Huang's family heard the noise and ran over to check, they only saw footprints all over the ground and goose feathers flying everywhere.
Upon seeing the owners arrive, the large white goose changed its previous fierce demeanor and stretched its neck to rub against the Huang family's trouser legs.
At these times, Grandma Huang would always give the big white goose a special treat.
This made the two big white geese puff out their chests, as if they had done something great.
In the days that followed, they took even better care of the family's livestock.
There's a saying among farmers that if you raise a big white goose well, it can be even better at guarding the house than a dog.
The Huang family now firmly believes in this theory.
"Third son's wife, you're finally back!"
As soon as the carriage stopped in front of Old Huang's house, Old Mrs. Huang rushed forward and peered inside, clinging to the carriage door.
She kept talking about the third son's wife, without ever showing any interest in asking about the third son.
"Mother, your daughter-in-law has missed you so much!"
"You have no idea how I've been without you by my side these past few days. I haven't been able to eat or sleep well. I just want to come back as soon as possible and taste your cooking again!"
Lin Xue, oblivious to everyone else, grabbed Old Madam Huang and pulled her aside to whisper to her.
Old Huang's gaze followed his wife and third daughter-in-law until Huang Dehai got off the carriage, at which point he turned his attention back to his third son.
"The third brother is back! How was it going? Did he pass the exam this time?"
Old Man Huang stood aside and watched as Huang Dehai got off the carriage and stood in front of him before slowly asking the question.
"Father, I passed the imperial examination and became a Juren! I ranked 32nd!"
Seeing his father, Huang Dehai was also very happy. He happily shared with the old man that he had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar.
"real?"
Upon hearing that his son had indeed passed the exam, Old Huang couldn't hold back any longer and immediately asked loudly.
"It's true, I reckon the county magistrate's messenger will come to our house again in a few days!"
"Dad, we should take advantage of these few days to make some preparations. We might even have to set up a couple of tables in the village to thank our neighbors and clan elders!"
Huang Dehai's success in the imperial examination was a major event for the Huang family.
After chatting with his son for a while, Huang Yousheng hurriedly went to the home of his clan elders to tell them the good news.
Then they would wait for the messenger to arrive, at which point they would have to prepare a feast to entertain the messenger or yamen runner, and at the same time, they would announce the ancestral worship ceremony at noon that day.
Therefore, the messenger usually arrives in the morning, has a hearty lunch, and leaves in the afternoon with the good news.
These are all old traditions, and everyone knows the process.
In the evening, Grandma Huang and her second son's wife prepared a large table of food, and Grandma Huang prepared everything that Lin Xue requested.
The entire Huang family ate so much that their mouths were greasy with oil.
Presumably, Huang Dequan and his wife in town will receive the news the next day and will probably come back.
After all, Huang Dehai's passing the imperial examination was a major event for the Huang family, and from then on, their family truly changed its status.
If Huang Dehai can rank among the top 500 in the palace examination, he can be assigned an official position. No matter where he is assigned, he will be a real official.
If he doesn't rank in the top 500, he can take the exam once more in three years.
Each successful candidate in the provincial examination had three opportunities to take the palace examination in their lifetime. If they failed all three times, then that was the end of their lives.
Although these unsuccessful candidates could not be appointed to official positions by the imperial court, they could still seek a minor official post in the government offices.
After all, those officials also need a lot of strategists and capable subordinates around them.
Being able to work in the imperial court naturally meant a different social status compared to making a living outside.
Not only will they be respected wherever they go, but even their own family and relatives will not dare to provoke them easily.
Moreover, if one can achieve certain political accomplishments, there are still ways to continue rising in rank.
In this small world, the imperial court judges everything based on merit. As long as you have enough merit, even if you are just a commoner, you may eventually be rewarded by the court.
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