In the next few days, Tao Dayong did not go to the town to find a job, but stayed at home to clean up a sheep pen. His son felt that raising sheep was a good idea, so he had to take good care of the sheep, and cleaning up a clean sheep pen was essential.
After the calf had finished drinking the milk of the first ewe, there was only enough for Yuan Jing to drink. Yuan Jing did not refuse. The goat milk cooked with almonds did not have any fishy smell. He felt that his innate conditions in this life were a bit poor. If he did not make up for it, his height might not be as tall as in his previous two lives. The lovers in his previous two lives were taller than him, which made Yuan Jing a little unconvinced. Therefore, while he was still growing, he should work hard to grow taller.
As for where his lover is, Yuan Jing doesn't know either, but he intuitively knows that they are in the same time and space, so he doesn't know when and in what capacity his lover will appear in his life this time.
After the second ewe gave birth to three lambs, there was enough goat milk. Every night before going to bed, the old lady would drink a small bowl of it with a smile. After drinking it for a few days, perhaps due to psychological factors, the old lady felt that she slept much better at night.
Yuan Jing ran to the place where Tao Dayong often cut grass and sprinkled some spiritual spring water. When the ewes just came back, he also fed them some when the adults were not paying attention.
Two years passed in a blink of an eye. These two years have been peaceful. The biggest change is that Tao Dayong from Taojia Village has become a professional sheep farmer, raising hundreds of sheep. He has even fenced off a small hill to raise sheep and is preparing to expand the scale of breeding. The meat of the sheep he raises is delicious and has no fishy smell, and is famous far and wide.
At first, Tao Dayong had to rely on himself to run around to sell the sheep he raised. Now, people who want to buy sheep come to him, which makes Tao Dayong see more prospects in raising sheep. So this time, he didn't need Yuan Jing to fool him. He used the money he had saved in the past two years to buy a small hill, and he still had some money left.
The old lady lived a happy life. She raised too many sheep and had more than enough goat milk to drink at home. Yuan Jing taught the old lady a method to make goat milk into milk powder and milk candy. The old lady brought little Song to do it together. After two years, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law saved a lot of private money. With money in hand, they felt more confident and their spirits became better and better.
The ten-year-old boy has grown much taller than he was two years ago. He no longer needs Tao Dayong to pick him up and drop him off, and can walk back and forth by himself.
On this day, when I was returning home from town, there happened to be a guest at home, who came from the neighboring county to see the sheep. He and Tao Dayong came back from the mountain with their hands behind their backs and said: "Your sheep are really well raised. Not only are they clean, but I think every sheep is very healthy. It seems that you are really good at raising sheep."
Tao Dayong was very proud in his heart but very humble in words. He knew that this result was inseparable from his son. His son would regularly find some herbs for him to mix with the grass and feed them together. That was why the sheep he raised rarely got sick and were stronger than those of other families.
His son was very smart. He understood so much after reading a few books. It took him two years to learn all those herbs.
Of course, he would not tell these things to anyone else. This had to become the Tao family's secret recipe for raising sheep, passed down from generation to generation.
There were guests, so Yuan Jing didn't tell them about his own affairs. The guests stayed at Tao's house for one night and left early the next morning with ten sheep.
Before going to the school, Yuan Jing stopped Tao Dayong who was about to go to work. Except for Xiao Niu Niu who was still sleeping, everyone in the family was there. Yuan Jing said, "The teacher said that I can try it out this year."
What's the outcome? What's the attempt?
Tao Dayong blinked for a while before coming to his senses. He rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "Did Master Chen really say that? Isn't it too early? Jingbao, you are only ten years old this year."
The old lady slapped her son and said, "Our Jingbao is smart. Master Chen always praises Jingbao for his good grades. Since Master Chen said that he can take the exam, Jingbao should go for it. Don't worry, Jingbao, go for it boldly. Grandma supports you."
"And there's mother and Niu Niu," added Mrs. Song.
"Mom," Tao Dayong knew that he had to step back in front of his son, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I didn't say I didn't trust Jingbao. I heard people say that this kind of exam is very difficult, and I'm worried that Jingbao won't be able to handle it at his age."
"This..." The old lady was also worried.
Jing Bao spread his hands and said, "I have been exercising for the past two years. Dad, do you still not believe in my physical fitness? Anyway, the teacher said that I can go down, so I will definitely participate in this county exam."
If everything goes well, he can pass the provincial examinations and the imperial examinations at the same time, and get the status of a scholar so that he can have some say. Otherwise, a ten-year-old child, in layman's terms, is incompetent and cannot do things reliably. Moreover, with the status of a scholar, the family can be exempted from taxes and labor service. In the past two years, his father used silver to offset the labor service, but his uncle Tao Dazhui participated in the examination. After only one month, he felt like he had lost several layers of skin, and it might not be possible to recover even if he took care of himself for a year. The lives of farmers in ancient times were too hard.
"Okay, Jingbao, you have made up your mind, and Dad will definitely not persuade you to change your mind. Otherwise, how about I go to the academy with Jingbao today and ask what to prepare?"
"Okay." Yuan Jing didn't stop him.
Master Chen would of course not hide anything and explained every precaution and procedure to Tao Dayong very clearly. He also placed a lot of expectations on Tao Yuanjing. It can be said that after all these years of teaching, Tao Yuanjing was the most talented student he had ever taught. So he felt that as long as there were no accidents this time, with Yuanjing's knowledge, he would definitely be able to pass the exam to become a scholar.
Tao Dayong was overjoyed. He prepared carefully according to what Master Chen said and went to the county to book a room at the inn a few days in advance. He certainly could not come back every day during the exam.
The county examination was held in February, when the temperature was still quite low and chilly. Little Song made clothes without any interlayer according to the teacher's instructions, and also specially prepared a rabbit fur lining for Yuan Jing to wear to prevent him from getting cold in the examination room.
The old lady and Mrs. Song sent Yuan Jing to the village entrance and told Dayong to take good care of their son and to send someone to send a message back if anything happened.
Of course Tao Dayong had to personally send his son to the exam, and the sheep raised on the mountain at home were temporarily handed over to his eldest brother to look after. Without Tao Yuzhu, the relationship between the two brothers eased a lot. Tao Dayong raised more sheep, so of course he had to hire someone to look after them. If he hired someone else instead of his eldest brother, it would sound awkward if people spread the news. Of course, it was not a loss to ask Tao Dazhu to do the job, as Tao Dazhu was not sloppy in his work.
Little Niu Niu also came and hugged his big brother's legs tightly. The conditions of the Tao family improved a lot after he was born, so they were considered blessed. He was raised to be a strong and healthy child, and the villagers applauded when they saw him. In the family, he was closest to his big brother, but unfortunately his big brother went to school every day. What Little Niu Niu hoped most was that he could grow up quickly and go to school with his brother.
Tao Dazhui's family also came to see Yuan Jing off. The original Tao Si Ya, now Tao San Ya, was born, but she stayed at home because she was too young. Tao Daya, who was supposed to be engaged, still has no marriage. Yuan Jing could see that she had become less talkative, and usually worked hard to take care of her younger brother and sister. Tao Erya had also become much more timid. This was all the fault of Tao Yuzhu and Wang.
Now seeing Wang still holding Tao Jinbao, who was almost four years old, in her arms, it was said that Tao Sanya had no milk to drink because Tao Jinbao ate all of it. Yuan Jing didn't know what to say to this aunt. In the past, before the family was divided, although the old lady also valued her grandson, she didn't treat her granddaughter as trash. But when it came to Wang, she was much more extreme. She wanted to hold her only son in the palm of her hand. No matter what the old lady said, it was useless.
Like in her own family, when Xiao Niu Niu made a mistake, Xiao Song was reluctant to teach him a lesson. However, Yuan Jing knew about it and insisted that Xiao Niu Niu learn a lesson so that he would not make the same mistake again. The old lady never interfered in this matter. As a result, although Xiao Niu Niu was younger than Tao Jinbao, he was more sensible than Tao Jinbao.
The son in her arms twisted and turned, and Wang patted him and coaxed him, "Don't make trouble, Jinbao. In the future, you must study and take the imperial examination like your eldest cousin. Mother is waiting for our Jinbao to bring honor to her."
Little Song and her sister-in-law never got along. Tao Jinbao was so naughty that he was hated by everyone. How could he take the imperial examination? Did Wang really think that every child was as smart as her Jingbao?
Little Song straightened Yuan Jing's collar and said, "Follow your father well and listen to him outside. Mother and grandmother are waiting for you to come back home and will prepare delicious food for you."
Yuan Jing stroked the little calf's head and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, mom. I've been to the county town with dad several times. It's okay. Mom and grandma, please go home. Dad and I are leaving. Niu Niu must listen to mom and grandma at home, okay? Wait for brother to come back and bring some delicious food for Niu Niu."
"Delicious?" Upon hearing this, the little calf started drooling and put his thumb into his mouth.
Little Song quickly picked him up, pulled out his thumb, and waved to his brother with his hand. Yuan Jing said nothing more, waved to everyone, climbed onto the ox cart and left with his father.
Until he could no longer see the ox cart, the little calf suddenly started crying loudly, because he felt that his elder brother was different this time when he went to school. He couldn't say what was different. It was confirmed later that he hadn't seen his elder brother for several days. He ran to his elder brother's room as soon as he got up every day and cried and made a fuss to find his brother every day.
They arrived at the county a day in advance to avoid being in a hurry. Tao Dayong was more nervous than his son. On the contrary, Yuan Jing was leisurely and calm, which was inconsistent with his age. He ate when he was supposed to eat and rested when he was supposed to rest. He had read all the books he was supposed to read. The growth of his soul power also made his memory excellent. He remembered everything in his mind. So when he had some time off, he practiced calligraphy leisurely in the inn.
Tao Dayong watched over the preparation of meals in the inn's kitchen and personally brought them to his son's room. He had inquired and found out that some students ate the wrong food and were carried out in the middle of the exam.
After a day's rest, he got up before dawn the next day and went to the examination hall. Not long after he arrived there, he saw Master Chen coming to see him off to the exam, because in addition to Yuan Jing, there were three other students from the same school who came to take the exam.
Looking quickly, Yuan Jing was the youngest. He was standing there in line, attracting many glances from others, but Yuan Jing didn't care at all.
Tao Dayong was just nervous and didn't think his son's condition was special. Master Chen stroked his goatee and said, "Although Yuan Jing is young, he has a calmness that adults can't match. Don't worry, brother Tao. I can't say anything else, but Yuan Jing will definitely pass the county exam, and his score will not be low."
"Thanks to your good words, Master, Yuan Jing's current success is all due to you." Of course Tao Dayong would say nice things and put all the credit on the Master. Master Chen was of course happy to hear that, and he also hoped to cultivate a student who would be better than him.
After the inspection, it was Yuan Jing's turn to enter the examination room. He turned around and waved to his father who was craning his neck to look inside. Then he turned around and walked in with the examination basket. After singing his guarantee and confirming that his identity was correct, he found his seat according to the queue number. He was lucky as he was not in a bad number.
For five consecutive days, he had to go to the examination room before dawn and come out after the sun went down. He left early and returned late. He took five exams in total. After the exams were over, Yuan Jing breathed a sigh of relief. The exams in ancient times were much more difficult than those in modern times.
On the day of the exam, he stayed in the county for one night. The next day, he waited until Yuan Jing woke up before hiring a ox cart to go home. Tao Dayong was only concerned with taking care of his son's food, drink and daily life. He didn't ask a single question about how the exam went. He didn't want to add pressure to his son. Didn't he look at those who took the exam together? His son was the youngest and shortest. He felt sorry for his son suffering so much.
After breakfast, he took his son out for a walk and bought a braised chicken to bring back for his son as a celebration. Yuan Jing also thought about buying snacks for his younger brother, so he rushed home as soon as he left the county town.
Yuan Jing was in a good mood after relaxing. His social circle had always been very small since he came to this world, and he had never been separated from his family for such a long time, so at this moment he missed his grandmother, mother and little Niu Niu very much.
It was almost noon when they got home. The old lady and Mrs. Song naturally asked Yuan Jing about his health. In the eyes of grandma and mother, their grandson (son) had lost weight in just a few days, so he needed to nourish himself well at home in the next two days.
Yuan Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he didn't feel thin. He used the candied haws he bought to tease Xiao Niu Niu. After not seeing him for a few days, the little guy was actually angry with him and was unwilling to come over to call for help.
"This kid, he cries and makes a fuss every day when he doesn't see you, and he becomes sullen when you come back." Mrs. Song scratched her youngest son's nose in annoyance.
Yuan Jing pretended to bite the candied haws, and the little niu Niu immediately stopped being upset, and rushed over while shouting, and threw himself into his brother's arms, making Yuan Jing laugh. Now that the candied haws were taken, he refused to get down from his brother's arms. Yuan Jing held him and talked to his mother and grandmother. Some villagers came to visit him. After he left, the villagers knew that he had gone to take the exam. They were very surprised, but they thought that he was the only one who could pass the exam. After all, given his age, people who were much older than him were still taking the exam.
On the day of the incident, Tao Dayong took his son there again, this time with Master Chen and three other candidates.
They arrived early and had to wait for quite some time before the county exam list was posted. Hundreds of candidates and their companions crowded over there. The scene can be imagined. It was the first time that Yuan Jing had seen such a crowded scene since coming to ancient times. Tao Dayong was also a little stunned. Then he was about to squeeze with the crowd, but was grabbed by Yuan Jing.
"Dad, the result is there anyway, we just have to wait a little longer."
"Haha, I said Yuan Jing is the most patient." Master Chen said with a smile.
The other three candidates in the same class did not have much contact with Yuan Jing, after all, there was an age difference between them. Tao Dayong could not sit still, so he stretched his neck to look for a while, but decided to squeeze in to see the list and know the results as soon as possible.
Someone shouted, "Who is this top candidate? Does anyone know the candidate named Tao Yuanjing?"
After calling several times, no one responded. Master Chen and Tao Dayong were stunned. Tao Dayong looked back at Master Chen stupidly: "Master, did I hear correctly? Who did you call for the first place?"
"That's right, the first place in the case is Tao Yuanjing. Haha, you don't have to look for it. The first place in the case, Tao Yuanjing, is my student!" Master Chen laughed excitedly, immediately attracting many eyes.
Tao Dayong was so happy that he picked up Yuan Jing who was sitting next to him and laughed: "Haha, my son is the first in the case, my son got the first place in the exam, son, you really bring honor to your father."
Others thought it was one of the 17 or 18-year-old boys sitting next to Master Chen, but after Tao Dayong's move, they realized that the top suspect was still a child and was being held up by his father. Everyone was shocked, but also felt that the scene was extremely funny.
Yuan Jing was picked up by his father without him noticing. This had rarely happened since he was eight years old, and it was in public. Even the thick-skinned Yuan Jing couldn't handle it. Seeing so many pairs of surprised eyes looking at him, his face suddenly turned red. He struggled hard and leaned over to his father's ear and shouted, "Dad, put me down quickly. There are so many people watching me."
After saying it three times, Tao Dayong finally realized the current occasion. He put his son down quickly with a chuckle, straightened his son's clothes, and then bowed to the people around him. Everyone responded with good-natured laughter. If any other child of this age passed the exam, his performance would not be much better than Tao Dayong.
Master Chen couldn't help but smile when he saw his student blushing, "Brother Tao, Yuan Jing is a virgin now, you can't treat him as a child anymore."
Tao Dayong said seriously: "Yes, Master Chen is right. I was too carried away."
After waking up, he reminded himself that he must not do this again. His son had passed the exam and would be interacting with people who were much older than him. His behavior would make others look down on his son.
Thinking of this, his mouth couldn't help but grin to his ears. His Jingbao was the top candidate!
Finally, the other three people also saw the list. One of them failed, and the other two passed. This result was very good for Master Chen. He let the failed student try again next year, and the other two who passed would take part in the academy examination in April. Yuan Jing, as the first in the county examination, directly obtained the qualification of a student and did not have to take part in the prefectural examination. Instead, he had to prepare for the academy examination in June. Once he passed the academy examination, he would get the title of scholar.
After saying goodbye to Master Chen, they returned to Taojia Village. Mrs. Song, Little Mrs. Song and Little Niu Niu were still guarding the entrance of the village. Apart from them, there were few other people around because they didn't think they would get the result they wanted.
Seeing his wife, mother and little son from afar, Tao Dayong could no longer contain his joy and shouted, "Mom, Alan, Jingbao has passed the exam and become a successful candidate! Jingbao is the first place, the first place!"
After calling out several times, the Song brothers and sisters were so happy that they ran out quickly. Little Niu Niu followed behind, making two small short circuits and running very fast, calling out to his brother.
The ox cart stopped, and Tao Dayong said to Song who came over, "Mother, Jingbao is the first, the top candidate, and he will be a student without taking the prefectural examination."
"Good! Good, grandma's darling, you are so proud of yourself." Song hugged her beloved grandson, who never let her down.
Little Song was so excited that she wiped her tears. She was so happy that she really passed the exam! Even a Tongsheng was a very prestigious person here. Since the death of the last Tongsheng in Taojia Village, there has not been another Tongsheng. It is conceivable that it is not easy to pass the Tongsheng exam.
"Brother, Niu Niu wants to be hugged too." The little calf came over to join in the fun.
Tao Dayong excitedly lifted his youngest son up high. Little Niu Niu immediately abandoned his beloved older brother and clapped his hands, asking his father to lift him up higher again.
The villagers at the entrance of the village also heard it and hurried back to the village, especially to inform the clan leader, as this was a big event for the entire Taojia Village.
So before they returned home, the clan leader came to greet them with his men. An elder on crutches asked Tao Dayong, "Did Yuan Jing really get the top spot in the county exam?"
"Yes," Tao Dayong said loudly, as the elder was a little hard of hearing. "He is the first in the list. He has been born. He will go to the provincial capital to take the entrance examination in June."
"Haha, good! Well done to Yuan Jing! You have brought honor to our Taojia Village. Tao Dayong, you are also a good son." The clan leader said happily.
Tao Dayong puffed out his chest proudly. Yes, he was the good son he raised, his own!
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