Chapter 357 Good News
The uncle patted the back of the child's head in a panic, and his ears turned as red as if they were dyed with rouge.
After finding Gu Jiayue, he almost pulled Gu Jiayue's sleeve and walked out, his steps so fast that they brought up a gust of wind.
Gu Yuchuan followed behind, the hem of his long blue cloth gown brushing against the bluestone slabs, and he could hardly catch up.
When the three of them stepped onto the wet stone steps and entered the Gu family's courtyard, several figures in official uniforms were already standing in the corridor.
Chen Ah Da was sipping his tea from his bowl when he saw them come in. He put the bowl down on the stone table with a clang, and the tea foam splashed out. "Finally, I've been waiting for you to come!"
The two yamen runners behind him stood up quickly, and the copper bells on their waists rang. The swallows under the corridor were startled and flew up, circling the swallow's nest on the beam twice before landing.
Gu Jiayue smoothed her wind-blown hair, her face still flushed with apology: "Don't blame me, Mr. Chen, the kids in the school are really annoying."
I had just improved the loom, and everyone was holding up pieces of wood to show me their new ideas, so I really couldn't get away.
Chen Ahda waved his hands and smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes squeezed into a flower. "What's the big deal? The children taught by Gu Shanzhang are so smart, it shows that he is blessed with good fortune. Besides, we are here today to bring great joy to the Gu family. What's the harm in waiting a little longer?"
He had a loud voice, and his words could be heard by the whole hospital.
Before everyone's laughter died down, Chen Ah Da took out a copper pot from his arms and knocked it twice. The crisp sound startled the chickens in the corner of the yard, which flapped their wings and rushed to the chicken coop.
"Congratulations! Yuchuan Gu from Taohua Village, Annan County, has achieved first place in the high school entrance exam!"
He deliberately dragged out the last word, and the sound floated out through the open courtyard door and was heard by the village chief who came running over.
Got it?
Won again?
Oh, the Gu family is about to rise!
He was unsure of his feet and pushed through the crowd to enter the yard.
"Mr. Gu! Madam Gu! Come and receive the good news!" Chen Ah Da bowed towards the main house, and with his other hand he held high the announcement board wrapped in red silk. The sunlight shone through the clouds, and the words "good news" embroidered on the red silk shone with golden light, and even the texture of the silk thread could be seen clearly.
"Master Gu, this is a blessing from the God of Literature!" He took two steps forward, his boots gurgling in the puddles without him noticing. "You have the top spot in the imperial examination firmly in your hands. You will surely rise to the top of the world in the next few years. When that happens, Master Gu's name must be engraved on the memorial archway of Annan County!"
Father Gu, who was standing in the corridor, was about to bow when he was stopped by Chen Ah Da's words and burst out laughing.
Chen Ah Da became increasingly excited as he spoke, his finger gesturing at the ink on the announcement card. "The chief examiner took Young Master Gu's paper and slammed the table in court, saying, 'Such writing skills, young men are formidable!' Once he enters the Imperial Academy, he'll be like a phoenix spreading its wings. In my opinion, even passing the palace examination and meeting the Emperor won't be difficult! From now on, your doorstep will be trampled by those wishing you congratulations!"
Auspicious words flowed out of his mouth like running water. Mother Gu stood by the door frame, the handkerchief in her hand was wrinkled, and tears were still glistening in the smile lines at the corners of her eyes.
Gu Yuchuan stood beside the corridor pillar, a faint blush appeared on his usually calm face, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked his cuffs.
Chen Ah Da finally paused and pulled out a neatly folded piece of red paper from his bosom. "Hurry up and post this good news under the beam in the middle of the main hall. I promise you a life sweeter than honey! Mr. Gu has such literary talent. He will surely have a successful career in the future and bring back a golden signboard for our Taohua Village!"
Gu Yuchuan reached out to take it, his fingertips touched the gold powder on the edge of the red paper, he rubbed it gently twice and turned around to hand it to his grandfather behind him.
Grandpa was about to take it, but when he saw him handing it over so casually, his heart suddenly rose to his throat.
This kid! How could he pass the good news as an ordinary piece of paper?
He hurriedly wiped his palms with his sleeves, then walked towards the main house holding the tablets in his hands, his back straight as if he were holding some rare treasure. "We have to hang it in front of the ancestral tablets quickly so that the ancestors can see it!"
Chen Ah Da looked at the appearance of the grandfather and grandson and couldn't help laughing.
He fished out a document wrapped in brown paper from his bosom, held it in both hands and handed it over. The smile on his face faded, and he added a bit of solemnity: "Mr. Gu, this is a red list. You must keep it carefully. You must go to the government office within ten days to apply for the name card of the scholar. This is a vital item that affects your future official career and is more valuable than gold and silver."
The red slip that Chen Ah Da handed to Gu Yuchuan was actually equivalent to a modern transcript, telling the candidate that he had passed the scholar exam.
But that was not the end of it. After receiving the red slip, the examinee had to go to the government office within ten days to apply for a scholar's name card according to the laws of the Dagan Dynasty. This is equivalent to a modern skill certificate.
Only with this certificate, oh no, name card, will the government recognize your identity, and you will be able to continue to take the imperial examinations in the future. Only with this certificate can you enjoy the benefits of tax exemption.
By the way, if your grades are very good, you will become a "Liansheng" (a student on government scholarship), and you will also need to obtain a Linsheng certificate. With this certificate, you can enjoy the food subsidy (Lianshi) issued by the government.
Chen Ada thought that the Gu family might not know this, so he gave them a few more reminders.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your guidance." Gu Yuchuan took the red slip and tapped the cover lightly with his fingertips.
He had already memorized these rules in his previous life, but now, listening to Chen Ah Da's nagging instructions, his heart was warmed.
He turned around and took out a heavy silver ingot from the counter. His fingertips were steady as he handed it over: "Brothers, you have worked hard all the way. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please buy me a cup of tea."
Chen Ah Da's eyes instantly widened like copper bells. He pinched the silver between his fingers and weighed it. The cold touch spread from his fingertips to his heart. The corners of his mouth "swish" grinned from ear to ear: "Mr. Gu, you are too polite!"
When he stuffed the silver into his arms, he tightened his belt twice. He had already calculated in his mind: if he divided it among a dozen brothers, he would at least get two taels, enough to buy a silver hairpin for his wife.
He touched the silver in his arms, his eyes wandering.
If she is happy, she will be willing to have a little baby with him, and then send the child to Qiushi Xutang to be educated by Master Gu. Who knows, his family may also produce a Wenquxing in the future?
hey-hey....
After seeing off the smiling yamen runners, the entrance to the Gu family was soon blocked by villagers again.
Aunt Zhang's bamboo basket was still filled with freshly steamed rice cakes. Uncle Li was clutching two bunches of dried red dates. He nearly tripped over the threshold as he squeezed through the door. "Let me see Wenquxing!"
Grandma came out of the main room on crutches, her silver hairpin gleaming in her hair. She laughed and scolded, "You fools! Who hasn't seen Yuchuan fishing in the river with his bare bottom? Now he's a rarity?"
Aunt Wang in the crowd immediately chimed in, patting Gu Yuchuan's arm with her handkerchief: "How can that be the same? This is the first place in the college entrance examination! The ancestors of our Taohua Village are so proud of him!"
She suddenly leaned close to Grandma's ear, her voice low but full of excitement, "Sister-in-law, shouldn't we have a buffet? We didn't have one last time when Jiayue was crowned County Lady, so we have to make up for it this time. Let's just have it all together so the whole village can share in the joy!"
"That's right!" The surroundings immediately echoed, and even the toddlers who had just learned to walk raised the sugar figures in their hands and shouted, "Eat the feast! Eat the feast!"
Grandma's eyes lit up and her gaze moved between Gu Jiayue and Gu Yuchuan's faces.
In fact, she had been planning to hold one in her mind for a long time. It was okay before when she didn't have money, but now that she has money, she should celebrate such a big event, right?
But Gu Yuchuan shook his head slightly.
The smile on Grandma's face faded a little, but she still patted Aunt Wang's hand and said, "I want to, too! But the rain is so irritating, the riverbank is almost flooded. When the weather clears up, I'll definitely kill a pig for everyone to have some fun!"
As soon as the rain was mentioned, everyone started talking immediately.
Uncle Li squatted on the threshold, puffing on his pipe and sighing, "You can row a boat in our cornfield, but I'm afraid we'll have to starve this year."
Aunt Zhang also frowned: "I went to the river to wash clothes yesterday, and the water reached the roots of the willow trees. If it continues to flow, I'm afraid it will flood the village entrance."
Grandma turned and went into the kitchen, bringing out a winnowing basket filled with pumpkin seeds that still smelled of burnt. "Come, let's eat and chat. It's raining and we can't work anyway, so let's just join in the fun."
Everyone was not polite and reached out to grab the melon seeds and stuffed them into their mouths. The crisp sound of crackling the seeds mixed with the sound of rain made the scene quite lively.
Someone suddenly brought up the idea. "Your Yuchuan is so promising, won't you marry a housekeeper to be your daughter-in-law in the future? Oh, if that happens, it will be very difficult for you to be a mother-in-law."
"Yes, I heard that those daughters of officials are very picky and look down on us peasants. In my opinion, it is better to marry a country girl. She can take care of you at home." "And Jiayue, you are not young anymore, right? Which young man have you seen? I think the teacher surnamed Song in the school is not bad."
"Look at what you said. Jiayue is so outstanding that ordinary men are not worthy of her."
"Alas, it's hard for a woman to get married even if she's outstanding. Auntie, it's not that I can't stand Jiayue doing well, but she's not young anymore, so I still have to persuade her!"
Mrs. Li just smiled and said nothing. When she was asked many times, she would directly say that the two children had their own ideas and she would listen to them.
The aunts all said that Mrs. Li was too gentle, so they wanted to help test the child's attitude.
Before I turned around to find anyone, I heard a loud bang.
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