Daxing Village, Changxing Township, Xianping County.
Mrs. Zhou was busy going from house to house.
Daxing Village isn't very big, but Zhou was busy all morning and was covered in sweat!
She was, after all, a daughter of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and her son was about to pass the exams; she also had maids to serve her.
However, she has to handle these matters one by one. The Empress is not allowed to bully others by abusing her power. She must be patient with most people, but for those who are truly unreasonable, she will have to slap them hard.
This is a good thing, but it's not like we're begging them to do something.
Zhou went around in circles, argued with seven women, and went down to the fields eighteen times to look for someone.
No! She's going to starve to death! Or die from the sun! Her son, Fan Shigui, hasn't even passed the imperial examination yet!
Fan Shigui was going to take the exam last year; his maternal grandfather was determined to get a big score!
Fan Shigui is still young and has the potential; unlike his maternal grandfather, who is old and would consider it a success if he could even pass the exam.
Since Fan Shigui has already made a name for himself with the sages, and even has a living deity in his nineties at home, the better his ranking in the provincial and metropolitan examinations, the better! Otherwise, everyone would be vying to be the top scholar.
Even if Fan Shigui doesn't win the top prize, it would still be impressive if he ranked among the top few.
They didn't care that he was a year late; the 30-year-old runner-up Huang Dian was just as good-looking as the 20-year-old champion Fu Dingchen.
Fan Shigui is currently on the rise. His maternal grandfather is going to great lengths to cultivate him so that he can benefit from his success in the future.
However, Fan Shigui didn't study today; he went to pay respects to his great-grandfather.
Old Scholar Zhou had finally figured it out. His great-grandfather was a living example; he could protect him from any trouble in the future.
It's not about pushing the old man out, but about filial piety.
Fan Shigui wasn't stupid; he thought that his ancestor had raised the whole family, which showed true filial piety.
Besides, our ancestors were wise men who understood many principles.
Fan Shigui, behind his mother's back, learned a little carving from his great-grandfather.
Even if this tradition cannot be passed down, it still holds great significance for the Fan family.
Fan Shigui was a scholar, and his hands weren't so precious. It seemed that doing things smoothly also benefited his studies.
Zhou couldn't care less about her precious son right now. She sat down and rested for half a day, and finally managed to stay alive.
Dozens of girls from the village came.
They chattered away in the yard, under the shade of the trees.
Some girls who work all day can finally take a break.
Zhou then asked Hong to cook some mung bean soup for everyone to drink.
Some of the girls were hungry, so drinking this made them feel a bit full.
Hong then made some more pancakes, which didn't require much flour.
They brought some more girls from her family, hoping they could marry Fan Shigui, but they had no hope of marrying other scholars.
Zhou didn't know what kind of woman to marry her son, so her father simply told her that it was fine for a man to wait a few years.
Hong's eldest daughter returned to her parents' home with her baby and sat down to chat with everyone.
Why is it so hot this year?
"It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival now, it's already autumn! Will it still be hot on Double Ninth Festival?"
A group of boys ran over to join in the fun, making the Fan family quite lively.
Zhou used to complain about their noise, but now that Fan Shigui is usually at the county school, the occasional noise doesn't bother him.
She's generous if there's a benefit and no harm in it.
One of the boys boasted loudly, "I heard the sage has instructed everyone to study this!"
"What are you researching?"
"Is it like suddenly having an extra piece of firewood in a stove?"
"Hahaha, the sun's burning for firewood! Who's chopping wood? Where are we going to chop wood?"
"The sun is in the sky, what kind of firewood is it burning? Could it be celestial firewood?"
One of the boys said in a serious tone, "I've heard that not only firewood but also coal and oil can be burned. Who says the sun can't burn other things?"
A girl shouted, "There is a place where oil can flow out and be burned."
So, it must be because the sun was burning too brightly?
Many people have died from the heat, mainly the elderly and those with weak constitutions, but it still shows how unbearable it is.
"They're here! They're here!"
"Woof woof woof woof woof!"
I don't know how many villages' dogs ran together and escorted the charity over.
The dogs in Daxing Village are more responsive than even the boys and girls.
The Zhou and Hong families were busy welcoming the guests.
An elderly woman in her sixties or seventies came at them again, but Zhou didn't have time to argue with her.
That old man is a scoundrel. He forces his granddaughter to do chores, yet he subsidizes his youngest daughter. The granddaughter only got a short rest before getting anxious again.
Gong Yun got out of the car, also covered in sweat and looking a little disheveled.
The villagers were all busy exchanging greetings.
Gong Yun quickly explained, "It was delayed for a moment."
A boy chased after them, shouting, "That old woman Wang has never been a good person. Several old women in the village are beating her."
Old Lady Li dared not be fierce anymore and just kept watching from the side.
The eunuchs busied themselves parking the carriage.
Everyone was very cooperative, and they brought gifts. No matter how much money they were worth, even a bag of candy made everyone happy.
These trucks clearly contain more than just one bag of candy.
Other villagers who were busy with other tasks took the opportunity to rest and come over to see if there was anything else they could help carry.
The eunuch, standing on higher ground, shouted in a shrill voice, his throat practically burning, "Men, please step aside! Boys, please step aside!"
Someone started jeering, "What are you doing?"
The eunuch said, "This time, the Charity Department's work concerns young women and wives. It's good that you want to care about your own wives, but when you extend that concern to other women, you should also consider the concern your own wives receive. Or next time, you could do something related to young men, and see if you'd like the young ladies to know! It's hot today, let's find somewhere else to rest!"
The man dispersed, taking his son with him.
Some kids are naughty.
The eunuch said, "Many people have that problem, do you want to..."
Whoa! It ran away!
Girls from one's own village are fine, but those from the Charity Department or the palace are both noble and beautiful.
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