Chapter 129: It's a Pitfall

Zhulan brought everything with her. Whether the county exam would be four or five sessions would be decided by the county, so Zhou Shuren would have to stay for at least five nights. He had to bring a thick quilt, at least three sets of clothes, and thick shoes.

Examinations in the north are really tricky. The weather in February of the lunar calendar is still freezing cold. The special examination hall in the county is not indoors. Although there is no pigeon cage like the provincial examination, it is not much better. It faces south and the north courtyard is the dragon gate. The house at the back is for waiting and calling names. The middle is the aisle. The examiners are in the west room, and the roll call is taken in the east room. On the north side are simple seats arranged side by side. It is a simple examination tent. This is where the candidates sit.

So the room is quite ventilated, and I have to keep the test paper clean and my handwriting neat, which is really not easy. This is where the advantage of living in the south comes in, because it is not as cold as in the north, so I can feel more at ease on the test.

Zhulan really learned a lot of knowledge and secretly prayed that it wouldn't be windy in the next few days!

After breakfast, Zhulan checked the luggage again. Zhou Shuren checked the pens, ink, paper and inkstone himself, and finally confirmed that the purse and money were brought. Zhou Shuren waited for the patriarch's oxcart to arrive, and finally shook Zhulan's hand, "Wait for my good news."

Zhulan felt relieved when the exam was approaching. "Don't be hard on yourself. Go out and eat whatever you want. I brought you twenty taels. Don't be reluctant to spend it."

Zhou Shuren, "Well, I'm not home, you should go to bed early too."

When the Zhou family's sons saw the patriarch's grandson's wide-eyed look, they thought to themselves that he was being surprised by the unfamiliar. Everyone in the village knew how much their father cared about their mother.

Zhulan did not go to the county with them. There was not only Zhou Shuren himself in the ox cart, but also two other candidates, so the ox cart seemed crowded. After the people left, Zhulan went back to the house.

Zhou Laoer tugged at his wife's sleeve, and Zhao nodded in understanding. She turned back to the house and carried her son into the main room.

The eldest brother Zhou could see clearly that he was no longer a superficial person due to the persuasive education he received from his father. Although he could not listen to everything and see all around, he paid attention to the details that he should pay attention to. He did not expect that his younger brother and sister, who he thought were cowardly and could only cry, were actually smart people. He was immediately upset. In the whole Zhou family, they were the dumbest couple!

Seeing Zhao coming with the baby, Zhulan took it over. The grandson Mingrui was more than two months old. Zhao's milk was good, and the baby's arms were like lotus roots. Zhulan's fingers were held by the baby, and she teased the baby and said to Zhao, who was sewing, "It's almost a hundred days old. Dad and I have no choice."

Zhou Shuren would also say this to Changyi. It didn't matter whether she told Zhao or not, but as a woman she understood women better, it was better for her to say it in person so that he wouldn't feel any resentment.

Zhao's hand was almost pierced by the needle and thread in her hand. Her father-in-law was not at home for the baby's third-month bath, and only her grandmother's family came. The full moon coincided with the Chinese New Year, and it was the coldest time of the year, so they didn't hold it. They couldn't help but think too much about not holding it during the hundred days, but it didn't seem like her parents-in-law disliked her family. She also thought about other poor families in the village who rarely held ceremonies except the third-month bath and the full moon. But she still felt bad. Her family was not a poor family, and Mingyun and Mingteng had already held ceremonies. She lowered her head and said, "I listen to mother."

Zhulan raised her eyebrows and knew this would happen. Seeing the unwilling tone, she explained, "It is indeed unfair to Mingrui that the child does not hold a hundred-day ceremony, but it is not appropriate to rush to your father's house for a high-profile examination. Our idea is that everyone at home will have a good meal and celebrate, and then hold a grand ceremony when the child turns one year old."

Zhao was excited. The couple had confidence in their father-in-law's passing the exam. When he became a scholar, more people would come. Besides, it was the first grandson's grabbing ceremony after his father-in-law became a scholar. Mingrui would also get more attention. If he grabbed an object with good meaning, it would definitely deepen the status of their son in the hearts of his parents-in-law. "Mother, Mingrui is not wronged, and we have no objection either."

She had to be careful. The two boys in her eldest brother's family were older and her parents-in-law liked them very much. There was a big age gap between her own son and the two older ones, and her son was at a disadvantage because of his age. She did not think of her son as the youngest grandson. Chang Lian and Chang Zhi were not married yet. She only hoped that her son could be loved by her parents-in-law like a daughter-in-law.

Li came back from her outing, extremely excited, "Mom, the door of Wang Laosi's house was splashed with water."