Chapter 245 Intention

() Zhulan's family received many gifts when they moved. The most valuable gift was an embroidered screen ornament from the county magistrate. Guests from other counties also gave valuable gifts. Most of the officials gave cloth and writing brushes for study. Others gave food and snacks. During the one month of moving, Zhulan's family did not buy any snacks.

It was the New Year, and with the moving around, Zhulan's family naturally had to return the favor. In order to return the favor, Zhulan's family bought a silly robe and a sheep, killed the sheep, and gave the meat to every household. The gift to the county grandfather's family was even more, and the New Year gifts alone cost more than thirty taels of silver.

The New Year gifts I received in return were also very generous. The family no longer lacked meat, and there was enough cloth to make four sets of clothes.

The family of the county magistrate gave the most gifts, and they brought back some rare ingredients from the south. Since it was the first New Year after the engagement, Zhulan also gave Dong Chuchu a jewelry gift, and Dong Lin also returned several exquisite small jewelry to Xue Han and Yu Shuang and Yu Lu.

There are more favors to do and more gifts to give each year, which costs a lot of money. If you don't have a financial foundation, you will have no money to socialize. Without money, you will have no connections, and without connections, you will have no other options.

Ultimately, it all comes down to money. Zhou Shuren was able to make connections so quickly because of his own abilities, and his family background. Zhou Shuren had money in his hands, so there was a big difference between inviting people to dinner at a restaurant and at a noodle stall.

Who wouldn't want to make friends with people who are lower in status? It's all about interests, so naturally people would rather make friends who can help them in the future.

Of course there are also friendships between gentlemen, but in ancient times when survival was difficult, there were really not many such friendships.

At least Zhulan and Zhou Shuren have been here for so long, and they have never met a gentleman who would make friends with them regardless of their background or potential.

After the New Year, the days passed faster and in the blink of an eye, the first month of the year was over. It was time to prepare for the Tongsheng examination in February. Both Changlian and Changzhi from the Zhulan family took part.

Since Zhou Shuren was a student on government stipend, he could act as a guarantor himself, which saved a lot of trouble.

Those who took the exam from Zhoujia Village also asked Zhou Shuren to act as a guarantor. Zhou Shuren did not charge any guarantee fees, regardless of whether the villagers were relatives or not. On the one hand, he had no shortage of money. On the other hand, all the villagers were studying in the Zhou clan school. If they did a favor today, they would return it to the Zhou family tomorrow. If one of them really passed the imperial examination in the future, it would also be a good fate.

The closer the examination got, the more pressure Chang Lian felt, because he was the future son-in-law of the county magistrate, and would get married after the county examination. Naturally, he hoped not only to pass the examination but also to get good grades.

Changzhi was very calm. Not only was he young, but he was also very confident in himself.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren privately thought that Changzhi would do better than Changlian. Talent can really make people jealous sometimes!

Two days before the exam, Chang Lian received a pencil case from Dong Chuchu and took it to the exam room.

This time, they stayed at their relative's house, so the two brothers could look after each other.

On the first day of the exam, Zhulan thought, "I don't know if Chang Zhineng can take care of himself."

Zhou Shuren didn't care about them, but because Zhulan cared about them, he felt disgusted with the two brats. "Changzhi doesn't know much about household affairs and doesn't care about money, but if there is enough money, this kid can take care of himself better than anyone else."

This person is a man who is willing to spend money, and he is also a man who will not mistreat himself.

Zhulan, "........"

She was speechless. Chang Zhi didn't care about money. As long as he had money in his hand, he would be willing to spend it. But Chang Lian was a stingy guy, and his condition seemed to be getting worse.

However, Chang Lian and Chang Zhi took the exam together, ate and lived together. Zhu Lan thought silently that the money she gave to Chang Zhi must be gone, but as for Chang Lian, this kid must have a lot left. He was not ashamed of taking advantage of his brother, and Chang Lian was becoming more and more shameless.

There were five county examinations this year. Zhou Shuren was not concerned about the results and did not go to pick up the two brothers in person. The eldest and second brothers went to the county to pick them up.

In the afternoon, the four brothers came back. Looking at Chang Lian's appearance, they knew that his ranking was not ideal.

Changzhi is also a child, and he is the youngest candidate this year. He got good grades and said excitedly, "Dad, I got first place. I am first."

Zhou Shuren was very pleased that he lived up to his expectations and encouraged him, "Don't be proud, keep working hard."

Changzhi still wanted to be a scholar. His family was well off, he had read a lot of books, and his father and teacher personally taught him. If he failed to pass the exam to become a scholar, he would be sorry for the training of his teacher and father. "Dad, I'm going back to study first."

Zhou Shuren put a lot of thought into Changzhi's studies. He also wanted to give it a try. Without the background of a big family, if Changzhi had enough talent through his training, could he make a splash and become this year's young scholar?

Chang Lian felt even more upset when he looked at his younger brother. He was very depressed. He didn't even rank second, but fifth. He was afraid that his father would be disappointed, so he didn't dare to tell him the ranking. "Dad."

Zhou Shuren saw that the ranking was not what he expected. Although the boy was not confident that he could pass Changzhi, he was still very confident about his ranking. The boy did work hard. He comforted him, "The first exam result is nothing. Think about your father. I didn't get first place in the county exam. So the first exam result does not represent the final result."

Chang Lian felt better after hearing this, and then he told his ranking, "Dad, I ranked fifth."

Zhou Shuren knew clearly in his heart that Chang Lian's ranking was ridiculous. Although Chang Lian was not as good as Chang Zhi, he also worked very hard. With some talent, his performance in the clan school was only second to Chang Zhi. He had also inquired about the candidates this year, and there were not many who were better than Chang Lian. Chang Lian was also a cautious person and would not be careless now. No matter what, it was impossible for him to be fifth.

It seems that the county magistrate doesn't want his son-in-law to get too good a rank in the exam, so he lowered his rank!

Zhou Shuren guessed the intention of the county magistrate. He not only hoped that Chang Lian would work harder in the subsequent examinations, but also hoped that failing to pass the examination would not be too much of a blow to Chang Lian. The county magistrate, as his father-in-law, was also very attentive to Chang Lian.

Since the county magistrate had suppressed the ranking, he should just encourage him and not let Chang Lian be too discouraged. "The ranking is not bad. Dad believes that you will definitely get a better ranking next time."

He thought his father would be unhappy, and he was worried about how to face his father. To his surprise, his father not only did not say anything, but also encouraged him, clenching his fist and saying, "Dad, I will definitely get a good score next time."

It's hard to say. Zhou Shuren knows the candidates in this county, but he doesn't know the candidates who take the college entrance examination. Don't let Changlian be too confident. Finally, he was hit again. "The college entrance examination is in Pingzhou. There is no shortage of talented and hardworking candidates every year. Those who can take the college entrance examination have real ability. Dad hopes that you can work hard. The ranking is secondary. As long as you work hard, Dad will be pleased."

At least I tried my best and didn't pass, so there is nothing to regret. But it's unlucky. Zhou Shuren didn't say this.

Chang Lian felt that time was running out. He was still complacent when he took the county exam, thinking that he would do well. But the result was not good. The college exam was harder than the county exam. He had to work harder. "Dad, I'm going to read books too."

Without waiting for Zhulan to speak, Chang Lian rushed back to the yard to read.

Zhou Shuren asked, "Do you have something to say to Changlian?"