Chapter 91: Careful Thoughts

Zhou Shuren called his two sons who were studying and Rongchuan, and first carefully moved out the books and put them away, then took out the pens, ink, paper and inkstone. There was only one set of the expensive pens and ink, which Zhou Shuren kept for use during the imperial examinations. There were also three sets of inferior ones, each set was worth ten taels of silver. It would be too hateful to give them to the children, so Zhou Shuren kept them all. The ones given to the three children were bought with silver, each set cost only one tael of silver, but they could only be kept at home. When they went out to study, they would still use the cheap ones they had.

As for paper, the rewards Zhou Shuren received were all top-quality Xuan paper. Tracing and practicing calligraphy with it was too wasteful, so Zhou Shuren kept some for himself for when he needed it most. The ones he shared were bamboo paper bought in Jiangnan, 100 sheets cost 400 yuan. Zhou Shuren had some money on hand, so he bought a lot of it in one go. The three children each got 100 sheets.

Chang Lian and Chang Zhi took it happily. They had always used the cheapest paper, which had many wrinkles and uneven ink. It was hard to write big characters, but it was easy to blur small characters. The two of them carefully touched the hard and smooth paper and held it tightly in their arms, "Thank you, Dad."

Rongchuan felt ashamed to receive the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, not to mention the good paper. He hurriedly put his hands behind his back and said, "Uncle Zhou, I can just practice calligraphy on the paper that my third and fourth brothers have written on. It would be a waste for me to use the good paper."

When Zhou Shuren woke up and was waiting for the noodles, he had already taken some time to look at the calligraphy practiced by his three children. The third and oldest son's handwriting had not improved much, but the one who had made the most progress was Rongchuan, who had developed his own style after only a short period of writing. It was obvious that he practiced hard every day. Smart people are not scary, what is scary is smart people who are also diligent and hardworking.

Zhou Shuren looked at his old son with the rest of his eyes. The most talented old son in the family was very arrogant. He had always been praised in the private school and had been smooth sailing since he started studying. This was not good. He was looking forward to Rongchuan catching up with his old son, lest his old son think that he was the only smart one and suffer a great loss in the future.

Zhou Shuren put the paper in Rongchuan's hand, "Silly, good handwriting is very important for the imperial examination. I see that your handwriting has some style, and I am very pleased with your hard work. Take the paper and don't worry about your family. I can still afford to support your studies. You are half my son to me, so don't feel burdened. When I finish my work, I will pick a good day to settle you and Xuehan's relationship."

Rongchuan's face turned red and he had no time to think about the paper. His mind was full of thoughts about engagement.

Chang Lian and Chang Zhi were unhappy. The third brother Chang Lian felt that Rong Chuan had taken away his resources. Without Rong Chuan, he could get more papers. As for who his sister would marry, she would have to get married sooner or later anyway, and it would be up to his parents to worry about who she would marry. He only cared that Rong Chuan not only became his brother-in-law, but also, according to his father's intention, he would be sent to a private school.

Before the changes in the family, Chang Lian also calculated how much money the family had, and was always worried whether it was enough to support his and Chang Zhi's studies. He saw the changes in the family after the winter. Later, his father not only went to Jiangnan, but also bought back so many things. He realized that the family background was not what he saw on the surface. Even though the family background was strong, Rongchuan had shared some resources with him after all, and he didn't like Rongchuan from the bottom of his heart.

Changzhi was much more intuitive. He never cared about household chores, nor did he worry about how much money there was in the family. He was not happy that his sister had been married off so early, and even though he admired Rongchuan, he was not happy in his heart.

Zhou Shuren didn't care about the dispute between the three boys. He divided the money that should be divided and waved goodbye to them.

Zhulan cleaned up the kitchen. Zhou Shuren had already put away the pen, ink, paper and inkstone. He was carrying a book and putting it on the table. Looking at the pen and ink, Zhulan put on her slippers and went to the bed and said, "You want to copy the book?"

Zhou Shuren cut the paper and said, "Well, this is not a book. It is the examination questions and essays of the provincial examinations in several states in Jiangnan. I sorted it out and bound it into a book. Don't be fooled by its thickness. Not only did it cost me thirty taels, but it also took me a lot of effort and thought to get it."

Zhulan picked it up and flipped through it. "Is there anything here? Examiners in different places are different and have different preferences. Is it useful to learn from these?"

Zhou Shuren, "Of course it is useful. The questions in Jiangnan are among the most difficult. Many of them are the same no matter how they are changed. A thorough study will be very helpful for the provincial examination. As for the examiner's preference for the article, it depends on one's luck."

Zhulan understood and asked, "How much did you spend on this trip, including the things you bought?"

Zhou Shuren reported, "It cost nearly two hundred taels in total. Fans are not expensive in Jiangnan, but they are rare in the north. Books and paper are expensive. The cheapest second-hand book costs twenty taels!"

Zhulan took a deep breath and said, "It's really expensive. It was too difficult to study in ancient times. Books alone are not something that ordinary people can afford."

Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "That's why it's said that the imperial examination is difficult, especially for poor people. Rich families have many books and famous commentaries. As long as you have some talent and work hard, you can pass the examination to become a scholar. But for people who work hard, it's very difficult to pass the examination to become a scholar. They don't have so many books. Passing the examination to become a scholar is like a phoenix feather and a water chestnut, and passing the examination to become a Jinshi is like a fish leaping over the dragon gate."

Zhulan was a little worried, "Do you have confidence?"

Zhou Shuren was very confident, "I will take the exam for the scholar next year, and the year after will be the perfect time to participate in the provincial examination held every three years. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Zhulan was relieved after hearing Zhou Shuren's words. Zhou Shuren never made unfounded promises. "Are you copying the test questions to give to your clan?"

She remembered that there were five scholars in the clan, and they were all quite old, with the youngest being in his twenties. They would definitely take the exam the year after next.

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes."

Zhulan had nothing more to ask and took out the cloth to make clothes. She really enjoyed making clothes now.

Zhou Shuren couldn't calm down, and looked up at Zhulan several times. Zhulan sensed it and asked, "What's wrong?"