Chapter 217: Cake Master

Zong Wenxiu's eyes widened: "You all passed? Jin Cheng, did I pass too?"

The little devil nodded excitedly: "Brother, you passed the exam. You are ahead of me. You are still better than me! But just wait, I will surpass you soon!"

Zong Wenxiu grinned: "Okay, okay, as long as you pass the exam, then we can all take the imperial examination as an exception. Jincheng is very good, I'm waiting for you to surpass me!"

"Yeah!" The little devil nodded vigorously.

Xu Wan touched his head and said with a smile: "You are indeed a genius. You did well in the exam. I will give you a big surprise when we get back."

The little devil's eyes sparkled, and he asked expectantly, "What surprise? Is it a reward?"

Xu Wan smiled and nodded: "Yes, it's a big reward for good children."

"Good boy...haha, go home quickly." The little devil urged, "Go home, go home, I want to open my big surprise."

"Hey? So fast? Haven't you seen the ranking yet? Have you seen it? What place is it?" Zong Wenxiu asked anxiously.

Zong Jincheng held Xu Wan's arm with one hand and pulled him into the car with the other, still shouting, "Oh, it's all the same. Boys can take part in the imperial examination as an exception. What's the difference between first and second? Don't think too much. We are all the best!"

Xu Wan's shoulders shook with laughter. The kid was really good at comforting himself. If he could really get second place, he would brag about it to the heavens and earth. It seemed that his ranking should be at the bottom.

But it was normal. After the Luo Jingfeng incident, she quietly changed the direction of her studies. She was no longer aiming to get the top spot in the Boy's Subject, but was laying a comprehensive foundation.

The real proof will be in the formal imperial examinations.

Far away from the Marquis's Mansion.

The news was the first to come back, so as soon as the few people got off the car, they started setting off firecrackers at the door.

The old marquis and the old lady stood at the door to greet them. When they saw the boys get off the car, the maids and guards standing behind them shouted in unison, "Congratulations, Master Cheng and Master Xiu, you have passed the imperial examination!"

The movement was so loud and the slogans were so loud that it attracted people from the surrounding areas to come and watch.

The little devil cried out: "Grandpa and grandma, I love you so much!"

The old lady's heart softened as she said, "My dear grandson, grandma loves you so much too. Come here and let me see whose boy this is. He is talented, handsome, and well-educated. When he grows up, he will be met by matchmakers!"

The little devil was amused and chuckled. He said proudly, "I told my mother to prepare the iron threshold a long time ago, but she didn't believe me. Grandmother, you must believe me, right?"

"Believe it, believe it. My little grandson will do whatever he says. Tomorrow, oh no, today I will have someone replace our doorstep with iron!" The old lady agreed seriously.

Xu Wan: “…”

You two are really the kind of people who dare to say and do.

Several people came in happily, and the old lady ordered people to distribute the prepared celebratory cakes to the people who came to watch, so as to share the joy with more people.

Suddenly, more and more people flocked to the gate of the mansion.

But the old lady didn't mind. If the pastries were gone, she would ask people to make them quickly or buy them quickly. In short, she was happy today and just wanted to give away gifts!

After entering the mansion, the little devil did nothing but chase after Xu Wan and asked, "Where's the surprise? Where's my big surprise?"

Xu Wan was still explaining the aftermath to Butler Liu: "Even if we replace the iron threshold, we have to cover it with a layer of wood on the outside, otherwise if someone sees it, they will think something happened in our mansion."

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Butler Liu responded and left.

Xu Wan turned around and whispered something to Cuizhi. Cuizhi's eyes lit up, and she nodded and went to get the things.

"What is it?" The little devil rubbed his hands in anticipation, and finally he was so anxious that he pulled Xu Wan over with him, "I'll go get it myself."

Xu Wan said with a smile: "Just go by yourself, why are you dragging me?"

The little devil said as a matter of course: "You gave it to me. How can the person who gives something not be present?"

“That makes sense.”

Xu Wan followed him and took the box that Cuizhi brought over. Zong Jincheng stretched his neck to take a look.

Cuizhi smiled and held up the box. Xu Wan opened the box, took out the things inside, and handed it to him: "Return the jade intact to Zhao."

This was the jade pendant given to him by the old lady, which was worth several thousand taels. However, on the day she first entered the mansion, the little devil took it to pay for a meal. Later, he had been saving money to redeem it.

Unexpectedly, the jade pendant he had always wanted to redeem was right in front of him.

The little devil was surprised and said, "The jade pendant! It's my jade pendant! It's the one my grandmother gave me!"

He took it and looked at it with great care. His mood now was totally different from that time. At that time, he did not know how precious the jade pendant was, nor how much his grandmother loved him.

Now that he has grown up and understood these principles, when he looks at the jade pendant again, he feels very attached to it, as if it were an old friend he had lost and now found again.

The little devil was so excited that his eyes welled up with tears. He held the jade pendant and turned around for several times, jumping and dancing: "My jade pendant is back, my jade pendant is back! I'm so surprised. I thought I would have to save money for many more years to redeem it!"

According to the agreement Xu Wan had given him, the sixty taels of silver per month would indeed have to be saved for many years.

Xu Wan smiled and said, "Please keep it safe in the future. If you use it to buy a meal, I won't redeem it from you."

The little devil nodded repeatedly and promised: "No, no, I will never buy the jade pendant again! Hehe, I'm so happy, mom, thank you for helping me redeem the jade pendant!"

Xu Wan smiled and said, "As long as you are happy."

She hesitated for a while, but decided not to tell him the truth about the return of the jade pendant. Otherwise, his feeling of regaining what he had lost would not be so strong, and he would not cherish the jade pendant as much as he does now. Let him think that the jade pendant was redeemed by her with a large sum of money.

When the kid grows up a little, I will tell him about Butler Liu’s principles of conduct.

The little devil hung the jade pendant back on his body with great interest. He turned around and asked proudly, "Does it look good? Does it look good?"

Xu Wan nodded and said, "Looks good, what a handsome and elegant young man."

The kid was so excited that he was howling. He ran out, shouting, "I want to show it to my brother. Our jade pendants are the same. I was so jealous when I saw him wearing it before. Now we both wear it together. When we go out and people see us, they will know we are brothers at a glance!"

Xu Wan teased, "If you say so, your brother He Zheng might want it too."

"Haha, I'll buy it for him when I make money."

"So generous?" Xu Wan raised her eyebrows.

The little devil laughed and said, "I just said it casually. I want to be an official when I grow up. It's hard for me to save that much money. I can't buy it. But He Zheng will be happy to hear it. He will be happy for many years!"

Xu Wan burst out laughing: "You are really a natural pie-painting master."

"What cake painting master?" The kid was confused.

Xu Wan said quietly, "Painted cakes satisfy hunger, and looking at plums quenches thirst."

The little devil flipped through the two stories in his mind and found that both stories were related to the supreme ruler. He immediately straightened his face and said seriously: "It seems that I am born to be a leader. I can do it without learning. I am gifted. In the future, I will definitely become a first-class official praised by history books and leave my name in history!"