"Gao Zhiru should finish his exam today. I wonder if he will pass?"
"For such a person, even if he passed, it’s a disgrace! Pah!"
"Hey, what do you know? If he really passes and becomes a scholar, getting a minor official job afterwards, it’s quite normal for him to have three wives and four concubines. Wang Er Ya and Ji Xiulan wouldn’t have to fight anymore, all would be accepted!"
There was a burst of laughter among the crowd: "Oh please, it’s so difficult to become a scholar, right? I think the way Gao Zhiru behaves, he’s likely to fail. Can he really hope to pass if he’s fooling around with girls all day?"
"Who knows, if he really passed, things would be different."
Ji Xinhe happened to be coming back from town after selling sour bamboo shoots, and was surprised to hear the villagers’ discussion. She couldn’t help but interject: "Gao Zhiru has caused such a big stir, his reputation has been completely ruined, how could he still be eligible to take the exam?"
The reputation of scholars is crucial in this era. Any blemish on it, and no one would let you hold any official position no matter how much you’ve achieved. Basically, once the reputation is ruined, the future is ruined too.
If Gao Zhiru is caught red handed with an unmarried girl, wouldn’t it be impossible for him to take the exam if the villagers don’t deal with it?
Old Wang Po made a sound of "hey": "He is the only scholar candidate in our village. If he really passes the exam, it would bring glory to our village. That’s why Li Zheng specially instructed that Gao Zhiru’s affairs with Wang Er Ya and Ji Xiulan would be put aside until after the exam results. If he passes, they will deal with it leniently, but if he fails... "
Wang Po chuckled: "Then, things would get quite troublesome."
Put it seriously, a pig-dipping cage may be used. To put it lightly, it won’t be a simple matter to resolve.
In short, Gao Zhiru is about to take part in the provincial examination, which can be considered as a delay in punishment. But if he doesn’t pass, wouldn’t everything be over?
Upon hearing this, Ji Xinhe finally understood. In a small village like Yang Luo Bay, having a scholar would indeed have a significant impact on the whole village. Li Zheng had to consider the bigger picture. However, Ji Xinhe didn’t believe that Gao Zhiru could pass!
When she got home, Xiao Bei blinked and asked: "Sister, can Gao Zhiru really pass?"
Ji Xinhe snorted: "Look at him, skipping school all day long, hanging out with Wang Er Ya today and Ji Xiulan tomorrow. If someone like that can pass the exam, then I truly believe he’s a genius!"
Xiao Bei made a face: "If Xiao Bei had the opportunity to study, he would definitely not skip school."
Ji Xinhe couldn’t help but laugh, patting Xiao Bei’s head: "Xiao Bei, be good. Wait till next year, when your sister has earned more money, I’ll send you to school so you can study and become a scholar, alright?"
Xiao Bei’s eyes were sparkling, and he nodded vigorously.
"You want to study?" Mu Houchu, who had been sitting aside without a word, suddenly spoke.
Xiao Bei, somewhat timidly, nodded: "I want to."
"How old are you?" Mu Houchu’s voice was very steady, without any fluctuation, but for some reason, every time he opened his mouth to speak, Xiao Bei felt inexplicably nervous.
"This year, I will be nine years old."
"Not too late." Mu Houchu said lightly: "Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
Xiao Bei’s eyes widened with disbelief: "Really, really?"
It’s not "Can you?", but "Really?"
He didn’t know why he felt such a mysterious admiration for Mu Houchu, always feeling that he could do anything.
Ji Xinhe glanced at Mu Houchu: "You can? Don’t lead my little brother astray."
A corner of Mu Houchu’s lip curled up slightly: "Let’s give it a try."
Then he beckoned Xiao Bei: "Come here."
Xiao Bei immediately ran over, climbed onto the heating mattress pad, and sat opposite Mu Houchu.
In the past few days, Ji Dong had built a thermal pad at home. As soon as the fire was lit, the whole room was warmed up. To save firewood, only one pad was lit during the day. A small table was placed on the pad, and work could be done sitting on it.
Mu Houchu dipped his index finger in the small amount of tea in the cup and wrote a character on the table.
"Bei."
Xiao Bei tilted his head looking at it, though he didn’t know what character it was, he thought Mu Houchu’s writing was very good looking.
"Do you recognize it?" Mu Houchu asked him.
Xiao Bei shook his head.
Then Mu Houchu said, "It’s Bei, the ’Bei’ from Xiao Bei."
Xiao Bei’s eyes were sparkling: "Is it my name?"
Ji Xinhe leaned over to take a look, this guy’s writing is really not bad.
Xiao Bei immediately asked: "What’s big brother’s name?"
Mu Houchu dipped some more water and wrote another character "Chu".
"This character is called ’Chu’, my name, Mu Chu."
Xiao Bei exclaimed: "What a beautiful name!"
Mu Houchu’s face darkened a little: "’Chu’ is taken from the phrase ’rising above others’, which means outstanding."
He hated it when people used the word ’beautiful’ to describe him, even if it was his name!
Xiao Bei nodded as if he didn’t completely understand: "Oh~"
Ji Xinhe patted Xiao Bei’s head, saying, "This ’Chu’ also means ’charming’. It’s also a term for a beauty. For example, ’A slim woman with a tiny waist of Chu palace’ can also mean beautiful."
As she spoke, she winked at Mu Houchu, as if she was deliberately provoking him.
Seeing her rarely childish antics, Mu Houchu laughed, radiating a hint of indulgence.
Ji Xinhe felt goosebumps due to Mu Houchu’s inexplicable laughter. She glared at him strangely, then said, "Since he can, let him teach you. It’s a compensation for his free meals and lodging. You better teach him properly."
Then Ji Xinhe turned around and left.
When Ji Xinhe had gone, Xiao Bei leaned over to Mu Houchu and said quietly, "Although my sister can be fierce, she’s actually very kindhearted."
Mu Houchu nodded, "Yes, she is indeed a bit fierce." But he liked it.
Out of the blue, Xiao Bei asked, "Big brother, are you also preparing for the scholar examination? Have you passed any?"
A faint smile appeared on Mu Houchu’s lips, rare and soft, "When you pass your first examination, I’ll tell you."
Xiao Bei nodded with a fighting spirit: "Okay! Xiao Bei will definitely study hard!"
Given that Xiao Bei wanted to study and Mu Houchu did have some knowledge to offer as a free tutor, Ji Xinhe naturally prepared to buy writing supplies for Xiao Bei.
She planned to sell the sour bamboo shoots tomorrow and then buy the items for him. However, pens, ink, paper, and inkstone would cost quite a bit of money. Ji Xinhe calculated in her heart, she still needed to earn more money!
The tofu that had been drying in the backyard for two days was almost ready. Ji Xinhe collected the tofu and prepared to make fermented tofu.
However, before she could get to the kitchen, she heard Lady Ding’s excited voice outside, "Ah, has Zhiru returned to the village? How did the exam go? Can he pass? If he passes and becomes a scholar, there’s hope he can become an official!"
With such enthusiastic momentum, people who didn’t know might think that it was Lady Ding’s own son who was taking the exam.
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