The Fu family from Fucheng came to Weinan County once again. This time, their mood was particularly heavy. The eldest son had originally thought that his son would definitely pass the exam this time, and had already made plans at home to celebrate. But they waited and waited without any news.
Seeing their son return looking utterly dejected, the eldest son's proud demeanor almost vanished, making them the laughingstock of the other sons' families.
They were all laughing inwardly, but they said aloud, "It's alright, Changming is still young. It's not easy to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). In three years, our families will all benefit from this. Changming, don't be discouraged."
"That's right. The Fu brothers from the third branch of the family went too. I heard that Fu Changjin has already passed the imperial examination and become a Xiucai. I don't think there will be any good news this time. With their abilities, how can they be better than Changming?"
"Changming, you should go and rest. You must be exhausted this time. You can take the exam again next time. There's no rush," his aunt comforted him. Although she was a little disappointed, she knew that many families in the prefecture hadn't heard from him either, so they probably hadn't passed either. It was normal for Changming not to pass the exam on his first try.
"Father, Mother, I saw Fu Changfeng's name on the list. He passed the imperial examination." Fu Changming lowered his head and spoke in a voice softer than a mosquito's buzz after hearing everyone's words of comfort.
"What? Who passed the exam?" Aunt Si didn't react for a moment when she heard this, and shouted loudly.
"I said Fu Changfeng passed the imperial examination and became a scholar." Fu Changming felt that his aunt had deliberately asked the question loudly to annoy him, so he said this and ran away without looking back.
"Changming was talking about Fu Changfeng, right? The youngest son of the third wife?" Fourth Aunt said, oblivious to the situation.
"That's right. I didn't expect Changfeng to be so capable. He should be back by now. I'm afraid Third Sister-in-law's family will be throwing a big banquet this time. I'd better go back and pack my bags. I'm sure I'll hear from them in the next few days." Fifth Aunt couldn't suppress the smile on her face when she heard this, and she was about to leave.
"Master, the Third Master of Weinan County has sent a letter saying that Young Master Changfeng has passed the imperial examination and will be holding a banquet in three days." The servant boy ran in without any sense of propriety, and the eldest son's face immediately darkened.
"What are you shouting about? The master is right here. Don't you have any manners?" The madam was in a bad mood, and this servant just happened to be in the line of fire.
"Alright, alright, why are you taking your anger out on the servant? Go quickly, pack your things, and head to Weinan County to offer our congratulations." Master Fu was also impatient, but he was still more composed than her.
Although the people of Weinan County were unaware of the situation in the prefectural city, Madam Fu guessed it perfectly and told Xichun about their reactions.
Xi Chun was also worried about the restaurant, and she was gone for more than a month. She took all the gifts she had bought for everyone in Yizhou City to the restaurant. A Zhao was so excited to be able to go out that she kept her eyes glued to the hawkers' cries all around her.
"Xichun, you're back! I heard that the second young master became a scholar, so you're now a scholar's wife!" Aunt Zhang and the others excitedly ran out of the kitchen to greet Xichun when they heard she was back.
“Aunt Zhang, Aunt Liu, please continue to call me Xichun. Calling me ‘the wife of a scholar’ sounds too formal. Come on, A-Zhao, quickly call me Grandma Zhang and Grandma Liu.”
"Ah, ah ha." Ah Zhao can't speak yet, but she can understand what Xi Chun is saying and expresses it in her own unique way.
"Haha, Ah Zhao is so funny. Sister Xichun, I heard that a successful candidate in the imperial examination can become an official. So, will you be an official's wife in the future?" Taozi also came over at this moment, and Ah Zhao grabbed his outstretched finger to tease him.
"Hehe, not everyone can do this. Your brother-in-law is planning to continue his studies and take the exam in the capital later."
"The capital? I have no idea what the capital looks like. I've never even been to Yizhou Prefecture. By the way, what is Yizhou Prefecture like? Is it as bustling as the prefectural capital?"
Xi Chun recounted the interesting things that happened to her while strolling around Yizhou. Before long, the carriage arrived at the door. Today, Xi Chun was going back to Taoyuan Village to visit Wang Shi and check on the village's business.
"There's a banquet going on at home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so you should all take a day off and come over for a visit." Before leaving, Xichun sent out invitations to the group.
“We’ll definitely go. Nobody ever invites us to a show like this before. We’re really lucky to have Xichun here.” Aunt Zhang agreed immediately, and the others thought the same.
Wang was unaware of Xichun's return, so when she saw the carriage enter the village, she didn't realize it was Xichun. She only realized it when the carriage stopped in front of her house and Xichun came out carrying the child.
"Oh my, it's Xichun! Why are you back? Where's my son-in-law? Oh, my darling, come here, let me hold you." Wang Shi excitedly stepped forward, making a series of excited noises.
Hearing the commotion, the Ma family and Xiao Feng also ran out, and they were all pleasantly surprised to see Xi Chun.
“Ah Zhao’s father passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. These past few days he has been visiting his teachers and classmates. The family has already set a date to hold a banquet on the second day of the new year to celebrate. So I’ve come here to invite you all to come to my house on that day.”
Xichun explained his purpose, and Xiaoyue and the two servants behind him also brought out their gifts.
"Really! My son-in-law passed the imperial examination and became a Juren! This is wonderful, wonderful!" Madam Wang was stunned. The impact of becoming a Juren was enormous. There were only a handful of Juren in the entire county, and to them, he was the most prestigious person after the county magistrate.
"Yes, that's great, that's great! Xichun, you're so lucky! We'll definitely go that day and see for ourselves." Mo Xiaoling was the first to react. Hearing that she could go to the banquet, her smile widened even more. This was an honor!
"That's right, that's right, we really benefited from Xichun's success this time," Ma Xiaobao added, offering a few flattering remarks.
"Sister, can I come to your house to play again? When will Ah Zhao learn to walk? If he learns soon, I can play with him sooner." Xiao Feng didn't know what the scholar meant; he only wanted to play with his nephew.
"You'll get it in a few more months. Has Xiaofeng been studying diligently with the teacher?"
"Yes, my mother told me to study hard and become a scholar like my brother-in-law in the future."
"Hehe, if he were really as smart as my son-in-law, then our Ma family would all be living a good life. I'll take you to experience it in a couple of days and learn from your brother-in-law's refined manners." Wang Shi spoke even more firmly now.
“That’s right, let’s take the kids with us, so they can benefit from their uncle’s fame.” Mo Xiaoling chimed in.
When the village chief and the others learned of Xichun's return, they all rushed over. When they heard that Fu Changfeng had passed the imperial examination and invited them to a banquet, they were even more excited and all said that they would definitely go.
"It seems our village should set up a private school so the children can read and broaden their horizons. I've seen a lot of changes in Taozi over the years, thanks in part to your encouragement of his studies," the village chief remarked with emotion.
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