On their return to their hometown, they found a boat and sailed downstream. Fu Changfeng was in high spirits, chatting and laughing with his brother Zeng. He was no longer the nervous man he had been before. When the boatman learned that there were two officials on board, he did not dare to neglect them and ordered his men to bring out the freshest fish that were caught each day for the guests to enjoy.
"Hehe, things are really different now. Come, Brother Fu, let's have a drink. In the past, we didn't dare to drink heartily, for fear that someone would find fault with us and affect the selection of officials. Now we can finally relax."
"Indeed, after all this time, I can finally feel the benefits of passing the imperial examination. Brother Zeng, come, this fresh fish is delicious. I don't know if I'll be able to eat it again when I get to Juzhou."
“Brother, I believe we will have a bright future. We have studied diligently for our entire lives without ever slacking off. Now we can say that we have returned home in glory and can give our elders a proper account.”
The two of them talked more, and Xichun and Sister Cao also chatted on the other side. These days, the two families have been living next to each other, and there has been no discord. On the contrary, the relationship between the two has become closer and closer.
"I heard you had another son. I happen to have a daughter of similar age. We've become very close friends. I think it would be better if our families arranged a marriage between our children, so we could become in-laws and become even closer."
"Sister Cao, no, we should let our children decide their own marriages. If they are destined to be together, then our two families will be the icing on the cake. If they are not destined to be together, and we force them to be together, they will only end up as a miserable couple, and the children will not be happy."
Xi Chun disagreed. Although in ancient times marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, Xi Chun, as a modern person, did not agree with this concept and did not want her child to experience such a thing.
"My sister is so thoughtful. Look at me, I didn't even think about the children. Well then, if they're meant to be, we'll see." Sister Cao thought for a moment and realized that her idea was a bit abrupt, so she didn't bring it up again.
The boat sailed with the wind and soon arrived at Yizhou Prefecture. The two families parted ways there. With a mix of emotions, Xichun, Fu Changfeng, and Taozi were all very excited, knowing they would soon see their families again.
When they arrived at Guangming Prefecture, servants were already waiting at the dock. Upon seeing them disembark, they hurriedly went to greet them.
"Second Young Master, Second Young Madam, you've finally returned! I've been waiting here for three days. Would you like to rest for a day in Guangming Prefecture?" The servant was Master Fu's personal attendant, which was why he came to the prefectural city to wait for them, showing how anxious Master Fu was.
"Second Young Master, the Old Madam and the First Master both said that I must invite you back to the manor to stay. The city is your hometown, and the Old Madam misses you very much." At this moment, another servant came forward and, before Fu Changfeng could speak, hurriedly invited him back to the manor.
"This is a servant of the magistrate of the prefecture. The magistrate heard that you, Second Young Master, have passed the imperial examination, so he sent someone here to wait for you," the servant explained.
“I see. Go tell the old lady and the master that my vacation is too short and I need to go home to reorganize as soon as possible. I will not visit the master this time. In a few days, we will invite the Fu family of the prefecture to a banquet.”
Hearing this, Fu Changfeng guessed what the Fu family of Fucheng was thinking. They naturally wanted to curry favor with him and use his reputation to intimidate others. Fu Changfeng remembered how they had bullied him in the past, so he decided not to let them have their way and immediately decided to return to Weinan County today.
After several days of clattering carriages, they finally returned to their familiar Weinan County. At that moment, a servant from their household was waiting on the official road. Upon seeing them arrive, the servant hurriedly sent another servant back to the mansion to report.
When they arrived home, Mr. Fu, Mrs. Fu, Brother Fu, Sister-in-law Fu, and the children were already waiting outside, eagerly watching them get out of the car.
"Father and Mother, your son has lived up to your expectations. He has finally passed the imperial examination and obtained an official position. I am here to personally bring you the good news." Fu Changfeng and Xichun knelt on the ground. Master Fu and Madam Fu were so excited that tears streamed down their faces. No matter how others explained, it was not as good as their son and daughter-in-law saying these words in front of them.
"Good, good, good, get up quickly, get up quickly. Our son Changfeng has brought honor to our Fu family, and his parents are very gratified." The two elders stepped forward and helped them to their feet.
When the people around saw the Fu family's entourage, they guessed that Fu Changfeng had returned. Now he was a proper Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and a county magistrate. No one dared to be negligent and hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.
"Greetings, Lord Fu. How are you? Congratulations, Master Fu."
"Haha, congratulations to you all! My son has returned without stopping and is exhausted today. I'll have someone come out and scatter money later so that everyone can share in the joy. Once we pick an auspicious day, we'll definitely invite everyone to a feast."
"Haha, Master Fu is so generous! We're just waiting to share in the good fortune." No one dared to make things difficult for them. They watched the family go inside, and sure enough, a little while later, two servants came out carrying two large baskets of copper coins. Upon seeing this, everyone scrambled to grab them at the door, creating quite a lively scene.
"Hehe, Changfeng, now that our family has finally changed its status thanks to your efforts, I must also work hard. You must tell me about the imperial examination system another day."
"Don't worry, elder brother, this is what I should do. By the way, while I was in the capital, I collected the poems written by those people, as well as the provincial examination questions from other prefectures that I gathered while interacting with others. I'll look for them when I get back and show them to you tomorrow."
"Really? That's great! I'll definitely check it carefully." The two brothers were very happy. Fu Changfeng then told everyone about the dangerous moments of this exam. They were all shocked to hear that the cheating scandal in the imperial examination was so serious.
Xi Chun was busy looking after the two children. At this time, A Zhao and A Zheng were already watching Xi Chun. A Zhao remembered Xi Chun. When she saw her coming, she ran over and hugged her legs, calling her "Mother".
However, Ah Zheng forgot that when the maid held him, he only tilted his head to look at Xi Chun, showing no affection. When Xi Chun came forward to hug him, he also resisted.
The exhaustion of the past few days turned into longing at this moment. Xichun hugged Azheng and the three of them burst into tears. It was only after being persuaded by Madam Fu and her sister-in-law that Xichun stopped crying.
“Ah Zheng is still young and his memory isn’t very good yet. He’ll definitely recognize you, his mother, in no time. Xi Chun, you must be exhausted from your journey. You should go and rest first. I’ve already sent someone to inform your mother, and they should be coming tomorrow.”
"Thank you, Mother and Sister-in-law, for taking such good care of me these past few days. I'll take the children back home and wash up first before I come back to talk to you." Xichun was very grateful for their care.
“We’re family, why be so polite? Go on.” The eldest sister-in-law shook her head, indicating that it wasn’t hard work for her.
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