Granny Zhao felt a little guilty, but she wasn't willing to suffer this loss, so she immediately sprang up like a carp:
"You mean I'm here to bully you? To cause you trouble?"
"Isn't that right?"
"Hehe, I wonder who came over to Ye Xuanzhong's banquet to spout nonsense, saying that Li Zhiyuan will definitely pass the provincial examination this time, and even be number one! He will definitely invite Cai Ping's family to the banquet."
"Isn't today the day the results of the provincial examinations are released? I just came to ask when the banquet will be held! Who would have thought that as soon as I entered the door, this Scholar Li... oh, no, I should say Scholar Li! suddenly went mad and started killing people with a hoe."
Upon hearing the words "Li Juren," Li Zhiyuan's eyes turned red again.
The villagers' gazes toward Li Zhiyuan changed. Regardless of whether Granny Zhao had a sharp tongue before, at least he hadn't made a mistake by coming this time!
As the saying goes, "the one who starts it is the one who's wicked." Didn't they provoke Ye Caiping's side first? No wonder people came to ask him.
Feeling she was in the right, Granny Zhao became even more arrogant: "So, Scholar Li, did you pass the exam?"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhiyuan's face turned a deep shade of liver.
The surrounding villagers all looked at him expectantly: "Yes, sir, did you pass the exam?"
The villagers all hoped that Li Zhiyuan would win.
After all, nine out of ten people in the village are surnamed Li, and they all belong to the same clan. For someone to become a scholar who passed the imperial examination is a great honor for the family.
In the future, no matter what happens, Li Zhiyuan will always be there to help.
Furthermore, Ye Caiping became extremely wealthy after returning to Qinghe Village.
They set up two large workshops, and the whole village benefited from their success. This made several nearby villages extremely envious.
This Li family village is even more distressing.
If Li Zhiyuan hadn't divorced Ye Caiping, those two workshops could have been opened in Lijia Village.
Regardless, the person has already passed away.
Moreover, they were the ones who helped Li Zhiyuan divorce her back then, so it's too late to say anything now.
Therefore, Lijia Village started to compete with Qinghe Village.
Naturally, they hoped that Li Zhiyuan would pass the imperial examination with top honors and surpass Qinghe Village.
"Zhiyuan, what rank did you get?"
"What number could we possibly get? Last time, Shui Niang told me that getting into the top three would be easy."
Li Gouwa emerged from the crowd: "Of course my Uncle Xiucai passed! No, from now on we should call him Uncle Juren! My Uncle Juren is already the top scholar in the provincial examination!"
Li Jiaojiao and her entourage's expressions changed.
Li Zhiyuan wished he could die on the spot, and his body trembled.
Granny Zhao chuckled: "What's up? Tell me quickly, what place did you get? When are you hosting the banquet? Let me know so I can pass the message back."
Li Zhiyuan: "..."
"What happened? What happened? You didn't... fail to get it, did you? You didn't get it?!"
"What? He didn't get it?" The villagers were in an uproar.
Li Zhiyuan: "I...I..."
He angrily flung his sleeve, intending to go home and hide. But Li Jiaojiao grabbed him and stepped forward, saying:
"Well... Uncles and aunts, as the saying goes, even horses stumble, and people make mistakes. My father and brother caught a cold during their exams and didn't even finish the papers..."
Granny Zhao: "What excuse is he making! Yesterday I saw him bragging at the wonton stall in town, saying how well he answered the questions, how eloquent he was, how divine his writing was! He said his answers were so beautiful. How come he's changed so much in just one day?"
Li Jiaojiao wished she could strangle Zhao Pozi to death. What a damned, vile old woman!
The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment; they all understood.
Li Zhiyuan boasted too much before the exam, claiming to be the top scholar and then to be in the top three, but in the end, he didn't even pass the exam. Not only did he fail, but he also made excuses!
The people looked at Li Zhiyuan and his gang with disdain.
"Alright, shut up, all of you!" Li Zhiyuan roared, then turned to leave again.
Unexpectedly, Li Jiaojiao grabbed him again: "Yes, all of you shut up!"
"Hmph, so what if we don't pass? If we don't pass, we don't pass. My father and brother are real men, they can bend and stretch. If we don't pass this time, we'll try next time. If we don't pass next time, we'll try the time after that!"
"On the contrary, you Qinghe Village people come to mock us as soon as you see us in our downfall. What a despicable face! Go back and tell the Ye family that we are not afraid of falling down! We are not afraid of being ridiculed! We will stand up against the storm! We, the people of Li Family Village, are not easy to bully!"
Li Jiaojiao's impassioned and inspiring speech successfully ignited the passion of everyone in Lijia Village.
Yes, the people of Lijia Village are not easy to bully!
Even if Li Zhiyuan was indeed getting a bit arrogant, he was still the only scholar in their village. Even if he didn't pass the exam, he couldn't be looked down upon or bullied by the people of Qinghe Village.
The villagers couldn't help but roar at Granny Zhao:
"You people from Qinghe Village, get out of our village!"
"So what if Zhiyuan doesn't pass? What's it to you?"
"Always trying to kick someone when they're down, what a despicable person!"
Seeing that the villagers were all protecting him, Li Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li Jiaojiao with some emotion.
Luckily, he had Jiaojiao, otherwise he would have lost all face and dignity.
Zhang Shuiniang and Li Ziming were secretly delighted. If this wretched old woman hadn't come to mock them, Li Zhiyuan would have become the laughingstock of the whole village.
Now that Granny Zhao has made a scene, it has escalated to a conflict between villages.
If Li Zhiyuan fails the exam, his entire village will lose face and be looked down upon by Qinghe Village.
Therefore, Li Family Village must protect Li Zhiyuan!
They have no time to care about the boasts they made or the unsuccessful attempts they made.
This was the first time Granny Zhao had suffered such a huge loss in silence, and she was so angry that she couldn't even speak.
Seeing her disheveled appearance, Li Jiaojiao smiled smugly and then said to the villagers:
“It was indeed my father and brother who failed this provincial examination. But I, Li Jiaojiao, swear here that three years later, my father will definitely become the top scholar.”
"If I can't get it, I'll write my name, Li Jiaojiao, backwards!"
The villagers applauded: "Great!"
The villagers' support made Li Jiaojiao even more smug: "Also, Qinghe Village, go back and tell Ye Shi that we must hold a banquet! Because my brother passed the imperial examination and became a scholar! Moreover, he was the top scholar."
"Do you understand what 'top scholar' means? It means being number one in the entire Yue'an County! Just that title alone is enough to crush you!"
Upon hearing this, the villagers became even more excited: "That's right, we almost forgot, Zi Mo was the top scholar! And an 18-year-old top scholar at that. He's the pride of our Lijia Village."
Li Ziming immediately put his hands behind his back and straightened his chest.
Zhang Shuiniang was overjoyed; now she was no longer afraid of being laughed at.
Li Jiaojiao's expression hardened as she stared at Granny Zhao: "You from Qinghe Village, get out of our village!"
Villager: "Yes, get out!"
"Get out!"
Granny Zhao's face turned ashen, and she was about to tuck her tail between her legs and run away.
Unexpectedly, several constables pushed through the crowd and walked over, saying, "What's all the noise about? Are you all fighting here?"
The villagers were startled to see the constables and quickly took a few steps back: "No, no, no, we...we just had a little argument. Why are you here, officers..."
Li Gouwa's eyes darted around, his expression excited: "Could it be that they've come to deliver good news? My Uncle, the scholar, passed the imperial examination? He did!"
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