This time when returning to the county town, Chen Cui still borrowed the Wei family's carriage, and Wei Shu also assigned them a trustworthy coachman and servant.
The driver had been on this road several times before and was very experienced in where to stay and where to take a detour, so Chen Cui didn't have to worry about it at all.
In addition, the current Mu Erpang not only makes her worry-free, but also knows how to take care of her. He buys her a bowl of tea when passing by a tea stall, and buys her a snack when passing by a snack stall. When staying in an inn at night, he also reminds Chen Cui to push the table to the door to block it.
Chen Cui came as a parent accompanying her child to take the exam, but she was taken care of by him in every possible way. She found it funny but also felt soft-hearted. She repeatedly assured Mu Erpang that she knew everything and that he just needed to continue preparing for the exam with peace of mind.
Mu Erpang didn't need to read other books for the time being. The one he was reading now was the rhyme book that had been read to pieces.
He was not idle on the road, and was still diligently writing poetry. He had already finished writing the poem topics that Chen Cui and Lao Buyu had suggested, but that did not stop him from writing about other things he saw on the road, and he still maintained a high frequency of writing one poem a day.
However, the only one who can help him with poetry right now is Shen Cui, and Shen Cui herself cannot write poetry - after all, even in novels where a modern person travels through time and space to become the protagonist and take the imperial examination, poetry is always the protagonist's weakness.
But her appreciation ability is not weak, after all, she had memorized so many famous quatrains in school in her previous life.
After Mu Erpang finished writing, she would help him review it. If she felt that there were any shortcomings, she would point them out and let Mu Erpang correct them himself.
Before the end of the month, Shen Cui and Mu Erpang returned to Yongning County.
I used to hear people talk about their hometown complex, but Chen Cui didn’t feel much about it. But now that I’ve been away for more than half a year and come back, I do feel quite touched.
The county town was not big, so there was no need for a horse-drawn carriage here. Chen Cui originally wanted to find an inn for the coachman and the servant to stay.
But the coachman and the servant did not need her care, saying that Wei Shu had already sent a letter back and told Wei Yuanwai to let them go back home to rest.
After reading the results of the county examination, Chen Cui was ready to leave, so she just needed to go to Wei Yuanwai's house to inform him.
In the end, they insisted on sending Chen Cui and Mu Erpang back to the vicinity of Chahu Lane, saying that if they didn't send them home safely, they would have trouble explaining to Wei Shu when they returned.
As for the luggage in the carriage, they also said they would help Shen Cui carry it to the Shen family.
Chen Cui didn't let her go, because she didn't have much luggage to begin with. Apart from a few books of Mu Erpang that were a bit heavy, the rest were small gifts she brought for her family, so they were easy to carry.
She never liked to trouble others, so the coachman and the servant did not insist.
After getting off the carriage, Mu Erpang rushed to carry all the bags, and the mother and son walked towards Shen's house.
Teapot Lane was still so narrow and crowded that the mother and son met several neighbors along the way.
The neighbors who used to look down on the mother and son had changed their attitude more and more obviously in recent years, especially now that they heard that the mother and son were living in the capital city, they would smile and greet them when they saw them.
"Cuihua brought Erpang back? Oh my, I can't call him Erpang anymore. Look at this kid, he doesn't even have the word fat in him anymore."
"The dress Cuihua is wearing is also very pretty. She looks like the person in the painting. You can't tell at all that she has such a grown-up son...Did you buy this in the capital?"
"Why did you bring so many things back from the capital? Are they all for your mother?"
As she was unable to visit her parents during the Chinese New Year to show her filial respect, Shen Cui specially wrote a letter to wish them a happy new year and also told them the approximate time of her return.
Therefore, Zheng has not been doing odd jobs recently and has been waiting at home every day.
Hearing the greetings from the neighbors and Shen Cui outside, Zheng immediately hurried out to greet them.
After going out to greet them, Zheng saw Shen Cui and Mu Erpang surrounded by overly enthusiastic neighbors. She directly pulled them back from the crowd and smiled and said, "I have something important to do at home. Let's talk next time!"
She was known for her fierce temper, and the neighbors who had come to watch the fun gradually dispersed.
And what Zheng said was not wrong, they had something important to do - the county examination would start in February, and now was the time to go to the county office's ceremonial room to register.
When the previous letter arrived, Zheng had asked the Shen brothers to help contact a student on government scholarship.
There are also risks involved for students on government stipends to act as guarantors, so a background check needs to be done and the person needs to be met in person beforehand.
But now in Yongning County, whether it is Cuiwei, who produced three scholars in one breath, or Mu Yunchuan, who won four top honors in a row, they are both very famous in the circle of scholars.
When the student on government stipend heard that the man was Cuiwei's student and Mu Yunchuan's younger brother, he agreed to be the guarantor without hesitation.
Registration also required five candidates to act as guarantors. The student had just guaranteed four people and he enthusiastically suggested that they also act as guarantors for those four people.
Zheng did not agree immediately, but first found out the background of those four scholars.
Now she took Chen Cui and Mu Erpang home to put down their gifts, and then took them to find the student on government stipend - it was almost time for the county school to be dismissed, so they would go there directly to look for him.
On the way, Zheng said to them, "The student surnamed Zhao is from Xiaohe Village next to Shuiyun Village. He is a very cautious person. I heard that before our family went to find him, many people had approached him, but he rejected most of them. It was only because our academy was well-known that he agreed. The four people he agreed to guarantee, two of them are from the same village as him. I don't know whether they are well-educated or not, but they are all very down-to-earth. They have taken the Tongkat Ali exam several times and never made any mistakes. The other two have some connections with our family. They are the students of Mr. Huang who we went to find earlier. They are also down-to-earth people and have never done anything sneaky..."
Zheng inquired in great detail, and from the various information she collected, both the student who acted as guarantor and the four scholars were very suitable partners.
Facing her mother, Shen Cui did not say thank you, but just said distressedly: "Mother, you have worked hard, in the future..."
Isn’t it hard? Except for Shen Da, the shopkeeper of the Shen family, who could recognize a few words, everyone else in the Shen family could not read a single word.
These things are very simple for scholars, but for them, they require more effort. Especially Zheng, who was so meticulous that she wanted to find out whether the child had ever secretly eaten malt candy when he was a child. It was hard to tell how much effort she put in.
Before Shen Cui could finish her heartfelt and filial speech, Zheng said, "Don't bother me. I'm not working for you. I'm working for our Erpang. When Erpang becomes successful, you can take me to your side to enjoy the good life, right?"
Of course Mu Erpang was right. “Then grandma and grandpa will live with me and we will never be separated again. But mom is right too. You should also take care of yourself and don’t work too hard, otherwise in the future…”
Looking at her eldest grandson whom she hadn't seen for more than half a year, Zheng smiled so hard that her eyes almost disappeared.
Not long after the three of them arrived outside the county school, they met Zhao Linsheng, who had met the Shen family.
Zhao Linsheng was willing to be a guarantor just by hearing Cuiwei's reputation. After seeing Mu Erpang, who had a frank look and a gentle manner, he would not regret it.
"It's getting late now, how about we meet tomorrow and get to know each other in advance?"
Zhao Linsheng asked the question very politely. In fact, since the five of them had to act as guarantors and assume joint liability, Mu Erpang should have introduced the other four scholars to each other.
Chen Cui naturally agreed, and the matter was quickly finalized. The student arranged for the next morning to organize a meeting between those who had sponsored each other, have breakfast together, and then report to the ceremonial room of the county office together.
After discussing the matter, Shen Cui reached into her sleeve and touched the red seal that had been prepared in advance. When you ask someone to be your guarantor, you have to give some benefits.
Zheng reached out and pulled her, giving her a look. That's what she had already given.
When they left the county school, Shen Cui asked, "I only asked my mother to help me contact people, why did you give me the money?"
Zheng said she was happy to do so, but she still used her "trump card", saying that she was paying for her eldest grandson and it had nothing to do with Chen Cui.
This left Chen Cui speechless.
Later, Zheng urged Chen Cui and Mu Erpang to go home and rest, and said, "It's getting late. I won't be able to buy anything if you delay any longer." Then she went to buy vegetables in a hurry.
As the mother and son walked toward Shen's house, Mu Erpang suddenly said, "Mom, I thought I had grown up and could take care of you. But now I feel that compared to grandma, I am still lacking a little."
Shen Cui pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Your grandma took care of me as a child, and you grew up and knew how to respect me, so it must be different."
As they were talking, the mother and son returned to Teapot Lane. It was already time for every household to prepare for dinner, so there were no overly enthusiastic neighbors surrounding them to ask them anything.
Mr. Shen, Shen Da and Shen Er have all returned home, and with the addition of Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Li and the children, the house suddenly becomes very lively.
Shen Cui called everyone first, and then began to distribute gifts to everyone.
Shuanzi and Zhuzi were each given a small toy, Daya and Erya were each given two brightly colored silk flowers, the two sisters-in-law were each given a box of powder, and Mr. Shen and the first and second Shen were each given a pair of shoes. When Shen Cui was communicating with Zheng before, she specifically asked for the size.
Although the things are not expensive, what matters is the thought. But after all, they were bought in the capital city, so they are better than what you can buy here in the county town.
Everyone was very happy to receive the gifts. Shen Cui also knew that her family was concerned about her and Erpang's situation outside, so she picked up some happy things to tell them. Even Daya and Erya, who never liked to join in the fun, couldn't help but surround Shen Cui and listen to her talk about the things in Qingzhou Prefecture.
Soon Zheng came back from outside with some vegetables and put the basket in the kitchen, asking everyone to stop gathering around.
Li rolled up her sleeves and went to the kitchen. Chen Cui followed Zheng into the house and took out a small cloth bag from her arms.
Inside the cloth bag was the silver hairpin she had made for Zheng. It cost about two taels of silver, but she asked a craftsman who was familiar with Cui Wuniang to make it, so the workmanship was particularly exquisite and it was carved into the shape of an orchid.
"You were extremely stingy in the past and were reluctant to spend money on yourself. Now that you have more money, you start spending recklessly again, right?" Zheng said as she reached out to take the hairpin and put it on her head, smiling with her brows and eyes relaxed.
Chen Cui reached out and straightened her hairpin. "What mother said is all old calendar from eight hundred years ago. This silver has to be spent. When I am richer in the future, I will give you a gold one."
Zheng said that was a good idea. "In my life, I only got a pair of golden cloves when I married your father. Later, I sold them to send your elder and second brothers to the city to learn skills. I have never seen gold in my life. If you have money, don't make me a gold hairpin. Make me a gold necklace and I will wear it around my neck..."
Chen Cui smiled and said, "You shouldn't say that. Er Pang may look grown up, but he is also prone to take adults' words seriously. Don't let me get you a beating later."
After playing around for a while, Zheng pulled her onto the kang, held her hand tightly, and looked her up and down, wishing she could look at every strand of her hair.
The mother and daughter had never been separated for so long in their lives. Although Chen Cui would write letters back every month and Shen Da would read them aloud, it was still different from meeting and talking in person.
Shen Cui was held by her and she repeated to Zheng what she had just said to the other members of the Shen family.
It was not until Li had cooked dinner that the family had dinner together. Zheng rearranged the rooms in the house, letting Old Man Shen and Shen Da and Shen Er live in one room, Chen and Li take Daya and Erya to another room, Shuanzi and Zhuzi slept in the small room where Daya and Erya used to live, and Mu Erpang lived alone in Shuanzi and Zhuzi's room, while Shen Cui slept in the main room with Zheng.
Because Mu Erpang would be killed in a few days, this matter was a serious matter, and he would not stay in the Shen family for a long time, so no one had any objection.
In just a quarter of an hour, everyone had put their bedding in place, and Mu Erpang also went into the house to continue revising his poems.
After washing up, Shen Cui lay down in the quilt that Zheng had recently dried, and asked aloud, "What's going on with sister-in-law recently?"
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