Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In late summer, Qin Xiaozhou received a letter from Zhu Xian.
In the letter, Zhu Xian said that her husband, Li, had been promoted to the position of prefect of Xiangzhou, and she was accompanying him with her two-year-old daughter. She also mentioned that she was pregnant with her second child, and the doctor said that the pregnancy was stable and that he could visit her in Fenggu County next year.
Qin Xiaozhou touched her slightly protruding belly, looked down to reply to the letter, and only then did she vaguely remember that she had been in this world for five years.
Now, Xiulou is famous throughout the world. She has also built another Pingyilou in the north of the county town to produce cotton clothes for ordinary people.
There are already nearly 2,500 female workers in the embroidery building, clothing store, and textile factory. Zhao Fang jokingly said that all the women in Fenggu County who can hold a needle and thread work under her.
Not only women from Fenggu County, but also many women from several nearby counties work here.
Lu Yan ran in happily, “Sister-in-law, I just went to the yamen to pay taxes. Our family paid a total of 13,453 taels of tax in the first half of this year. The magistrate met with me in person and gave me a set of writing brush and ink, saying it was for my second brother.”
Lu Yunxing is going to Wanzhou to take the exam this autumn, and the county magistrate's provision of writing materials is a blessing.
Qin Xiaozhou looked up and said, "Take it to your second brother and ask him if he has packed everything. We should leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Lu Yan is now fifteen years old and as tall as Zhao Fang. She wears her hair in two buns and is adorned with scarlet velvet flowers. She is charming and cute, and runs around like a swallow.
After replying to the letter, Qin Xiaozhou handed it to the dock manager to pass on.
Looking at the ships coming and going at the dock, she suddenly thought of Gu Yunyao. Unfortunately, Gu Yunyao never wrote to her. She was only mentioned occasionally by passing merchants. They all said that there was a concubine of the War King in Yujing City who ran a charity hall to take in orphans and taught people to read and write.
She smiled, her eyes a little sore, and turned around to see Qin Jinxiu getting off a boat.
Qin Jinxiu moved gracefully and bowed properly. "Elder sister, you are already five months pregnant. You can just tell the servants what to do. Why did you come all the way here in person?"
Qin Jinxiu's appearance is just like her mother's, with an oval face, pointed chin, and rosy cheeks. In recent years, she has also studied and has grown into a well-mannered young lady. Her words and deeds are extremely elegant, and she is very famous in Fenggu County.
Unfortunately, she loves looking at accounts the most. The work that Lu Yan used to do is now being done by her. She also has three literate girls who can do accounting under her, all around fifteen or sixteen years old.
It is a well-known accounting group in Fenggu County.
Qin Xiaozhou asked in surprise, "Is it time to check the dock's accounts?"
Over the years, Qin Xiaozhou has also bought six large cargo ships, which he uses to travel between various places.
Qin Jinxiu nodded, "There's a discrepancy between the goods and the silver on Captain Li's shipment. Let me take a look."
"So, Miss Qin, are you done with your work now?" Qin Xiaozhou teased. "Do you have time to come home with me?"
Qin Jinxiu handed the account book to the person behind her, gave them a few instructions, and accompanied Qin Xiaozhou home. It was dinnertime, and the family sat in the flower hall to have dinner.
Lu Yunfeng asked his second brother, "Do you need me to accompany you to Wanzhou?"
Lu Yunxing was no longer a shy boy; he was now as tall as Lu Yunfeng, but he had only grown taller and not gained weight, remaining thin and frail.
But there was determination in his eyes. "No need, brother. I'll be gone for two or three months. How can I leave my sister-in-law alone at home? Besides, Qianxun is with me. It won't be a problem."
Zhao Fang was very worried about the nineteen-year-old boy's long journey. "Eryun, we'll take care of things at home. Why don't you let your older brother go with you? When you get to Wanzhou, you'll need to find a place to stay and eat. What if you run into bad people?"
Zhao Qianxun has grown like a bamboo shoot over the years. He is still tough, but he has become much fairer and more lively. "Don't worry, Aunts and Uncles, I can take good care of Second Uncle."
Zhao Fang shook her head, "You're still a child."
“I’ll go with my second brother!” Lu Yan said with a grin, the little chubby fluffy flower on her head swaying with her. “Mom, don’t worry, I can take good care of my second brother. It just so happens that our family has a boat going to Wanzhou tomorrow. There will be all of us on the boat, so nothing will happen. When we get to Wanzhou, we’ll keep a low profile and there won’t be any problems.”
Although Lu Yan was only fifteen years old, she was reliable in handling matters, and her family had no worries about her.
Summer passes and autumn comes.
Before Lu Yunxing and Lu Yan arrived were the yamen runners from Wanzhou who came to deliver the good news.
Lu Yunxing passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).
This was a joyous occasion. Lu Yunfeng gave each of the yamen runners who came to deliver the good news five taels of silver as a reward. The runners were naturally happy to receive such a good bonus for running an official business. They made a lot of noise at the entrance of the Qin residence with gongs and drums for a long time before leaving.
Lu Yunfeng took Lu Xiaosi back to his hometown to pay respects at the ancestral graves and offer incense to share the good news.
On the fifth day of the tenth month, Lu Yunxing and Lu Yan returned from Wanzhou, and the Lu family decided to hold a grand celebration banquet.
In the entire Fenggu County, the number of people who passed the imperial examinations could be counted on two hands, and to pass the examinations at the age of nineteen was truly unique.
Although Magistrate Wang had seen people more outstanding than this, he was still very happy that a magistrate under his jurisdiction had become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, and he personally sent a congratulatory gift.
Lu Yunxing welcomed the magistrate into the main hall, saying, "Thank you for your kindness in visiting my humble abode, Magistrate."
Magistrate Wang is only twenty-seven years old this year. I heard that he will be promoted to a sixth-rank Hanlin scholar in the capital in a few days. The promotion order has already been issued. He is just waiting to attend the celebration banquet before leaving.
That's a high-ranking official from the capital! Many of the students who came today are really hoping to get a word in with him.
In recent years, under the governance of Magistrate Wang and the expansion of Qin Xiaozhou's business empire, Fenggu County has actually doubled in size compared to before. Even Tanshui Village, located east of the county seat, which used to be separated from the county seat by a large area of mountains and forests, is now being inhabited by an increasing population.
The western part of the county town, which used to only have embroidery buildings and textile factories, now has two more docks, and the waterway has been widened by twenty meters. In the past, boats were constantly passing by, and there were boats to go anywhere, making travel much more convenient.
In the sparsely populated north side, many people were willing to move there because of the addition of Pingyi Building.
What's even more bustling is that the former trading market has been expanded five times, and even the former eastern market has been transformed into a trading market. The market has been divided into two parts: the northern market and the southwestern market.
As the county town prospers, the number of scholars increases. There are fewer successful candidates for the provincial examination now, but there are more than twenty more candidates for the county-level examination than in previous years. In the provincial examination three years later, several more successful candidates for the provincial examination may emerge from this large group of successful candidates for the provincial examination.
The most respected person among scholars was Magistrate Wang, who also came from a scholarly background. In their hearts, Magistrate Wang was able to reorganize the county town and expand it several times over in three years. He was a true ideal figure and a role model!
In the main hall, students were engaged in lively discussions, while in the flower hall, Lu Yan and Qin Jinxiu entertained businessmen, and Zhao Fang hosted relatives from the village.
The Lu family had a lively day, and the guests who came to offer their congratulations gradually dispersed after the lanterns were lit.
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