By the time the two arrived at the village by carriage, it was already sunset.
The men and women in the village were still digging irrigation ditches in the fields. The horse-drawn carts were running, and the hooves of the horses were making a "clattering" sound, attracting the attention of the villagers of Changfeng Village who were working.
"Why is another carriage here? Could it be the county magistrate again?"
"What? Your county magistrate rides in an open-air carriage?"
Zhao Xiaohe was young, and he was incredibly curious about everything. However, he was short, and the other villagers blocked his view.
Zhao Xiaohe stuck the shovel in his hand into the soil, then stepped on the edge of the shovel to climb up, so that he could see further.
"Isn't that my dad? Why is he driving a carriage... a horse-drawn carriage!" Zhao Xiaohe exclaimed and took off running down the country road.
"Oh my, isn't that our village head? My eyes aren't working properly!"
"Who's sitting in the back? Such a beautiful horse, I can't take my eyes off it!"
Zhao Yanniang also emerged from the crowd. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the person looked very familiar.
"Isn't that my son, Zhao Yan?"
"What? Your son Zhao Yan went to Quanzhou to take the exam, and he's still here riding in a carriage!"
Zhao Yanniang glared at Aunt Wang who had spoken up, "How could I mistake my own son? I sewed those clothes for him myself. I'm done here, I'm going to go see what's going on."
Zhao Yanniang threw down the hoe in her hand and ran after her.
The villagers lost their will to work and all followed behind.
The carriage sped to the village entrance, where Zhao Tingzhang shouted "Whoa!" and tightened the reins, bringing the horse to a stop.
I happened to run to the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Zhao, the pavilion chief, wiped the sweat from his brow and carefully tied the horse to the old locust tree.
"Phew, we've finally arrived." He was exhausted from the journey, as if he were driving a cart with the handlebars on.
Zhao Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and stammered, "Uncle... this... this is all thanks to you."
"Father, it really is you!" Although Zhao Xiaohe called out to his father, his eyes were fixed on the chestnut horse.
Goodness, isn't this his dream horse?
Thinking to himself, Zhao Xiaohe went forward to touch his dream horse.
"You stay away, kid, or I'll kick you." Zhao Tingzhang grabbed Zhao Xiaohe by the collar and dragged him aside.
Zhao Yanniang arrived just then, "My goodness, why are you back?"
"This... did she pass the exam or not?" Zhao Yanniang was a little confused.
Zhao Yan quickly stepped forward and called out, "Mother."
The villagers behind them all followed, their eyes falling on the chestnut horse.
Goodness gracious, is this the legendary horse? It's so tall and majestic!
They didn't dare to look closely at Magistrate Liu's carriage last time, but now they're going to have a good look.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhao Tingzhang cleared his throat and announced, "I have some good news to announce: Zhao Yan from our village has passed the imperial examination and become a scholar! This horse was a gift from the Governor of Quanzhou!"
"What? Yan'er passed the exam?" Zhao Yan's mother's mouth dropped open. "Waaah... My son is so successful, my son is so successful."
As she spoke, she became so emotional that she covered her face and burst into tears.
“Mother…” Zhao Yan choked up a little and pulled his mother into his arms.
He studied for decades, and only he knows the hardships he endured. His parents suffered the most.
Children his age in the village were already helping with farm work at a young age, sharing the burden with their parents.
Only him...
He Tiantian stood at her doorstep holding her child. Seeing this scene, she felt both gratified and moved.
"Oh, Auntie, please don't cry on such a joyous day."
"Yes, if my family could produce a scholar... no, even a student who only passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations, I would die in peace. But my son is a good-for-nothing; he can't do anything but farm."
"Everyone's like that. If only my child could go to school too..."
One sentence silenced everyone present.
Their village was so poor that Zhao Yan was the only scholar they had ever produced in all those years. Life used to be tough; they felt content as long as they had enough to eat and wear.
This year, every household has some spare money from selling mulberries, plus what they saved before. If only they could send their children to school!
These words struck a chord with Zhao Tingzhang.
In a moment of passion, he proposed, "Everyone has seen that education is truly useful, especially for us poor people. We'll be toiling in the fields our whole lives, but our children have a long road ahead of them. We can't let them suffer along with us."
"Zhao Yan passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. The county magistrate alone awarded him fifty taels of silver. Just think about it, how long would it take you to save up fifty taels of silver? You might never earn that much in your entire life! But if you support a child's education, the county magistrate will reward him with fifty taels of silver!"
He Tiantian stood at her own door and heard Zhao Tingzhang's words clearly.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Tingzhang was quite eloquent, expressing what she had been thinking for so long.
"This isn't just something I, an old man, made up; it's what Magistrate Liu said himself today. So I suggest that our village pool our resources to invite a teacher to come and teach in the village. Any family that wants to send their child to school should come and register."
These words caused an uproar among those present.
"Chief, I also want my son to go to school. But... but that will cost a lot of money, won't it?"
“I have three sons, Zhao Yan’s mother. How much money did your family spend back then? Let me calculate it…”
Although they were very tempted by Zhao Yan's glamorous life, many still hesitated when it came to actually taking the money.
"Chief, I agree. My son Lantern and Dumpling have wanted to study for a long time," He Tiantian said loudly.
She really needed to seize this opportunity; hiring a tutor herself would definitely be expensive. But if the whole village shared the cost, it would be a small matter for her.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Denglong quickly tugged at He Tiantian's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, I don't want to go to school... I like cooking."
She now cooks for an old lady in the capital, earning thirty taels of silver a month.
Her mother has already worked hard enough; she should learn to share some of the burden.
Zhao Wanzi seemed very excited, her eyes sparkling.
"Okay, okay, I'm going to study now!"
He Tiantian held Zhao Denglong's hand and advised, "Denglong, your mother is sending you to school not so that you can pass the imperial examinations like your brother Zhao Yan. Your mother wants you to learn to read. Think about it, if you learn to read, you can understand recipes and you can invent more dishes on your own."
"Besides, studying and cooking don't interfere with each other at all."
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