Old Master Wang didn't find out about Han Ze from his eldest son-in-law, but he wasn't disappointed. After a night, he had figured it out. Even if Han Ze passed the imperial examination by chance in the future, as long as he didn't divorce his wife, he would be the son-in-law of the Wang family, and the relationship between the Han and Wang families would be inseparable. What's more, scholars value their reputation. If he wanted to continue taking the imperial examinations, he would never do anything that would affect his reputation. He didn't have to worry about Han Ze not recognizing him as his father-in-law.
Even so, there is still a strong sense of loss. What father-in-law would rush to please his son-in-law
After seeing off his father-in-law, Liu Xiucai found Han Ze in the county school. Han Ze looked at Liu's brother-in-law without any surprise. He had known that his brother-in-law was studying in the county school, but they were not destined to be together. He had not met him for more than two months since he entered the school. He did not expect him to come to him, and he did not know what he wanted.
Liu Xiucai had nothing to do with Han Ze. He was just curious about him and couldn't help but come to see him. In his memory, this brother-in-law had delicate features but was pale and frail. What caught his attention even more was that he had fainted in the examination room several times in a row.
Last night, Caixia told him that Han Ze fainted because his elder sister drugged him. He felt incredible and shocked. It was a miracle that he could survive and pass the exam after being poisoned. Even so, as far as he knew, Han Ze's health was not very good. It would be very difficult for him to pass the exam.
Thinking of this, he looked at Han Ze calmly, wanting to see what made his father-in-law pay so much attention to him. He saw that his eyebrows and eyes were still handsome, his face was no longer pale, but had a touch of rosy. Although his body was not very strong, he looked energetic. He passed the imperial examination and entered the official school, getting rid of the bad luck. He could wear a casual blue robe without patches and look elegant, and he didn't look like he came from a peasant family at all.
Looking at the steadiness in his eyes and the confidence in his words, he felt a chill in his heart. For some reason, he felt a sense of crisis. For the first time, he felt that this brother-in-law was not simple and he should not underestimate him.
He restrained the casualness in his eyes and said with a smile: "My father-in-law came to the county yesterday. I heard that my sister and brother-in-law were also in the county, so I came to see you. Is there anything you need help with?"
"I've settled down. There's nothing I can help you with, so I'd like to trouble you, brother-in-law, to make a trip."
Han Ze looked apologetic and said shamefully, "My husband and I should go visit my brother-in-law, because we have never been to his house before, but we can't find his address."
Han Ze was talking nonsense. Liu's restaurant was well-known in the county. If you asked anyone on the street, they would know Liu's restaurant. If you found Liu's restaurant, you would find Liu's address. The reason why he couldn't find Liu's address was because he didn't want to find it. If Liu Xiucai hadn't come to find him, he still wouldn't have remembered that he had a brother-in-law in the county, and even studied in the same county school.
Liu Xiucai also knew how much water Han Ze's words had, and he also knew that even though his wife and Han Ze's wife were sisters, their relationship was very cold, even worse than strangers. He didn't expect them to visit him at all. Han Ze said this just because he didn't want to embarrass everyone.
He didn't care. Not to mention that his wife had a cold relationship with Han Ze's wife, even Liu Xiucai felt that he had nothing to say to Han Ze. He exchanged a few words of greeting and asked about Han Ze's recent situation. At the end, he said that he could come to him if he had any difficulties, and then left.
Han Ze smiled and sent him off. He didn't take his arrival to heart, nor did he take his words to heart. He continued to study, copying the Four Books and Five Classics, writing policy questions, and eight-part essays. In these days, he copied half of the Four Books and Five Classics. After several dictation, he had memorized the Four Books and Five Classics by heart. He felt that he was almost done, so he bought the provincial examination papers of previous years in the system and tried to do them. After finishing, he took them to the county school and asked the teacher there to comment on them.
The teacher in the county school looked at the paper Han Ze had done and nodded secretly, thinking that with his current knowledge, he might be able to pass the exam next year. What's more, it was August now, and there was still a year before the autumn examination next year. If he used this year properly, he would be more confident.
Wang Ziwen and Zhao Zhengxiu had not originally planned to take part in the next autumn examination, but seeing Han Ze being so enthusiastic, they became tempted, thinking that even if they failed, it would be good to give it a try. What if they were lucky enough to pass
The scholars in the county school who were preparing to take part in the autumn examination were all studying hard and did not dare to delay at all. Han Ze did not dare to be arrogant either. After making inquiries from many sources, he found a private school in the county town and sent his children to study there. This required a lot of money, but there was no other way. If Han Ze passed the imperial examination, he would go to Beijing to take part in the joint examination the following year. In the next two years, he would have little time to teach them. The children's study could not be delayed, so he could only spend some money to send them to a private school.
The only thing that made Han Ze regretful was that the private school did not accept female students. Although Han Jinxiu was disappointed, there was nothing she could do. She could only secretly annoy herself why she was not a boy, so that she could take the imperial examination like her father, and perhaps even become an official.
Han Jinye saw the loneliness in his sister's eyes and comforted her: "Sister, I learned a lot in the cram school and I will teach you everything when I come back. I won't let you fall behind in your studies."
Yan Hong wanted to comfort her in this way, but there is a strict separation between men and women. Although the master didn't seem to care about it, he couldn't help but pay attention.
Han Jinxiu's eyes lit up, then dimmed again: "Will it delay your studies?"
Han Jinye shook his head and said with a smile: "No. Teaching you is equivalent to reviewing it again, which is also learning."
Han Jinxiu agreed, smiling brightly, and made a gesture of thanks: "Sister would like to thank the future number one scholar."
Han Jinye's face turned red, full of shame, and he subconsciously looked at Yan Hong, fearing that he would laugh at him. Yan Hong was startled, and then teased: "The number one scholar?"
Han Jinye's face flushed, and he said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
After living in the county town for a few months, he knew that his father would take the imperial examination next autumn. He had already understood the meaning of the term "top scholar". Although every scholar wanted to be the top scholar, he also knew that not everyone could become the top scholar.
Yan Hong said in a good-tempered manner: "I was talking nonsense, I was talking nonsense."
Han Jinye became even angrier when he heard him say this, but he couldn't get angry anymore and could only feel upset inwardly.
Han Erlang and his wife received a letter from their eldest brother and learned that their son had entered a private school in the county. However, his eldest brother did not ask them for a penny, nor did he ask for money from the family. So where did the money for their son's studies come from? They didn't want to know, and they felt very guilty.
Especially Zheng, she is a typical person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. In the past, she might have complained about her parents-in-law favoring the eldest wife and wanted to divide the family, but that was just for the sake of her children to have a full meal. Now that she knows that the eldest brother is so selfless and secretly pays for their son's education, they feel ashamed.
When Mrs. Han heard about this, she once again stood up in front of her son and daughter-in-law and said, "You all said that your father and I favored your eldest brother, especially Zheng, who kept asking for a split. Now I agree to let you split the family, how about it?"
Zheng was stunned for a moment. How could she be willing to separate the family now? She immediately said, "Mother, it was all my fault. I was short-sighted. It's all my fault. You can scold me or beat me, but you must not separate the family."
"If I scold you, your mouth will hurt. If I hit you, your hand will hurt."
Old Lady Han snorted coldly and said in a gloomy tone, "Next year, your eldest brother will take part in the autumn examination. What if he faints in the examination room again, or fails the provincial examinations for several consecutive years? Will you still insist on not dividing the family?"
Without thinking, Zheng said loudly, "As long as our parents are alive, we will not divide the family. No matter whether our eldest brother passes the imperial examination or not, we will not divide the family."
What she was thinking was that her eldest brother fainted in the examination room every time, and the culprit was her eldest sister. As long as her eldest sister did not drug her eldest brother, it would not matter if he failed the examination repeatedly. Anyway, her eldest brother said that the money for the examination would not be paid by the family. Since the family was not asked to pay, what was she worried about? Moreover, her eldest brother spent money to let her son study, and she was unwilling to split up the family.
Old Lady Han snorted again, "Give up those little tricks in your mind. Your eldest brother will be in trouble next year and will need a lot of money. This year, our family does not have to pay taxes, so we can save a lot of money. We will give it to your eldest brother. And your family is studying literature. He is living and eating at your eldest brother's place, so I won't mention it. But the money for his studies needs to be paid by yourselves. You can't let your eldest brother pay for everything."
Zheng groaned, a little reluctantly: "Mom, where do we get the money?"
Old Mrs. Han ignored her complaints and looked directly at her son: "Don't tell me you don't have money. Last year your elder brother recovered from his illness. In the winter and early spring of this year, you and Sanlang worked as helpers in the town. You have a lot of copper coins every month. And your wife also makes a lot of money from selling purses and handkerchiefs. Mother didn't ask you for a penny. Now I ask you to pay for your son's tuition, and you still complain to me that you don't have money. Didn't your elder brother's participation in the imperial examination benefit the family? Your elder brother quietly sent Xuewen to a private school. Can't you learn from your elder brother? You are all obsessed with money and don't care about family affection?"
Han Erlang was filled with shame at what she said, and he said, "Mother, I will give the tuition money to my eldest brother when he comes back."
They should be grateful that their elder brother has agreed to teach Wen for free. If he asks his elder brother to pay for Wen's studies, he thinks he is not thick-skinned enough.
Han Youtian took a puff of his pipe and squinted his cloudy old eyes and said, "When your eldest brother passes the imperial examination, or becomes a Jinshi, and gets an official position, he will not ignore you. Right now, your eldest brother is in need of money. Brothers should help each other as much as they can. Don't always think about taking money from his pocket. The most important thing for our family now is your eldest brother's autumn examination next year. Once your eldest brother passes the imperial examination, will he still have to worry about the tuition fees for studying literature? His uncle will teach him. Our family will all benefit from it."
Old Lady Han saw that Wu looked indifferent, so she asked unhappily, "Third Wife, do you think that since you gave birth to a girl, your eldest son's success in the imperial examination has nothing to do with you?"
Everyone in the room looked at Saburo and his wife.
Wu was stunned and said hurriedly: "No, no."
Her father-in-law had just said that her eldest brother's exam was the most important thing for the whole family. If she said it had nothing to do with her, wouldn't that be against her father-in-law and mother-in-law? She didn't dare to disobey her parents-in-law.
Old lady Han glanced at her and said, "It's best if there is none. If your eldest brother passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi, people will look up to Qingmiao when she finds a husband in the future. An ordinary farm boy can't marry our Qingmiao, because she is the niece of a juren."
Wu paused with her chopsticks in her hand. What her mother-in-law said made some sense. She whispered, "Mom, I know."
Even if she didn't know, what could she do to change it? Besides, her eldest brother passed the imperial examination, and the family did benefit. They didn't have to pay taxes, and their family had a much larger harvest than others.
Old Mrs. Han was satisfied. Her eldest son had been in poor health and had failed the exams many times, fainting in the examination room every time. Even if she could control her two daughters-in-law, she was inevitably lacking in confidence and might feel guilty towards her two younger sons. Now, not only did Han Ze pass the exam to become a scholar, but the family's land was also exempted from taxes, and they could receive food every month and four taels of silver every year. Even if her son could not pass the exam to become a juren, she was still confident.
Yan Hong's mother, Yan, also felt bad about it, so she took advantage of her free time to visit Han's house and gave her son's tuition to Mrs. Han. Mr. Han was going to take part in the next autumn imperial examination and didn't have much time to teach her son. She knew this before he became her apprentice. How could she let Mr. Han pay tuition just because he didn't have time to teach her son? It didn't make sense.
It was impossible for Old Lady Han to take her money. After all, this was her son's business. She had no idea what her son thought. Everything had to wait until her son came back.
Unexpectedly, Han Ze did not return to his hometown in the next few months. He devoted all his attention to studying. He read until late at night every day and got up before dawn to study again. Wang Caiwei felt distressed every time she saw this. She could only work hard on embroidery and use the money from the sales to make delicious food for him in various ways. Even so, his body lost weight at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Han Ze had the talent and study materials, and he was more diligent and hardworking than others. So in the year-end examination, he lived up to his expectations and got first place, and received a prize of three taels of silver from the county school. This made Zhao Zhengxiu and Wang Ziwen very envious. They were not envious of Han Ze for winning the prize, but they were envious of him for getting first place.
Although this was not the autumn examination, it also showed that Han Ze was more talented than them. He was also better educated than many scholars in the county school, so he had more hope for the provincial examination next year.
After returning home, Han Ze gave the silver to Wang Caiwei and asked her to buy some things and pack up to go back home. Wang Caiwei took the silver, feeling sad. She looked at her husband's thin face and couldn't help saying, "There shouldn't be anything missing at home. Why not use this silver to buy some medicinal herbs for your husband to replenish his body?"
Han Ze frowned when he heard about medicinal herbs, and said with a wry smile: "I'm in good health now, what medicine should I take?"
Wang Caiwei swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. After the incident of her elder sister-in-law drugging her, her husband had a shadow on medicinal herbs. She said instead: "Even if you don't buy herbs for nourishing the body, you should buy more meat. You have to take the imperial examination next year, how can you not be in good health?"
For the sake of the children's health, he often asked Wang Caiwei to buy meat, so meat could be seen on the dinner table every two days. Han Ze was not greedy for meat, so he smiled and said, "Okay, buy some meat to nourish the bodies of adults and children."
The school closed earlier than the government school, so the children spent the past few days at home studying or copying calligraphy. The four children, including the youngest who studied literature, became well-mannered because of the school, and looked no different from the city children. In addition, Wang Caiwei made clothes for each of them, and they looked even better in the new clothes. Compared with when they first came to the county town, they looked like different people.
Han Jinxiu looked at him carefully and said with a smile, "Xuewen, when you return home, your aunt won't recognize you. She certainly wouldn't have thought that you would change so much."
Han Xuewen smiled shyly, touched his new clothes, and then looked at Wang Caiwei: "Thank you, aunt."
Wang Caiwei smiled and touched his head. There were seven children and she couldn't favor one over another. There were two more children at home. But she had to make clothes for her parents-in-law, and she didn't have enough time. She could only tear off two pieces of cloth and take them back to let her younger brother and sister-in-law make clothes for them.
It only takes half a day to get from the county town to Xiaohan Village. When they arrived at the village entrance, they got off the ox cart carrying large and small bags. Yan Hong had not been home for half a year and missed his mother very much. He greeted his master and his wife, said goodbye and went home first, and would come to his master's house tomorrow.
As for Grandma Lu, she did not return to Xiaohan Village this time, but stayed in the county town. Han Jinxiu was very worried about this, but Grandma Lu told her not to worry too much, because she had old sisters in the county town and would not be lonely. She told her to go home with peace of mind. Even so, Han Jinxiu still felt uneasy. But the master insisted on not returning to Xiaohan Village, and she had no choice.
When she got home, she was welcomed by the whole family, especially Zheng, who hadn't seen her son for half a year. Looking at the handsome young man in a long gown, she couldn't believe that this was her son, Zheng Meihua. She stretched out her hand tremblingly and touched his head tentatively. When she heard him calling her mother, she hugged him tightly. This was really her son, no doubt about it.
Han Xuewen hid in his mother's arms, feeling a little embarrassed, especially when his eldest cousin stuck out his tongue at him, obviously mocking him. Although his mother's arms were warm, he was a big boy and couldn't stay in her arms all the time. He struggled but couldn't get out of her arms. He could only blush and pretend he didn't know his eldest cousin was mocking him.
Mrs. Han first asked Han Ze about his situation in the county. Although Han Ze wrote back every month to tell her about their situation in the county, she still wanted to hear him tell her in person. Hearing that everything was fine in the county, Han Jinxiu proudly said, "Dad got the first place in the year-end exam and was awarded three taels of silver by the government school."
Han Erlang said suddenly: "My goodness, there are so many silver rewards for taking an exam? This is more than the silver I earned from working as a helper for half a year."
Old lady Han gave him a glare and said, "It's good enough if you can earn one tael of silver after working as a helper for half a year."
Han Erlang touched his forehead and chuckled a few times. He was not jealous, but just felt that his elder brother had really made something of himself.
Han Jinxiu smiled and said, "You have to get first place in the exam to get a reward. If you don't have solid knowledge and don't do well in the exam, how can you get a reward?"
Han Erlang exclaimed: "After all, it is still the elder brother who is more knowledgeable, and he deserves the silver."
Zheng touched her son's head and thought that her son was so smart, he would definitely pass the examination and become a student on government stipend, receiving food and money.
There was a hint of sadness in Wu's smile. She looked at Xuewen, the second sister-in-law's son, who had stayed in the county town with her eldest brother and sister-in-law for half a year and had changed so much. He looked like a young master in the city. She was full of envy. If she gave birth to a son in the future, she would ask her eldest brother and sister-in-law to help discipline him. They would surely be willing, right? She touched her belly. When could she give birth to a son? Without a son, everything would be in vain. It was not until Wang Caiwei handed her a piece of cloth that she came back to her senses. Looking at the cloth in her hand, she asked blankly, "Sister-in-law, what is this?"
Wang Caiwei smiled and said, "Among the seven children in our family, only Xiaobao and Qingmiao didn't get new clothes, so I tore off a piece of cloth for each of them."
Wu was delighted. She had never thought that her sister-in-law still remembered her daughter Qingmiao. She thought that Qingmiao was almost three years old this year. When she was a little older, could she learn to read from her uncle? Her uncle always said that girls should also learn some words so that they would not suffer in the future. She thought that if she asked her uncle to teach Qingmiao, he would not refuse, right
Wang Caiwei didn't know what she was thinking, so she gave them the clothes she made for her father-in-law and mother-in-law. It can be said that this was the first time that Old Lady Han had received clothes made for her by her sons and daughters-in-law. Han Daya married into the Wang family and was well-off. She gave them generous gifts every time during festivals, but she had never made a piece of clothing for her. As for the three daughters-in-law, they had not divided the family property, and they had no money, so even if they wanted to make clothes for her, they couldn't afford it.
When she received the new clothes made by her eldest daughter-in-law, her mouth immediately opened wide. Han Youtian was also full of surprise. He didn't expect that his daughter-in-law would also make clothes for him.
Wang Caiwei smiled and said, "Dad and Mom, try the clothes to see if they can be worn. If not, alter them."
Old Lady Han touched the clothes carefully and said, "You are very skillful, you will definitely be able to wear it."
Wang Caiwei said with a smile: "Mom, you should give it a try."
Old Lady Han hesitated and said, "Then... let's give it a try?"
Wang Caiwei said, “Let’s give it a try.”
Old Lady Han looked at Han Youtian and said, "Let's all go and give it a try. The eldest brother's wife is so kind to him, we can't waste it."
Zheng curled her lips, thinking that even her sister-in-law's farts smelled good, but she didn't say it out loud, nor did she dare to say it out loud. Her sister-in-law was indeed kind, and her son was raised to be plump and white by her. Even if she raised him herself, she couldn't raise him like this.
I won't talk about it in the past. Ever since she saw her son treat her elder brother and sister-in-law, she really admired them and felt that they were all good people. If it were her, she wouldn't be so careful to her nephew. Although her mother-in-law had a bad temper, she was also a reasonable person. It was right for a good person like her elder sister-in-law to be liked by her mother-in-law, and she shouldn't be jealous.
The next day, Han Ze went to visit Mr. Zheng at the town's school. When Mr. Zheng heard that Han Ze was going to quit next year, he thought he was a little anxious and tried to persuade him. But seeing that Han Ze still insisted on taking the exam next year, he said nothing more and told Han Ze to give it a try. Even if he failed, it didn't matter. He could just consider it as gaining experience.
After returning from Mr. Zheng, Han Ze devoted himself to studying again.
When Mr. Wang knew Han Ze had returned from the county town, he sat at home waiting for him to visit. Instead of waiting for him to visit, he received the news that Han Ze visited Mr. Zheng. He smiled, thinking that although Han Ze was a scholar now, he was Mr. Zheng's student and should visit him first. He thought that after visiting Mr. Zheng, he should come to see him. But he waited and waited but didn't receive the news that Han Ze came. Gradually, the smile on his face faded and his face became darker and darker.
Yan Hong's mother, Yan Shi, came to Han's house and gave Han Ze Yan Hong's tuition. Han Ze refused. Yan Shi said that it was a tuition and he had to accept it. Moreover, Yan Hong lived with him and even made clothes for him. He was fat and plump. She paid almost no money. She felt guilty. If Mr. Han did not accept it, she would feel uneasy.
Han Ze looked at her, sighed slightly, and motioned Wang Caiwei to accept the money. Yan was relieved. Mr. Han was a righteous man, and she couldn't ask for more. Besides, her son had to study with Mr. Han and live with him, but she couldn't let Mr. Han help pay for the tuition and food. She couldn't let Mr. Han suffer.