The guarantee made by the candidate of this county is also a guarantee, guaranteeing that the candidate will not impersonate someone else, use a substitute, or use a false name, and that his or her family is clean. Zhou Shuren and the clan leader went to the home of the candidate of this county, not only carrying tea and cloth bought in Jiangnan, but also bringing one or two taels of silver. The gift was very generous.
Zhou Shuren came back that day and said that many people from Bingsheng's family came to ask for a guarantee.
Zhulan silently did the math. The top student in the academy examination could receive rice every month, four taels of silver a year, and twenty acres of land was exempt from tax, which was a considerable amount of money. If the family did not have enough land, someone would ask to be listed on the list, and would have to give some grain as a reward every year. Not only would he not have to spend any money on food and drink for a year, but he could also get a sum of money if he signed a pledge.
Facts have proved that academic elites make money no matter in ancient times or modern times!
In the blink of an eye, it was the beginning of February. Zhulan posted a countdown on the wall of her bedroom. The first thing she did every morning was to change the numbers. She looked at Zhou Shuren, who was walking slowly, with dissatisfaction, "You made me so nervous during the exam. It was like I was back to the days of the college entrance examination sprint. On the contrary, you were not nervous at all. You didn't even read the book when the exam was about to start the day after tomorrow."
Zhou Shuren laughed, "I've seen everything I should see, and I've memorized everything I should memorize. There's nothing to be nervous about, so don't worry about it."
Zhulan put on her shoes while saying, "How can I not worry about it? This concerns our future. If it were modern times, I could support the family by myself, but not in ancient times. You and the children at home have to take the imperial examinations, which completely restricts me. Even though I have a great major and a high position, it was useless in ancient times. I can't do business or show my face in public. The pressure is on you, and I'm nervous because I can't help."
To put it bluntly, the modern Zhulan has relied on herself since she was a child. She has taken on everything she can and even things she cannot. She prefers to rely on herself. Coming to the ancient times restricted her, and she tried to trust Zhou Shuren little by little. Although she seemed to trust him on the surface, she still felt unsure in her heart and was not as confident as relying on herself.
In ancient times, if a woman could take the imperial examination, she would do it herself, no matter how difficult the classical Chinese was.
Zhou Shuren held Zhulan's hand. He had long noticed that Zhulan did not completely trust him because of her nervousness these days. This was a character she had developed since childhood. Zhulan trusted herself more, and so did he. If he changed his perspective, he might not do better than Zhulan. "Believe me, I won't let you down."
Zhu Lan stared blankly at her hands being held. Zhou Shuren's palms were very warm, and the temperature was slowly transmitted from his palms. Zhu Lan's heart was at peace. She laughed at herself in her heart. She seemed strong and accepted herself well. Even if she concealed it well, she was a little uneasy about the change of identity. "Yeah."
Zhou Shuren curved his eyes and gently held Zhulan in his arms. He and Zhulan grew up in different environment. As an orphan, he was more aware of reading people's faces. He had been fighting for opportunities for himself since he was young. After entering the society, he had been honing his skills at the bottom, and achieved modern achievements step by step. He had enough experience and was very scheming, otherwise he would not have climbed up at such a young age.
Zhulan is different. She comes from a simple family and has good conditions. Although she is capable, she also knows some social skills from him. Zhulan has been learning from him. What's even smarter is that in the unfamiliar ancient times, when she didn't understand the ancient survival rules, she always asked for his opinion. She never acted arrogantly and was always cautious until she thoroughly understood the ancient rules.
Even though the ancient times restricted her, Zhulan never complained and always tried to adapt to the ancient times. How could he not be moved by such a Zhulan and want to hold on to her
Zhu Lan was completely stunned. When she came to her senses, she gritted her teeth and said, "You are getting bolder and bolder."