Zhulan brought everything with her. Whether the county exam would have four or five sessions would be decided by the county, so Zhou Shuren would have to stay for at least five nights. He had to bring a thick quilt, at least three sets of clothes, and thick shoes.
Examinations in the north are really tricky. The weather in February of the lunar calendar is still freezing cold. The special examination room in the county is not indoors. Although it does not have the pigeon cage pits of the provincial examinations, it is not much better. It faces south and the north courtyard is the dragon gate. The house behind is for waiting and calling names. There is an aisle in the middle. The examiners are in the west room and the roll call is taken in the east room. There are simple seats side by side on the north side and a simple examination tent. This is where the candidates sit.
So it is very ventilated, and you have to keep the test paper clean and the handwriting neat, which is really not easy. The advantage of the south comes out, because it is not as cold as the north, so you can feel more at ease on the exam.
Zhulan really learned a lot of knowledge and secretly prayed that it wouldn’t be windy these days!
After breakfast, Zhulan checked the luggage again. Zhou Shuren checked the pens, inkstones, and paper himself, and finally confirmed that the purse and money were brought. Zhou Shuren waited for the patriarch's oxcart to arrive, and finally shook Zhulan's hand, "Wait for my good news."
Zhulan felt relieved when the exam was approaching. "Don't be hard on yourself. Go out and eat whatever you want. I brought you twenty taels. Don't be reluctant to spend it."
Zhou Shuren, "Well, I'm not home, you should go to bed early too."
When the Zhou family's sons saw the patriarch's grandson's eyes wide open, they thought to themselves that he was being surprised. Everyone in the village knew how much their father cared about their mother.
Zhulan did not go to the county with them. There was not only Zhou Shuren himself in the ox cart, but also two other candidates, so the ox cart seemed crowded. After the people left, Zhulan went back to the house.
Zhou Laoer tugged at his wife's sleeve, and Zhao nodded in understanding. She turned back to the house and carried her son into the main room.
The eldest brother Zhou saw it clearly. He was educated by his father in a persuasive way and was no longer a person who only looked at the surface. Although he could not listen to everything and see all directions, he paid attention to the details. He did not expect that his younger brother and sister, who were cowardly and crying, were actually smart people. He was immediately upset. In the whole Zhou family, they were the least intelligent couple!
Zhulan saw Zhao coming with the baby and took it over. The little grandson Mingrui was more than two months old. Zhao's milk was good, and the baby's arms were like lotus roots. Zhulan's fingers were held by the baby. She teased the child and said to Zhao who was sewing, "It's almost a hundred days old. Dad and I don't want to do it anymore."
Zhou Shuren would also say this to Changyi. It didn't matter whether she told Zhao or not, but as a woman she understood women better, it would be better for her to say it in person so that she wouldn't feel any resentment.
Zhao almost pricked her hand with the needle and thread in her hand. The father-in-law was not at home for the baby's third-month bath, and only the grandmother's family came. The full moon coincided with the Chinese New Year, which was the coldest time, and they didn't hold it. It was hard not to worry about not holding it for a hundred days, but it seemed that her parents-in-law didn't dislike her family. She also thought about other poor families in the village who rarely held baths except for the third month and full moon. But she still felt bad. Her family was not in financial difficulty, and Mingyun and Mingteng had already held it. She lowered her head and said, "I listen to mother."
Zhulan raised an eyebrow and knew this would happen. Seeing the unwilling tone, she explained, "It is indeed unfair to Mingrui not to hold a hundred-day ceremony for the child, but it is not appropriate to make a big deal about your father's palace examination. Our idea is that the family will have a good meal at home and have a big celebration when the child turns one year old."
Zhao was excited. The couple had confidence in their father-in-law's success in the exam. When he became a scholar, more people would come. Besides, it was the first grandson after he became a scholar, so Mingrui would get more attention. If he got an object with good meaning, it would definitely deepen his position as a son in the hearts of his parents-in-law. "Mom, Mingrui is not wronged, and we have no objection."
She had to be careful. The two boys of her eldest brother's family were older, and her parents-in-law liked them very much. There was a big age gap between her own son and the two older ones, and her son would be at a disadvantage because of his age. She did not think of her son as the youngest grandson. Chang Lian and Chang Zhi were not married yet. She only hoped that her son could be loved by his parents-in-law like her daughter.
Li came back from her outing, extremely excited, "Mom, dirty water was splashed at the door of Wang Laosi's house."