Time passes silently, and before you know it, a year has passed.
The two biggest events for the Zhou family this year were: the first was that Zhulan had a new grandson, and the King of Qin had a grandson; the second was that the eldest grandson Zhou Mingyun got married in the early spring of this year.
This year is the second year of the new emperor's reign. Autumn is approaching, and Mingyun is preparing to set off again to return to his hometown to take part in the provincial examination.
Zhulan looked at Li who was relaxed, "You let go very easily. Now you don't worry about Mingyun at all."
Li smiled and said, "Wan'er is here, I don't have to worry."
When Li became a mother-in-law, she learned how mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law get along with each other. After her son got married, she never asked about anything happening in his room. Her daughter-in-law was grateful for her kindness and was very filial to her.
Sometimes, when she was busy, the eldest daughter-in-law would help take care of Mingjing, the naughty child. The temperament of the youngest son was completely opposite to his name. He was the most naughty one. Fortunately, the eldest daughter-in-law was patient and really helped her a lot.
Zhulan likes this granddaughter-in-law. She has watched her grow up. This child has a good temper and is kind to her younger siblings. What else can she complain about? Besides, this child often comes to chat with her.
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "Let Ran Wan go back with you, and your parents will be able to see her."
Li thought of her healthy parents and smiled, "Yes, ever since Mingyun got engaged, my mother wanted to meet her grandson's wife, and she was looking forward to Mingyun taking Ran Wan back with him after the provincial examination!"
Now the Li family is getting better and better. They already have their own farm and there are more children in the family who are studying. As long as they persist in the future, they can change the family. The parents have now let go completely and are focusing on taking care of the children at home. If they are raised well and make up for the losses in their youth, their health will naturally improve.
In the letter I received a few days ago, my eldest brother told me that Dad and Mom went up the mountain to pick mushrooms, saying that they were going to give them to their grandson and grandson's wife!
Xuemei arrived at this time, and Zhulan saw her eldest daughter, "I was just thinking that you would be here soon."
Xuemei: "Mom, what are you talking about with your sister-in-law?"
Zhulan said that the Li family wanted to meet their grandson's wife, and then asked, "Have you packed your luggage?"
Xuemei nodded, "It's already been packed."
Li then asked, "Is Jiang Duzhen not going to take part in the provincial examination this time? The boy did quite well last time."
Xuemei shook her head. "Jiang Sheng thinks Jiang Du is still young, so three years later is just right. Jiang Du also thinks the same way. He wants to travel with us next year to broaden his horizons."
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren did not interfere too much in Jiang Du's future. Both the eldest daughter and the son-in-law had their own ideas. In addition to Jiang Du's own wishes, she and Zhou Shuren only needed to support him. In fact, it was better for the two children to take the exams separately rather than together.
Although she and Zhou Shuren did not intervene, they had discussed that Mingyun was destined to be the winner of this session, and Jiang Du would inevitably be overshadowed by Mingyun. In addition, Jiang Du was young, which was not good for Jiang Du's future.
The Zhou family is currently attracting the most attention. With the high-profile Ming Yun, it is unlikely that Jiang Du will stay in Beijing. Not to mention Jiang Du this year, even the children of the Zhou family who have passed the exam will not stay in Beijing.
Jiang Du left the capital at a young age, and as the grandson of the Zhou family, he was surrounded by schemes, so it was wise for him to leave three years later.
Apparently Jiang Sheng and Jiang Du had also thought of this. It was a good opportunity for them to travel around and see more while they were still young, so as to broaden their horizons and avoid being fooled in the future.
When Zhulan was distracted, Li had already started chatting with Xuemei about something else. Li said, "The latest issue of the promotion has been copied back. I saw the travel article written by my brother-in-law. It was written very well. Even I, who don't have much education, can understand it. After reading the article, it feels like I have been there myself."
Xuemei curled her eyes, feeling proud of her husband. "He also listened to Dad's advice and changed to the vernacular language which is easier to read. It was also Dad who said that we should not only record but also give more comments and highlight the local characteristics."
Of course, she also gave some suggestions to her husband when he was writing, but I won’t go into that here.
Li gave a thumbs up, "Father is of course amazing, and my brother-in-law is really talented to be able to write so well. Mingyun has put this article away, saying that it will save a lot of trouble when he goes to Xiangzhou in the future."
Xuemei smiled and said, "The next one will be published in half a month. It will be more detailed, not only about the scenery, but also about food and accommodation."
Zhulan was the first person to read her son-in-law's manuscript. A state cannot be fully written in one article, so it is divided into several articles, covering food, clothing, housing, transportation, cultural traditions, etc.
After seeing it, Zhulan had to admit that her eldest son-in-law was really talented, especially when it came to paintings. He had seen a lot and traveled a lot, so he naturally had a lot of feelings. Thinking of this.
Zhu Lan asked her eldest daughter, "Did you sell the butterfly painting that Jiang Sheng brought back?"
Xuemei said, "I was just about to tell mother that it has been sold for fifty taels."
For Jiang Sheng, who is just starting out in painting, this price is not low.
Zhulan actually liked it very much, but if she asked, the painting would be given to her directly, so she held back after looking at it.
Li's eyes widened: "Fifty taels."
Xuemei smiled and nodded, "Yes, we didn't expect that either."
Zhulan thought that this time the promotional article also included Jiang Sheng's paintings, "After the promotion, Jiang Sheng's paintings will be worth more money."
If Jiang Sheng had not submitted his work more than a year later, with the increase in promotional articles, Jiang Sheng would have been forgotten long ago. Jiang Sheng's butterfly painting is worth more than fifty taels, but it can be sold for fifty taels now. The Zhou family has some connections, but most of the paintings are still better by Jiang Sheng himself.
Xuemei knew why her husband sold the painting. First, he felt it was imperfect and not worthy of his collection. Second, he needed money to travel every year. Besides, his son and daughter were growing up, and they needed to save up for the betrothal gifts and dowry.
In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was fiddling with a self-made clock. As needs changed, his skills became more and more sophisticated. Now the self-chiming clock in Zhou Shuren's hand was one-third smaller than last year.
This is a unified configuration for each department. This benefit was not available before.
Just as he was listening to the time announcement, he heard footsteps. Zhou Shuren looked up and was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted and stood up to greet the emperor. "Your Highness, I have met you."
The emperor took the box from the eunuch behind him and said, "No need to be polite."
Zhou Shuren straightened up and a box was stuffed into his mouth. "What is this?"
The Emperor sat down and said, "This is the gift I brought you when I came back. Open it and see if you like it."
Zhou Shuren complained in his heart that since the retired emperor left Beijing this year, he has been able to receive local specialties from time to time. What irritated him the most was that the retired emperor was still showing off. He would write a letter about beautiful scenery and delicious food, which made him, a man staying in Beijing, so angry that he wanted to vomit blood.
Zhou Shuren didn't rush to open it, but instead wondered, "I thought the emperor would come back in winter."
Emperor Taishang, "Guess why I returned to the capital so early?"