Zhulan's family received a lot of gifts when they moved. The most expensive gift was given by the county magistrate, an embroidered screen ornament. Guests from other counties also gave expensive gifts. Most of the officials gave cloth and reading pens and ink, while others gave food and snacks. In the one month since the move, Zhulan's family did not buy any snacks.
It was the New Year, and with the moving experience, Zhulan's family naturally had to return the favor. In order to return the favor, Zhulan's family bought a silly robe and a sheep for the New Year, slaughtered the sheep and gave the meat to every household. The gift to the county magistrate's family was even more, and the gifts alone cost more than thirty taels of silver.
The New Year gifts in return were also considerable. The family no longer lacked meat, and there was enough cloth to make four sets of clothes for the whole family.
The county magistrate's family gave the most gifts in return, and they brought back some rare ingredients from the south. Since it was the first New Year after the engagement, Zhulan also gave Dong Chuchu a jewelry gift, and Dong Lin also gave Xue Han and Yu Shuang and Yu Lu some exquisite little jewelry.
There are many favors to be done, and the gifts to be given increase throughout the year, which costs a lot of money. Those who don't have a financial background have no money even if they want to socialize. Without money, there are no connections, and without connections, there are no other ways out.
Ultimately, it all comes down to money. Zhou Shuren was able to make connections so quickly because of his own abilities, and his family background. Zhou Shuren had money in his hands, so there was a big difference between inviting people to dinner at a restaurant and at a noodle stall.
Who wouldn't want to make friends with people who are more powerful than them? It's all about interests, so naturally people would rather make friends who can help them in the future.
Of course there are also friendships between gentlemen, but in ancient times when survival was difficult, there were really not many of them.
At least Zhulan and Zhou Shuren have been here for so long, and they have never met a gentleman who would make friends with them regardless of their background or potential.
After the New Year, the days passed faster and in the blink of an eye, the first month of the year was over. It was time to prepare for the Tongsheng examination in February. Chang Lian and Chang Zhi from the Zhulan family both participated.
Since Zhou Shuren was a student on government stipend, he could act as a guarantor himself, which saved a lot of trouble.
Those who came to Zhoujia Village also asked Zhou Shuren to be their guarantor. Zhou Shuren did not charge any guarantee fee, regardless of whether the villagers were relatives or not. On the one hand, he had no shortage of money. On the other hand, all the villagers were studying in the Zhou clan school. If they showed favor today, they would return it to the Zhou family tomorrow. If one of them really passed the imperial examination in the future, it would also be a good fate.
The closer it got to the exam, the more pressure Chang Lian felt. This was because he was the county magistrate's future son-in-law, and would get married after the county exam. Naturally, he hoped not only to pass the exam, but also to get good grades.
Changzhi was very calm. On the one hand, he was young, and on the other hand, he was very confident in himself.
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren privately thought that Changzhi would score better than Changlian. Talent can sometimes be really enviable!
Two days before the exam, Chang Lian received a pencil case from Dong Chuchu and took it to the exam room.
This time, they still stayed at their relative's house for the exam, so the two brothers could look after each other.
On the first day of the exam, Zhulan was thinking, "I don't know if Changzhi can't take care of himself."
Zhou Shuren didn't care about them, but because Zhulan cared about them, he felt disgusted with the two brats. "Changzhi doesn't know much about household affairs and doesn't care about money, but if there is enough money, this brat can take care of himself better than anyone else."
This man is willing to spend money, and he will not treat himself unfairly.
Zhulan, “… … ..”
She was speechless. Chang Zhi didn't care about money. As long as he had money in his hand, he would be willing to spend it. On the contrary, Chang Lian was a stingy guy, and the situation seemed to be getting worse.
However, Chang Lian and Chang Zhi took the exam together, ate and lived together. Zhu Lan thought silently that the money she gave to Chang Zhi must be gone. As for Chang Lian, this kid must have a lot left. He had no shame in taking advantage of his brother, and Chang Lian became more and more shameless.
There were five county examinations this year. Zhou Shuren was not concerned about the results and did not go to pick up the two brothers in person. The eldest and second brothers went to the county to pick them up.
In the afternoon, the four brothers came back. Looking at Chang Lian's appearance, they knew that his ranking was not ideal.
Changzhi is also a child, and the youngest candidate this year. He got good grades and said excitedly, "Dad, I got first place. I am first."
Zhou Shuren was very pleased that he lived up to his expectations and encouraged him: "Don't be proud, keep working hard."
Changzhi still wanted to be a young scholar. His family was well off, he had read more books, and his father and teacher were personally guiding him. If he failed to pass the exam to become a young scholar, he would be sorry for the training of his teacher and father. "Dad, I'm going back to study first."
Zhou Shuren put a lot of thought into Changzhi's studies. He also wanted to give it a try. Without the background of a big family, if Changzhi had enough talent under his training, could he make a sensation and become this year's young scholar
Chang Lian felt even more upset when he looked at his brother. He was very depressed. He didn't even rank second, but fifth. He was afraid that his father would be disappointed, so he didn't dare to tell him the ranking. "Dad."
Zhou Shuren saw that the ranking did not meet expectations. Although the boy was not confident that he could pass Changzhi, he was still very confident about the ranking. The boy did work hard enough. He comforted him, "The first test result is nothing. Think about your father. I didn't get first place in the county test. So the first test result does not represent the final result."
Chang Lian felt better after hearing this, and then he told me his ranking, "Dad, I ranked fifth."
Zhou Shuren knew clearly that there was something fishy about Chang Lian's ranking. Although Chang Lian was not as good as Chang Zhi, he also worked very hard. He also had some talent, and his results in the clan school were only second to Chang Zhi. He had also inquired about the candidates this year, and there were not many who were better than Chang Lian. Chang Lian was also a cautious person, and he would not be careless now. No matter what, he could not possibly be fifth.
It seems that the county magistrate doesn't want his son-in-law to get too good a rank in the exam, so he lowered his rank!
Zhou Shuren guessed the county magistrate's intention. He not only hoped that Chang Lian would work harder in the subsequent examinations, but also hoped that failing to pass the examination would not be too much of a blow to Chang Lian. The county magistrate, as his father-in-law, was also very attentive to Chang Lian.
Since the county magistrate has suppressed your ranking, then he should just encourage you and not let Chang Lian be too discouraged. "The ranking is not bad. Dad believes that you will get a better ranking next time."
He thought his father would be unhappy, and he was worried about how to face his father after returning home. Unexpectedly, his father not only did not say anything to him, but also encouraged him, clenching his fist and saying, "Dad, I will definitely get a good score next time."
It's hard to say. Zhou Shuren knows the candidates in this county, but he doesn't know the candidates who take the college entrance examination. Don't let Changlian make too many promises and then get hit again. "The college entrance examination is in Pingzhou. There is no shortage of talented and hardworking candidates in each session. Those who can take the college entrance examination have real abilities. Dad hopes you will work hard. Ranking is secondary. As long as you work hard, Dad will be pleased."
At least I tried my best and didn't pass, so there is no regret. However, it is unlucky, but Zhou Shuren didn't say this.
Chang Lian felt that time was running out. He was still complacent when he took the county exam, thinking that he would not do badly, but the result was not good. The college exam was more difficult than the county exam, so he had to work harder. "Dad, I'm going to read books too."
Without waiting for Zhulan to speak, Chang Lian ran back to the yard to read.
Zhou Shuren asked, "Do you have something to say to Chang Lian?"