Zhou Shuren also felt a little excited. Who would want to compete for second place if they could get first place? Fortunately, he was able to hold back his expectations, fearing that he would be humiliated. "We'll know when the time comes."
Zhulan asked, "I see you are exceptionally calm, are you really not worried about your grades?"
Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan's waist and said, "I'm thinking about her. I know in my heart that I will definitely pass, but I don't know the ranking."
Zhulan held down Zhou Shuren's hand, which was not very peaceful and was getting bolder and stronger, and said, "Let go."
Boss Zhou: “… … ..”
He wanted to quit, but when his father saw him, his scalp tingled and he became depressed. Why did he always run into him? Woohoo, it’s because he is the eldest brother. When someone comes to the house, he is responsible for calling dad!
He will definitely remember this next time. Even if the door is open, he will stand outside and wait for his father's permission before entering the house.
Zhou Shuren glared at the boss and told him to go out, then he let go of his hand. Seeing that Zhulan didn't notice the boss, he curled his lips. His skin was saved.
Boss Zhou stood at the door and watched his father come out, lowering his head, "Dad, the second uncle of the clan leader is here."
Zhou Shuren said, "Watch your mouth."
Boss Zhou: "... Yes."
He wouldn't dare tell anyone if his father hadn't warned him!
Because the clan leader's second son came, Zhulan asked Li to add two more dishes in the evening. The clan leader asked his son to come to Pingzhou to wait for news about the provincial examination.
Zhou Shuren was the only one taking part in the provincial examination this year. The clan leader at home was very worried about him and couldn't help but ask his son to come to Pingzhou in advance.
Time passed quickly and the day for the results finally arrived. Zhou Shuren sent the eldest and second sons to see the results, and the clan leader's son also went with them.
Zhou Shuren did not go to check the results himself. There must be a lot of people on the list today, and he didn't want to squeeze in with the crowd and suffer. Anyway, he knew what was going on, so he might as well wait at home with peace of mind. As for why he asked the eldest and second oldest sons to go to check the results, it was because these two had been stomping their feet and walking in circles early in the morning, which was very annoying. It would be better to send them both out so that he could calm down.
Just as Zhou Lao Da and his men left, the servants of Jiang Mansion arrived and said, "I pay my respects to Master Juren. I congratulate Master Juren for winning the second place."
Zhou Shuren was silent. He still couldn't pass Wu Ming's test. He smiled and said, "Thank you for remembering it, Lord Jiang."
The servant of the Jiang residence smiled apologetically and said, "My Lord said that it is the duty of the in-laws."
The servant thought, I never expected that Mr. Zhou would become a juren. He will be able to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination next year. Who knows, maybe the Zhou family will also be officials in the future! It seems that we have to be more polite to Zhou Changlian in the future.
Even though Zhulan had the confidence Zhou Shuren gave her, she was still worried before she heard the confirmation. Now she was finally relieved and took out two taels of silver and handed it to the servant, "You've made a long trip. Take it and drink with me to celebrate the good times."
The servant of the Jiang residence took it quickly and said, "Thank you for the reward, Madam Juren. I will go back and report first."
Just as she finished speaking, there was music outside the Zhou residence. Someone came to announce the good news. Zhulan instructed Changlian, "Go out and set off firecrackers."
The servants in the Jiang residence followed him out as well.
The Zhou family members went to the front yard, while Rongchuan and Changzhi carried baskets filled with copper coins to scatter at the gate as wedding money.
The procedures for passing the imperial examination and passing the scholar examination are different, and the people who announce the good news are different. When the person passed the imperial examination, many people came with music and dance. Zhulan gave the congratulatory money that she had prepared long ago to the person who announced the good news.
After the person who brought the good news left, they started to distribute the wedding money. The noise today was particularly loud, and everyone in the whole street knew about it. There was a big difference between a juren and a scholar. Even if a juren did not continue to take the exam, he was still qualified to be an official, and more people would curry favor with a juren.
The Wu family is not far from Zhulan's family. Two scholars were born in this area, one was the first place winner and the other was the second place winner. Many people think that this area has good feng shui!
Zhulan could still hear people talking about Feng Shui even though she was far away!
The Zhou family returned to the courtyard. Zhou Shuren took Chang Lian and Chang Zhi to the front yard to receive the male guests. Zhu Lan returned to the backyard and smiled at Li: "Li, what are you still standing there for? Why don't you go buy some wine and meat?"
Li's face was red with excitement. Her father-in-law had become a juren, so she knew that he would definitely become a juren. She responded loudly, "Mom, I'll go right away."
Zhao was also excited. Her father-in-law might become an official in the future. She wanted to see what Dong could be proud of in the future. "Mom, I'll go to the kitchen to light a fire and boil some water."
Zhulan saw Zhao glance at Dong, and Zhao had a grudge against Dong, "Go ahead."
She was unwilling to care about the conflict between the two. As long as they didn't cross her bottom line, they could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't bother her.
Dong was the most shocked. Unlike her eldest sister-in-law who was certain that her father-in-law would pass the exam, nor like her second sister-in-law who expected her father-in-law to pass, she was actually the most conflicted. She hoped that her father-in-law would pass the exam so that she would have more confidence as her husband, but she also did not want her father-in-law to pass the exam because she knew that if her father-in-law passed the imperial examination, he would have to take the exam. Once he passed the imperial examination, he would be of an orthodox official family in the future, unlike her father who was never orthodox. Then her advantage in the Zhou family would be gone.
Now she doesn't have to worry about it anymore. Her father-in-law has passed the imperial examination. All she has to do is to please her mother-in-law, so that her father-in-law won't go to the capital without the third wife. She feels excited when she thinks about it. It is better to rely on oneself than on others. No matter how good her brother-in-law is, he is not as reliable as her father-in-law!
Xue Han stood up and asked, "Mom, what can I do to help?"
Zhulan pinched her daughter's nose and said, "Just be good and stay with your mother."
Dong came back to her senses and saw that she was the only daughter-in-law left. "Mom, I'll go help my second sister-in-law."
Zhu Lan said, "You don't have to go. There will be some female relatives coming to visit us soon. Please help me entertain them."
With Mrs. Dong around, everything can be relaxed. This is what Mrs. Dong is good at. Boiling water is a waste of her talent.
A smile appeared on Dong's lips. Her mother asked her to accompany the reception. Her mother was finally not angry with her anymore. "Hey!"
After Zhou Shuren passed the imperial examination, not only did his neighbors come to his house to share his congratulations, but nearby merchants also came to visit. In a short time, the Zhou family received quite a few gifts.
Although the second to tenth places were all runner-ups, Zhou Shuren ranked second, the real second place. In addition, the Zhou family had connections with the Jiang family and Xu Jinshi, so naturally they were willing to come to the Zhou family to congratulate him.
Moreover, Zhou Shuren's age was also an advantage. No one was optimistic about Zhou Shuren's ability to become a scholar at his age, and who knew how many years it would take for him to pass the imperial examination. But passing the imperial examination at this age was very different. A juren around 40 years old was more mature in thought and more stable. Even though Zhou Shuren was ranked second, in fact, compared with Wu Ming, many people were more optimistic about Zhou Shuren.
Especially knowing that Zhou Shuren passed the examination in just one try, it was clear how capable Zhou Shuren was. Although some minor officials in Pingzhou City did not come to congratulate him in person, they still sent people to give him gifts.
Zhulan and Dong were also very busy hosting the banquet in the backyard. Zhulan had originally wanted to celebrate with her family, but unfortunately the male guests in the front yard refused to leave. Zhulan asked Mingyun to come over and ask Zhou Shuren's opinion, and asked Zhou Laoer to book a banquet at a nearby restaurant.
In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren took his people to the restaurant. After the protagonist Zhou Shuren left, the door of the Zhou family could finally be closed.
Zhulan rubbed her cheeks. She was so tired today.
Li said excitedly, "Mom, come and have a look. The gifts we received today are almost filling up the house."