Time passed, and in the blink of an eye the county examination for the Tongsheng exam was over. Zhulan was worried about Rongchuan, and she didn't know what the result of Rongchuan's exam was.
Zhulan was lost in thought when Xue came in. Zhulan came back to her senses: "I heard from the master that He Shuluo ranked first in the county. Congratulations."
The smile on Xue's face deepened. She liked He Shu. Thinking of the purpose of coming today, she said modestly: "This is just the county exam. There are also prefectural and academy exams!"
Zhulan motioned for Xue to sit down. Among the wives of officials in Jinzhou Prefecture, Xue was the most homely and usually stayed at home. "What are you doing here today?"
Xue knew that it was better to be frank with Yang. "I came here for He Shu. He Shu is seventeen years old, not young anymore, it's time for him to get married."
Zhu Lan was stunned. Apart from Wu Ning, there was no other suitable candidate in Zhou's house. "Wu Ning?"
Mrs. Xue said, "Excuse me. I have met Miss Wu several times and have always had a good impression of her. Miss Wu is old enough to get engaged, so I am shamelessly coming to her house today."
In Zhulan's eyes, Xue was a man of his word, and it seemed that he had a good impression of Wu Ning. "Since you came here, you should know about Wu Ning's life experience."
Xue generously admitted, "We have investigated it."
It was after this investigation that she and her master came to believe that Wu Ning was a very suitable match for He Shu. Wu Ning had three good brothers and no messy relatives. In addition, Wu Ning was raised in the Zhou Mansion. Wu Ning's own talent and manners were impeccable. If He Shu missed Wu Ning, it would be difficult to find someone as suitable as her.
Zhu Lan raised her eyebrows, "I heard that Lord Wang is very interested in He Shu."
Xue laughed dryly, "Lord Wang does admire He Shu, but He Shu is not suitable for the Wang family."
She really looked down on the concubine's daughter of the Wang family. No matter how good the Wang family was, it was useless. He Shu needed a wife who was gentle and virtuous, not someone who was arrogant because of her family background.
Zhulan was tempted. He Shu had good character and Zhou Shuren approved of him. In addition, he had good results in the county examination and strong knowledge. He also had the Wang family to rely on and did not mind Wu Ning's reputation for being kinship. He was a rare candidate for son-in-law.
Seeing Yang's moved expression, Xue felt more confident. In her eyes, He Shu and Wu Ning were really a good match.
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "Wu Ning was raised in the Zhou residence. She is not the daughter of the Zhou family after all. I still need to discuss it with her brother. You see, the county exam has just passed. It won't be too late after the college exam is over."
Xue knew that what Yang said would have a follow-up, "Okay."
Zhulan sent Xue away and said to Mrs. Song, "Find someone to investigate He Shu's family background, especially to see if he has a childhood sweetheart or cousin."
Mrs. Song was stunned. "Cousin?"
Zhulan said as if you didn’t understand, “Go ahead.”
Mrs. Song was a little confused, but she still obeyed the order and went down.
Zhulan thought quietly, cousins in ancient times were very lethal. Yes, there were also people like childhood sweethearts, and they all had to be guarded against.
In Zhoujia Village, Rongchuan finished the county examination, rested for a day, and prepared to pack his luggage to Pingzhou.
Xuemei stood at the door. "Have you arranged accommodation in Pingzhou?"
Rongchuan put down the pen in his hand and said, "I will go to Pingzhou to live in the Wu family. The two brothers of the Wu family are waiting for me in Pingzhou."
Xuemei said, "I don't know if the two people from the Wu family passed the county exam."
Rongchuan smiled and said, "It must have passed."
He believed in Wu Ming's ability.
Xuemei was a little reluctant to leave. The family became more lively with Rongchuan. Although she didn't talk much with her, she could still get news about her family from the conversation. "After the Tongsheng exam, will you go back to Jinzhou directly?"
Rongchuan helped Sister Xuemei sit down and said, "I won't go back. After I pass the Tongsheng exam, I will go to the Wu family to study and take part in the provincial exam in autumn."
Uncle Zhou said it depends on his own opinion, so he made up his mind. For Xue Han and for himself, he must participate this year.
Xuemei smiled and said, "It's good that you know what's going on."
At this time, the servant came in and said, "There is someone at the door looking for you, young master."
Rongchuan said, "I'll go take a look."
He didn't go into the yard directly. He didn't dare to come in. It must be Zhang's family. He thought they wouldn't show up until he left!
At the gate of the courtyard, Rongchuan saw that Zhu was calm. They had no debt to each other, and there was no ripple in his heart. "It's you."
Zhu had peeked at Rong Chuan several times, always in a corner. This was the first time she saw him face to face, and she was actually nervous. She vaguely thought, how nice it would be if this was her own son, but unfortunately he wasn't. She picked up the basket in her hand and said, "Hey, this is the pancake you liked to eat when you were a child. I made some."
Rong Chuan felt complicated. It wasn't that he liked biscuits when he was a child, but biscuits were the only most delicious thing he had ever eaten. Looking at Zhu's clothes, there was not a single patch on them. The Zhang family was doing well. "No need, take it back."
Zhu tightly grasped the basket. Did she regret it? She regretted it so much. If she had known that the child had such good fortune, she would have said anything good to the child. She could not arouse Rongchuan's thoughts about the Zhang family. She pulled the corner of her mouth and said, "Well, I don't mean anything else."
Rong Chuan glanced at Zhang Datie at the corner of the street and said, "Let's go back."
Zhu moved the corners of her mouth, but didn't say anything in the end. She turned around and left with the basket.
Rongchuan stood at the door for a while, and just as he was about to turn around and leave, someone behind him called out to him, "Zhang Rongchuan."
Rong Chuan looked back carefully for a while before recognizing that this was Wang Rong, the second daughter of Wang Lao Si. She was wearing a rich man's headdress and was already married. There was a maid behind her. He knew that Wang Rong was the smartest one back then. "What's the matter?"
Wang Rong had been married for several years and had two children, but she had a persistent thought in her heart, "Have you ever met Wang Ru?"
She knew in her heart that Wang Ru was obsessed with the Zhou family, and she wanted to know what happened to Wang Ru.
It took Rong Chuan a while to remember who Wang Ru was, "No."
Wang Rong was disappointed. She was afraid that Wang Ru would come back and retaliate, so she just said, "Sorry for disturbing you."
Rongchuan turned around and entered the yard. Xuemei stood behind him and could hear clearly what happened at the gate.
Xuemei said, "Speaking of the three girls in Wang Laosi's family, the eldest girl married a widower in the mountains. At the beginning of the year, she took her child back to her parents' home. Their life was neither good nor bad. The second girl had the best life."
Rongchuan didn't care about this and said calmly: "Yeah."
In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back. During dinner, Zhulan told Xue about what she meant. "What do you think?"
Zhou Shuren paused for a moment while picking up the food with his chopsticks. "It's a good marriage if this can happen. It will also be good for Wu Ming."
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "I have asked someone to investigate carefully. When the news comes back that there is no problem, I will write a letter to Wu Ming."
Zhou Shuren, "Okay."
If it really works, it will not only be helpful to Wu Ming, but also to the Zhou family. Lord Wang is inconspicuous, but he can make good friends.
He Shu is different from Shi Qing. Shi Qing relies on himself, while He Shu has a good grandfather and relies on his teacher. He Shu has no worries about his future, and Wu Ning can live a stable life by marrying He Shu.
Zhu Lan saw Zhou Shuren frowning, "Are you worried? Is the re-registration going wrong?"