Zhou Shuren called his two sons and Rongchuan who were studying, and first moved out the books carefully and put them away, then took out the pens, ink, paper and inkstone. There was only one set of the expensive pens and ink, which Zhou Shuren kept for use during the imperial examinations. There were also three sets of inferior ones, each set was worth ten taels of silver. It would be too hateful to give them to the children, so Zhou Shuren kept them all. The ones given to the three children were bought with silver, one tael of silver per set, but they could only be kept at home. When he went out to study, he would still use the cheap ones he had.
As for paper, the rewards Zhou Shuren received were all top-quality Xuan paper, as tracing red paper was too wasteful for practicing calligraphy, so Zhou Shuren kept some for himself for when he needed it most. The paper he was given was bamboo paper bought in Jiangnan, which cost 400 coins per 100 sheets. Zhou Shuren had the silver money he needed to buy a lot of paper at once, and each of the three children was given 100 sheets.
Chang Lian and Chang Zhi happily took it. They had always used the cheapest paper, which had many grains and uneven ink. It was okay to write big characters, but it was easy to blur small characters. The two carefully touched the hard and smooth paper and held it tightly in their arms. "Thank you, Dad."
Rong Chuan felt unworthy of the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, not to mention the good paper. He hurriedly put his hands behind his back and said, "Uncle Zhou, I can just practice calligraphy on the paper that my third and fourth brothers have written on. It would be a waste for me to use the good paper."
When Zhou Shuren woke up and was waiting for the noodles, he had already taken time to look at the big characters his three children were practicing. The third and oldest son's handwriting didn't improve much, but the one who made the most progress was Rongchuan, who had his own style in writing not long after starting. It was obvious that he was practicing hard every day. Smart people are not scary, what is scary is that smart people are also hardworking and diligent.
Zhou Shuren glanced at his oldest son. The most talented son in the family was very arrogant. He was always praised in the private school and had smooth sailing since his studies. This was not good. He was looking forward to Rongchuan catching up with his oldest son, lest his oldest son think that he was the only smart one and suffer a great loss in the future.
Zhou Shuren put the paper in Rongchuan's hand, "Silly words, good handwriting is very important for the imperial examination. I see that your handwriting has some style, and I am very pleased with your hard work. Take the paper and don't worry about your family. I can still afford to support your studies. You are half a son to me, so don't feel burdened. When I finish my work, I will pick a good day to settle your relationship with Xuehan."
Rongchuan's face turned red and he no longer had time to think about the paper. His mind was full of thoughts about getting engaged.
Chang Lian and Chang Zhi were unhappy. The third brother Chang Lian felt that Rongchuan had robbed him of his resources. Without Rongchuan, he could get more paper. As for who his sister would marry, she would have to get married sooner or later anyway, and it would be up to his parents to decide who she would marry. He only cared about the fact that Rongchuan not only became his brother-in-law, but also that his father would send Rongchuan to a private school.
Before the changes in the family, Chang Lian also calculated how much money the family had, and was always worried whether it was enough to support him and Chang Zhi's studies. He saw the changes in the family after the winter. Later, his father not only went to Jiangnan, but also bought back so many things. He realized that the family background was not what he saw on the surface. Even though the family background was strong, Rongchuan had taken some resources from him after all, and he didn't like Rongchuan from the bottom of his heart.
Chang Zhi was much more intuitive. He never cared about household affairs, nor did he worry about how much money the family had. He was not happy that his sister had been married off so early. Even though he admired Rong Chuan, he was still unhappy.
Zhou Shuren didn't care about the dispute between the three boys. He divided the property and sent them away with a wave of his hand.
Zhulan cleaned up the kitchen. Zhou Shuren had already put away the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone. He was holding a book and putting it on the table. Looking at the writing brush and ink, Zhulan slipped on the bed and said, "You want to copy a book?"
Zhou Shuren cut the paper and said, "Well, this is not a book. It contains the examination questions and essays of the provincial examinations in several states in Jiangnan. I sorted them out and bound them into a book. Don't be fooled by the thickness of the book. Not only did I spend thirty taels of silver, but I also put a lot of effort and thought into it."
Zhulan picked it up and flipped through it. "There's nothing here? Examiners in different places are different, and they like different things. Is it useful to learn from these?"
Zhou Shuren, "Of course it is useful. The questions in Jiangnan are among the most difficult. Many of them are the same no matter how they are changed. A thorough study will be very helpful for the provincial examination. As for the examiner's preference for the article, it depends on one's luck."
Zhulan understood and asked, "How much did this trip cost in total, including the things you bought?"
Zhou Shuren reported, "It cost nearly two hundred taels in total. Fans and other specialty products are not expensive in Jiangnan, but they are rare in the north. Books and paper are expensive. The cheapest second-hand book costs twenty taels!"
Zhulan took a deep breath and said, "It's really expensive. It was too difficult to study in ancient times. Books alone were not something that ordinary people could afford."
Zhou Shuren smiled, "That's why it's said that the imperial examination is difficult, and it's even more difficult for poor families. Rich families have many books and there is no shortage of famous people and famous commentaries. As long as you have some talent and are hardworking enough, you can pass the examination to become a scholar. But for people who work hard to farm and study, it's very difficult to pass the examination to become a scholar. They don't have so many books in stock. It's rare to pass the examination to become a juren, and passing the examination to become a jinshi is like a fish leaping over the dragon gate."
Zhulan was a little worried, "Do you have confidence?"
Zhou Shuren was very confident, "I will take the exam for the scholar next year, and the year after will be the perfect time to take part in the provincial examination held every three years. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Zhulan was relieved after hearing Zhou Shuren's words. Zhou Shuren never made unfounded promises. "Are you copying the test questions to give to the clan members?"
She remembered that there were five scholars in the clan, and they were all quite old, with the youngest being in his twenties. They would definitely take the test the year after next.
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes."
Zhulan had nothing more to ask, so she took out the cloth and prepared to make clothes. She really liked making clothes now.
Zhou Shuren couldn't calm down. He looked up at Zhulan several times. Zhulan sensed it and asked, "What's wrong?"