Zhou Shuren waited for Zhulan to enter the inner room before he took out the examination papers in his arms. He did not hide it, "A while ago, I went to Jiangnan with the escort company. This is the examination papers of the two sessions of Jiangnan that I took great pains to obtain in Jiangnan. I copied it by hand and gave it to the clan. I hope it will be helpful to the scholars in the clan who will participate in the provincial examination next year."
Patriarch Zhou finally lost his composure. He hadn't heard any news about Zhou Shuren going to Jiangnan, and not only did he come back, but he also got some good stuff. He was shocked, but also glad that his intuition was right. He hurriedly took the test paper and looked through it. The clan leader was also a student, and he knew the importance of the test paper too well. He became excited after taking a few glances at it.
The Zhou family had no capable relatives for several generations, and the troubled times also cost them many capable people. Not to mention getting the questions for the provincial examination, even the cost of taking the examination had to be collected by the family. He touched the questions curiously and said, "Okay, okay, Shuren, uncle was right about you. I knew you were capable. On behalf of the young people in the family, uncle thanks you."
After saying this, he felt regretful. Zhou Shuren was the best student among his peers, but unfortunately he was born at the wrong time. When the dynasty was established, his children were still young. There was nothing Zhou Shuren could do. All his attention was on cultivating his son, otherwise, when the new dynasty was established, a scholar would have emerged from the Zhou family to protect the family.
Zhou Shuren likes to talk to smart people without having to explain everything, and they will understand without any effort. Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "This is what I should do. It's embarrassing for me to thank you, Chief. I have something to trouble you. In the spring of next year, I want Changlian and Changzhi to transfer back to the clan school, and Mingyun and Rongchuan to study in the clan school."
Patriarch Zhou stroked his beard with joy. It was a great thing for the clan that Zhou Shuren's branch was reintegrated into the clan. He looked forward to Zhou Shuren even more. His eyes fell on the test papers. These not only took a lot of effort but also must have cost a lot of money. Zhou Shuren must have a strong family background.
It was a little unnatural to think that the elders of my father and grandfather's generation had set their sights on Zhou Shuren's branch. However, Zhou Shuren even sponsored Rong Chuan's studies, so he must have a lot of money. I thought to myself that it was no wonder that they were targeting this branch of the clan. It was all because of the money.
Patriarch Zhou thought that the imperial examination would require a lot of money, and Zhou Shuren's family had no shortage of money, so it would be easier for them to produce a juren. If the ancestors blessed them with a jinshi, Zhou Shuren's family would change their status.
Zhou Shuren's family was reintegrated back into the clan. The clan collected money for the imperial examination. Zhou Shuren would not be stingy in giving favors. He knew what the purpose of reintegrating into the clan was. It was all mutually beneficial. "It's no problem for them to join the clan school. I heard that Changlian and Changzhi have always been good. They can come to study after the New Year. The two new students will follow the new batch of children to enter school."
Zhou Shuren stood up and thanked him, "Thank you, Patriarch."
Chief Zhou smiled and said, "Calling you chief is uncivilized. Call me uncle."
Inside the house, Zhulan also learned from the conversation that, going back several generations, their branch did have some relatives relationship with the clan leader's family. When the Zhou family integrated into the clan, several generations married daughters of Zhou family relatives. Zhou Shuren's great-grandmother was a relative of the clan leader's family.
Although there are several generations between us, we are still relatives after all.
Zhulan was stunned when she heard this. She didn't have any memory of this, and her original mother-in-law had never told her about it either. But after all, several generations had passed, so there was no point in talking about it. The person had died long ago and the feelings were gone long ago.
If Zhou Shuren hadn't been reintegrated into the clan, the clan leader's family wouldn't have mentioned it.
At noon, Patriarch Zhou's family prepared eight main dishes, including killing a chicken and stewing meat. Patriarch Zhou also called several respected elders in the clan to come over. From the moment they saw Zhou Shuren and the test paper, they knew that old people are shrewd and there is no stupid one. There is no need to explain, everything is self-explanatory.
Zhulan was a capable and resourceful person, and after several attempts she won the favor of all the women in the clan leader's family.
Zhulan smiled. In the past, she had no outside support, and no one in the clan would help her, so she had no one to back her up when she was bullied. But it was different now. Zhou Wang first scolded the black-hearted women in the village, and then promised to teach whoever bullied Zhulan a lesson.
Zhulan was happy. Zhou Wangshi had a high status in the village, and the wife of the Zhou clan leader was the mother of the village head. As long as she opened her mouth, anyone who wanted to harm Zhulan in the future would have to think twice.
Zhou Shuren and Zhulan returned with a full load. After the training, Boss Zhou had changed a bit and realized more deeply what it means to be the eldest son and what face is.
In the following days, Zhou Shuren and Zhulan took their eldest son and eldest grandson to visit several elders in the clan. The gifts they gave were all cloth, enough to make a set of clothes for an adult, so that they could wear decent clothes when going out. Everyone accepted Zhou Shuren's kindness.
Zhulan's wife is also very good at diplomacy. Even if she doesn't like Zhulan, she has at least changed her opinion of her.
The couple's efforts paid off. They gradually got along well with the people in the clan, and the villagers' attitude towards Zhulan changed immediately. Zheng no longer dared to be sarcastic when she saw Zhulan, and Zhulan was polite to everyone she met.
After a busy week, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren finally stopped moving around. It was a tiring week.
Finally able to stay at home, Zhulan didn't want to get out of bed. These days were the coldest time of winter and she was freezing.
Zhou Shuren was in the main room, and no one of his grandchildren dared to come. Zhulan curled up in bed after dinner. The warm bed was comfortable. She turned sideways and said to Zhou Shuren who was holding a book, "We have visited everyone we should have visited. There are still ten days until the New Year. You see, two days later is a good day. Xuehan and Rongchuan's affairs should also be settled!"
Zhou Shuren put down the book and said, "Okay, let the second son take Rongchuan to his father-in-law's house to deliver the New Year gift tomorrow, and let his father-in-law and mother-in-law see Rongchuan. Let the eldest son go and invite the people in the clan."
Zhu Lan saw Zhou Shuren pick up the book again, "Did you forget that there is an important person you haven't informed yet?"