Zhulan’s family received a lot of gifts when they moved. The most expensive gift was an embroidered screen ornament from the county magistrate. The guests from other counties also gave expensive gifts. Most of the officials gave cloth and writing brushes for reading, and others gave food and snacks. Zhulan’s family did not buy snacks for a month after the move. 

During the New Year season, with all the bustling activity of moving, the Zhu family naturally had to reciprocate. In order to do so, they bought a foolish robe and a sheep for the New Year. They slaughtered it and distributed meat to each household, but they gave more to the county magistrate’s residence. For just the New Year gifts, they spent over thirty taels of silver.

The New Year gifts in return were also considerable. The family had no shortage of 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 gave back some rare ingredients from the South. Because it was the first New Year after the engagement, Zhulan also gave Dong Chuchu a jewelry gift, and Dong Lin Shi returned the favor with a few exquisite small jewelry to Xuehan, Yu Shuang, and Yu Lu.

With more social obligations, the expenses for gifts and courtesys throughout the year increased significantly. For those without substantial savings, and without a financial foundation, even the desire to socialize became constrained because of the lack of money. Without money, there was no network; without a network, there were fewer opportunities ahead.

Ultimately, it all boiled down to money. Zhou Shuren had been able to quickly establish connections not only due to his personal skills but also because he had a financial base. With money on hand, Zhou Shuren could afford to entertain guests at restaurants, which made a significant difference compared to eating at noodle stalls.

Who didn’t want to make friends with people with more family backgrounds? They were all about interests, so naturally, they were more willing to make friends who could help in the future.

Of course, there were also gentlemen’s friendships, but in ancient times when survival was difficult, there were really not many.

At least Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had been here for so long, and they really hadn’t met a gentleman who didn’t look at background or potential to make friends.

After the New Year, the days passed faster. In the blink of an eye, the first month of the year was over. After the first month of the year, they had to prepare for the Tongsheng test in February. Both Changlian and Changzhi from their family participated.

Because Zhou Shuren was a student of the imperial academy, he could be a guarantor himself, which saved a lot of trouble.

All the candidates from Zhoujia Village also asked Zhou Shuren to be their guarantor. Zhou Shuren did not charge any guarantee fees for the village, regardless of whether they were relatives or not. On the one hand, they did not lack this little money. On the other hand, the students were all studying in the Zhou clan school. If they showed kindness today, they would return it to the Zhou clan tomorrow. If they really passed the imperial examination in the future, it would also be a good fate.

The closer the exam was, the greater the pressure on Changlian was, because he was the future son-in-law of the county magistrate. After the county exam, he would get married. 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, this kid was very confident in himself.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren privately thought that Changzhi would do better than Changlian. Talents were sometimes really enviable!

Two days before the exam, Changlian received a pencil case from Dong Chuchu, and Changlian took it to the exam room.

This time, he still lived in the family relative’s house for the exam. The two brothers could take care of each other.

On the first day of the exam, Zhulan was worried, “I don’t know if Changzhi can take care of himself.”

Zhou Shuren didn’t worry about it, but because of Zhulan’s worry, he disliked the two boys in his heart, “Changzhi doesn’t know about general affairs and doesn’t care about money, but if there is enough money, this boy can take care of himself better than anyone else.”

This was a young man who was willing to spend money, and he was also a young man who would not treat himself badly.

Zhulan, “.”

She was speechless. Changzhi didn’t care about money. As long as he had money in his hand, he would definitely spend it. On the contrary, Changlian, this boy was stingy, and it seemed that the trend was getting worse.

However, Chang Lian and Chang Zhi took the exam together and shared meals and accommodation. Zhulan silently thought that Changzhi would spend all his money, leaving none behind. As for Chang Lian, that boy must have saved quite a bit. He never felt ashamed to take advantage of his younger brother. Chang Lian’s thick skin was becoming even thicker.

There were five county exams this year. Zhou Shuren didn’t care about the results, and he didn’t go to pick up the two brothers in person. Boss Zhou and Second Zhou 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.

Chang Zhi was still a child and the youngest candidate this year. He got good results and said excitedly: “Dad, I got first place in the exam. I am first.”

Zhou Shuren was very pleased that he lived up to his expectations and encouraged: “Don’t be proud and keep working hard.”

Changzhi still wanted to be a young scholar. His family was better off, he had read more books, and his father and teacher would personally guide him. If he failed to pass the exam, he would be sorry for his training.” Dad, I’m going back to read first.”

Zhou Shuren devoted considerable effort to Chang Zhi’s education. He wanted to give it a try himself. Without the background of a prominent family, he wondered if, with the right nurturing and given Chang Zhi’s ample talent, he could make a splash and become this year’s little xiùcái.

Chang Lian felt even more upset when he looked at his younger brother. He was very depressed. He didn’t even rank second but ranked fifth. He was a little afraid of disappointing his father, so he didn’t dare to say the ranking. “Dad.”

Zhou Shuren looked at the results, which didn’t meet expectations. Although he lacked confidence that he could surpass Chang Zhi in the exam, he still had confidence in his ranking. The boy had indeed worked hard enough. He comforted him, saying, “The results of the first exam don’t mean much. Look at me, I didn’t top the county exam at first either. So, the first exam results don’t represent the final outcome.”

Chang Lian felt a little better, and then said the ranking, “Dad, I got fifth place in the exam.”

Zhou Shuren knew in his heart that there was something fishy about Chang Lian’s ranking. Although Chang Lian was not as good as Chang Zhi, he worked very hard. Even with some talent, his scores in family studies were only lower than Chang Zhi’s. He had also inquired about this year’s candidates, There were not many who were better than Chang Lian. Chang Lian was cautious and would not be careless now. There was no way he would be fifth.

It seemed that the county magistrate did not want his son-in-law to get a good ranking in the exam and lowered his ranking!

Zhou Shuren guessed the intention of the county magistrate. Not only did he hope that Chang Lian would work harder for the next exam, but also to avoid failing to pass the exam, which would be a huge blow to Chang Lian. The county magistrate, his father-in-law, was also very attentive to Chang Lian.

Since the county magistrate had lowered the ranking, he could just encourage him and not let Chang Lian be too affected. “The ranking is not bad. I believe your ranking will be better next time.”

He thought his father would be dissatisfied, so he was always worried when he came back and didn’t know what to do. How to face his father? Unexpectedly, his father not only did not criticize him but also encouraged him. Clenching his fists, he said, “Dad, I will definitely get a good rank in the exam next time.”

One thing was sure; Zhou Shuren was not familiar with the candidates from outside the county. So he didn’t want Chang Lian to set his hopes too high and then be disappointed later. He added, “The provincial examination is in Pingzhou, and every year, there’s no shortage of talented and hardworking candidates. Those who can participate in the provincial examination are truly capable. I hope you focus on working hard sincerely; the ranking is secondary. As long as you strive earnestly, I’ll be content.”

At least you have no regrets if you fail, it was not just your luck. Zhou Shuren did not say this.

Chang Lian felt that time was running out. When he took the Xiànshì, he was still complacent and thought that he would do well in the exam, but the result was not good. The Yuànshì was more difficult than the county exam, so he had to work harder. “Dad, I’ll go too.” Read a book.”

Before Zhulan could say anything, Chang Lian raced back to the yard to read.

Zhou Shuren asked, “Do you have something to tell Chang Lian?”

(End of Chapter)

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