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 for fear of being slapped in the face for expecting too much. “We’ll know when the time comes.”

Zhulan asked, “I see you are exceptionally calm, are you really not worried about your ranking?”

Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan’s waist and said, “I’m thinking about it. 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 came to the house, he had the responsibility to call Dad!

He would definitely remember this next time. Even if the door was open, he would 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 shū from the Patriarch’s family is here.”

Zhou Shuren said, “Watch your mouth.”

Boss Zhou said, “Yes.”

If his father didn’t warn him, he wouldn’t dare say it out loud!

Because the Patriarich’s second son came, Zhulan asked Li Shi to add two more dishes in the evening. The Patriarch asked his son to come to Pingzhou to wait for news about the xiāngshì result.

Zhou Shuren was the only one taking part in the xiāngshì this year. The Patriarch 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 Patriarch’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 Boss Zhou and his brother 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 fell silent, realizing he still hadn’t surpassed Wu Ming. He smiled and said, “Thank Lord Jiang for me for keeping me in mind.”

The servant of the Jiang residence smiled apologetically and said, “My Lord said that it is his duty as yīnqīnrelatives through marriage.”

The servant thought, he never expected that Zhou Xiucai would become a juren. He would be able to go to the capital to take the imperial examination next year. Who knew, maybe the Zhou family would also be officials in the future! It seemed that they had 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 such a hard trip. Take it and drink some wine 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 Rong Chuan and Changzhi carried baskets filled with copper coins to scatter at the gate as wedding money.

The process for becoming a juren and becoming a xiucai was different, and the people who delivered the news were also different. When someone passed the juren exam, many people came to celebrate and congratulate them. Zhulan gave the prepared congratulatory money to the bearer of the good news.

After the person who brought the good news left, they started to distribute the congratulatory 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 xiucai. 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 was not far from Zhulan’s family. This area had two successful jǔrén, one was the Jieyuanthe juren who ranked first in provincial exam, and the other was the Yayuanthe juren who ranked second in provincial exam. Many people thought that this area had good feng shui!

Zhulan could still hear people talking about feng shui even though she was far away!

The Zhou family returned to the yard. Zhou Shuren took Changlian and Changzhi to the front yard to receive the male guests. Zhulan returned to the backyard and smiled at Li Shi: “Li Shi, what are you doing standing there? Why don’t you go buy some wine and meat?”

Li Shi’s face was red with excitement. Her father-in-law had become a juren, she always knew that her father-in-law would definitely become a juren. She responded loudly, “Mom, I’ll go right away.”

Zhao Shi was also excited. Her father-in-law might become an official in the future. She wanted to see what Dong Shi 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 Shi glance at Dong Shi, and Zhao Shi had a grudge against Dong Shi, “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 Shi felt the greatest impact. Unlike her eldest sǎo, who was firm in believing that her father-in-law would succeed, or her second sǎo, who hoped for his success, Dong Shi was the most conflicted. She hoped that if her father-in-law passed the exam, her husband would gain more confidence. Yet, she also didn’t want him to pass, knowing that if he did, he would have to prepare for the imperial exam. Once he became a jinshi, he would have an official, prestigious background, unlike her own father, who was never an official. This would diminish her advantages in the Zhou family.

Now she didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Her father-in-law had passed the imperial examination. All she has to do is to please her mother-in-law so that she won’t leave the third room when they go to the capital. She was quite excited when she thought about it. It was better to rely on yourself than on others. No matter how good her jiěfū was, he was 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 Shi came back to her senses and saw that she was the only daughter-in-law left. “Mom, I’ll go help my second sǎo.”

Zhulan said, “You don’t have to go. There will be some female relatives coming to visit us soon. Please help me entertain them.”

With Dong Shi around, everything could become more relaxed. This was what she was good at. Boiling water was a waste of her talent.

A smile appeared on Dong Shi’s lips. Her mother-in-law asked her to accompany the reception. She was finally not angry with her anymore. “Ok!”

After Zhou Shuren became a Juren, not only did his neighbors come to his house to congratulate him, 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 xiucai at his age, and who knew how many years it would take for him to become a juren. But becoming a juren 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 Shi 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 Second Zhou 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 Shi said excitedly, “Mom, come and have a look. The gifts we received today are almost filling up the house.”

(End of chapter)

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