Chapter 516 - 194: After the Exam, Part 4
Chapter 516: Chapter 194: After the Exam, Part 4
The continuous rain had arrived right at the start of the autumn harvest. If they didn’t rush to bring everything in, the peanuts would mold or be left to rot in the ground, and the corn would spoil and sprout...
It was painful to even imagine the common folk, who had toiled for half a year, having their harvest so drastically reduced.
In fact, it wasn’t just Mrs. Zhao who was worried about her family; Chen Wanqing was worried too.
She had planted all thirteen acres of her land with medicinal herbs—eight acres of Danshen and five acres of Codonopsis.
She had entrusted all thirteen acres of herbs to Chunyue and Li’an. By her calculations, it was time to harvest, and she didn’t know if the autumn rain would delay it.
While Chen Wanqing and Mrs. Zhao were worriedly writing letters to the Zhao Village in Qingshui County about how the rain might affect the crops and herbs, Zhao Jing and De’an returned to the prefectural school with the exam essays they had rewritten from memory.
This time, however, they made it a day trip and didn’t stay at the school for long.
When they returned, the two wore very different expressions.
Coincidentally, Xu Suying was at the Zhao Family’s home when they arrived.
Seeing her son’s face dark with misery while Jing remained as calm and composed as ever, Xu Suying immediately had a good idea of what had happened.
Even though she knew her son wasn’t capable enough and was certain he wouldn’t become a scholar this time, he had still made it into the examination hall. Who could be blamed for having a beautiful dream?
Unfortunately, a dream was just a dream; it couldn’t become reality.
In the end, Xu Suying had to ask, "So, what did your instructor say?"
De’an plopped down in front of his mother. "Don’t you already have a good idea? Why even ask? Aren’t you just rubbing salt in the wound?"
Xu Suying was taken aback, then slapped her son forcefully. "Is it wrong for me to care about you?"
De’an grimaced. "No, no, you’re right. I’m the one who doesn’t appreciate your concern, alright?"
"Stop with all that nonsense and just tell me the result."
"The result is that the first two sessions were okay, but my policy essay was lackluster. Mr. Sun isn’t optimistic."
De’an himself was crestfallen.
’But I know my own limits. I had a premonition before the exam that I definitely wouldn’t pass. Jing looked at my answers and said they weren’t quite there yet, and now Mr. Sun is saying the same thing. So... so I really have to give up any hope of getting lucky.’
"I guess I just have to be more down-to-earth and build up my knowledge bit by bit..."
Xu Suying couldn’t be bothered to listen to her son’s whining.
’He’s crystal clear on all these grand principles, but I never see him actually apply himself on a normal day.
Cramming at the last minute and then failing is perfectly normal. But on top of failing, he spouts a bunch of grand principles as if he were some great scholar. It’s so annoying.’
Xu Suying turned to Jing. "What about you? What did the master say?"
Zhao Jing, who was sitting next to Chen Wanqing, replied, "The master said that at worst, my rank wouldn’t be lower than Jingkui."
Those who passed the Provincial Examination became scholars. First place was called the top scorer in the provincial examination, second place was the *yayuan*, third through fifth places were called Jingkui, and sixth place was the *yakui*.
Xu Suying knew what a Jingkui was; she had specifically asked about it before. Her joy was written all over her face.
’Instructors would never over-promise. If they said Jing’s lowest possible rank was Jingkui, then he’s a lock for top scorer in the provincial examination this time!’
The news Zhao Jing brought back filled the entire family with joy.
After the initial celebration, Xu Suying pulled Mrs. Zhao’s hand aside and began to discreetly advise her.
"There’s really no need to rush Xiang’er’s marriage. No matter who comes asking, you should say the same thing. Jing’s future looks very promising. Let’s wait until he becomes a scholar, and then we can find a good family for Xiang’er. Besides, Xiang’er isn’t old; she can definitely wait a little longer. The Imperial Examination is next year. If, by some chance, Jing passes it and becomes an Advanced Scholar, his status will be completely different. The families we could match Xiang’er with then will be a class above. The suitors coming now... I can’t say they’re bad, but they’re definitely not good enough. We have such a wonderful girl, and her brother is so successful—she won’t have any trouble getting married. You absolutely must not be hasty."
As soon as Xu Suying said this, De’an and Zhao Jing finally understood why this busy woman had rushed over to their home at a time like this.
So, someone had proposed a marriage match for Xiang’er?
Xu Suying nodded. "They even came to me about it. I just used the excuse that Xiang’er is still young and that the family wants to keep her home for a couple more years, and I sent them away."