Chapter 218
Guaizai's bones had healed very well, and the bruising and swelling on his face had mostly faded. After examining him, Physician Xu said the child could be moved now, so the family packed their things and moved back home.
For over a month, their household had relied entirely on Aunt Liu's help to look after things. The flock of chickens, ducks, and sheep in the backyard now looked noticeably larger than before.
The village chief was related by blood to He Huihui, and Fang Zichen had kicked him that day. Now, staying in the ancestral house of such a person, Fang Zichen felt somewhat uncomfortable.
However, neither renting a place outside nor rebuilding could be arranged in just a day or two.
Their son now needed rest and quiet. Although uncomfortable with the situation, Fang Zichen could only suppress his feelings for the time being.
He resigned from his job at Zuixiao Restaurant. Yang Mingyi had been learning from him for a while and had been taught everything necessary. With Fang Zichen gone, Yang Mingyi could immediately step up.
The main sources of income for the family business were the roast duck and chili sauce. The previously purchased pumpkins were finished, so the pumpkin cake business could no longer continue.
Originally, the pumpkin cakes operated on a low-profit, high-volume model, earning very little per piece. However, after Zhao Ger did the accounts—deducting the cost of several taels for the pumpkins, plus sugar, oil, and charcoal—they had still made a profit of over twenty taels.
It didn't seem like much, but earning that amount in one winter was considered extremely good. An ordinary village household might only earn a few taels in an entire year.
If they bought more pumpkins, they could continue, but after a whole winter, most households had nearly eaten through their stored pumpkins. The small vendors who made some money during winter went around the villages buying them up after the new year. Now, wanting to buy pumpkins would probably be impossible.
When Guaizai returned, the villagers made time to visit, and they didn't come empty-handed. Most brought eggs or meat, saying it was to help the child regain his strength after not being seen for over a month—he had gotten so thin.
Of course he looked thin.
In the winter, Zhao Ger, afraid he would be cold, had bundled him up like a ball. Now that the weather was warm, layer after layer was removed. Like a bird that looked bowl-sized with its feathers, but was only ping-pong ball small without them—of course he looked thin.
His leg wasn't fully healed, so wherever he went, he was either carried by Fang Zichen or piggybacked by Xiao Feng. Zhao Ger started busying himself with making roast duck again.
During this time, the village chief came by several times. Previously, he had treated Fang Zichen as a junior and had taken care of him. Now, because of Aunt He, the village chief felt guilty toward him. Each visit, after just a few words of conversation, he would start apologizing again.
Favors were favors, and faults were faults. Fang Zichen didn't practice collective punishment or shut him out, but after hearing so many apologies, most of his anger toward the village chief had dissipated.
The village chief wasn't completely foolish. At this critical juncture, he didn't speak up for Aunt He. Before coming, Wang Damei had told him not to mention Aunt He in front of Fang Zichen. Even if Wang Damei hadn't said it, the chief wouldn't have brought her up anyway.
Guaizai's injuries were so severe; they couldn't be brushed aside with just an 'I'm sorry.'
However, because he had tried to stop Fang Zichen that day, the friendship between their families couldn't quite be the same as before.
Fang Zichen had passed the xiucai exam. Each month, he could now receive two taels of silver, three catties of meat, half a bolt of cloth, and exemption from land tax on twenty mu. Earlier, because of his son's situation, Fang Zichen hadn't been in the mood to celebrate or pay it much mind. Zhao Ger had even forgotten about it. At noon, when the yamen runners arrived at their door, Zhao Ger was momentarily stunned.
A large crowd of villagers followed behind, thinking something had happened to the Fang family again.
But it didn't seem like it—after all, the yamen runners were carrying meat!
Listening from the back, it turned out to be something amazing.
This xiucai scholar was truly incredible!
The village had never produced a xiucai before. Every household was dirt poor, barely managing to eat their fill. No one had ever thought of sending their children to study—it cost too much silver, and no one could afford it. To them, studying was something only wealthy families did, completely unrelated to them. Therefore, they weren't very familiar with the imperial examination system. They'd only heard snippets, knowing that if you did well in the exams, you could become a high official; if you passed the xiucai exam, you could be exempt from taxes, collect some silver from the yamen each month, and find work more easily. As for more specific benefits, they didn't really understand. Since it didn't concern them, they couldn't be bothered to find out.
Now, seeing the meat, cloth, and money delivered, they gained a clear, tangible understanding of what being a xiucai meant.
Good heavens, earning two taels of silver every month without having to do a thing—no more worries about food or clothing.
Envy, truly envy.
Normally, if a xiucai didn't go to collect his monthly stipend, the yamen wouldn't deliver it to his door. The xiucai exam was difficult, but the juren exam was even harder. Many people remained at the xiucai level for their entire lives.
The yamen represented the imperial court's dignity and naturally wouldn't lower its posture too much. A mere xiucai could collect it if he wanted, or not—it was up to him.
Fang Zichen was just a special case.
During the prefectural exam, he had already become famous in the literary circles of Yuanzhou. The prefectural exam was less than half a year before the academy exam. Everyone thought he probably wouldn't try it so soon, since he had taken first place in both the county and prefectural exams consecutively. If he also took first in the academy exam, he would achieve the prestigious "Xiao Sanyuan."
[Xiao Sanyuan (小三元): achieving the top rank (案首) in three consecutive local-level exams: the county exam (县试), the prefectural exam (府试), and the academy exam (院试)]
Don't think this "Xiao Sanyuan" seems unimportant. To take first place three times in a row is no easy feat without exceptional knowledge.
The county exam was a competition within one county; standing out wasn't excessively difficult.
But the prefectural and academy exams gathered the talented scholars of the entire Yuanzhou prefecture. Hundreds, even a thousand, people vied for a few dozen spots. Merely securing a spot was difficult enough, let alone taking first place!
No comments:
Post a Comment