Looking at the bag of mince cakes in front of her, Bai's face was filled with joy: "Brother bought this on a special trip? I haven't eaten it since I came to the capital..."
"There is a newly opened Nanguo shop near the Zhejiang Guild Hall. If my mother wants to eat anything from now on, I can send someone there to buy it," Shen Yan said.
After hearing this, Mrs. Bai hesitated and said: "It is said that it is expensive to leave one's hometown. Even if this cake is made in Beijing, the materials and the master must have come from the south. The price of that thing must be high, and the family is not well off. Try it." Just try to relieve the nostalgia, forget about the other things..."
While talking, she rubbed her wrists with a hint of reluctance on her face, obviously thinking of her pair of gold bracelets.
Speaking of which, the weather is now in full swing, and it is much hotter than half a month ago. However, when Bai used ice, he no longer wanted to use it from morning to night as he did at first. He just put a basin of ice at noon to enjoy the coolness.
Although Bai Shi no longer spends extravagantly and has achieved Shen Yan's original goal, as a son of a man, Shen Yan can't be proud of scheming against my mother for a few coins.
If you are in the local area, you don't have to worry about anything, just wait for the neighbors and your family to get along well, and you can become a wealthy man; but when you enter the capital, you will be tied up with a few coins.
In order to avoid their maternal grandfather's family, their family's household registration had been moved back to Songjiang. However, their identities were so embarrassing, so they sent those things to Shen Rui. It would have been a big deal to go back to Songjiang to enjoy the protection of the Shen clan relatives. Shameless.
Although the benefits of living in Beijing are obvious, his qualifications are not a matter of one subject or two. Shen Yan thought about it and said: "Next year will be the year of the provincial examination. When the Qiao family comes out of the filial piety period and the Qiao family enters the family, we will return to Nanjing." Bar……"
When Bai heard this, he was shocked and said: "How can that be done? Next year is the year of the provincial examination, but the examination will still be held the year after next? Last year, the eldest brother did not go to Beijing, and it was delayed for three years. He just happened to take the next subject, and he was very successful. If you win the Jinshi, let alone the Shen family, no one in the Qiao family dares to look down on us mothers anymore, even your brother is decent enough to propose marriage."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but complain: "In my opinion, the eldest brother should not have listened to Mr. Qiao San last year and delayed a subject in vain. Otherwise, if he were to become a Jinshi now, he would have become a respected gentleman in the county. Why bother? Sooner or later, I will lead students to earn a few bundles of money..."
Bai's words were inspiring, but Shen Yan couldn't laugh or cry after hearing this. How many scholars are there in the world, and it only takes three years to get a Jinshi degree of three hundred? How easy is it to pass the exam?
If you want your family to change its status as soon as possible, it is better to expect Shen to come quickly than to expect him.
Thinking of Shen, Shen Yan's thoughts about leaving Beijing came back again and again.
Tian Shanchang in the academy thinks highly of Shen and has given him guidance several times. Even though he is not officially listed on the door wall now, it still seems to be of great significance. In this world, teachers and students also need fate. Tian Shanchang was born in a scholarly family. He is also an old family member in the capital, and he has many talents. If Shen can really become his disciple, it will be a good thing for his future career in the imperial examination.
When Shen Cang came back from the Yamen and saw the huanghuali wooden box, he glanced at Shen Rui and waved his hand to send Shen Rui away.
Shen Rui was a little confused. Whether it was praise or ridicule, wasn't Shen Cang just a comment on Shen Yan's courage? Or was he not looking for the right direction, so Shen Cang was dissatisfied with such "results"?
In the main room, Shen Cang was indeed not very satisfied.
He frowned and said: "Is Brother Rui actually a gentleman? And let people see through it at a glance?"
Xu was stunned: "Master?"
Shen Cang pointed at the wooden box and said: "For those two children, these things may not bring their brothers back to the clan, but they are amulets that can prove their identities. Now that they have given them all to Brother Rui, they are sure that Brother Rui will not Will we bear each other down? If we rely on each other like this, if the rewards are insufficient, we will have resentments. Then we will become enemies to life and death.
Mrs. Xu chuckled and said: "Although Brother Rui is not a pure gentleman, he is a responsible person. I think Shen Yan has a very good vision. Instead of clinging to these things and living with extravagant hopes, it is better to end it. The world is like this Big, the Shen family is just the head of a government, if you leave Songjiang, what does it matter if you are a member of the Shen family?"
Shen Cang was still dissatisfied: "In the final analysis, Brother Rui is not good at making plans. It was obviously an opportunity for him to show kindness to others, but instead he had to give the other person an explanation... I would rather he be a real villain than just pretending to be someone else." If you act like a gentleman and keep your promises, a gentleman in this world will always suffer..."
Mrs. Xu shook her head and said: "I really love you deeply and take responsibility seriously. If Brother Rui is so pedantic and doesn't know how to adapt, I will be worried... I see that Brother Rui has a harmonious temper. Excellent…
Shen Cang sighed: "I think Brother Rui has the scheming, but the character is not enough. If you want to become an official, the imperial examination is just the beginning. If you really want to be an official, what can you do if you are not ruthless enough?"
Mrs. Xu said softly: "When I chose Brother Rui as our heir, didn't we just care that this child is a grateful and soft-hearted child? He is still young, so I will teach him slowly."
Shen Cang then glanced at the huanghuali wooden box and said in a low voice: "That boy has such decisive and sharp methods, and he is stronger than Brother Rui. I really can't worry about it..."
Xu said: "What kind of wisdom is it to leave no escape route and entrust the honor and disgrace to others? In other words, Brother Rui is a kind and good boy who will not betray his trust. It would be different if it were anyone else↑ The basket was in vain. Although Rui Ge's temperament is less decisive, he is more cautious. No matter when, he will not make such a desperate move..."
Seeing his old wife praising Shen Rui like this, Shen Cang felt slightly sad.
He remembered what his wife said half a year ago. In this family, his wife valued him the most, then Shen Rui, and then Sister Yu. Others had to take a back seat.
If these words had been said thirty or twenty years ago, Shen Cang would have thought that his wife was too selfish and a bit stingy; after so many years, they were both brother and sister-in-law and father. Damn, I watched the second and third houses stand up with my own eyes, and I finally understood the saying "a tree has big branches". Each branch branched out has its own leaves, and each branch is its own.
If the daughter of a high-ranking family of the Xu family, a virtuous and kind-hearted woman, had married into another family, she would have had many children and grandchildren; in the final analysis, she was the one who couldn't stand her.
Although Shen Rui's temperament is somewhat deficient, his filial piety towards his adopted mother is genuine, otherwise he would not come to the room to "have a meal" if nothing happened. Although Shen Rui is not as casual with him as he is with his adopted mother, he is always caring. The worry he expressed when he was with Shi Ji was not a lie. If Shen Rui had an ambitious and profit-oriented character, then he would really be worried.
Thinking of this, Shen Cang's expression softened and he said: "Madam is right, I am too impatient..."
When he met Shen Rui the next day, Shen Cang became less picky and affirmed, which finally brought an end to the matter.
After one thing came to an end, Shen Rui continued to go out early and come back late. If he wanted to participate in the provincial examination next year, he must seize the remaining fourteen months.
Shen Jue also "retreats" to sharpen his weapons before the battle and prepare for the college examination.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed and it was mid-June.
It is now a scorching summer, and even though Shen Jue comes in early in the morning, he comes back from every exam looking like a dehydrated salted fish, with no energy.
When Mrs. Xu saw this, she couldn't help but worry. Various soups to relieve summer heat were always prepared. They were delivered by car every time, and the soups to relieve heat were kept in sealed baskets and kept on ice.
Speaking of which, Shen Rui was more prepared than when he took the exam.
Shen Jue was seriously ill a year ago. Now she can't see anything, but the elders can't help but worry more.
As for the second wife, Qiao, she was sent to Changping Zhuangzi as early as after the Dragon Boat Festival, along with Mao’s mother.
Different from the county examination and the prefecture examination, in the college examination, even though Shen Jue was still a fast player and left the examination room with a "show", he was not listed on the red list.
Shen Jue could not help but be affected, and his expression became uneasy. Shen Rui Shao had no choice but to comfort him.
When the last exam was over, Shen Jue collapsed after leaving the examination room.
Shen Rui happened to go with the housekeeper to pick him up. He was startled when he saw this, and hurriedly stepped forward to help him. For fear of being delayed, he did not dare to take him home, so he went straight to a nearby medical center.
When they arrived at the hospital, Shen Rui realized something was wrong before helping Shen Jue out of the car.
"Huhu"
Shen Jue was snoring and sleeping soundly.
Seeing this, Shen Rui hurriedly stopped the housekeeper from helping the person, and sent him to call the doctor directly.
When the doctor came to take a pulse, his face looked a little ugly.
However, seeing that the Shen family's carriage was in good shape and that Shen Rui was wearing Confucian clothes, the doctor suppressed his anger and said: "It's a bit hot, but it's not a problem. Just eat two bowls of heat-relieving soup after waking up..."
An own mistake.
Shen Jue slept until the next day. Except for Shen Rui, others were not too worried. It was not that they didn't care about Shen Jue, but it was because Shen Jue spent so much energy that many candidates fell asleep. The same thing happened to me after I came out of the provincial examination room.
The third master is in frail health, and Shen Jue is much stronger than the third master even though he got seriously ill a few years ago.
The next morning, when Shen Jue woke up, the first thing she did was to order Chunying to pack and seal all the books in the small study.
If it weren't for the high price of the books and his unwillingness to cause trouble to make his elders worry, Shen Jue would have burned these books. Staring at them for half a year almost made him vomit.
Shen Rui happened to come over to visit Shen Jue, and was quite surprised to see him.
"It seems Brother Jue is confident?" Shen Rui said with a smile.
When it comes to exam candidates, some will perform abnormally due to excessive pressure, while others will perform exceptionally well when they are excited in the examination room. As the elder brother, Shen Rui naturally hopes that Shen Jue will be the latter.
Shen Jue shook his head happily and said: "No chance... How many old Confucians with gray beards were present, and I only wrote the article for a few days..."
No matter what, the exam is over and there is nothing to do except wait for the results.
Shen Rui was afraid that Shen Jue would be under great pressure and did not let him write the article silently, but the third master was also watching the matter.
In the past six months, the third master has often given guidance to Shen Jue in his studies. He has seen his progress and naturally hopes that he will pass the college examination smoothly.
Considering Shen Jue's age, it is actually not a big deal to fall in love for the first time. However, because Shen Yan is in the capital and is in Nancheng Academy, the third master still hopes that Shen Jue can stand up and not be compared to Shen Yan.
When Shen Jue wrote down the instructions and strategies for the several court exams, the third master read it and involuntarily tightened his eyebrows.
However, he did not mean to blame Shen Jue. Instead, he explained: "It's not that Brother Jue didn't do well in the article. It's that the questions in this college examination were biased. When it comes to talking about the world and the people, these things require experienced Confucians to do. For Young people are at a disadvantage."
Shen Jue sighed and said: "Third uncle, you don't know, I was dumbfounded at the time. Speaking of which, it was all my own fault. My second brother drafted dozens of questions for me last month, and several of them had similar questions. But I didn't take it to heart, and just made up a random essay and got over it. If I had known that this year's test questions would be biased towards this, I would have made a few sample essays, and maybe I could have borrowed a little bit from it..."
Even Shen Jue himself was not optimistic about his college entrance examination results. When the day came for the results to be announced, the results could be imagined.