The path is forged by one's own steps. Yan'er has considered all the consequences, so let her follow her heart.
With only the three of them, three women and children, left in this household, if they were to be convicted, it would only be the three of them.
The Lin family line had already ended with Xu'er's generation. Now, they were merely living borrowed years.
The courtyard Lin Yan had rented in the county town, though called small, was a two-section dwelling.
The Lin family moving in was quite comfortable. After Lin Boshi tactfully withdrew, Old Madam Lin and Madam Lin began to inquire meticulously about Lin Yan's situation.
After Lin Yan answered all their questions, she allowed them to rest.
The next morning, after accompanying the two elders for breakfast, Lin Yan returned to the academy to study.
The academy had not yet begun its winter break. Lin Yan had taken leave to pick them up. Now that Jie Ya's mother and grandmother were settled, she had to return to classes.
There were only a few days of classes left at the academy. The teachers were currently helping the students consolidate their learning from the year and guiding them on their shortcomings.
Coupled with the upcoming year-end exams, the academy was filled with a strong academic atmosphere.
Lin Yan was progressing rapidly, and the academy's teachers were very pleased with her. Some teachers even felt a pang of admiration for her talent and wished to take her as a disciple.
However, this Lin Yan seemed rather blunt, completely unable to understand their hints.
Although Old Madam Lin and Madam Lin were now in the same city as Lin Yan, they still couldn't meet. However, knowing that Lin Yan was safe and sound put their minds at ease.
They were not idle either. After thoroughly inspecting the place where Lin Yan lived and patiently questioning the maidservant Dong Mei, they began to procure items for Lin Yan.
Hearing from Lin Yan that a teacher had taken great care of her, they also prepared some New Year gifts. Although not particularly valuable, they were local specialties from their hometown.
The gift itself was not important; it was the thought that counted. They packed the gifts, intending to present them to her teacher after Lin Yan's holiday.
Later, Madam Lin, with the maidservant who attended to her, made some alterations to the clothes they had brought.
She had made clothes for Lin Yan based on her estimated size. However, Lin Yan seemed to be growing faster than anticipated, and the clothes brought were a bit short.
At this point, Madam Lin had not yet realized that Lin Yan's height was somewhat unusual. After all, she had not interacted with many other children. Girls often mature earlier, but it was rare for a twelve or thirteen-year-old to be this tall.
By the time Madam Lin realized it, Lin Yan's height was already similar to that of her classmates, standing at 1.7 meters. Among the scholars from the southern regions, she even stood out.
After the year-end exams concluded, Lin Yan did not wait to see her results. She returned to the small courtyard she had rented in the county town to help Old Madam Lin prepare for the New Year's provisions.
Finding an opportune moment, she delivered the New Year's gifts to the two teachers and, after receiving some practice questions, Lin Yan returned home.
Lin Bo was still staying at the academy for the next few days. He would only come a few days before the Lunar New Year and would also bring back Lin Yan's results.
The couplets on the outer doors were written by Lin Yan herself. Her calligraphy had improved immeasurably compared to when she had first arrived.
The neighbors, seeing them, also brought items, hoping Lin Yan would write some for them as well. Lin Yan agreed to all their requests.
Lin Bo arrived only after the Lin family had pasted up the couplets. Upon arrival, he apologized to Old Madam Lin. His delay was due to taking on several more copying jobs.
Although he would be spending the Lunar New Year at Lin Yan's home, he still needed to prepare some things. He couldn't arrive empty-handed, and he also wanted to save more money for the upcoming prefectural and academy examinations next year.
Old Madam Lin, however, felt that Lin Bo's approach was excellent. He was not entirely reliant on the family and could earn his own expenses for studying.
A child like this, even if he couldn't achieve great success, would at least not add much burden to the family due to his pursuit of officialdom.
The Lin family's New Year celebration was quite lively. After the New Year's Eve dinner, Lin Yan and Lin Bo stayed up together to usher in the new year.
They discussed academics while making plans for the future.
"Yan, my younger cousin, I can barely keep up with your level now." Listening to Lin Yan's answers and analysis, Lin Bo felt how much he was lacking.
"Then cousin still needs to work harder," Lin Yan said, sharing some of her insights with Lin Bo.
"Yan, my cousin, please spare me. It's the New Year. Let me rest a bit," Lin Bo pleaded repeatedly.
It wasn't that he wasn't diligent, but he had already spoken so much. If he continued to listen to Lin Yan, he suspected his cousin would soon start giving him exercises to do.
"Cousin, you don't need to worry so much. I won't really make you do exercises during the New Year. Besides, with your current knowledge, passing the prefectural exam should be more than enough."
Lin Yan's perspective had broadened, and she was very clear about Lin Bo's current capabilities.
With Lin Bo's current learning, he should be able to achieve the status of a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level). If he wanted to advance further to become a Juren (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the provincial level), he was still a considerable distance away.
She believed Lin Bo was aware of this himself, which was why he was not as diligent as before. The provincial examination was still a long way off, so there was no need to rush.
"My teacher also said so." Lin Bo's performance in this year-end examination was upper-middle. He had personally collected his results from his teacher, who had then explained his situation.
This result was quite satisfactory for him. He knew that Maolin Academy was full of hidden talents, and he was already content with his achievement.
However, this result could not compare to that of his cousin Lin Yan. She had achieved an upper-upper grade this time. His teacher mentioned that she was among the top three in this year's examinations and would be able to move into a private dormitory next quarter.
"But cousin, you don't want to stop at being a Xiucai, do you?" While a Xiucai was exempt from taxes and labor, they were only slightly better off than ordinary people.
"This, this is because the provincial examination is still far away," Lin Bo said somewhat awkwardly.
"It's not far. Cousin, I want to participate in the provincial examination with you. So, in the future, you and I will study together."
Lin Bo was aware of some of the problems Lin Yan had. But he hadn't mentioned it, so he hadn't asked.
However, he hadn't expected Lin Yan to ask him to study together. Thinking about Lin Yan's schedule, Lin Bo immediately felt a sense of darkness. If he were to be as diligent as Lin Yan, he would have absolutely no time for socializing.
"True friendship doesn't fade because of a short period of interaction," Lin Yan said, seeing through Lin Bo's thoughts. "Cousin, after you pass the Xiucai examination, you will have more time to make friends."
Of course, this was just a polite remark, much like when your high school teacher tells you that university will be easy.