Chapter 446: Chapter 435: The Top Scorer from a Farming Family
Listening to these women whispering surreptitiously and seeing their strange gazes, Ye Wangshi felt like she was going mad. Ye Huang, always causing more problems than solutions—she must have a grudge against her!
"No, it’s not like that," Ye Wangshi struggled to explain, but she couldn’t find the words to speak. How should she explain?
"Oh, what are you still standing there for, mother? Hurry up and help Ye Mei back home!"
"Yeah indeed, poor child, she must have been frightened, just standing there not talking."
Though these women seemed to be persuading her, they were probably mocking her internally! It was infuriating how Ye Huang was usually quiet in the village, everyone called her honest, so none suspected her of lying. In fact, she did not lie, but once Ye Qiu returned, everything would be clear, and there would be no room for Ye Wangshi and Ye Mei to defend themselves. Ye Mei’s reputation was completely ruined.
A girl so desperately determined to marry another man at the cost of her own reputation, who would dare to marry her in the future? Isn’t that openly putting a green hat on themselves?
Thus, after Ye Mei returned home, she cried bitterly without heeding any consolation. While crying, she wondered, was she really so undesirable? Does Wang Zhaoxing dislike her so much?
She didn’t consider how many times Wang Zhaoxing had seen her since he grew up? On what basis would he like her? What was so special about her that he would fancy her?
Ye Qiu and Wang Zhaoxing guessed some of what happened after Ye Mei returned to the village. However, they really couldn’t sympathize with a girl who covets her brother-in-law and herself, because if they did sympathize, they would suffer themselves.
Ye Qiu took Wang Zhaoxing to the coach station, where there were people traveling to the State Mansion every day, and schoolmates waiting; hence he felt relieved and went to the school himself.
Although Ye Qiu still pays tuition every year, he has rarely come since this New Year’s Festival. Firstly, he was worried about his three sisters at home, and secondly, the teacher at the school had nothing left to teach, but he still came every few days to show the teacher his compositions.
"Very good." Holding Ye Qiu’s essay, the teacher read it and nodded repeatedly, "If nothing goes wrong, this year’s Provincial Examination should be a sure win."
Actually, the teacher was being too cautious with his words. He felt that Ye Qiu’s essays were even better than those of Wang Zhaoxing, the top scorer of last year. Perhaps, he might yet have another top scorer student this year!
Others say he teaches well, but he believes it’s his own good fortune to have encountered two extraordinarily talented students for two consecutive years, a rarity in his decades of teaching career.
"The teacher has praised me overmuch; in the Provincial Examination of October, I shall give my utmost effort," Ye Qiu responded with a bow, maintaining a dignified and upright posture, embodying the spirit of a gentleman. The old teacher was more and more pleased by the look of him. It was a pity that he had no daughters of marrying age; otherwise, he would have definitely introduced one to Ye Qiu.
From that day on, Ye Qiu continued his routine of visiting the county every five days. With the Imperial Examination imminent, Wang Zhaoxing’s visits home became less frequent. However, every time he came back, he was either accompanied by Ye Qiu or his older brother Wang Zhao Yang, making sure he was never left to fend alone.
It was fortunate that they were so cautious. After learning from their previous mistakes, Ye Wangshi and Ye Mei were more convinced of Wang Zhaoxing, and even Wang Po considered moving to the county town with her grandson, had Xiuya and the rest not still been residing in the village.
In September, Ye Qiu and their family finally came out of mourning. From that day forward, matchmakers knocking on the door had never stopped, but both he and Xiuya refused all proposals, citing Ye Qiu needing to concentrate on his exam studies.
October, the Provincial Examination officially commenced, and Ye Qiu, under the watchful eyes of his three younger sisters, entered the examination hall with his head held high.
Ye Qiu is seventeen this year. By his age, it’s a bit late to participate in the Provincial Examination, but the lure of becoming an official is too great. He’s not very conspicuous; in the queue, there are even white-bearded old men in their seventies and eighties!
The Provincial Examination lasts for three days, with candidates having to eat and stay at the examination venue. This year’s autumn is rather cold, and quilts are not allowed in the examination hall, so all the candidates wore thick clothing. This is unavoidable because catching a cold during the examination would be too great a loss.
They have it quite good compared to the Imperial Examination which is half a month later where candidates must stay for five long days; this is a real ordeal. Xiuya had just finished worrying about Ye Qiu and started to worry about Wang Zhaoxing, who would be participating in the Imperial Examination in half a month.
The examination content of the Provincial Examination includes the Four Books, Five Classics, and Counseling. The current Emperor has enlightened policies which are quite relaxed, not only is commerce thriving, local governance also has high autonomy, hence Counseling has become the focus of the examinations in recent years.
It is precisely because Ye Qiu excels in Counseling that the teacher said he has nothing more to teach him.
Ye Qiu is physically fit and mentally strong. Upon receiving the exam paper, unlike others who may feel agitated, he thought over it briefly and started writing extensively. While others were still scratching their heads, he had already written most of his answers.
The three days of examination passed in the blink of an eye. Compared to others who were visibly exhausted and dazed, Ye Qiu could be said to be refreshed and lively, although he felt a bit disgusted with himself for not having washed for three days.
When he came out, his three sisters were waiting for him in the donkey cart, with hot water and meals ready. However, the first thing he did was not to eat or rest but to quickly go to the inn and call for a large basin of hot water.
"Big Brother still loves cleanliness so much, what if his future wife doesn’t like to bathe?" Xiuya teased him.
Locals do not like bathing; it’s deep autumn now, and even in summer, some households only bathe once every five or six days. Their family, who needs to heat a large amount of water for bathing daily, is very rare.
Fortunately, Ye Qiu is currently not thinking of getting married, otherwise, that would be another trouble.
After the examination, Ye Qiu and his three sisters did not return home. After resting overnight, they decided to visit the State Mansion.
Due to mourning obligations, the farthest they had ever been, including Ye Qiu, was the county town, which limited him and also restricted his three sisters. He doesn’t hold conservative views; on the contrary, he believes the more a woman is exposed to, the better.
Moreover, he has other considerations. If he passes this examination, he will definitely go to the State Mansion for further studies. The State Mansion is too far from Ye Village, and if he goes there, he won’t be able to return for a while. What if Xiuya and her sisters get bullied in his absence? In this male-dominated society, even if women are just, they can only endure in silence, and he is not comfortable with that.
This trip to the State Mansion, apart from gaining experience and seeing Wang Zhaoxing, who will soon be taking the Imperial Examination, is to buy a courtyard there. Since they will have to stay in the State Mansion for at least a year, neither renting a house nor staying in an inn is convenient. They have the money and owning their own place is best, which also allows them to continue Xiutong’s flower-raising business.
Their state is called Dingshui State, a one and a half day’s carriage ride away from Yi’an County. Since they have decided to buy a house in the State Mansion, someone needs to do the cleaning, so they took two maids and one old woman, leaving one maid and one old woman back in Ye Village to look after the house.