Chapter 423 Provincial Examination
The next day, just after dawn, Gu Ruinian arrived at the door of the Gu family.
When Tong Huaqiong's family sent Gu Jingzhe out, they saw a group of people in the old house holding Gu Ruinian and giving him instructions.
"Sister-in-law." Sister-in-law Jia called out enthusiastically.
Old Mrs. Gu snorted.
This was the first time that Tong Huaqiong had a head-on confrontation with the people from the old house since the fight between them and the people from the old house on the anniversary of Old Man Gu's death.
Tong Huaqiong nodded to Jia as a greeting.
"Auntie, thank you for agreeing to let Brother Jingzhe take me to the provincial capital." Gu Ruinian said to Tong Huaqiong with a grateful look on his face.
"We have a carriage at home, so it won't be a problem to bring one more person." Tong Huaqiong couldn't stand Gu Ruinian's false thanks.
When she thought that Gu Ruinian might be an old man in the future, but was pretending to be innocent and talking to her here, she wanted to vomit the food she had eaten the night before.
Su Chengmin drove the carriage, and Nie Xiaofeng carried Gu Jingzhe's package and threw it into the carriage, saying, "Uncle, let's go."
"Mom, I'm going."
Gu Jingzhe jumped onto the carriage.
"Relax during the exam and don't feel stressed," Tong Huaqiong advised.
She didn't have anything else to say.
Tong Huaqiong has great confidence in this man who won the third place in the imperial examination in his previous life.
On the other hand, in the old house, Mrs. Gu and the Jia family held Gu Ruinian's hand and kept reminding him, asking if the silver was hidden, asking if he had brought all the dry food, asking him to eat whatever he wanted when he arrived in the city and not to worry about the silver, and asking him not to eat and drink too much to avoid getting an upset stomach...
This made Gu Ruinian very impatient.
"That's enough. If we continue talking, it will waste time." Old Master Gu frowned at Old Lady Gu and the Jia family.
Gu Ruinian broke free from the encirclement of his grandmother and mother and jumped onto the carriage.
"Don't quarrel on the way, both of you. Remember that you are representing the descendants of the Gu family. If there is anything, talk about it when you get home." Old Man Gu warned his two grandsons while leaning on the carriage.
Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian nodded in agreement.
At this time, the patriarch and other members of the tribe came to see them off.
It is necessary to come. After all, going to the provincial capital to take the exam is a big event, and there has never been a scholar among the families in Qinghe Bay.
The Gu family is about to produce two children, which makes the people in the clan extremely excited.
The clan leader naturally gave some instructions to Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian on behalf of everyone, which were nothing more than asking them to do well in the exams and bring honor to the clan.
Tong Huaqiong thought that the clan leader only said nice things but did nothing substantial, not even offering to give the two children some money for their trip.
The patriarch of this clan is not as good as the village heads of some later generations. Some village heads know to provide travel expenses for college students in their village to study.
The clan leader wanted to let the clan members bring honor to the clan without any cost.
As soon as the clan leader finished his instructions, Su Chengmin drove away with his carriage.
"As soon as Ruinian left, I became worried that he wouldn't be able to pass the imperial examination." Old Mrs. Gu said, rubbing her eyes.
Jia was so angry that she gritted her teeth. Couldn't the damn old woman say anything nice?
If her family member Ruinian can’t pass the imperial examination, who can?
Her family's Rui Nian will not only win the prize, but will also take first place.
Ruinian told her this secretly and asked her not to tell anyone else.
Mrs. Gu's worry made Jia unable to hold back and said, "Mother, what you said means that my Rui Nian will definitely be the first in the case."
Forget it, I'll just say it.
Anyway, her Ruinian doesn't tell lies.
Last time, he said he could pass the exam after only a few days of study. Everyone tried to stop him, but he insisted on taking the exam. No one believed him at the time, but he still passed.
Old Master Gu thought Jia was too high-profile, so he glared at her and said, "Don't be so absolute about everything. What kind of pressure do you put on Rui Nian by saying this?"
Jia was scolded by her father-in-law, and her face was embarrassed. In order to save face, she turned to ask Tong Huaqiong: "Sister-in-law, what place do you plan to take in the exam this time?"
Tong Huaqiong said: "Not as good as Ruinian, I will be satisfied if Jingzhe can pass the exam this time."
Tong Huaqiong yawned and wanted to go back to sleep.
Jingzhe is definitely not as good as Ruinian. Jingzhe started to learn at the age of five and studied hard for so many years, but his own Ruinian only studied for less than half a year and was able to pass the examination and become a student like Gu Jingzhe.
Jia felt that she had surpassed her elder sister-in-law and felt a little relieved.
......
After Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian went to the provincial capital.
I don’t know who spread the word, but everyone in Qinghe Bay knew that Gu Ruinian was going to be the first in the case.
Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu accepted the flattery from the villagers with a smile.
Gu Youtian and Jia had been too embarrassed to go out ever since the villagers found out that their business was losing money and they were in debt. But in the past few days, they started to go out with their backs straightened, and the couple felt elated amid the envious gazes of everyone.
It seemed as if Gu Ruinian had really won the case.
On the other hand, Tong Huaqiong was doing what she was supposed to do, as if Gu Jingzhe was going out for a trip instead of taking an exam.
When someone asked Tong Huaqiong whether Gu Jingzhe could pass the imperial examination, Tong Huaqiong said conservatively, "Who knows? It all depends on fate."
So some people began to say that Gu Jingzhe was not as good as Gu Ruinian, otherwise why would Tong Dajiao, who has always been flamboyant, stop being so aggressive?
You know, Tong Da Jiao used to praise Gu Jingzhe wherever she went.
"Mom, people say that my third brother is not as good as Ruinian. Will he really lose to Ruinian this time?" Chen Sufen took a stroll outside and heard someone praising Gu Ruinian for stepping on Gu Jingzhe. She argued with the outsider for a few words and ran home angrily to seek confidence from her mother-in-law.
Tong Huaqiong said: "Jingzhe doesn't need to compare with Ruinian, he only needs to compare with himself. Just wait and see, Ruinian is making a lot of noise but not much action this time. If he wins the case, I will walk upside down."
Chen Sufen has always believed what Tong Huaqiong says.
She felt relieved when her mother-in-law said this.
These days she has been worried that if Gu Jingzhe fails, she doesn't know how people outside will talk about her mother-in-law behind her back. But her mother-in-law is a strong-willed person and will definitely not stand other people's gossip.
Tong Huaqiong thought, let Gu Youtian and Jia's couple make their presence felt in the village, and then give them a slap in the face, just thinking about such a plot is exciting.
Seven days later, Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian returned to the village together after taking the exam.
As soon as the carriage driven by Su Chengmin and Nie Xiaofeng appeared at the entrance of the village, someone shouted loudly that the scholar was back.
Everyone followed the carriage all the way to Tong Huaqiong's door.
Su Chengmin had already asked someone to bring a letter back from the provincial capital today, so Tong Huaqiong was already looking forward to it.
While she was studying cotton planting techniques in the yard, she kept looking out the door.
Hong and Chen Sufen accompanied Tong Huaqiong in waiting. Master Su came to Qinghe Bay early in the morning and was also waiting for his beloved disciple to return from the provincial capital.
Seeing the shadow of the carriage, Tong Huaqiong and others rushed forward quickly.
Maner, Xiaolong, Yaozu followed and surrounded the carriage.
"Did Third Uncle pass the exam to become a scholar?" Nie Xiaofeng jumped off the carriage first, then helped Gu Jingzhe get off. Man'er saw Gu Jingzhe and asked loudly.
"It will take a few days to get the results." Nie Xiaofeng said.
"Jingzhe, how did you do on the exam?"
“When will the results come out?”
"Oh, it looks like the result is not good."
The onlookers were talking about the incident, and the village chief Liu Tielian was stuck in the crowd and couldn't be driven away.
Gu Jingzhe bowed respectfully to Tong Huaqiong, Master Su and others.
In this era, taking exams is hard work.
I sat alone in the enclosed examination room, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating inside, and I felt numb after the whole examination.
Tong Huaqiong found that Gu Jingzhe looked pale and had become weak in just a few days.
"Stop saluting and go home to sleep first." Tong Huaqiong said.
"Yes, yes, let's take a rest first and then talk about other things."
Master Su's thoughts on his beloved disciple were the same as Tong Huaqiong's. The exam had already been taken, and there was no point in worrying about the results now, so it would be better to let him rest first.