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“The teacher must be thrilled right now. The Hongle Academy’s reputation is probably soaring high,” Jiang Chunhe remarked.
“It’s just eight scholar candidates, not a big deal,” Jiang Chunbao replied coldly.
“But there’s still Song Jingyun, the top scorer,” Jiang Chunhe continued, pressing on.
“I already explained, I had to take two months off and couldn’t attend the academy…”
“But you’ve been studying for years. Even with a two-month break, Song Jingyun managed to achieve the top score with just a few months of studying,” Jiang Chunhe interjected, “People’s abilities vary, don’t they?”
Jiang Chunbao’s face turned as red as a pig’s liver, gritted his teeth, unable to form any response.
This Jiang Chunhe really doesn’t act like an elder brother at all! And this Song Jingyun is quite a nuisance!
“Stop arguing. If you have the energy to argue at noon, go and work in the fields,” Jiang Youcai, feeling impatient with his bickering brothers, said, “None of you have any real skills. Just shouting at each other at home, what kind of behavior is that?”
Jiang Chunhe and Jiang Chunbao both rolled their eyes at his words.
After a pause, Jiang Youcai continued, “It’s been many years already. It’s a shame to suddenly give up midway. Second son, you must continue your studies, and eldest son, no more objections.”
“However, the fact that the second son has been studying for so many years and still hasn’t passed as a scholar isn’t acceptable. Give him two more years. If he still doesn’t pass by then, he should stop going to the academy and find a different livelihood to support the family.”
Upon hearing Jiang Youcai’s decision for him to continue studying, Jiang Chunbao was initially pleased. However, his expression turned sour upon hearing the two-year deadline.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Chunhe touched his nose and remarked, “What’s wrong? Two years not enough for you? Don’t forget, Song Jingyun passed after just a few months of studying.”
Silence doesn’t make you seem wise!
Jiang Chunbao clenched his teeth in anger but restrained himself in front of Jiang Youcai, nodding, “I understand, Father. I will study diligently.”
With the matter clarified, Jiang Youcai didn’t want to dwell on it further. Feeling a bit frustrated that Jiang Chunbao hadn’t passed as a scholar, he walked back to his room with his hands behind his back.
Zhang Shi took Wu Shi to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Soon, only Jiang Chunhe and Jiang Chunbao remained in the courtyard.
Feeling stifled, Jiang Chunbao’s gaze sharpened like a knife as he glared at Jiang Chunhe.
He didn’t forget to direct a couple of sharp glances towards the third family’s direction as well.
That wretched Song Jingyun! Before his arrival, Jiang Chunbao was one of the few scholars in the village, treated with respect by all, even revered by his family.
But now, this Song Jingyun had stolen all his limelight with his studies, making even his own family look at him with disdain.
Upon closer examination, it was all because of this “son-in-law” Song Jingyun!
To make matters worse, he was so smug, always flaunting his achievements, which was truly off-putting!
If only something happened to Song Jingyun, preventing him from taking exams in the future would be ideal. After all, the imperial examination explicitly states that individuals with disabilities or visible scars on their faces are not allowed to participate…
When this thought crossed Jiang Chunbao’s mind, even he was taken aback.
However, he quickly regained his composure.
In reality, it wasn’t impossible; it would just prevent him from participating in the imperial examination, not from living…
Jiang Chunhe was about to mock Jiang Chunbao, but seeing the way he kept glancing towards the third family’s home, his brows furrowed, “You wouldn’t be thinking of causing trouble in the third family’s household, would you?”
“I’m warning you in advance, dealings with the third family’s household is cursed. Anyone who gets involved ends up in trouble. Stay away from there if you know what’s good for you!”
Initially skeptical when Zhang shi mentioned the curse of the third family’s household, but Jiang Chunhe eventually started to believe it.
First, he couldn’t find any game while hunting in the mountains. Then the roof collapsed on him, and Zhang shi fell into a pit…
One misfortune after another occurred, all seemingly linked to interactions with the third family.
In recent days, Jiang Chunhe had been avoiding the third family, not even daring to cross paths with them. He believed that the string of bad luck he had experienced reinforced his belief.
Jiang Chunhe even thought that Jiang Chunbao’s leg injury earlier was somehow related to Song Jingyun attending the Hongle Academy.
The curse surrounding the third family’s household was indeed potent and something to be wary of.
Jiang Chunhe didn’t want Jiang Chunbao to cause trouble that would bring misfortune to the whole family.
“What are you talking about? I’m a scholar. Do you think I would do something underhanded?” Jiang Chunbao dismissed, waving his hand as he entered his room.
Soon, the sound of diligent studying emanated from his room, filled with words that Jiang Chunhe couldn’t understand.
Keep pretending to study!
Jiang Chunhe gritted his teeth.
Because the academy suddenly produced eight scholar candidates, Meng Ziting and Zhang Wenbin had smiles stretching from ear to ear.
Especially Meng Ziting, whose eyes were practically popping out with joy.
This situation occurred frequently in the past few days.
“Master Meng…”
“Yes, yes, our academy produced eight scholar candidates this year. How did you know?”
“…”
“!!!!”
A few days later, whenever people saw Meng Ziting, they greeted him with a direct, “Oh, I heard your academy produced eight scholar candidates this year.”
Meng Ziting didn’t show any modesty, simply nodding like a pecking chicken, “Yes, and we even had a top scorer!”
“!!!!”
A few days later, the new opening line for conversations became, “Master Meng, I heard that Hongle Academy produced eight scholar candidates this year, with one ranking first in the provincial exam?”
“That’s correct.” Meng Ziting continued to nod vigorously, “Bringing back memories of my past achievements…”
“…”
Lack of humility!
Zhang Wenbin was so disgusted that for the following days, he avoided going out with Meng Ziting to prevent being irritated by his shameless behavior.
The provincial exams have concluded, and with the pomegranate flowers blooming in May, the next step is the academy exams in August. The new scholar candidates cannot afford to slack off; instead, they must work even harder.
Meng Ziting devoted himself even more diligently to teaching his students.
The students, in turn, intensified their efforts in their studies.
Song Jingyun extended his study time by the duration of a cup of tea compared to before. However, with longer daylight hours at this time of year, the period between finishing his studies and nightfall seemed extended.
During these spare moments, Song Jingyun joined Jiang Mixia in tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard.
Because of Song Jingyun’s studies, Jiang Mixia hadn’t ventured to the mountains to gather flowers and plants for a while. Therefore, the variety of flora in the courtyard remained the same.