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Mrs. Niu was already planning in her mind who to share the interesting story about Jiang Mixia’s family with when she went to work at the Babao Square later.
Mrs. Ma? She gossiped the fastest and loved to chat aimlessly with others.
Mrs. Chen was also a good choice; she knew the most people, and if she spread the news, it would circulate through several nearby alleys.
Yes, and there’s also that one…
Suddenly, Mrs. Niu felt a sharp pain in her throat.
*Cough!*
Mrs. Niu coughed several times, trying to clear whatever was causing the discomfort in her throat. Despite her efforts, it didn’t seem to help, and the pain only intensified.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Yaosheng sounded displeased.
At the dinner table, with her throat hurting like this, there was no trace of etiquette to be found.
At the dinner table, there was absolutely no trace of etiquette in her current state.
“I… I…” Mrs. Niu’s voice was hoarse, “I… I got a fish bone stuck.”
Seemed like a big deal.
Frowning, Zhang Yaosheng handed Mrs. Niu a steamed bun from the table, “Take a few bites, it should help.”
Yes, usually when someone gets a fish bone stuck, eating something dry helps to dislodge it down the throat.
Mrs. Niu hurriedly stuffed the steamed bun into her mouth.
Chewing in big bites, careful not to chew it too finely, she swallowed it down like swallowing a date whole.
The steamed bun was a bit dry, making it quite a task to swallow. Mrs. Niu had to tilt her head back, then fetched a ladle of cold water, attempting to wash down the partially choking bun.
Despite the effort, after managing to swallow the bun and drink the water, the sharp pain in her throat persisted, worsening even more, feeling like her throat had been nicked open by a small knife, burning intensely.
The intensity of the pain made Mrs. Niu instinctively clutch her throat and hastily scoop cold water from the water jar to drink.
In the freezing December weather, almost turning water to ice, the thin layer of ice in the water jar made Zhang Yaosheng tremble as he watched her pour cold water into her mouth.
“Are you okay…” Zhang Yaosheng stood up to check on her.
Mrs. Niu tried to speak, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t produce a single sound!
Was she going to be mute?
Startled by this thought, Mrs. Niu desperately attempted to shout, but only managed a hoarse, barely audible sound, resembling a goose being strangled, “Ah, ah,” almost inaudible.
It was over…
She was really going to be mute.
Mrs. Niu slumped to the ground.
—
Snow fell in two consecutive episodes, with only a day in between.
The two snowfalls were heavy, with a short interval between them, resulting in snow accumulation of almost half a foot, making walking extremely challenging.
For Song Jingyun, the distance from home to the academy was relatively short. However, even with this proximity, the thick snow made the journey difficult, leaving shoes and socks soaked.
In light of this situation, Jiang Mixia called for Zhucui to brainstorm how to make special snow shoes for Song Jingyun and Chengmao to facilitate their travels.
Before they could come up with a design for the snow shoes, Song Jingyun and Chengmao had already returned carrying their satchels.
“Why are you back so early?” Jiang Mixia and Zhucui hurriedly prepared hot tea and hand warmers for the two.
“The snow was too heavy. Some of the buildings at the academy leaked during snowmelt, and a couple of structures developed cracks due to the heavy snow pressing down. The headmaster feared for safety, so he asked those of us living nearby to return home to study. Once the academy is repaired, we’ll go back,” Song Jingyun explained.
“It’ll probably take about seven to eight days,” he added.
Seven to eight days meant the exams were approaching.
Jiang Mixia nodded in agreement, “That’s fine. It’ll save us from running back and forth these days.”
Anticipating bad weather, Jiang Mixia had instructed Zhucui and Chengmao to prepare extra vegetables and meat at home before the snowfall.
With an ample supply of charcoal and sufficient food and water at home, they felt completely secure even staying indoors.
The cold weather outside only increased their cravings, prompting Zhucui, who had excellent culinary skills, to invent new dishes.
Today it was bean curd with meat, tomorrow it would be braised lamb, for lunch it was chicken soup noodles, and the following day it would be steaming hot cabbage and pork dumplings…
In Jiang Mixia’s home, the lingering aroma of these dishes was a constant presence.
Their neighbors couldn’t help but occasionally sniff the air and lick their lips.
“I have to say, lady Jiang and Master Song’s household leads a truly comfortable life. The food they eat is exceptional.”
“Their good food is no coincidence. I heard Jiang lady is quite capable. She does business with Zheng’s in the town and seems to have some partnership with Qiu’s as well.”
“That’s right. When I visited Qiu’s place once, I overheard a relative working there mentioning that lady Jiang provides intricate drawing designs to Qiu’s, each worth several taels of silver. With a batch of over ten drawings, she easily pockets tens of taels of silver.”
“Well, making money that fast, they deserve to enjoy life with good food and drinks.”
“That’s nothing. I also heard that Jiang lady’s family owns farmland. The annual rent and gifts from tenants alone are abundant, not to mention the additional income from a workshop at home.”
“So, her frequent dining out at restaurants is well justified. It’s not about squandering money; we shouldn’t gossip behind her back like Mrs. Niu does.”
“Exactly. Mrs. Niu got her throat pricked by a fish bone. Who knows, maybe it’s from her loose tongue and gossiping. Perhaps even the heavens couldn’t stand it.”
“Who knows, ‘the gods see all.’ It’s hard to say. To be blunt, if I had such wealth at home, I’d indulge in good food and drinks all day.”
“Well, I’d do it differently. I wouldn’t just eat and drink like lady Jiang’s household; I’d buy even more dishes to bring back home…”
—
After several sunny days, the accumulated snow gradually melted away.
The repairs on the academy’s roof and walls were now complete, restoring everything to normal.
At this point, it was time for the exams.
The exams were scheduled for a full three days, with several scholars consecutively setting the questions. Students had to answer within the allotted time frame.
The exams somewhat resembled the imperial examination system: starting with the Four Books and Five Classics, followed by poetry and finally a current affairs essay.
While the first two sections were relatively straightforward for those well-versed in the texts, it was the current affairs essay that posed a challenge. The chosen topic was “One is not a sage, rarely does one possess all talents, but adaptability can suffice.”
Although a common topic, it was precisely these kinds of themes that were difficult to excel in. Many felt drained and wilted after the final exam, resembling frostbitten eggplants.
However, Song Jingyun remained spirited and even appeared jubilant.
“It seems Master Song is quite confident about this exam,” Wei Liangji remarked, envy evident on his face.
It was no surprise; Song Jingyun’s diligent studying had surpassed many others. With his progress, it was highly likely that he would secure the top spot in the exams.