When we arrived at the prefecture and county, we first sent Yuanyuan to Xingge’er’s place. Li Da led the way. Xingge’er and Wang Shitou were busy with the noon pot business. They had just sold out in a few minutes. When they saw that it was Uncle and Zhou Zhou, Xingge’er’s eyes lit up, and he saw a little face from the car and called him.

　　”Yuanyuan!” Xing Ge’er hugged his son tightly and kissed him again and again.

　　When Yuanyuan saw his father and father, he kissed them tightly and refused to let go. Wang Shitou hugged his son and said, “Dad will take you to buy some candied haws later.” It was more important to entertain the relatives of the Li family first.

　　When the couple saw Gu Zhao, they felt awkward and didn’t know how to greet him.

　　”We are a family, so it’s better to be polite than to be distant.” Gu Zhao said.

　　After staying in the prefecture for a day, Xingge’er and Wang Shitou didn’t have to bother to cook for them. Li Zhouzhou said, “We’ll go to the Jinyu Restaurant at noon tomorrow. My family wants to set up a few tables to make it more lively. Thank you for the care of the neighbors in Shiliu Lane over the years.”

　　Now that we’re all here, it’s time to say goodbye.

　　That night, the Li family stayed at the inn. Li Da went to have a drink with Mr. Zhu. Xing Geer sent a big bowl of pork head to his uncle. Li Da took it and the two brothers drank it. Gu Zhao and Li Zhouzhou were at the inn. Gu Zhao was writing a post, which was urgent. He paid the inn waiter to run a run and deliver it to the school teacher.

　　The post also stated the reason. First, it thanked the teacher for his careful teaching. Because he had to rush to Beijing to take up his post, his trip was urgent. He wanted to host a banquet at the Jinyu Restaurant tomorrow to express his gratitude.

　　At noon the next day, Manager Xu of the restaurant was planning to invite everyone to a banquet, just as he had said at the beginning – if Mr. Gu won the prize, he would prepare a banquet to congratulate him.

　　Why would he be needed? The owner of the Jinyu Restaurant came out in person and said that he was hosting a banquet for Mr. Gu today and he had reserved both the upper and lower floors, but Gu Zhao refused and joked that he would be grateful if he rounded off the amount.

　　The restaurant owner was also a smart guy, and he immediately praised Lord Gu for his honesty. He also knew that the other party was giving him face by taking this step back.

　　Sometimes wealthy merchants and gentry gave money to the Juren, not really for the sake of asking for anything. Most of the time they just wanted to take advantage of the Juren’s influence. The Juren accepted it and spread the news, saying that his family had connections with this family and that they wanted to take advantage of the situation by doing business there.

　　That’s what it is.

　　Of course, it also means buying stocks in advance. If someone is really rich and his official position is rising step by step, how can it be the turn of a small gentry in a town to curry favor with him and give him money? There are many people like him.

　　Now the restaurant owner is very proud, it is a reward from Lord Gu.

　　We had a lively meal. The second floor was occupied by the Li family and the teacher, two people from the neighboring family on Pomegranate Street came, and even Mrs. Ma and her husband, who had been away for a few years, came. Fortunately, they arrived in time and brought their child with them.

　　The child is one year old, a boy.

　　When the two heard from the Zheng family that Mr. Gu had passed the exam and would be settled in the capital, they hurried to the prefecture and county, even though they might come back empty-handed. They came anyway because they remembered the kindness of the Li family. If it weren’t for Mr. Li and Mr. Gu, they would have died long ago.

　　Fortunately I made it in time.

　　Li Zhouzhou saw it and heard Ma’s wife say the child’s name was Ma Li. Gu Zhao beside him touched the child’s head, soft hair, and said it was a good name, and hoped he would be safe and sound in the future.

　　The Ma couple laughed awkwardly.

　　Halfway through the meal, the Lord of the Mansion arrived. Everyone was stunned and stood up at once, not knowing how to greet him. Until the Lord of the Mansion gave them a seat, they went straight upstairs.

　　Anyway, it’s just another polite remark.

　　It was already past three in the afternoon when the banquet was over.

　　The people living on Pomegranate Street had no idea what this banquet was like, but they all felt honored and blessed, and hoped that their children would be as successful as Lord Gu in the future.

　　The next day, the Li family set out from another gate of the prefecture and county.

　　This banquet was talked about for a long time on Pomegranate Street. Even the waiter and the innkeeper, as well as the former customers of Li Ji Luzhu, started talking about it, saying how Lord Gu was and that Lord Fu Zun had also come and toasted him with wine.

　　Ordinary families with children studying would use Mr. Gu as an example. The You family in Xiangyou Alley also said it over and over again, and finally said: “…I don’t know if Mrs. Li will regret it in the future. She thought Li San was a treasure, but she mistook the fish eye for the eyeball. Now the Li family is prosperous, but that is the Li family.”

　　”He went to the capital to be the father of an official.”

　　Whether they regretted it or not, all they could hear was the quiet sobbing of Mrs. Li and Mr. Li at night. They didn’t dare to cry or regret openly, for fear that the third brother would get angry. Now that they were old, they all depended on the third brother for their care. If the third brother didn’t care about them anymore, they would have no way out…

　　It was still okay to walk around in June, but in July the weather became extremely hot.

　　His family’s Fubao’s originally chubby face has become thinner, and the family is very distressed. Gu Zhao said that they should walk more at night, during the day and in the morning, and rest at noon when it gets hot, and walk slower.

　　Because Gu Zhao now holds an official position, he can take the official road, which is smoother and safer. In addition, the sun rises early in the morning in summer, so he can travel at night or in the morning.

　　It was not until August 3rd that we actually arrived in the capital.

　　After checking the documents, the soldier guarding the city gate let them pass, but he just stared at the two sheep on the mule cart for a long time. They had been guarding the city gate for so long, and had seen officials of all ranks. It was just a review from the Hanlin Academy, but they had never seen anyone bring sheep to take up his post. It was quite strange. What kind of sheep were these? Was it necessary to bring so many along?

　　The family entered the city, looking exhausted and tired. Gu Zhao first found an inn to settle his family, and then found a broker with a familiar look – to buy a yard!

　　This time, the whole family went to see the yard together. It was a rented, temporary place before, but now if we buy a yard, it will be our home to settle down. The whole family wants to live in it comfortably and spaciously, and we want to buy what we want.

　　Li Zhouzhou thought that since his family was rich now, he should be able to buy something better. But he started to feel nervous when he saw the tall and imposing city gate. He walked in and saw the bustling streets. He heard the broker say that the area near the outside of the imperial city was for the royal family and that he couldn’t buy anything. If he went further back, it would be for the high officials in the court…

　　Wouldn’t that be enough to buy a yard?

　　”…The closest to the Hanlin Academy, if you want to buy the courtyard, Lord Gu, these four directions and six alleys are suitable for you. Take a look.”

　　There was a regulation in the Dali period that officials below the third rank were not allowed to open their front doors to the street. What does this mean? The front door faces inwards, and the area surrounded by the courtyard wall faces the street.

　　In layman’s terms, it is an alley street that is larger than Pomegranate Alley. In the past, there were 20 households living in one alley, but now there are only 5 or 6 households living in one alley because of the large area. This is still a small residential courtyard. If it is larger, there will be 3 or 4 households living in one alley.

　　There is also only one household in the area – it is impossible for Gu Zhao to buy it with his current status. He will lose his official position and overstep his authority.

　　His family can buy a house with three courtyards if it is far away from the Hanlin Academy office, which is built by wealthy businessmen with connections in Beijing. If it is closer, they can buy a house with two courtyards and two exits – and there are also compact three-courtyard houses.

　　I visited both stores every day and found them to be very efficient.

　　When the family of three returned to the inn with Fubao, a waiter handed them a letter. Gu Zhao saw that it was from Yan Erge, and it arrived earlier than theirs.

　　Gu Zhao opened the letter and read it with Zhou Zhou. There were only a few words in the letter, which simply and roughly explained that the family had set out more than half a month ago and were now settled. It also stated the address of the house and where it was. If Zhaodi didn’t mind, he could come to my humble home to rest first and then look for a house slowly.

　　He stayed at this inn because the three of them agreed to stay there that day. When he checked in in the morning, the waiter didn’t see him. When he remembered and took the letter to look for him, he found out that his family had gone to check out the house and had just delivered it. The waiter told him that it was a letter sent by Lord Yan half a month ago.

　　The family drove a mule cart to look for Yan Jinxin.

　　The courtyard that the Yan family bought was a two-entry house, which was quite far from the Hanlin Academy, and it took an hour to get there by mule cart – there was no other way, the Yan family didn’t have much money, and the first and second ring roads closest to the imperial city were all where dignitaries lived.

　　If a tile fell from the roof of a royal family in the capital, it would hit two of them. Moreover, the current mansions cover a large area, and courtyards with four or five entrances are the norm for nobles. In this way, if the small official leans back, he can reach the third or fourth ring road.

　　The front row seats are not available even if you want to buy them.

　　The two courtyards of the Yan family were quite spacious. After all, they were far away and had just been settled in a short time, so everywhere was empty. As soon as they met, Li Zhouzhou was shocked to see Liu Shu. The little tree had lost weight, his chin was pointed, and his belly looked bigger. He also walked fast, which scared Li Zhouzhou so much that his eyelids twitched.

　　Fortunately, Yan Jinxin rushed over and helped him.

　　”Slow down.” Yan Jinxin said.

　　Liu Shu casually replied that it was okay, and happily called Zhou Zhou brother, then went to see Fu Bao and asked for a hug. Li Zhou Zhou then asked, “Did you forget about your belly? Are you about to give birth?”

　　”It’s either the middle of the month or the end of the month, almost.” Liu Shu also remembered that after he had been traveling for a long time and lost weight, he felt relaxed, as if his stomach didn’t feel burdened at all, and he often forgot that he was still pregnant.

　　When I was in the village, I gained weight from eating and drinking, and always felt heavy.

　　Wait until the greetings are settled.

　　Willow said, “Brother Zhou Zhou, if your family buys a courtyard that is close by, there are a few good ones in front. I think they are all very beautiful and closer to the Hanlin Academy. My family does not have that much money, so we moved to the back. I have already inquired about the price. The one not far away has three courtyards, more than 30 rooms and a garden, and it costs 900 taels of silver. The one that is closer only has two courtyards, which costs more than 400 taels. My house is cheaper, 350 taels…”