Chapter 131

This time back to the county town, Shen Cui still borrowed the carriage from the Wei family, and Wei Shu arranged reliable coachmen and servants for them.

The coachman had traveled back and forth on this road several times, so he was very experienced in where to stay and which routes to take, without Shen Cui having to worry at all.

Plus, the current Mu Er Pang not only put her mind at ease but also took care of her in return.

Passing by a tea stall, he bought her a bowl of tea, passing by a snack stall, he bought her some snacks.

In the evening at the inn, he even reminded Shen Cui to push the table to the door to block it.

Shen Cui, who came out as a parent accompanying the exam, was taken care of meticulously all the way by him, which was both funny and heartwarming.

She repeatedly assured him that she knew everything, as long as Mu Er Pang continued to focus on studying for the exam.

Mu Er Pang didn’t need to look at other books temporarily; he was still looking at the rhyming book that had already been flipped through and through.

He was not idle on the road either, still diligently writing poetry.

The poetry topics set by Shen Cui and Lao Buyu had already been completed, but it didn’t stop him from being inspired by things he saw on the road, maintaining a high production rate of one poem per day.

But now, the only one who could help him look at the poems was Shen Cui.

Shen Cui couldn’t write poetry herself—after all, even in novels where modern people transmigrate to become the protagonists and take the imperial examination, poetry and literature are always the protagonist’s weak points.

However, her ability to appreciate was not weak. After all, in her past life, she had memorized quite a few verses from famous poets in school.

After Mu Er Pang finished writing, she would help critique them. If she felt there was something lacking, she would point it out and let Mu Er Pang revise it himself.

By the end of the month, Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang returned to Yongning County.

In the past, Shen Cui didn’t really feel the sense of hometown nostalgia, but after leaving for over half a year and returning, she felt quite emotional.

The county town wasn’t big, so they didn’t need the carriage once they arrived. Shen Cui planned to find an inn for the coachmen and servants to stay.

But the coachmen and servants didn’t need her to take care of them. They said Wei Shu had already sent a message back, arranging for them to return to their own homes to rest.

After they finished watching the county exam results, Shen Cui prepared to leave. She planned to inform the Wei family and then leave.

In the end, they insisted on escorting Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang back to the vicinity of Teapot Alley.

They said they couldn’t go back without ensuring their safety, as it would be hard to explain to Wei Shu.

They also offered to carry Shen Cui’s luggage on the carriage to her home. Shen Cui declined because there wasn’t much luggage to begin with.

Besides a few books belonging to Mu Er Pang, the rest were small gifts for her family, which were easy to carry.

She didn’t like to trouble others, and the coachmen and servants didn’t insist further.

Once they got off the carriage, Mu Er Pang rushed to carry all the parcels, and the mother and son headed towards Shen’s house.

Teapot Alley was still as narrow and crowded as ever, and they encountered several neighbors along the way.

Neighbors who used to look down on them a bit seemed to have changed their attitude in recent years, especially now that they heard the mother and son had lived in the Perfectural City.

They greeted them with smiles when they saw them.

“Oh, Cuihua brought Er Pang back? Oh, I shouldn’t call him Er Pang anymore. Look at this child, he’s not chubby at all now.”

“Cuihua’s clothes look so nice, just like the people in paintings. You can’t even tell she has such a big son… Did you buy these in the capital city?”

“Why did you bring back so many things from the capital city? Are they gifts for your mother?”

During the New Year, Shen Cui couldn’t pay her respects to her elderly parents, so she specially wrote a letter back to wish them a Happy New Year and mentioned roughly when she would return.

As a result, Zheng Shi hadn’t been taking any odd jobs lately and was just waiting at home.

When she heard the lively greetings between the neighbors and Shen Cui outside, Zheng Shi hurriedly went out to greet them.

Once she reached them, Zheng Shi saw Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang surrounded by overly enthusiastic neighbors.

She immediately stepped in, pulling them out from the crowd and jokingly said, “There’s business at home, let’s chat next time!”

Her temperament was known to be strong, and the nosy neighbors gradually dispersed.

Zheng Shi wasn’t wrong; they indeed had business to attend to—the county exam was coming up in February, and it was time to register at the county office.

After receiving the letter, Zheng Shi had already arranged for Shen’s brothers to contact a scholar who would vouch for them.

Since vouching carried risks, background checks and meetings were necessary beforehand.

However, in Yongning County, whether it was Cui Wei, who produced three scholars in one go, or Mu Yunchuan, who achieved the highest honors, they both had excellent reputations among scholars.

Upon hearing that Cui Wei’s student and Mu Yunchuan’s younger brother were preparing to take the exam, the scholar readily agreed to vouch for them without hesitation.

Registration also required five other candidates to vouch for them. Since the scholar had already vouched for four, he enthusiastically suggested that they partner with the remaining four.

But Zheng Shi didn’t agree immediately; she first thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of those four scholars.

For now, she led Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang back home to put down their luggage, and then they went to find the scholar. It was almost time for the dispersed study session at the county school, so they could directly find him there.

On the way, Zheng Shi briefed them, “The scholar named Zhao is from the neighboring Xiaohu Village of Shuiyun Village.

He’s very cautious. I heard that many people tried to approach him before we did, but most were turned away.

It’s thanks to the reputation of our academy that he agreed. The four he agreed to vouch for, two are from the same village, I’m not sure about their scholarly abilities, but they’re both honest and have taken the exams several times without any problems.

The other two have some connections with our family; they’re the students of Huang, whom we visited earlier. They’re also honest people who’ve never been involved in any shady business…”

Zheng Shi’s inquiries were extremely detailed, and from the various information she gathered, both the scholar vouching for them and the four scholars themselves seemed to be very suitable collaborators.

Facing her own mother, Shen Cui didn’t express her gratitude directly but instead felt sorry, saying, “Mom, you’ve worked hard. .In the future – “

Wasn’t it hard indeed? Except for Shen Da, who managed the small shop and barely recognized a few characters, everyone else in the Shen family couldn’t even read a single word.

These matters might be very simple for scholars, but for them, it required much more effort.

Especially with Zheng Shi’s meticulousness, who would painstakingly investigate every detail, even wanting to know if someone had stolen candy as a child, it was hard to imagine how much effort she put in.

Before Shen Cui could finish her heartfelt words expressing her filial piety, Zheng Shi interrupted, saying, “I’m not doing this for you; I’m doing it for our Er Pang. When he succeeds in the future, he’ll bring me along to enjoy life, right?”

Mu Er Pang naturally agreed, “Of course, Grandma and Grandpa will live with me, and we won’t be apart anymore. But Mom is also right; you need to take care of yourself and not overwork. That way, in the future…”

Seeing her eldest grandson whom she hadn’t seen in over half a year, Zheng Shi smiled until her eyes almost disappeared.

Not long after the three of them arrived at the county school, they met the scholar, Zhao, whom the Shen family had met before.

Zhao, having heard of Cui Wei’s reputation, was already willing to vouch for them, and seeing Mu Er Pang’s sincere and courteous demeanor, he was even more assured.

“It’s getting late today. How about we meet tomorrow? Would it be good for you all to get acquainted beforehand?” Zhao asked politely. In reality, as the five would be jointly responsible, Mu Er Pang should have met the other four scholars beforehand.

Shen Cui naturally agreed, and the matter was quickly settled. Zhao arranged for them to meet early the next day to get to know each other, have breakfast together, and then go to the county office to register.

After discussing everything, Shen Cui reached into her sleeve and touched the red envelope she had prepared in advance. When asking someone to vouch for them, it was customary to give a little something.

Zheng Shi pulled her back and gave her a meaningful look, indicating that she had already taken care of it.

As they left the vicinity of the county school, Shen Cui asked, “Why did you give money when you only asked Mom to arrange things?”

Zheng Shi said she was happy to do it and even played her “trump card,” saying it was for her eldest grandson, so it had nothing to do with Shen Cui.

She effectively silenced Shen Cui.

Later, Zheng Shi urged Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang to go home and rest, saying, “It’s getting late, and if I linger any longer, I won’t be able to buy anything.” Then she hurried off to buy groceries.

As the mother and son continued towards the Shen household, Mu Er Pang suddenly said, “Mom, I thought I had grown up and could take care of you before. But now, compared to Grandma, I feel like I’m still lacking.”

Shen Cui smiled and replied, “Your grandma treats me like a child to be taken care of, but you, knowing to be filial to me as you grow up, that’s definitely different.”

As they talked, the mother and son returned to Teapot Alley. It was already the time when every household was preparing dinner, so there weren’t overly nosy neighbors surrounding them, asking questions.

Mr. Shen and his sons had returned home from outside, and with Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Li, and the children, the house suddenly became lively.

Shen Cui first called everyone over, then began to distribute gifts.

For the gatekeeper and the pillar, she gave each a small toy. For the older daughters, she gave two brightly colored silk flowers each.

For the two sisters-in-law, she gave each a box of face powder. For Mr. Shen and his sons, she gave each a pair of shoes, the sizes she had specifically asked for when communicating with Zheng Shi.

Although the items were not expensive, it was the thought that counted. They were bought from the capital city, so they were better than what could be found in the county town.

Everyone was happy with their gifts. Shen Cui knew her family worried about her and Mu Er Pang being away, so she shared some happy news with them.

Even the two older daughters who usually didn’t like to join in the excitement couldn’t help but gather around Shen Cui to listen to her stories about life in Qingzhou Prefecture.

Soon, Zheng Shi returned with groceries and put the basket in the kitchen, urging everyone to stop crowding around.

Mrs. Li rolled up her sleeves and went to the kitchen, while Shen Cui followed Zheng Shi into the house and took out a small cloth bundle from her pocket.

Inside the bundle was a silver hairpin she had made for Zheng Shi. It cost only about two taels of silver, but it was made by a skilled craftsman known to Cui Wei’s mother, so the craftsmanship was exceptionally delicate, carved into the shape of an orchid.

“Once upon a time, you were so tight-fisted, not even willing to spend on yourself. Now that you have more money, you’re starting to splurge again, aren’t you?” Zheng Shi teased as she took the hairpin and placed it on her head, laughing with joy.

Shen Cui reached out to adjust the hairpin, saying, “Mom, you’re talking about ancient history. This money should be spent, and when we’re even wealthier later on, I’ll get you a gold one.”

Zheng Shi chuckled, “That sounds nice. When I married your father, I got a pair of gold earrings, the smallest ones you could find. Later, when we sent your elder brothers to the city for education, even those were pawned. I’ve never seen any gold since then. But if you’re rich, don’t bother with a gold hairpin for me. Get me a gold necklace instead, to put around my neck…”

Shen Cui laughed, “That’s not a good idea. Although Er Pang looks big, he’s still likely to take adults’ words seriously. Don’t be surprised if he really gets you an excessively heavy one.”

After sharing a moment of amusement, Zheng Shi pulled her daughter onto the kang, holding her hand tightly, and looked at her from head to toe, as if she wanted to examine every strand of her hair.

The mother and daughter hadn’t been apart for so long in their lives. Although Shen Cui wrote letters every month, read to them by Shen Da, it was different from meeting in person and having a real conversation.

As Shen Cui sat there, held by her mother, she repeated the conversation she had with the other members of the Shen family for Zheng Shi to hear.

They continued talking until Mrs. Li finished cooking dinner. After the whole family had eaten together, Zheng Shi rearranged the rooms in the house.

Mr. Shen and his sons stayed in one room, while Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Li, and the two daughters-in-law stayed in another.

The gatekeeper and the pillar went to sleep in the room that the two daughters-in-law used to occupy. Mu Er Pang stayed alone in the room with the gatekeeper, while Shen Cui slept with Zheng Shi in the main room.

Because Mu Er Pang was about to leave in a few days, and it was a big deal, plus he wouldn’t be staying at the Shen family’s house for long, so no one minded.

In just a moment, everyone had arranged their bedding, and Mu Er Pang went inside to continue revising his poetry and essays.

After Shen Cui finished washing up and lay down in the newly sun-dried bedding, she spoke up and asked, “Big sister, what’s been happening lately?”