Chapter 214 Xiaoman's Marriage
Zheng Hongyuan helped Sun Shan carry his bag and led him out of the city gate and onto the road to Sunjia Village.
When Zheng Hongyuan heard his brother say that Shanzi was going to go to the examination room with him, he didn't believe it at first. It was not until Shanzi came to him that he was sure that he was really going to the examination room.
Puzzled, he asked, "Shanzi, why did you suddenly go to take the exam?"
Sun Shan answered calmly, "It's not sudden. I've always wanted to go. So I asked the teacher if it was okay. The teacher tested my knowledge and thought it was okay to give it a try to gain experience."
Zheng Hongyuan nodded and said, "You're right. It won't hurt to take the exam. Hongwen is far behind. He could have taken the exam last year, but he got scared and didn't. It's good for me to go with you this year. I'll have company."
Zheng Hongyuan worked at the "Jinbangtiming" bookstore and knew a little about the imperial examinations.
I thought to myself that it would be a good idea for Shanzi to take the exam and test what he had learned over the years. If he failed, he would work on his weak points and understand his shortcomings in advance.
Besides, my wife's brother's family is not poor, so they still have enough money to take the exam a few more times.
The two walked in silence on the mountain road.
Zheng Hongyuan was a man of few words, and it was Sun Shan who asked most of the questions along the way.
Sun Shan mainly asked about Lixia's life in the Zheng family.
After asking around, I came to the conclusion that except for the pressure caused by her late pregnancy, everything else about my second sister Lixia was fine.
In the morning, she did housework. After lunch, she learned embroidery from Zheng Dalang's wife. In the afternoon, she did housework again. She stayed at home all day long.
Maybe this kind of life was very boring in the previous life, but now it is quite happy. For a peasant girl, not having to plow the fields is a great blessing.
After walking for a morning, we finally returned to Sunjia Village.
The village chief walked to the entrance of the village, looked at Sun Shan and Zheng Hongyuan strangely, and asked doubtfully: "Hongyuan, Shanzi, why are you back? Did something happen in the county?"
Why did you come back for no reason? It's not your holiday yet.
The village chief remembered that Sun Shan's day off was at the end of the month.
Sun Shan and Zheng Hongyuan saluted the village chief.
Zheng Hongyuan smiled and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, it's okay. Shanzi came back with something to do, so I sent him back."
The village chief said "oh" with a puzzled look on his face, thinking that he would know what happened when he went to Bomin's house later.
However, judging from the expressions of Sun Shan and Zheng Hongyuan, they didn't look like anything was wrong, so it shouldn't be anything serious.
He nodded and said, "Then you go back. I still need to go to the fields to check on them."
Sun Shan responded, said goodbye to the village chief, and walked back to the Sun family's old house.
The doors in the countryside are open at all times except at night.
Sun Shan and Zheng Hongyuan walked into the yard.
I shouted, "Grandma, I'm back."
At this time, Sun Bomin and Su Shi should be in the orchard or in the fields. As for the two sisters at home, they are either at home or playing with the little sisters in the village.
As for Huang, she should be at home, and the door to the main room is open.
After a while, Huang came out from the main room and was very surprised to see Sun Shan and Zheng Hongyuan.
Puzzled, he asked, "Shanzi, Hongyuan, how did you get back?"
Could it be that something happened to Lixia? Huang had never thought that Sun Shan would be in trouble. He was locked up in the school all day, so how could anything happen to him?
Zheng Hongyuan smiled and said, "Grandma, I sent Shanzi back. He has something to come back for."
Huang asked the two to sit down and poured two glasses of water to quench their thirst. When she heard that Shanzi had something to do, she asked anxiously, "Shanzi, what's the matter?"
Sun Shan said quickly, lest Huang think about it and worry: "Grandma, I have to take the county exam at the end of February, and I came back to handle the formalities this time."
Although Huang was a country woman, she knew what the county exam was. She asked in confusion, "What? Take the county exam? You are so young, and the government will let you take it?"
I remember that my grandson Jing'er only took part in the imperial examination when he was sixteen or seventeen years old. How come Shanzi entered at the age of thirteen?
Sun Shan didn't know how to explain it, because it was too complicated and Huang couldn't understand it, so he just said, "Master Hong thinks I'm smart and good at studying, so he asked me to take the county exam to gain experience in advance."
When Huang heard that Hong Xiucai asked Sun Shan to participate, she still didn't quite understand, but like Sun Boming, she worshipped authority.
If it was arranged by Hong Xiucai, then it must be right. Anyway, if I follow the Master, my grandson will be well.
Huang no longer paid attention to Sun Shan's imperial examination. She said to Zheng Hongyuan and Sun Shan, "You must be starving after walking all the way. Grandma will cook some rice noodles for you two."
Zheng Hongyuan and Sun Shan were indeed hungry. They had been walking from morning to noon, and not only were their legs tired, but their stomachs were also rumbling.
Zheng Hongyuan said embarrassedly: "Grandma, I'm not hungry. I'll go back to Zhengjia Village first. You can just cook for Shanzi."
How could Huang and Sun Shan let him go? Following Huang into the kitchen, they quickly cooked the rice noodles. Huang also fried four eggs, sharing two for each of them.
After eating the rice noodles, Zheng Hongyuan returned to Zhengjia Village.
Xiaoman brought Hanlu back from her little sister's home in the village.
I also wonder why Sun Shan came.
Sun Shan explained it again.
Hanlu didn’t understand, but she would just do whatever her brother did and help him.
Xiaoman's plan to marry a scholar failed, but she had more or less understanding of the imperial examinations for scholars.
When she learned that her brother was going to take the imperial examination, she was very happy and said, "Shanzi, the teacher said that you are well educated and you will definitely pass the exam. I have always felt that you are the smartest person in Sunjia Village, no, in the entire Huangyang County. You will definitely pass the exam and become a student and a scholar as you wish."
When Sun Shan heard this, he was happy: I knew I was good, but I didn't expect I was better than I thought. Thank you, third sister, for speaking out.
Of course, you can't say it so confidently. Humility is the traditional virtue of the Daqian Dynasty.
He smiled and said, "Third sister, don't say this to anyone. If someone hears it, people will think I'm arrogant and conceited."
The third sister Xiaoman immediately covered her mouth and nodded, saying, "Shanzi, I understand. I won't tell anyone else."
Sun Bomin and Su had not returned yet, so Sun Shan went back to his bedroom and study to read. Even when he was resting, he could not stop reading.
I looked at Xiaoman and Hanlu who were doing needlework with Huang in the yard.
Thinking about the girls of the Sun family getting married one by one, the old house of the Sun family became more and more deserted.
Xiaoman got engaged last year and is planning to get married next year. Her fiancé is Hong Xiucai’s wife, who was introduced to her by her master’s wife.
He was from Hongjia Village, and his family was similar to Yang Qingbei's. His wife was the second son, and he worked with Hong Xiucai's son in Zhangzhou Prefecture. If nothing unexpected happened, when the family was divided in the future, he would get more land than the Sun family.
When Sun Bomin and Huang saw that it was the scholar's wife who introduced them, they immediately agreed to meet her.
Then both families were satisfied with each other and made the decision.
Sun Bomin and Su thought that Guyu and Lixia both got married at the age of 18, so Xiaoman also did the same and asked Landlord Hong.
There was no objection from their side, so we decided to get married next year.
Hong Xiucai originally wanted to marry Sun Shan, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find a suitable partner. His granddaughters were either too old or too young.
When he saw Xiaoman accompanying Sun Bomin to send Sun Shan back to school, he suddenly realized.
So Xiaoman was arranged to meet the grandson of his younger brother, the landlord Hong.
Thinking that Sun Shan has a promising future, we must invest in it in advance.
Even if he was wrong, his family background was not too bad, and he was barely a good match for his brother's grandson.
The man does not feel wronged when marrying a woman of lower status.