AD (QT) Chapter 100

The ox cart was approaching the village head when a large group of children ran up, excitedly shouting as they ran.

“Master Scholar is back!”

“Master Scholar is back.”

“Master Scholar is back.”

Ever since receiving the news that her father had passed the scholar’s exam, Han Jinxiu had been learning embroidery at her master’s house. She would lead her younger siblings to wait at the village head, afraid of missing the moment her father returned. The village children also followed suit, joining the excitement.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

“Uncle!”

“Uncle!”

As soon as Han Ze got off the cart, he was surrounded by a circle of little kids, unable to move his legs. He showed a bit of helplessness on his face, turned to Han Erlang, and said, “Take the candy out of the bundle.”

Han Erlang hesitated, reluctant. It wasn’t that he was stingy, but those candies were bought from the city, and since their family didn’t have much money, they only bought a few. There were so many children, and each one was getting a piece. Once it was all distributed, there wouldn’t be any left, and even their parents hadn’t had a piece yet.

Han Ze found it amusing and urged, “Give it to them. We’ll buy more when we go to the city next time.”

Though still unwilling, Han Erlang took out the candy. Han Ze took the candy, gave one piece to each child in the village, and handed the rest to Han Jinxiu to distribute among the younger siblings.

The children were thrilled with the candy, their faces full of excitement. With the candy in hand, they no longer cared about the Master Scholar and ran off happily. Once the children stopped surrounding him, Han Ze sighed in relief, lifted the bundle, and called out loudly, “Let’s go home.”

Han Jinxiu smiled brightly. Not only had her father passed the scholars exam, but more importantly, her father had safely returned. With Aunt gone, their family’s life would improve. Thinking of this, she happily led her younger siblings, walking closely behind her father.

Before they reached the door, Han Youtian and his wife came out to greet them, with Wang Caiwei right behind them. Upon hearing the commotion, Zheng Shi and Wu Shi also came out of the house.

Old Lady Han stepped forward and grabbed Han Ze’s hand, repeatedly saying, “You’ve lost weight, you’ve lost weight.”

Han Ze stood there, letting her look him over with a helpless expression on his face.

Wang Caiwei, standing behind the two elders, looked at her husband with a smile in her eyes. Her husband had finally passed the scholars exam.

Han Youtian smiled and said, “Let’s talk at home. Han Ze must be tired after traveling for so many days. Let him go wash up, have something to eat, and fill his stomach.”

Old Lady Han slapped her thigh and laughed, “Look at me, eldest daughter-in-law, hurry up and make something for Han Ze to eat. There are still a few eggs in the basket, crack them all. He must not have eaten well outside, lets nourish his body.”

Han Erlang stood dumbly next to Han Ze. Zheng Shi scowled and stepped forward, saying, “Mother, Big Brother’s body should be nourished, but Erlang has been with him, suffering for over ten days. He should be nourished too. You can’t just remember Big Brother and forget about Erlang.”

The smile in Old Lady Hans eyes faded a little, and she opened her mouth to scold. Seeing the situation wasnt good, Han Ze quickly said, “Mother, I’m hungry. Let’s talk inside.”

Old Lady Han glared at Zheng Shi with a cold snort, then turned her head and smiled at Han Ze, saying, “Yes, yes, let’s go inside and talk.”

All her anger disappeared when she thought of her son passing the scholars exam. She was the mother of a scholar, the only one in the village with such fortune. How could she still be angry?

Everyone went inside, but Han Erlang stayed in place, frowning as he looked at his wife. “Our family has changed its status. You need to be more careful in your speech. Big Brother is a scholar now, we can’t compare everything to him.”

Being scolded out of the blue, Zheng Shi was unwilling. She pursed her lips and said, “So what if he’s a scholar? Just because he’s a scholar, do we all have to treat him like a lord?”

She couldn’t read and no one had explained to her what benefits having a scholar in the family would bring.

Han Erlang shook his head and said, pretending to be profound, “Ignorant woman, truly ignorant.”

Zheng Shi shot him a glance, “I’m an ignorant woman, so what? I’m just a village woman who has only been to the town, what do I know?”

Han Erlang glanced at her, a proud and smug look on his face. “Big Brother is a scholar now. We don’t have to pay taxes on our land anymore. Not only that, but Big Brother is a stipend scholar. Every month he gets six dou of rice, and every year he gets four taels of silver.”

Zheng Shi’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really?”

“Of course, it’s true.” Han Erlang said seriously. “That’s why I’m telling you, Big Brother and we are different. We can’t compare everything to Big Brother.”

Big Brother was a scholar, so it didn’t matter if he ate something good or nourished his body. The family had gained such a big advantage with the scholar title. As long as Big Brother studied well and eventually passed the provincial exams, their family’s future would be even brighter. If he became a high-ranking official, they’d become part of the official class. Thinking of this, Han Erlang shook his head and decided not to think too much about it so as not to put pressure on Big Brother.

Han Ze was indeed very tired. After eating, he took a hot bath and then slept heavily the whole afternoon. When he woke up, Han Youtian came to discuss the banquet with him. Han Ze smiled and said, “We don’t have much money at home, so we won’t hold a banquet. We’ll wait until I pass the provincial exams and then we’ll talk.”

Han Youtian took a deep drag from his pipe and looked at his son. “You just passed the scholars exam, and now you want to take the provincial exams?” he asked, astonished.

Han Ze nodded and smiled. “I plan to go to the county school in a few days.”

Passing the scholars exam gave him the qualification to attend official schools, where students preparing for the provincial exams taught. For rural children like him who couldn’t find a teacher, the county school was the best option.

Han Youtian took another puff and said, “Youve got the determination. I can’t help you much with the studies, but don’t worry about money. Your father will figure it out.”

Han Ze felt a warmth in his heart, though a bit awkward. In so many worlds, he had always been the one raising children, but now he was experiencing being cared for by his father. He said, “Dad, being a scholar means I get six dou of rice every month and four taels of silver every year. I can also earn silver by copying books in my spare time. I’ll save up for my studies, so you don’t need to worry about it too much.”

Han Youtian sighed. “You’ve succeeded. If it weren’t for your eldest sister…”

If it weren’t for his eldest daughter’s misdeeds, Han Ze, with his talent, might already have passed the provincial exams by now, and money would never be an issue.

Han Ze’s smile faded a little. “Dad, no matter why she wanted to harm me, I’ve forgotten about that sister. You and Mom don’t need to be angry. Don’t let her ruin your health over something not worth it.”

Han Youtian could only nod, sighing at the rumors circulating in the village.

Although they didnt plan to hold a banquet, Han Youtian decided to invite relatives over for a meal. After all, his son had just passed the scholars exam, and it couldn’t pass by quietly.

Compared to families with many siblings, Han Youtian’s family wasn’t too large. He had an older brother and a younger sister. Since they were hosting, they decided to invite everyone.

Old Lady Han had become estranged from her natal family over the years, especially after her parents passed away. She didn’t plan to invite them. She would invite the relatives from her sons’ families, and with her own family, they’d need to set up a few tables.

Han Ze still had some silver left, so he left five hundred wen and gave it all to Old Lady Han. She didn’t accept it, knowing her son would need silver for his studies when he went to the county city. She smiled and said, “Mom has silver.”

She indeed had some silver, as the harvest had been good the past two seasons. The three daughters-in-law embroidered to supplement the household income, and they had paid off the debts. There was some left over. As for the medical bills for the Wang family, she wasn’t in a hurry to pay. Since her eldest daughter had harmed Han Ze so terribly, she wasn’t inclined to pay them back.

However, she couldn’t do that. Her son had passed the scholars exam. She couldn’t let him ruin his reputation. As for when to repay, her eldest son had said he would take the provincial exams, so once he passed, they’d have plenty of silver, and she would naturally repay the debt.

At the school, all three students who participated in the imperial examination had passed the scholars exam, causing quite a stir in the town. Wang Caiwei’s parents had naturally heard about it and also heard that their son-in-law Han Ze had passed the scholars exam, and even better, he was a stipend scholar.

Old Master Wang hadn’t expected his son-in-law to have such a bright future. He happily instructed Wang Caiwei’s mother, Wang Xushi, to prepare gifts and go personally to visit. The second son-in-law had become a first-class scholar, which was enough to earn his respect. When the first son-in-law had passed the scholars exam, he had only ranked a little over a hundred. If the second son-in-law continued smoothly, it might be hard to pass the provincial exams, but the chances for the district exams were very high.

Wang Xushi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Han Ze has passed the scholars exam, and they’ll likely hold a banquet. They will definitely invite us.”

Old Master Wang stroked his beard thoughtfully. “What you said makes sense. Let’s prepare some extra gifts.” Then he added, “Last year, Han Ze was in poor health. Did the second daughter come to borrow money?”

Wang Xushi replied quietly, “Yes.”

Now that her son-in-law had passed the scholars exam, Wang Xushi was naturally happy for him. People often say that adding flowers to someone’s good fortune is not as good as offering timely help, but when her daughter was in trouble, she hadn’t been able to help. Now that her son-in-law’s health had recovered and life was improving, no matter how many gifts they gave, it couldn’t compare to the one coin they hadn’t given her before.

Old Master Wang frowned. “How much did you lend her?”

At that time, Han Ze had been on the brink of death, and Caiwei had come back to borrow money. She hadn’t told him personally, so he didn’t know, but Wang Xushi, being Wang Caiwei’s mother, must have lent her something, no matter how little. Since Han Ze had passed the scholars exam, they had to increase the formality to avoid giving the impression of pushing them down while trying to get ahead.

Wang Xushi cautiously glanced at Old Master Wang and stammered, “No, no, I didn’t lend her anything.”

Old Master Wang looked at her in disbelief. “You didn’t lend her a single coin?”

Wang Xushi shook her head, biting her lip. “Not a single coin.”

Old Master Wang was so angry he trembled. Pointing at her, he said, “You really are something! She’s your daughter. She came back to borrow money, and you didn’t lend her a thing? You couldn’t even give her some emergency money? Do you have any idea how hurt she must be?”

Wang Xushi weakly tried to explain, “At the time, Han Ze seemed like he was done for. Who knew he’d survive? Not only did he get better, but he passed the scholars exam.”

If she had known that Han Ze was this capable, she would not have been so heartless. Now, she was in an awkward position. Although her daughter never said anything, who knew how resentful she might be inside?

Old Master Wang sighed in disappointment. “Caiwei is your daughter. Even if Han Ze was in poor health, didn’t you feel sorry for your daughter?”

Wang Xushi opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say. She did care about her daughter, but she loved her son more. Her savings had already been given to her daughter when she got married, and what was left was for her son. How could she just lend it out so easily? Even if it were her daughter, she couldn’t.

Old Master Wang sighed heavily. This wasn’t Wang Xushi’s fault. He had underestimated Han Ze in the past.