Chapter 68: The Successful Candidate (Part 1)

  The next day was Yuan Niang's funeral, and according to custom, the Luo family should have sent a table of three sacrifices to the mourning hall for Yuan Niang to burn paper money. But who knew that the old lady got up early in the morning and vomited all over her body? The old master was so scared that his face turned white, and he hastily sent someone to invite a doctor. Luo Zhenxing found out and rushed over to visit the patient. The old lady was afraid of delaying Yuan Niang's schedule on the other side, and she urged her son to hurry: "There are still Auntie Xu and your father and Sixth Aunt at home, what do you have to worry about?"

  Luo Zhenxing hesitated.

  The lady said she wanted to keep Eleven as well: "Your sister has always been calm and composed, shouldn't you feel at ease now?"

  Just then, San Ye Luo Zhen Da and Si Gu Ye Yu Yi Qing, San Nai Nai, Si Niang, and Qi Niang from the second house arrived.

  "Go quickly!" said the mistress, "I have nothing. I just caught a bit of cold. So that everyone won't wait for you."

  Luo Zhenxing thought for a moment and then instructed Shier Niang before heading to the inverted house.

  Qian Ming had already had a pleasant conversation with Yu Yiqing. Twenty-year-old Luo Zhendong was just a child, and Luo Zhenyin wasn't even that, the two of them stood there in silence, not daring to say a word. When they saw Luo Zhenxing arrive, Yu Yiqing smiled and asked him about his exam results.

  Luo Zhenxing felt that he had done quite well, but this kind of thing wasn't something you could rely on feelings for. He didn't dare to speak boastfully and vaguely replied with a few words before calling over a young servant to wait at the door: "Why haven't Fifth Master and Sixth Master arrived yet?"

  "These two guys only know how to have fun." Yu Yiqing was not tall, but he looked refined and cultured, with a pair of bright and spirited eyes that shone with a hint of vitality.

  Qian Ming smiled and said: "They're still young, it's just the time when they like to have fun!"

  Yu Yiqing smiled and was about to say something when a breathless voice of a little kid came from outside the door: "The fifth sister is still better, not like the fourth brother, who always pretends to be an adult."

  Everyone looked back and saw that apart from Old Man Luo Zhenkai, who else was there?

  Yu Yiqing burst out laughing: "I am indeed an adult, what nonsense is this about pretending to be one."

  Lu Zhenkai puffed out his cheeks, wanting to say something else, but Lu Zhengyu pulled on his brother's collar: "Mother said to listen to big brother when you go out." This made him glare at his younger brother.

  Luo Zhenxing said: "Since everyone is here, let's go quickly!"

  Everyone put away their smiles and went to the Xu family with Luo Zhenxing.

  In front of the Xu Mansion, a vast expanse of white stretched out, with people coming and going. A row of black lacquered flat-top horse-drawn carriages with silver-plated decorations and blue silk canopies, which only officials of the third rank or above were allowed to ride in, had stopped there.

  Qian Ming said with a smile: "Have all the big shots from Yanjing arrived?"

  Yu Yiqing looked at him with great excitement: "Master Hou seems to be only one year older than me."

  "Hmm." Luo Zhenxing smiled wryly, "Master Hou is twenty-six years old this year."

  Just then, a sharp-eyed steward saw them and hurried over to greet them, leading them in with great courtesy.

  From a distance, Luo Zhenxing saw Xu Lingyi standing in front of the mourning hall wearing white clothes and socks, talking to two men around 40 years old.

  Seeing Luo Zhenxing, he and those two men whispered a couple of sentences, then came forward: "You've arrived!"

  As he walked closer, Luo Zhenxing discovered that Xu Lingyi's complexion was somewhat haggard.

  Everyone hurriedly paid their respects to Xu Lingyi. Qian Ming then introduced himself: "Student of Yichun, Qian Zichun, at your service, brother-in-law."

  Xu Lingyi was taken aback.

  "It's Wu Mei's fiancé, he just got engaged."

  Xu Lingyi nodded as he listened, then exchanged pleasantries with Yu Yiqing: "It's been a while since we last met during the New Year, have you been busy preparing for the imperial examination?"

  Yu Yiqing nodded: "A chance that comes once every three years."

  Xu Lingyi slightly nodded, Qian Ming smiled and said: "I also participated in the imperial examination this year with my elder brother-in-law and fellow villager, but I'm afraid my knowledge is too shallow to know if I can pass or not."

  "How would you know if there's an opportunity or not without trying?" Xu Lingyi said calmly, then personally led them to the mourning hall. As for Da Niang and Si Niang, they had already been brought to the inner courtyard where Yuan Niang's coffin was placed by a servant who specialized in leading female relatives to pay their respects and mourn.

  Just as Luo Zhenxing and others had just entered the filial hall, a steward came to report: "The Empress Dowager's sacrificial gifts have arrived."

  Xu Lingyi called for someone to summon Luo Zhenxing and others, and he himself went to the main hall.

  The eleventh girl was left at home and let out a sigh of relief.

  She was afraid that her brother would say something embarrassing at the funeral.

  Waiting on Madame Wang as she lay down, Eleventh Sister brought over an embroidered stool and sat before her bed doing needlework.

  Before long, the doctor arrived.

  The eleventh daughter retreated to the eastern wing and did not return to the inner chamber until after the doctor had left.

  "What did the doctor say?"

  "It is said that there is heat in the chest and cold in the stomach, the stomach loses its harmony and descends, so it vomits." Mrs. Xu handed the prescription to Eleventh Mother, "Prescribed Huanglian Tang."

  The eleventh girl smiled and said, "I don't quite understand these things, I think the doctor must be right. But did you send someone to fetch the medicine? Otherwise, I'll go light a small stove, so when the medicine arrives, we can brew it in time."

  Mrs. Hsu listened to her words and smiled hastily: "How can we let you add wood to the stove, just order the little maid."

  The eleventh girl smiled and said: "This is a matter of course. Mom doesn't need to be polite."

  The two chatted for half a day, and the person who went to pick herbs came back.

  Eleventh daughter gave the medicine to Mrs. Xu to see, took one of them to the ear room on the side, and raised a small stove for the big wife to decoct a prescription.

  When I went in, Mrs. Dai was talking to Mother Xu: "...can't let her be completely in the dark..."

  When she saw Miss Eleven enter, Mrs. Big stopped talking.

  "Can't let her be in the dark", who is she referring to? What does "two eyes black" mean?

  Eleventh Girl did not dare to reveal her confusion in her heart, and smiled as she served the old lady taking medicine.

  The old lady took her medicine and fell asleep. The eleventh girl sat with Mrs. Xu in front of the bed doing needlework. Seeing that it was getting late, she went to the kitchen to cook a bowl of white porridge for the old lady using glutinous rice and white rice. When she brought it in, the old lady had just woken up.

  "Miss Eleven is really thoughtful!" Mrs. Xu praised Eleven in front of the first wife.

  The eleventh girl smiled and said: "Every day I watch my mother serve her mother like this, so I follow along and learn."

  "Oh dear, it's still thanks to me!" said Mrs. Xu with a smile.

  The lady looked at him and nodded slightly.

  After dinner, Luo Zhenxing and others returned, rushing over to ask about Madame's situation.

  Knowing that Mrs. Dai had nothing to do, the four mothers-in-law, five mothers-in-law, and seven mothers-in-law surrounded her and started talking about Yuan's funeral: "...The queen's is not rare, it's just three sacrifices and six gifts. There was a certain Yang Wenyong, the commander of the imperial guard, who sent something that was really rich. Pigs and sheep for sacrifice, gold and silver ingots, silk and satin, paper money and incense, over a hundred sedan chairs!"

  The lady asked: "Do you know what kind of offerings the Wen family sent?"

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay. But Grandma calmly said: "I just sent some pigs and sheep as offerings, and carried nine tables."

  The lady nodded.

  Now Yuan Niang has gone, Da Bo Mu must be tabooing Wen Jia's family, right?

  Fourth Daughter thought she had grasped Eldest Lady's intentions, so she smiled and stood up to bid farewell: "It's getting late today, I'll come again tomorrow to see Aunt."

  The old lady also left, and was sent out by the old lady. Then she said to the eleventh girl who stayed in the house: "Yangzhou Wen's family, at that time, they climbed up Xu's family, relying on Xu's family's business as the inner court, the weaving factory in the south, and the horse farm in the north... But still so low-key, it's really rare." As she spoke, she looked at the eleventh girl with a thoughtful expression, "You know, the offerings are all superficial things, only what is sent to the account room is real gold and silver."

  The eleventh girl was shocked.

  Madam... is she teaching herself how to behave?

  She thought of Mrs. Tanaka's words "two eyes blackened"... was it referring to herself?

  After that, Mrs. Dai often asked Eleventh Sister to attend her and would occasionally talk about things concerning the Xu family.

  Although Xiāng Niáng listened very seriously, she didn't take it as the only standard. After all, everyone has their own perspective on things and way of understanding them.

  From the seventh to the fifth seventh, all three aunts and six relatives had to go again to worship. So on March 25th, the Luo family went to the Xu residence again. The eleventh daughter was left behind to take care of the old lady - the old lady's vomiting had improved a lot, but she always seemed to be in low spirits, possibly because her body had recovered, but Yuanni's passing had given her spirit a huge blow!

  The eleventh girl was secretly thinking in her heart when she received a letter sent by someone from the seventh young lady of the Gan family.

  In the letter, she first thanked Shiyi Niang for the handkerchief and purse she had sent last time. Then she mentioned the passing of Yuan Niang and asked her to be strong and take care of herself. She said that when she found an opportunity, she would come to visit Shiyi Niang. Also, she told Shiyi Niang to read Buddhist scriptures more often when she was free, saying that there were great principles in them. Her own stepmother, Gan Furen, also liked to read Buddhist scriptures very much.

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but smile as she held the letter, and even more so, felt grateful.

  Thank Miss Qi for her kindness.

  The three madams are her cousins, what happened to the Xu family, how did Brother Yun's sentence come from, she might be clearer than herself. Yet still able to comfort herself in such a subtle way...

  So Eleventh Young Mistress not only wrote a letter back to her, saying that everything was fine with her, but also had the messenger bring two five-bat lockets she had personally knitted to Seventh Young Mistress Gan.

  On the twenty-eighth of March, Luo Zhenxing, Luo Zhensheng and Wu Xiaquan went to see the list early in the morning. As a result, they didn't return until noon, and Mrs. Tai was anxious, fearing that her son hadn't passed and wouldn't come back because he was too disappointed, and also worried that her son would be taken away by someone to drink... Just then, Hang Mama's son Hang Xincan went to find him, and as soon as Hang Xincan received the errand, he ran back: "......the master has passed, the master has passed!"

  The old lady heard and hurriedly got up and went out, bumping into Luo Zhenxing head-on.

  "Mom, I got it! I got it!" Luo Zhenxing was very excited. "Sixty-sixth place."

  "Hurry, hurry, hurry," said the old lady with a delighted face. "It's the ancestral worship." She also said, "Hurry and tell the master."

  The whole family was suddenly filled with joy.

  Luo Zhenxing said again: "Fourth sister's husband also won, ninth place."

  The old lady was taken aback and hastily asked: "Where is Mr. Qian?"

  Luo Zhenxing hesitated for a moment and said: "We can only wait for a few more years."

  The old lady's delight was reduced by a few points, but she still said: "This is also an unavoidable thing. Your third uncle also took the exam several times back then."

  "Yes!" Luo Zhenxing was afraid of disappointing his mother, so he quickly said, "He has too many things to worry about. If he could focus on studying, becoming a top scholar would be as easy as reaching into his pocket..."

  The lady's mind turned quickly, and she immediately said: "You'll invite him to dinner soon! Firstly, we can comfort him, secondly, if he is willing, the three-year expenses of Guozijian will be borne by our family."

  Luo Zhenxing was taken aback.

  The elder lady said: "Fourth Master is after all from the second room, can't compare with Qian Gongzi, he's your brother-in-law!"

  Luo Zhenxing thought for a moment and did not refuse. He immediately sent someone to invite Qian Ming over.

  Qian Ming no longer had his former spirit, but when he heard that the Luo family was willing to support him in his studies, he excitedly stood up and bowed to Luo Zhenxing: "Big Brother-in-law, great kindness doesn't need to be thanked!"

  Luo Zhenxing saw that he didn't have an attitude and was quite happy about it, so he put his arm around his shoulder: "What's the point of saying thanks or not between us!"