They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 92 We await your good news
"Thank you, Sister Xu! This dumpling soup is so delicious!"

Xiaoyue's eyes were curved, her smile was sweet, and her clear, slightly naive voice made people feel instantly fond of her. Xu Zhichun also smiled and asked, "Is that enough?"

"That's enough, that's enough, I'm so full."

"Well, it's getting late. Shall we wash our faces and go to bed?"

"it is good."

Aren't you scared to sleep alone at night?

"Don't be afraid!"

Xiaoyue shook her head repeatedly, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good."

Xu Zhichun chuckled inwardly, also secretly relieved. It seemed the young girl didn't want to share a bed with her either. To be honest, she didn't want to either; she wasn't used to squeezing into other people's rooms. There were extra rooms in the house, and she had someone clean and tidy them regularly; she could simply make the bed.

She didn't crave great wealth or status, but she wanted her everyday life to be comfortable and pleasant, and she wasn't willing to compromise on her basic needs. Therefore, once she had more money, she bought many things for her home.

Needless to say, there are also several sets of clothes, shoes, and socks, as well as mosquito nets, bedding sets, thick and thin quilts, pillows, etc., for changing and washing.

Silent all night.

The next day, Xu Zhichun got up early as usual to make ice jelly. As the weather was getting warmer, Manager Tang said he wanted forty catties of ice jelly a day.

In the entire large county, this was the only business there, and forty catties a day wasn't much.

After quickly considering it in his mind, Xu Zhichun nodded in agreement.

No problem, there are still plenty of ice jelly seeds. Mixing them with the raw materials in the harbor warehouse will be enough.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan and Aunt Zhu'er trusted her a lot, didn't know much about math, and were easygoing, so the threshold for her to fool them was very low. In other words, it was worry-free.

Ten more pounds a day means an extra five hundred coins in daily income without fail, which adds up to three hundred coins more for her.

That's nine taels of silver a month. The two of them can earn an extra hundred coins a day.

All are happy.

Liang Mingxuan got up to help after a short while.

After the uncle and aunt finished preparing everything and were getting ready for breakfast, Xu Zhichun, who felt like there was something she had forgotten, finally remembered, "Ah, I almost forgot about Xiaoyue, I'll go and call her to get up for breakfast."

She tends to forget unrelated things when she gets busy. Last night's little incident was an accident, so how could she remember it?

Fortunately, I always save some breakfast for the Spring Equinox, so I make a lot.

Unexpectedly, Xiaoyue disappeared.

Xu Zhichun was startled. "Could that little girl have run off and gotten lost? Should we go look for her?"

She's even younger than Mingxuan, only in fourth grade. She doesn't understand anything yet, and it would be so pitiful if she got lost again.

Liang Mingxuan thought for a moment, then said, "Sister-in-law, I think she ran away on purpose, so let's not worry about it."

That girl is clearly shrewd and won't be taken advantage of so easily.

"Ok?"

“My sister-in-law got up early this morning. If she cared, she wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. Since she left quietly, she must have her own plans.”

Xu Zhichun was both annoyed and amused. How could such a young child have "her own plans"? What plans could she possibly have?

But looking at her sensible brother-in-law, she became uncertain again.

My brother-in-law is a very opinionated person.

Okay, I guess it's a generation gap. She just doesn't understand kids these days. That little girl didn't seem like the type to take a loss lying down, nor was she the kind of naive child who could be easily lured away by a creepy old man with a piece of candy. Since she left quietly, she probably really had her own plans.

"You're right, let's just forget about it then."

After thinking for a moment, Xu Zhichun added, "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Yes, I won't tell."

He had originally intended to remind his sister-in-law.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. After much anticipation and waiting, the day finally arrived when the results of the children's examination were announced.

As usual, the restaurant was closed that day. I only made a small amount of konjac tofu, konjac noodles, and ice jelly to send to the Lotus Restaurant.

Early in the morning, Xu Zhichun, along with Liang Mingxuan and Liang Mingliang, drove into the city, accompanied by Zeng Xiaoyan, and also brought along Liang's uncle Zhang and Liang Mingxiang.

Before even leaving the house, Xu Zhichun, her heart pounding and her nerves on edge, had already given Liang Mingxuan countless words of advice and reassurance.

"It's okay, we've done our best. Whatever the outcome, it's the best outcome."

"Just consider it a test, a chance to toughen up your character, that's good too."

“Let’s study hard and take the exam diligently. There will be plenty of opportunities. Oh no, I don’t mean to say you won’t pass. That’s just the gist of it. Let’s stay calm and not take the result of one exam too seriously. You understand, right?”

“I understand, sister-in-law.”

"Yes, yes, your sister-in-law knows you're a smart kid!"

Xu Zhichun didn't know if he was really that calm or just pretending to be calm so as not to worry her, but looking at the child's calm expression, Xu Zhichun subconsciously calmed down a bit as well.

Zhang was still as annoying as ever. Seeing Liang Mingxuan's fake smile, she said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh, you guys are going too? There are so many people, why bother squeezing in? It would be better to just wait at home. We can just take a look for you. Anyway, Mingxuan is still young, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future, hehe."

Today, Liang Lizheng and many other villagers still came to see him off, chattering and making a ruckus. Some were excited and expectant, while others were simply there to join in the fun. After all, it was a big deal for someone in the village to take the imperial examination.

If it weren't for the presence of so many people, and the fact that Zhang was an elder, Xu Zhichun would have really wanted to yell back.

A competitive spirit welled up inside her, a desire to prove herself even if it meant losing face. She wished her own child would achieve top honors in the imperial examination and slap her in the face, only then would she be able to vent her anger.

Xu Zhichun smiled: "I'll only feel at ease if I see it with my own eyes. Aunt is right, we have to accept the result no matter what, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Zhang is a typical example of someone who can criticize others but no one can criticize her; her face immediately falls.

Liang Lizheng coughed forcefully, waved his hand, and said loudly, "Alright, alright! Time to go! Take care, everyone, come back soon, we'll be waiting for your good news!"

"Yes, yes, let's go quickly, we'll be waiting for your good news!"

"We absolutely have to win! We have to win at least one!"

"Hey, you can't say that. They're still kids, still young. It's already a great achievement that they even got to take the exam!"

"Yeah yeah!"

Have a safe and smooth journey!

Liang Mingliang drove the oxcart, and it rumbled along, quickly leaving the noisy crowds of the small village behind.

Zhang was still holding back, wanting to settle scores with Xu Zhichun: "What did you mean by what you just said?"

Uncle Liang snapped at him impatiently, "Alright, just shut up and say less!"

"I--"

Why are you talking so much nonsense?

(End of this chapter)