You are my golden finger

Shiziwo was blown away by the good news brought back by a few people. The clan leader and the village head were so excited that they were spinning around, not knowing what to do.

"Jin'er, are you going to have a banquet?"

"Jin'er, do you want to treat the villagers to a meal?"

The two asked Lin Xijin for advice.

"Uncle, this is what I think. The children still have to take part in the provincial examination in April. They can only get the title of 'Tongsheng' if they pass the examination. It might be better to invite them then." Lin Xijin advised.

However, in the end, the clan leader decided to open the ancestral hall to worship the ancestors after the informants came, and buy a few baskets of wedding candies and cakes to distribute so that everyone can share in the joy.

Lin Xijin thought this was a good idea.

The next day, the informants really came to Shiziwo. Lin Xijin invited them to drink tea generously and gave each of them two taels of money as a reward. The informants were all delighted, as this reward was two months' salary.

The clan leader and the village head bought several baskets of wedding candies and cakes, and Lin Xijin added some more and distributed them to the villagers. Everyone got a share, and Shiziwo was as lively as a festival. The clan leader prepared three kinds of animals and fruits, and took Xingcheng, Xihui, Xinfeng and a group of clan elders to hold a grand ceremony to worship the ancestors. The village head's family did the same.

The villagers all came to congratulate with gifts, and Lin Xijin also gave gifts in return.

Four people from the same village passed the county exam, and Shiziwo School became an instant success. Many people from other villages wanted to send their children to Shiziwo to study.

Unfortunately, Master Liang had to take the four boys to prepare for the provincial examination in April, so he refused to let anyone in.

Master Liang received generous gifts from the three families and was admired by everyone, but he did not feel proud. Instead, he felt under great pressure and shifted his focus to teaching the four people carefully.

Lin Xijin usually talks with the four boys about current livelihood issues and uses modern ideas to guide them to think about solutions, which the four of them have benefited a lot from.

I don't know where Shangguan Rui got the news of the four boys taking the Tongsheng exam, but at the end of March, he sent a paper bag of information from his shopkeeper, which turned out to be the questions for the Tongsheng exams in various prefectures in recent years. This was like timely help, something that money couldn't buy.

Lin Xijin was very grateful and thanked the shopkeeper.

"Miss Lin, I dare not take credit for it. This is the master's instruction. I just helped to deliver it." The shopkeeper shook his hands desperately.

"Please help me thank your master. I will prepare a generous gift to express my gratitude someday!" Lin Xijin said sincerely.

Lin Xijin was not shy about it. Her goal was not just to pass the exams for Xihui and Xinfeng. She immediately gave the information to Master Liang. These things could only be used to the maximum extent in his hands. As for how to use them well, Master Liang would worry about it.

Master Liang was also a ruthless person. He actually asked the four boys to take the test questions one by one, which was very much like a modern mock exam. After a few days, the four boys were tested very badly.

However, the students also benefited a lot because Mr. Liang taught them by rote memorization and understanding of each question, and explained each question one by one, allowing them to integrate their own ideas with other people's excellent answers.

This will be of great benefit to the four of them.

Two months later, the prefectural examination at the end of April arrived. The group arrived in the prefectural city three days in advance to let the four boys adapt.

After the county examination, the four may have been more confident and calm when facing the provincial examination.

Lin Xijin watched the four young boys in scholarly robes walk calmly into the examination room, feeling a sense of pride that her sons were growing up.

"Teacher, I can answer all the questions in this exam. I definitely won't be the second to last this time." Xiaowen couldn't wait to report to the teacher after returning home after the exam.

"Teacher, fortunately you usually give us a lot of questions to do, and they are all involved in this exam." Xihui said calmly.

"Okay, okay, okay. Everyone is tired, go wash up and have a rest first, we'll talk again tonight." After listening to what several people said, the teacher felt relieved.

The results of the provincial examination will also be announced three days later.

The days in April rise particularly early. When Lin Xijin got up, the sky was full of morning glow and the sun was about to rise.

Master Liang and the four boys could not contain their anticipation and had already gotten up, eagerly waiting for Lin Xijin's order to set off.

When they arrived at the government office's bulletin board, it was already crowded with people. So they stopped pushing because Ye Jinlin and another guard had been sent to guard the bulletin board. The two had martial arts skills and didn't have to worry about being pushed away.

Not long after the notice was posted, the two men squeezed out from the crowd with smiles on their faces.

"Master, teacher, all four of us are on the list. There are forty students selected this time. Master Xihui ranks fifth, Xinfeng is eighth, Xingcheng is eighteenth, and Xiaowen is twenty-fourth." Ye Jinlin reported to everyone happily.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! Qiuyan, give out red envelopes." Lin Xijin waved her little hand and was so happy that she didn't hesitate to spend money.

So everyone, from the master to the coachman, got a share, and each of them received an extra red envelope containing five taels of silver.

The guards were sent on horseback to Shiziwo to announce the good news, while everyone returned to the courtyard and waited for the reporter to come and report the good news. They set out for Shiziwo early the next morning. Ye Jinan and Chuntao also followed them back.

They stayed in the county town for another night, and were not able to return to Shiziwo until the evening of the third day. The guards were already waiting for them in the town, but when they saw that their carriage had not come up, they rode ahead.

Lin Xijin still found it strange.

Unexpectedly, before they got off the official road, they saw the intersection leading to Shiziwo Village Road was full of colorful flags. Seeing their carriage appear, the loud gongs and drums sounded immediately, and then the dragon and lion dance team also surrounded the clan leader and the village head to greet them, followed by the men, women and children of the whole village.

Lin Xijin was speechless when she saw this grand scene. She was about to jump off the carriage, but the clan leader and the village head stopped her. So she had to let the clan leader and the village head sit next to the driver and let the carriage move slowly. The dragon and lion dance team led the way, and the villagers escorted them from behind. They returned to Zhangshutou in a grand procession.

After returning to Zhangshutou, the clan leader and the head of the village ordered everyone to distribute wedding money, wedding candies, and wedding cakes, and told them to set up a buffet tomorrow to entertain the whole village before sending everyone away.

Everyone returned to Lin Xijin's home. The clan leader, the village head, and Mu Xiongshu's family all gathered here. Several clan elders and Mr. Liang's wife and daughter were also brought in. It turned out that everyone had prepared a banquet to welcome them.

Uncle Jianan brought all the dishes, and several aunts came to help the cook prepare them. It was another lively evening.

The clan leader, the head of the village, and Lin Xijin accepted everyone's congratulations. Master Liang received everyone's gratitude and praise, and felt unprecedented satisfaction in his heart.