The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

When Zhuge Yunxing and Zhuge Yunqing returned home, they realized something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint why. So they humbly sought advice from Zhuge Yunxi/Zhuge Yunbo, only to be met with a beating.

Zhuge Yunshu entered the Zhuge family's courtyard and saw her grandmother, Old Chen, and her two aunts busy in the kitchen, while her mother, Lin, was sitting in the main room with her four cousins ​​doing needlework.

My third cousin sat by the window, and the sound of him reading could be heard from time to time.

Seeing this scene, Zhuge Yunshu felt happy; this warm and cozy life was what she had longed for in her previous life.

Zhuge Yunshu greeted them one by one, knowing that he couldn't be of much help at this point, so he went straight back to his room.

He went back into the house, put down the book box he was carrying, took off the long gown that the clan school uniform wore, put on his home clothes, and went to find his third cousin.

This is their daily routine: before eating, she and her three cousins ​​have to finish the homework assigned by the school.

During this break, the third cousin would also ask Zhuge Yunshu for advice on what he had learned that day and the difficulties he had encountered.

It got dark quickly, and Grandpa returned with the rest of the family who were still working in the fields.

Grandma Chen instructed her two aunts to bring out the food and place it on the table. Then she called out, "Dahua, Shuanzi, time to eat."

"Grandma, we're coming!" Zhuge Yunshu replied to her third cousin and quickly came out.

Looking at his two grandsons and granddaughters who had brought him honor, Grandpa Zhuge couldn't help but feel gratified: "Shuanzi, Dahua, what did you learn at the clan school today?"

"Grandpa, we've already finished learning the chapter on filial piety and brotherly love from the Three Character Classic, and the teacher even praised me for my progress!" my third cousin said proudly.

"Good, good, good, Shuanzi has made something of himself."

Old Master Zhuge didn't understand what the "Filial Piety and Brotherly Love" chapter of the Three Character Classic meant, but he did understand what it meant to be praised by the teacher. It meant that the student was good at studying. You know, when the fourth son came to Guiyang, he not only wasn't praised by the teacher, but he was also often punished with a slap on the hand.

At this moment, everyone turned their attention to Zhuge Yunshu.

Under the pressure of everyone's gaze, Zhuge Yunshu could only say shyly, "My granddaughter has finished learning the Rules for Students today. The teacher praised me as a rare disciple with high talent in reading."

Despite her embarrassed facial expression, she wasn't embarrassed at all when she said what she said.

Before Old Master Zhuge could say anything, her father, Zhuge Laifu, interjected, "Dahua is truly remarkable! The Zhuge family is incredibly fortunate to have a granddaughter like you. Perhaps the Zhuge family will even produce a scholar in the future!"

Her mother, Madam Lin, immediately chimed in, "That's right. I've said it before: Da Hua is the smartest person in the Zhuge family. What's a mere child prodigy? If you ask me, she could easily become a scholar or even a provincial graduate."

Everyone: "..."

Zhuge Dahua: "..."

My dear parents, there's no need for you to brag about your daughter like that. I had no idea I was so outstanding!

Although Grandpa Zhuge thought what his third son and his wife said was unreliable, he couldn't help but hold a glimmer of hope when he saw such an outstanding granddaughter.

"Dahua, although your parents exaggerated a bit, Grandpa still has hope for you."

Zhuge Dahua: "..."

Grandpa, how did you get led astray by your third son and daughter-in-law?

Seeing the high expectations the family had for their cousin, Zhuge Yunli couldn't help but tremble and cast a few pitying glances at Zhuge Yunshu.

Only by truly studying can one understand the difficulties of this profession.

Zhuge Yunshu quickly received the message and responded with a helpless expression.

At this point, Grandma Chen was furious. She glared at her grandfather and parents and said, "Dahua, don't listen to your grandfather and parents' nonsense. Do you think it's easy to become a Tongsheng or Xiucai? They even dare to talk about becoming a Juren or a high-ranking official. Grandma only hopes that you study hard at the clan school and then pass the town school exam. Just get first place in every exam."

As if she had thought of something, she continued, "You are different from Da Ya and the others. Your parents only have you as their child, so once you start earning money, you must save it up so that you can find a son-in-law who will live with your family in the future. That way, they will look at you with more respect."

Compared to what her grandfather and parents said, what her grandmother, Old Chen, said was much more down-to-earth and reliable.

Zhuge Yunshu thought for a moment and decided to skip over her grandmother's topic about live-in sons-in-law: "By the way, Grandma, has Uncle's marriage been arranged?"

Clearly, everyone in the family, young and old, was drawn to this topic. Grandma Chen sighed helplessly, "Well, Granny Cui has already confirmed it. Our in-laws hope to come over tomorrow to discuss it. It just so happens that Fourth Brother is off work."

Hearing Grandma Chen's sigh, the whole family felt that things were not going very smoothly.

It's somewhat unreasonable for the woman to come to the man's house to discuss marriage, but she has the confidence and the right to speak up.

"Tomorrow, the eldest son's wife, the second son's wife, and the third son's wife should get up early and take Da Ya and the others to tidy up the yard. The third son should get up early and go to town to buy some meat..." Grandma Chen instructed.

"Oh, right, the third brother should borrow an oxcart from the village chief's house tomorrow. I already told him today. Our in-laws are coming all this way; we can't let them go through the trouble of walking all that way," Grandpa suddenly said.

"Understood, Father," Zhuge Laifu replied.

Grandpa Zhuge seemed to have thought of something, and glanced at Zhuge Yunshu and Zhuge Yunli: "Dahua, Shuanzi, is it convenient for you to ask the school for leave tomorrow? If the teacher doesn't allow it, then forget it."

Zhuge Yunshu guessed that his grandfather probably wanted the two of them to save face for his uncle, since in this era, only a small number of farming families were willing to send their children to school.

Although it was difficult to ask for leave in ancient times, the teacher wouldn't stop her if there was a genuine reason. Besides, her study progress had already surpassed that of her two senior brothers, so there shouldn't be any problem.

“Yes, Grandpa, I will ask the Master for instructions tomorrow,” Zhuge Yunshu replied.

Seeing that his cousin Da Hua had said this, Zhuge Yunli echoed his grandfather's words.

Because there were important matters to attend to tomorrow, Grandpa Zhuge told the whole family to rest early. Originally, Zhuge Yunshu and Zhuge Yunli would teach their cousins ​​to read every night, but that was no longer necessary tonight.

Back in their room, Zhuge Laifu and his wife continued chatting about his uncle's wedding and discussing what to buy the next day, not having a moment to spare.

After all, the younger brother's marriage is a major event for the family. In this ancient era, as a 19-year-old single man, if he doesn't get married soon, he will be suspected of having a problem.

Although her parents often liked to take advantage of others, they knew what was important when it came to important matters.

"Father and Mother, your daughter is going back to her room to rest," Zhuge Yunshu said.

Zhuge Laifu waved his hand, "Go on, get some rest."

Lin, unusually tender-hearted, instructed, "Dahua, stop reading. You're so talented; it's not worth it for a short while."

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

She was glad she wasn't actually eight years old, otherwise, with parents like her mother, her grades would definitely not be very good.