The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Chen Cuifang and Liu Cuihong looked at the deep scar on her forehead, exchanged a glance, and both had a guess in their hearts: if nothing unexpected happened, this scar must have been left from that time.

Seeing this, Chen Cuifang reached out and took the hands of the two old friends, patting them on the shoulder:

“We’ve weathered the hard times. Now we have names and surnames, and we can even participate in clan ancestral rites. What does this mean? It means that our contributions as women have been recognized by the clan. So, from now on, we need to be more assertive at home. We can’t just do whatever those rough old men and stupid sons say. In the words of my granddaughter Dahua, we are also independent individuals. We need to learn to distinguish right from wrong. Everyone has the right to say 'no'…”

She paused here, then looked at Liu Cuihong with admiration:

“In this respect, my sister Cuihong did a great job. Last year, during the clan school exam, she single-handedly secured a spot for her granddaughters to be selected for the clan school. In this respect, I am truly ashamed of myself.”

Thinking back to those days, she would often complain to her husband at night about why she had given such a precious spot to the girl in the family. Thinking about it now, she felt that she had been narrow-minded, foolish, and ignorant back then.

Fortunately, the final result was good.

Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance at Zhang Cuilian and Liu Cuihong again:

"I was senile back then, you two mustn't follow my example... If you ask me, Cuihong is a lucky girl. Look, your Miao'er is quite promising; he's not even at the very back of the ancestral worship line..."

"Sister Cuilian, you and your daughters-in-law must also withstand the pressure. After this clan school sacrificial ceremony, it will be time for the clan school to select these girls to enroll."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced around and whispered in their ears:

"My eldest daughter told me that this year's enrollment quota isn't just three as previously mentioned. When you two go back today, don't let the girls in your families do any chores. Let them attend the clan school's open lectures in the evenings for the next few days, and practice calligraphy a lot during the day. Even a slow bird can fly early. If you prepare earlier than other families, the final result will definitely exceed your expectations..."

Chen Cuifang was telling her two best friends about the message that Zhuge Yunshu wanted them to spread.

Lin Si Niang, Su Xiao Cao, Zhang Cui Hua, and Liu Lan, these four daughters-in-law, also have their own little groups.

Su Xiaocao secretly pulled two of her close female friends to her side:

"Sister Fu, Sister Xi, I'll tell you something in secret, but don't tell anyone else. Our eldest daughter, Da Hua, said that the upcoming clan school selection will add many more spots beyond the previously set three. When you go home tonight, make sure your daughters study hard these days... There will be extra rewards for those who are selected, possibly money or valuable items..."

Zhang Cuihua, on the other side, found one of her childhood friends and whispered some advice:

"...Xinghua, you must seize this opportunity. Whether your daughter will marry a villager or a wealthy man from town depends on your decision."

The reason she gave this advice was because her good friend had been so successfully brainwashed by her family and husband's family that she believed a married daughter was like water spilled from a cup.

However, after Yun Chun's incident, the Li family, who sold tea in town, started sending them many good things during festivals. Zhang Xinghua and her mother-in-law saw this and were very envious.

Knowing her good friend's temperament, Zhang Cuihua decided to fight fire with fire, starting with what they cared about most.

After all, they came from the same place and were related by blood, so she thought she should lend a hand if she could!

Actually, the most important thing is that their eldest daughter, Da Hua, is very optimistic about Zhang Xinghua's daughter Yun Gui's academic talent. According to Yun Li, his cousin is particularly hardworking. She always finishes all the housework before coming to the clan school's open lecture hall to study. Even so, she often achieves excellent results in the daily quizzes.

In short, none of the twenty-odd people ever fell out of the top five.

Zhang Cuihua also really liked this talented and sweet-talking girl.

Besides the women of the Zhuge family who were trying their best to persuade their respective best friends, the men of the Zhuge family were also busy at this time.

However, unlike Chen Cuifang and her four daughters-in-law who were active separately, Zhuge Laifu and his three brothers felt that the impact of sticking together for warmth was even greater.

Since his mother and wives had decided on an "open strategy," the four brothers would use a "secret strategy" to provoke those biased guys.

Thinking this, Zhuge Laifu said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft:

"Dahua passed the imperial examination this time and became a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Not only will she receive one tael of silver and ten dou of rice from the government every month, but her family will also be exempted from two corvée labor quotas and fifty mu of land tax..."

Seeing this, Zhuge Lairong, somewhat exaggeratedly, continued from Zhuge Laifu's words:

"My goodness! I never knew there were so many benefits to passing the imperial examination! One tael of silver and ten dou of rice a month, that adds up to twelve taels of silver and one hundred and twenty dou of rice a year..."

Two corvée labor quotas and fifty mu of land tax can be waived each year, which means the family can save more than ten taels of silver a year... No wonder everyone says studying is good, so that's why!

Watching his older brother's awkward acting, Zhuge Laihua scratched his head and, quite unnaturally, spoke in a low voice that everyone else could hear:

"Shh, big brother, don't speak so loudly. If the rest of the clan finds out, they'll all rush to send their children to the clan school. Then, with more children in the clan going to school, won't the chances of our six children—Yunyi, Yunli, Yunzhi, Yunxia, ​​Yunqiu, and Yundong—getting into the town school be even smaller?"

Especially... those other families' children, Da Hua said their academic talent is even higher than ours. If they hear that, it will be really bad for our family!

At this moment, Zhuge Laigui also came over, patted his third brother's shoulder reassuringly, and whispered:

"Third brother, don't worry. I've inquired about it. Although these families' children are very intelligent, it's a pity they are all girls. With their fathers' biased attitude, how could they bear to let their daughters participate in the clan school selection later? So, without these families blocking the way, our six children can definitely pass the town school entrance exam."

"..."

"Hahaha, these families are really foolish. They won't even take the money that's practically handed to them. Although a daughter is considered part of her husband's family after marriage, she can still earn a lot of money for the family in the years before she gets married..." Zhuge Lairong secretly sized up the men in the crowd and spoke with a mocking tone.

It can be described as extremely provocative.

Those families all looked very grim.

For no other reason than that these families had indeed held this view in the past.

But times have changed. Now that they know about Zhuge Laifu and his group's vicious ideas, how could they possibly give in to the four brothers' wishes?

Hmph, since even the brilliant and talented Da Hua admits that their daughter is gifted, then it must be true.

After they return home today, they will instruct their daughters to prepare well for the upcoming clan school selection.

Haha, they're going to drive Zhuge Laifu and his three brothers crazy.