The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

But who can blame them when they're in the wrong?

Looking at the Liu family members whose thoughts had been exposed by her husband, Old Chen felt ashamed but extremely relieved. Seeing that everyone was speechless, she prepared to start mocking them.

Old Master Zhuge glanced at his wife's expression and knew what she was up to. He quickly coughed and gestured to Old Madam Chen not to speak.

Although the in-laws had some ulterior motives, it was all for the sake of their children. In truth, the Zhuge family ultimately benefited.

"It was our Liu family that was presumptuous and didn't consider things carefully. Our in-laws were much more thoughtful," Old Master Liu said apologetically.

Seeing that his in-laws had already backed down, Old Master Zhuge thought that since his family was the host, he couldn't keep harping on their mistakes. "What are you saying, in-laws? You're only doing this because you care about your daughter."

"But our family also loves our son and daughter-in-law dearly. So a long time ago, our whole family discussed and agreed that after the young couple got married, they would only have to give 10% of their monthly income to the family. After all, they haven't separated their households yet. They put in all their resources to send their son to study in Guizhou. Now that they're earning money, it wouldn't be right or reasonable for them not to give anything back..."

Upon hearing what Old Master Zhuge said, the members of the Liu family almost simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

They pulled this stunt because they were afraid that the Zhuge family would become complacent and live off their son-in-law's monthly allowance and their daughter's dowry.

Surprisingly, this family is quite reasonable.

Seeing that the situation was almost settled, Old Master Zhuge quickly said to Old Madam Chen, "Old woman, go and see if the food is ready. Today we're here to discuss the young couple's wedding, so let's eat and chat at the same time."

Soon the food was served. Looking at the fragrant meat and vegetables, Zhuge Yunshu couldn't help but swallow. Although she had eaten a lot of good food from her classmates at the clan school, those were just snacks and the like, which could not compare to meat.

Looking at her cousins, they weren't much better off, but they all tried their best to hold back, afraid of losing face in front of the guests.

Old Master Zhuge invited Old Master Liu to sit in the main seat, with his wife sitting next to them, his sons sitting in order below, and his wives and children at another table.

Looking at the crowded table, Grandpa Zhuge frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "Dazhu, Shuanzi, Dahua, come to my table."

Grandpa Zhuge had his own considerations. Dazhu was 14 years old this year, almost of marriageable age, and it was time for him to learn the manners of adults. As for Shuanzi and Dahua, although they were young, as the only two scholars in the Zhuge family, they were a source of great pride.

Neither of the two families had any objections to this arrangement.

During the meal, everyone seemed to have forgotten the previous unpleasantness, and the subsequent conversation went much more smoothly. The Zhuge family presented several auspicious days that they had consulted with others to discuss with the Liu family, and finally, the wedding date was set for September 15th of this year.

With the most important matter resolved, the two families chatted casually about everyday things.

"Your in-laws are so lucky. Unlike my family, we only have one mischievous grandson and not a single granddaughter," Grandpa Liu said enviously, looking at the Zhuge family's five granddaughters.

"Not at all. Your family has three sons and three grandsons, which is something others can only envy. I heard they're all in school now. Your in-laws are truly capable," Old Master Zhuge replied with a smile.

"Haha, you're too kind, in-law. Of my nine grandsons, only the second and fifth are somewhat promising. They passed the entrance exam for the town's official school's introductory class, which exempted them from half of their tuition. The other kids are all troublesome. Every year, we spend a lot of money on tuition to send them to school, but they don't study properly and get their hands slapped by the teacher. They make a fuss and don't want to go to school anymore," Grandpa Liu said with a smile.

Zhuge Dahua: "..."

My goodness! So many boys, this must cost so much money!

The rest of the Zhuge family: "..."

Jealousy makes me ugly. Look at other people, they go to school like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Then look at my own family, and I can only feel envy.

"These must be your Dahua and Shuanzi, right? Have they already read those books?" Old Master Liu asked curiously.

Zhuge Yunli quickly and respectfully replied, "Grandpa Liu, I am not very talented, but I have already finished reading the 'Hundred Family Surnames' and the 'Thousand Character Classic,' and now I will begin reading the chapter on filial piety and brotherly love in the 'Three Character Classic.'"

Grandpa Liu thought that although his grandson was not as good as him, the village's clan school level was still too high to compare with, but he still encouraged him: "Not bad, keep up the good work."

The rest of the Liu family didn't care about Zhuge Yunli's answer at all, and even looked down on him. Was this the child that the Zhuge family often praised by the Master?

As expected, one cannot have high expectations for village-based ethnic studies.

"My fifth grandson only started school this year, but he has already finished reading 'The Primer for Young Learners'." Old Mrs. Li was very proud. Although she didn't understand these things, she had heard that there were seven books in the primer. While other students were still reading the third book, her grandson had already finished four. Wasn't that amazing?

Old Mrs. Chen objected immediately, acting as if every family has a smart child, so she pretended to be stupid, "My Da Hua only started school this year, and it seems she has already finished that disciple or something, but I don't know what that is, or whether that counts as studying well?"

“Mother, it’s the ‘Standards for Being a Good Student and Child.’ You’ve asked Dahua about it so many times,” Zhuge Laifu added.

"Oh! Right, right, look at my memory." Old Mrs. Chen suddenly realized.

The Liu family members all turned their gazes to Zhuge Yunshu, where a dark-skinned, thin girl with round eyes was sitting obediently.

They couldn't find anything special about it no matter how they looked at it. If they had to say something, it would be those dark, grape-like eyes—they were really cute.

Hey! It's because everyone in the Liu family has squinty eyes, I'm really envious.

"Big Flower, right? You really finished learning the 'Standards for Being a Good Student and Child'?" Uncle Liu suspected that the Zhuge family was exaggerating on purpose.

Zhuge Yunshu stood up from the stool, shaking his head innocently, "That's not how it is. I've already finished learning 'Primer of Prosody,' and Grandma asked me about 'Standards for Being a Good Student and Child' a few days ago."

"What? You finished learning 'Thousand Family Poems' and 'Primer of Prosody' in just two days? You must have a photographic memory!" Uncle Liu exclaimed in surprise.

Looking at the simple-minded Zhuge Yunshu, Uncle Liu, still unconvinced, pulled out a copy of "Thousand Family Poems" from his pocket and asked, "Dahua, can I test you?"

Zhuge Yunshu thought to herself, "Since she's already made a name for herself, let her show her true strength!"

"please."

Uncle Liu is a burly man who loves poetry. Despite his rough appearance, he can recite poetry as well as a modern elementary school student.

In this back-and-forth exchange, Zhuge Yunshu answered quickly to everyone's astonishment, even correcting some of the mistakes made by Liu's second uncle.

Uncle Liu also participated in the assessment, giving Zhuge Yunshu several arithmetic problems. Zhuge Yunshu could give the answers directly without thinking.

The Liu family members were all dumbfounded. Although they couldn't understand some parts, the eight-year-old girl spoke clearly and calmly. Her unhurried demeanor showed that she was full of confidence. Also, arithmetic is so difficult, how could she get the answer so quickly?

Hey, why are all the smart kids someone else's?!

The Zhuge family felt that Da Hua had brought great honor to the family. They knew she was smart, but they didn't expect her to be this smart.

"Your family is truly blessed to have such a well-behaved, adorable granddaughter with such a talent for studying." As he spoke, he took out a plain-colored purse from his pocket. "This is a gift from Grandpa Liu to you. Please accept it."

Zhuge Yunshu glanced at Grandpa Zhuge, and seeing that her grandfather nodded, she happily accepted the gift.

Seeing this, Liu's three sons followed their father's example and gave Zhuge Yunshu a small purse as a gift.

There's nothing we can do; they just love smart kids.

Ignoring the envious looks from her cousins, Zhuge Yunshu held the purse in her hand and squeezed it when no one was looking. She didn't know what it was, but the thing was hard.

It must be said that Zhuge Yunshu's intelligence won the unanimous favor of the Liu family. Even the other children in the Zhuge family were seen as polite and well-mannered. In short, this trip to the Zhuge family earned Zhuge Laigui many points.