A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

After Dean Qiu and Master Jiang left, the village head arrived at the Nie family's house. Before the villagers who had been watching had all left, they quickly told the village head what had just happened.

The village head was no less surprised than anyone else. Gu Xiao was actually a promising student, and judging from the tone, he was even better than Nie Wenye.

The village head's regard for Nie Qianqian and Gu Xiao's family has reached a new level.

Since Nie Qianqian was able to establish a relationship with the county magistrate and build a new house, he was naturally happy to cultivate a good relationship with her.

But he knew in his heart that no one could say how long a relationship built on one act of assistance could last. Building a new house only improved the family's conditions; it couldn't change the fact that they were still rural people.

But if Gu Xiao can pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), he may become a county magistrate in the future. That would be a government job, a world apart from the villagers.

Grandma Nie's eyes drooped, she couldn't say a word, and her face was dark.

Liu Chunhua kept repeating, "How could that be?"

Nie Daqiang was the first to recover and shouted, "Gu Xiao must have cheated!"

Liu Chunhua finally found a reasonable explanation for what she couldn't accept, and firmly repeated her husband's words, "Yes, he must have cheated! He only copied books at the library, he's never even studied at the academy, how could he be so good?!"

Thinking about it, that makes sense. No one is born with a wealth of knowledge; it all takes time, effort, and hard work. The whole family has witnessed how Nie Wenye studied. He trained hard in the coldest and hottest winters and summers, and he didn't have to do any farm work. He would start studying every morning, making the most of every moment. After studying at the academy for many years, he has achieved his current success.

But Gu Xiao, when he was in the Nie family, his family never provided him with such conditions.

Grandma Nie glared at Nie Erzhuang again, venting her frustrations on someone, "You gave birth to such a good daughter, but the son-in-law she married is dishonest, doing such a despicable thing as cheating."

Nie Erzhuang kept his head down and didn't say anything, not refuting his mother. It was her idea to get Gu Xiao and Nie Qianqian married, making it a fait accompli. After the marriage, it was also Old Madam Nie who told him to find an opportunity to steal Gu Xiao's jade pendant.

After giving the jade pendant to Old Madam Nie, he never saw it again, guessing that his mother had taken it out to sell.

The Nie family firmly believed that Gu Xiao must have cheated. There was nothing they could do; sometimes people only believe what they themselves believe.

The group quickly arrived at the old house and saw this scene.

The old house was dilapidated and on the verge of collapse. Gu Xiao changed back into his usual old clothes and, by the dim light inside, began gathering firewood in the yard with his left hand. Because he only had one hand, his movements were inconvenient, and he gathered firewood very slowly.

Suddenly, Master Jiang's eyes reddened. He thought of his own youth, when it was extremely difficult for children from poor families to achieve success. In this era, it was incredibly difficult for children from poor families to study and pass the imperial examinations. He felt immense sympathy for Gu Xiao.

Dean Qiu felt even worse, a pang of sadness in his heart, and sighed: "Heaven is jealous of talent."

Gu Xiao is a man of great talent, yet his fate is full of misfortune. Despite his physical disability, he is determined and never gives up his lofty aspirations, which is truly pitiful.

Gu Xiao ate too much again that night. He wasn't a person who craved good food, but Nie Qianqian and Liu Yan's cooking was just too delicious, and they changed the dishes every day. His stomach felt uncomfortable after eating, and he was afraid of indigestion at night, so he came to stroll around the yard and gather some firewood to get some exercise.

He picked up the firewood, let out another burp, and looked up to find a crowd gathered outside the old house.

An older man, dressed smartly and elegantly, stood in front of Master Jiang. He stared at him intently, his eyes filled with pity and sympathy, as if he were looking at some stray kitten or puppy. This made Master Jiang feel uneasy. Master Jiang was even more dramatic; his eyes turned red, as if he was about to cry at any moment.

Gu Xiao suppressed the urge to burp again, looking completely bewildered. What was going on?

He immediately thought of the entrance exam during the day. He must have done poorly on the exam, which was why the two of them had those expressions.

No way, he couldn't have done poorly on the test; the questions weren't that difficult.

He did too well on the exam? Um... it's just an entrance exam, is it really necessary for them to be so excited about it?

Mr. Jiang introduced Dean Qiu to Gu Xiao. Gu Xiao had already guessed who he was and politely invited the two of them into the house.

Just as Nie Qianqian's family finished dinner, Nie Qianqian was playing games with Tuantuan when Gu Xiao led Mr. Jiang and a stranger into the house.

The old house has been furnished with many things recently, but it is still dilapidated inside. If you look up carefully, you can see several holes in the roof.

Looking at this environment, Dean Qiu had already firmly established Gu Xiao's image as a person who was self-reliant and determined despite his disability.

He smiled as much as he could, trying to make his expression more amiable. "Master Jiang and I have come to inform you of today's exam results. Actually, the exam paper you took wasn't the entrance exam, but one that I specially prepared for the autumn imperial examination. I personally graded it, and you... got a perfect score!"

When he mentioned the words "perfect score," Dean Qiu couldn't contain his excitement; his voice rose a little, and his beard trembled.

Dean Qiu rushed over, covered in dust, just to tell Gu Xiao and his family this exciting news, but he never got to see the scene he was looking forward to!

Where are the screams! Where are the hugs! Where are the tears!

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiao, Nie Qianqian, and Liu Yan remained expressionless, staring blankly at Dean Qiu like three wooden figures, their eyes conveying—"And then?"

Dean Qiu choked, "You three, give me some feedback!"

Gu Xiao didn't think the test was particularly difficult, and after finishing it, he knew he had gotten a perfect score.

Nie Qianqian was unaware of Gu Xiao's abilities, but she had a strange confidence in him deep down.

Liu Yan, on the other hand, had no idea what getting a perfect score on the exam meant.

After a few seconds of silence, Gu Xiao politely replied, "Thank you for grading the papers, Dean."

Dean Qiu saw that everyone was unusually calm, especially Nie Qianqian and Liu Yan. He was secretly angry that the peasant woman was so ignorant. He barely suppressed his anger and explained, "This set of test papers covers a very wide range of knowledge. In the years since it was used for the exam, no one has ever gotten a perfect score. Gu Xiao is the first person in the college to pass with a perfect score. Do you know what this means?"

The three of them continued to look at him calmly.

Dean Qiu had to abandon his usual composed demeanor, raise his voice eight octaves, and point to the sky, saying, "This means that his chances of passing the imperial examination in the future are extremely high!"

Nie Qianqian was slightly surprised. She had only heard Jiang Wenxuan say that Gu Xiao was a genius, but now Dean Qiu had confirmed it.

My cheap husband is indeed quite capable.

Liu Yan understood what Dean Qiu meant: Gu Xiao could pass the imperial examination? The possibility was extremely high?

Nie Wenye was pampered by her whole family because she had a chance to pass the imperial examination. In the past, she worked like a slave in the Nie family, while Nie Erzhuang worked outside to earn money to support Nie Wenye's education.

Liu Yan had long regarded Gu Xiao as her own son, and now, hearing how successful her son was, she was breathing rapidly.

Even with her limited knowledge, she understood the importance of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations in this world.

Dean Qiu was in tears, finally finding someone who was reacting normally. He fixed his gaze on Liu Yan and said, "I've heard about your situation. It's not easy for you to make a living on your own after the divorce from the Nie family, but the path to the imperial examinations is difficult and requires the full support of your family. Gu Xiao is very talented, but he hasn't even passed the preliminary examination yet. He needs to catch up as soon as possible. So don't let him copy books in the library anymore. If you have any financial difficulties, the academy will find a way."

When Dean Qiu encountered such a promising student, how could he bear to see him not studying hard? He even thought he could pay for his education out of his own pocket.

Liu Yan was already nervous in front of such an important figure as the dean. When she saw the dean speaking to her, she hurriedly stood up and nodded repeatedly, "Our family fully supports Gu Xiao's studies."

In the past, when the family was struggling to make ends meet, the money Gu Xiao earned from copying books was a lifesaver. But things are different now. The family has savings, and she will go to the county to work as a kitchen helper so that Gu Xiao can focus on his studies.

Dean Qiu was very satisfied with Liu Yan's attitude. He gestured for her to sit down and then said to Nie Qianqian, "Just now I saw Gu Xiao gathering firewood outside. I will find a doctor from Jishetang to treat Gu Xiao's right hand injury as soon as possible. Gu Xiao can't do any more housework. What will happen if he hurts his left hand? You are his wife, and you should think about his future. Treat your husband well and don't treat him lightly."

Dean Qiu didn't want to interfere in Gu Xiao's family affairs, but Gu Xiao's situation was really special. He had just learned about Gu Xiao's situation at Old Nie's house and felt dissatisfied with the Nie family. Knowing that Gu Xiao had married into the Nie family, he was afraid that Nie Qianqian would not value her as her husband, so he said a few more words.

Nie Qianqian blinked her big eyes, looking a little aggrieved. When had she ever treated her husband badly? Nobody made him go and collect firewood.

She didn't know that Gu Xiao was really just bored and had nothing better to do than collect firewood.

She thought about it again and realized that in this era, women were expected to be subservient to their husbands, and all household affairs revolved around them. From this perspective, she did indeed treat Gu Xiao the same way.

In her previous life, she was single and had long since developed the habit of relying on herself, neither depending on nor being controlled by anyone. Arriving in this new world with a bad hand, she still wanted to use her spatial abilities and her own skills to provide a better life for her entire family.

Gu Xiao caught a glimpse of her blinking eyes and couldn't bear to see her looking so aggrieved. He unconsciously explained on Nie Qianqian's behalf, "Dean, Qianqian treats me...very well..."

Dean Qiu and Teacher Jiang were taken aback. Both of them were married, so they could easily sense the awkwardness in Gu Xiao's words. At this moment, they both blushed a little. As teachers, they shouldn't have mentioned their students' family affairs, and now they had been forced to witness such a display of affection.

Nie Qianqian had been reflecting on herself, but upon hearing Gu Xiao's words of defense, she quickly expressed her stance, saying righteously and loudly, "Dean, rest assured, I will definitely treat Gu Xiao well and will never delay his studies."

Although he can't revolve around the sun like the moon, those who follow Nie Qianqian will definitely make sure he's well-fed and clothed!

Nie Qianqian spoke without any shame, her voice resounding, her expression as firm as when she joined the Party in her past life.

But after she finished speaking, not only two people in the room blushed, but Gu Xiao and Liu Yan also turned red.

Gu Xiao thought to himself that with Qianqian's words, Dean Qiu's home visit was worthwhile.