After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

"Mother, my eldest sister is not even fourteen years old yet, why are you in such a hurry to get engaged?"

“Your eldest sister will be of marriageable age in a little over a year. If we don’t settle down now, it might be difficult later.” Lin Yueniang didn’t want to settle down with her eldest daughter so early, but everyone in this era did the same.

“Mother, have you forgotten what my brother said? He said to wait for him, he will pass the imperial examination as soon as possible, and then we will find a husband for my elder sister.”

"Your eldest sister said the same thing to Mother. It's rare that you sisters trust your brother so much. But your brother is not even five years old yet, and he hasn't entered the top class. Can he really pass the county and prefectural examinations before Xiwen comes of age?"

Lin Yueniang knew that her son was intelligent and had a talent for studying, but how many six-year-old students have there been throughout history?

"Mother, let's wait a little longer. My brother will be home in a few months. We should ask him for his opinion then. If we just arrange this for my eldest sister, he might be angry when he comes back."

Lin Yueniang felt that her daughter's words made sense. She sighed and realized that she shouldn't have arranged a marriage for her daughter based on her husband's words. After all, her husband's unreliability was not a one-off occurrence.

Why did Jiang Wenqing encourage Lin Yueniang to arrange a marriage for her eldest daughter?

"Why are you in such a hurry to arrange a marriage for Wen-jie? Tell the truth!"

“Father, my eldest sister is getting on in years. The young master of my friend’s family is about the same age as Wen’er. Last time we were drinking together, he mentioned it, and I just agreed…”

"Snapped!"

The sound of a tea cup falling to the ground.

Grandpa Jiang's beard bristled with anger: "You wretched child! Do you even know what kind of family background that person has, what kind of character he is, what kind of temperament the child has, and whether he is ambitious?!"

"Wen'er is your eldest daughter! How can you just give your daughter away as a favor? It's utterly absurd! Go! Go and tell that person tomorrow. My granddaughter is still young; we'll discuss marriage after she comes of age!"

Although Jiang Wenqing was unwilling, he dared not disobey his father and had no choice but to agree.

The next day, Jiang Wenqing went to his friend's house. The matter of marriage was no longer mentioned, and the two parted on bad terms. When Jiang Wenqing came out of the friend's house, his hair ornament was crooked.

Lin Yueniang breathed a sigh of relief upon learning of this, and was also glad that she had listened to her daughter's advice the day before.

Meanwhile, Old Master Jiang went into his study and wrote a letter to Xinghe Prefecture.

Time flies, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye. After the annual examination, Jiang Xiaoqi was kept behind by Master Yan.

"Mingfei, you'll be going to Class A next year. I have a few words for you."

"Please speak, Master!" Jiang Xiaoqi stepped forward and gave a junior's bow.

"Most of the students in Class A have passed the county exam. When you arrive, do not compare yourself with others. You must calm down and solidify your own abilities. The county exam is not difficult for you. The difficult thing is to come out on top. Don't be impatient."

"Students who have received instruction will certainly not slacken their efforts!"

"These are some of my insights into mathematics over the years. Here you go." Master Yan handed Jiang Xiaoqi a handwritten book, densely filled with Master Yan's understanding of mathematics.

"Master, this is too precious! I cannot accept it!"

"Take it without worry. It's just a handwritten copy. Others might not be able to understand it anyway. You're making good use of it by keeping it."

Master Yan waved his hand, signaling Jiang Xiaoqi to take the handwritten copy.

"Thank you, Master. I will take my leave now!"

After saying goodbye to Master Yan, Jiang Xiaoqi's joy at about to enter Class A faded considerably.

But he couldn't stop; he had to keep moving forward, even if it meant constantly saying goodbye to his teachers and classmates.

As the first snowflake fell from the sky, Jiang Xiaoqi, along with Wenbin and Lin Feng, embarked on their journey back to their hometown, leaving the house in the prefectural city to be looked after by the Li family of five.

Old Li wanted his grandson Li Mo to come along, but Jiang Xiaoqi didn't want the family to be separated during the holidays. So, after compromise, Li Shan drove the carriage and took Li Mo to send the young master back to his hometown.

After delivering the goods, the two rushed back to the prefectural city, and then went to Changshou Village to pick up their young master after the New Year.

This was the second time Jiang Xiaoqi had braved the snow to return to her hometown. Suddenly, she had a thought: if she were to become the center of her family one day, would she be able to persuade the whole family to move to her side?

The tea in his hand had gone cold, so Wenbin promptly added the little hot water left. Li Mo pretended to be tidying up his books and didn't rush to serve the young master.

"Young master, it's so cold, you shouldn't read anymore. Your fingers are freezing."

Although they were carrying hot water bottles, they had long since cooled down after being away from the city, and there were no inns available for them to rest and replenish their supplies.

"Wenbin, I'm not doing this to read, I'm just killing time, otherwise the journey would be boring." Jiang Xiaoqi winked at Wenbin, signaling him to keep an eye on his bag.

After all, Wenbin brought a bundle full of gold and jade with him on his way back to his hometown. Although Lin Feng was riding with him, he still had to be extra careful.

Jiang Xiaoqi and her three servants, along with Lin Feng and his group of five, deliberately kept their carriage and clothing very low-key. The ordinary green carriage was quite crowded even for the three children.

Lin Feng left his original horse at his house in the prefectural city, entrusting it to Old Li to look after. For this trip, he specially went to the horse shop to rent a skinny horse, and even the saddle was the cheapest one he could find.

Even so, they still encountered two groups with ill intentions on the road. It was only because Lin Feng and Li Shan were big and burly and their height was too intimidating that they didn't actually clash.

After a bumpy journey, we finally arrived back in Changshou Village on the eve of the Lunar New Year. The snow on the village roads was already a foot thick. Fortunately, some diligent people had cleared a narrow path early on, otherwise it would have been really difficult to walk after leaving the main road.

Li Shan was a skilled driver, but it was his first time visiting Changshou Village. Wenbin sat next to Li Shan and gave directions until the carriage stopped in front of the Jiang family's gate.

As if by telepathy, before Li Shan and Wen Bin could even knock on the door, Butler Wen and several servants came out with shovels, brooms, and other tools.

"Grandpa!" Wenbin couldn't help but call out when he saw his grandfather.

"You brat! The young master is back! Why didn't you go and announce his return first? Making him wait at the gate in this freezing weather is utterly disrespectful!"

The housekeeper was naturally happy to see his grandson, but he didn't forget his job and first gave Wen Bin a lecture.

"Butler Wen, you've misunderstood Wen Bin. We just arrived and were about to come in," Jiang Xiaoqi explained.

"Young Master, you must be tired from your journey. Come in and warm yourself up! Wenbin, don't just stand there! Go and inform the Old Master and Madam!"

"Yes, Grandpa!"

Wenbin ran off in a flash, and Li Mo and Li Shan helped Jiang Xiaoqi down from the carriage.

"This is the person I bought in the prefectural city. Please arrange accommodation for him, Steward Wen."

Jiang Xiaoqi could have taken the person directly back to the courtyard, but since there were elders in the Jiang family, it would be better for them to make the arrangements.

"Yes, young master, please rest assured, I will make all the arrangements."

After dropping the person off, Lin Feng said goodbye to Jiang Xiaoqi. He had a house in the county town, and although no one was home there, he still wanted to go back and check on it. They agreed that he would come over to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Eve, and then he rode away on horseback.

Lin Yueniang and her two daughters were the first to learn of Jiang Xiaoqi's return home. After all, the gatekeeper had received a favor from the mistress and had already informed Granny Zhou of the main courtyard while Steward Wen was reprimanding Wen Bin.

"My little brother is back. I'm going to go to the door to greet him."

"I'll go too. I wonder if my little brother has grown taller, or if he's gotten fatter or thinner."

Lin Yueniang had already asked Cui'er to put on the cloak, and she and her two daughters walked outside together.