Du's mother had already hidden the needlework basket in the top cabinet, and Xie Shi instructed her: "Mama go and let the maid go to the back garden to pick some fresh grapefruit leaves. She prayed in front of the Bodhisattva every day that her relatives had achieved success, and now that her son had passed the hospital examination, he should clean his hands with fragrant soup and inform the Bodhisattva.

When Du's mother went down, Xie asked Su Ziming about the hospital exam: "How many people have gone to the college exam this year?" But have you passed? ”

The college examination is an examination room set up in the county school, and only those children who have passed the county examination are eligible for reference.

Su Ziming said: "There are eight clan brothers in the clan study, and I heard the master say that the results have come out, and only the son and the Jing clan brother have passed the college examination in the clan study." ”

Brother Jing is talking about Su Zijing, the eldest grandson of the patriarch's family, who is eighteen years old this year.

Thinking of his son's college examination at the age of eleven, Xie Yourong and Yan: "Brother Ming gave his mother a long face, your father passed the college examination when he was eighteen years old, and he was selected for the next year." ”

Su Ziming smiled and said, "My son is also a fluke." He glanced at Jin Nian and said, "Fourth Brother Gu lent me his notes when he was a child, and I benefited a lot." If you only rely on your son's knowledge, I am afraid that I will need to study for two more years before I can pass the college exam. ”

Jin Nian's eyes flashed slightly, and he took two sips of the teacup.

Xie Shi thought for a while and said, "I'll prepare a gift when I go back, and you can personally send it to your fourth brother Gu." If there's anything you can do to help, you have to do your best to help, don't wait for someone to tell you to do it. ”

Xie Shi thought about choosing an expensive gift, Gu Shilang saved his daughter last year, and now he has a lot of help in his son's career, no matter how expensive the gift is, it is not enough to express her gratitude.

Su Ziming nodded with a faint smile, his eyes drifted to the side, his sister was sipping lightly with a tea bowl, as if she hadn't heard their conversation.

Xie Shi was very pleased, so he said to Su Zifeng: "You studied in Huai'an a few years ago, and your father was busy with government affairs, so he delayed your studies. Now that I have returned to Yangzhou and entered the clan studies, don't think about those opera lyrics anymore. Our Su family has been admitted to the imperial examination since ancient times, and only when the children and grandchildren are motivated, can the family history be extended. He looked at Su Ziming and continued, "Although Brother Ming has passed the college exam before you, as a brother, you must not be passive and slack. Academically, if you don't understand something, you should ask the teacher to be a classmate, and then ask your big brother to become a young man, and he is also humble, and he will always try his best to answer you. Maybe you can get the fame of Xiucai before Brother Ming. ”

Su Zifeng said: "My mother has lifted me, how can I compare with my fourth brother?" The business still depends on the eldest brother and the fourth brother. As for himself, being able to memorize the "University" is an improvement.

Xie Shi said: "It's not for business, it's always good to read more books, and the principles of dealing with people are in the books." Just like your second uncle, if you don't know how to deal with people, how can you manage the property in the house? ”

Su Zifeng stood up and said respectfully: "My son remembers his mother's teachings. ”

When Aunt Rong was alive, she would also urge him to study and improve, but more often than not, he was to deal with his father's cross-examination, and when he couldn't answer, his father didn't say anything, and Aunt Rong scolded him on the side.

He knew that Xie Shi was saying this from the bottom of his heart. After he returned to Yangzhou last year, Xie did not deliberately ignore him because of Aunt Rong, clothes, shoes and socks, paper and pencils, Su Ziming had, and he would not have lost his share.

But he will not deliberately be close to him, and he will ask for warmth every day.

With such a distance between his mother and his son-in-law, Su Zifeng felt that it was exactly what he wanted at the moment.

After a stick of incense, Du's mother came up with grapefruit soup.

In the washbasin with the pattern of the four gentlemen of enamel, the clear soup is green, and there are a few fragrant grapefruit leaves floating in the water.

Du's mother scooped up the grapefruit water with an anti-melon scoop in her hand, Xie cleaned her hands first, and when Su Zifeng arrived, Xie's sharp eyes saw the yellow mud in his fingers. Ninety-six flavors

She exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Feng, your hand ......"

Su Zifeng's outstretched hand shrank behind him, and before he could speak, he heard Jin Nian say: "The third brother bought a pot of flowering Xia Lan from outside and gave it to me, as soon as I heard that my younger brother had passed the hospital examination, I was in a hurry to report the good news to my mother, so that the third brother didn't have time to wash his hands." ”

Jin Nian smiled well-behaved, and Su Zifeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know how to tell Xie just now, his sister scolded Jin Nian for being a hen who couldn't lay eggs, and as a younger brother, he felt that he had no face to face Xie.

Xie Shi listened to Jin Nian's words, and said angrily: "Let you learn more about needlework, if you don't listen, you will know how to fiddle with those flowers and spices all day long, I see that when you leave the pavilion in the future, who will make needlework for you." ”

Jin Nian just laughed and didn't argue a word.

After several people cleaned their hands, Xie took the three brothers and sisters to the small Buddha hall to pay homage.

After coming out of the Buddha hall and having lunch together in the flower hall, Xie urged them to go back to their respective courtyards to rest.

When they broke up halfway, Jin Nian said to Su Zifeng and Su Ziming: "Today's matter, don't say it in front of your mother." "Mother is very thoughtful, if she knew that she was abused like that, how sad and self-reproaching she should be!

Su Zifeng responded, feeling that such a result was the best.

Su Ziming's face was faint and he didn't say anything.

In the afternoon, the sky began to rain again, and it was very overcast, and before the hour came, the house was completely dark.

The old lady sat in the side hall, and before dinner was served in the kitchen, she was waiting with a sip of tea.

Gui Zhi lit up the five lamps on the dining table, and was about to withdraw, when the old lady said: "Miss Fifth is still asleep, let her sleep a little longer, she fell today, and came back and washed and washed for a long time before falling asleep, and it hasn't been half an hour until this meeting......" Seeing Gui Zhi with a low heart, he complained, "You too, you have been with Miss for eight or nine years, and you don't know Miss's active nature, the road is so slippery when it rains, why don't you know how to help her." ”

Seeing Su Jintong come back with a face full of sludge today, the old lady panicked, and hurriedly asked what happened, and heard Su Jintong say that she was careless, and she stepped on the mud and fell a big heel. The old lady was relieved at this time, and checked it again in person, and made sure that Su Jintong was not injured before letting her go down to freshen up and change clothes.

Gui Zhi saw that the old lady counted herself down again, and she couldn't say anything, so she had to accept it all: "Slaves and maids remember, they won't do it again next time." ”

The old lady let out an "um" and waved her hand to pull her off.

Mother Tong opened the curtain and came in, and said with a smile: "Old lady, the fourth young master has come to greet you, and I am waiting for you in the main hall." ”

The old lady smiled and said, "Brother Ming, this is good news for me, go and invite him over here, what are you going to do with him to the main hall?" ”

She listened to the people in the outer courtyard, Su Ziming passed the hospital exam, he is only eleven years old now, five years earlier than Su Ziang, even among the Su clan in the past hundred years, it is also the first.

The family is not afraid of no money, but most afraid of the mediocrity and incompetence of the next generation, and there is no successor to the family.

Looking at this momentum now, the glory of their Su Mansion can continue for at least two or three generations.