Chapter 71: Chapter 71

If An Ning’s situation here was only somewhat speechless, then for Lin Xiuyuan, far away in the provincial city, it was pure, unadulterated relief.

Looking at the two most obvious names at the very top and bottom of the rankings, Lin Xiuyuan instinctively raised his hand to wipe the faint sweat on his forehead.

Fortunately, he hadn’t stubbornly held on back then.

If it had been father and son rather than uncle and nephew...

In any case, Lin Xiuyuan refused to imagine such a socially mortifying nightmare.

On the other hand, Xie Sanwa, after his enormous joy, was surprisingly calm.

Sun Shan was nothing; he was still a legitimate provincial graduate, ranking within the top eighty of the entire Qizhou Province!

Besides, what kind of brains did his sister have? What kind of brains did he have? His little nephew was his sister’s own flesh and blood. It was normal that he couldn’t compare.

In fact, the Xie family elders shared the same reaction as Xie Sanwa.

Sun Shan? Sorry, their peasant family didn’t understand him. They only knew their own son (grandson) had become a lofty provincial graduate!

Moreover, there was the grandson by marriage, who was the top scorer, a fourteen-year-old prodigy, a bona fide future top scholar!

In short, the moment the news arrived, the entire Xie Village exploded with excitement. Grandfather Xie was so thrilled his hands trembled as he clasped them and repeatedly prayed for heaven’s blessing, all while briskly instructing the wives in the third son’s household.

Give out rewards where due, quickly receive the guests!

As for the third son and his wife, they were worse off than the elderly patriarch; they looked like wooden stakes, their souls seemingly nowhere to be found.

It was only the third son’s wife who attentively supported her mother-in-law while not forgetting to summon the maids to prepare tea and snacks for the guests.

Since the messengers spreading the good news had been beating drums and gongs all along the way, discretion was not a priority. By now, the Xie family yard had gathered multiple groups of villagers.

Having a provincial graduate in the village was a huge deal for everyone.

The small Xie family courtyard was instantly packed with people, and several clan elders trembled with excitement. If Xie Sanwa weren’t away, they would have wanted to hold a ceremony at the ancestral hall to honor their ancestors on the spot!

As lively as the Xie family was, the Lin family in the county was no less so. Upon learning their grandson had become a provincial graduate—and was definitely the top scorer—Master Lin almost howled to the heavens if not for consideration for the provincial graduate grandfather’s dignity.

“Oh heavens, what a wonderful blessing this is! And it falls upon our old Lin family!”

Seeing the daughter-in-law arrive, they were even more warmly welcoming than when seeing ancestors. If not for the diligent maids surrounding An Ning, they would have jumped up to serve her tea themselves.

Even Madam Jiang, usually prone to grumbling, instinctively shifted her seat the moment her daughter-in-law arrived. If not for Eldest Miss Lin’s quick reaction, she almost would have stood to offer her seat.

Thanks, but that really isn’t necessary.

The group returned home in mid-October. During this time, countless congratulatory gifts poured into both the Lin and Xie families like a rushing river.

A provincial graduate was unlike a county-level scholar. He not only had certain judicial immunities but also received a monthly stipend, and in some sense, already belonged to the bureaucratic class.

Normally, even the county magistrate had to show some respect.

In some remote counties, the county officials themselves were only provincial graduates.

Especially in such small places, once someone passed the provincial exams, merchants from the entire county and even neighboring counties would scramble to send lavish gifts and show goodwill.

Even without trying to curry favor, they had to display an attitude of respect toward the provincial graduate, with no hint of offense or disdain.

At this moment, the saying “All professions are lowly; only scholarly achievement is high” finally had sharp, vivid meaning.

As a newly minted provincial graduate, a banquet for the whole family was a must. For the sake of their precious grandson, Master Lin generously hosted a continuous banquet that lasted three whole days along the entire street outside the Lin residence.

During this time, several waves of congratulatory gifts fiercely competed to be delivered.

If not for fear that their precious grandson would be laughed at for showing off like a nouveau riche, they would have even tossed a few large baskets of copper coins at the gate for fun.

As the top scorer’s biological mother and elder sister to a provincial graduate, An Ning’s life was as leisurely as ever—reading books and admiring paintings every day without change.

Both families were busy to the point of exhaustion, yet not a single troublesome matter was passed to An Ning.

Clearly, raising a provincial graduate or even a top scorer was in a completely different league from raising just county scholars.

If before everyone only envied and admired in secret, hoping to gain some benefit, now the looks toward An Ning were filled with pure reverence.

Respect for scholars, respect for the talented!

Even though everyone knew Xie Sanwa had been studying at the county school all these years, Taohua County only had two provincial graduates this year.

One was their own son, the other their own younger brother. Saying they had no relation was truly treating people like fools! Moreover, the new top scorer was personally taught by An Ning since childhood.

Both families had long planned to hold their banquets on different days. On the day of Xie Sanwa’s banquet, An Ning even specially took her commoner husband and son to visit.

That day was especially lively at the old Xie family.

After years of development, Xie Village was no longer the same. Besides Xie Sanwa, who was a provincial graduate, there were already two county scholars in the village.

Besides the village chief’s grandson, Chubby Boy, there was also the grandson of Scholar Xu, the village teacher. Because of the earlier unpaid tutoring, An Ning’s notes and classical texts were often sent to Scholar Xu.

An Ning knew well that not all teachers were willing to teach children, especially village girls like herself who had been audacious enough to attend classes without paying for so long.

At least during those years, as the brazen girl who freeloaded on lessons, she had never heard any bad words from this teacher or the Xu family.

Moreover, when the third son managed to get his exam qualification, besides Xie Youcheng’s efforts, it was largely thanks to this old teacher’s assistance.

In fact, although old Scholar Xu was somewhat strict in teaching, he was rare in his generosity and kindness, without the usual arrogance of scholars. Though he felt somewhat undeserving, he meticulously collected everything An Ning sent for the sake of his descendants’ future.

Knowing his own limits, he often instructed his grandson to seek advice from the two county scholars in the village.

When An Ning was pregnant, Auntie Lin even specially sent over some homemade fruit wine.

At the banquet, An Ning also met Chubby Boy’s wife and their twelve-year-old son, who had already passed the child scholar exam last year.

Unlike Xie Sanwa, who was lucky enough to marry into a wealthy county family and could focus on imperial exams with ample funds, Chubby Boy had passed the county exam at seventeen but was not particularly gifted.

His chances of becoming a provincial graduate were slim, so he was not worth investment from wealthy county families and ended up marrying a girl from a medium family in the county.

However, Chubby Boy was very accepting of this and knew his limits. Passing the county exam was already a huge stretch thanks to his younger cousin’s pulling strings; anything beyond that was nearly impossible. Teaching in the county wasn’t bad either.

He was now respected by everyone as “Master Xie.”

The third son had envied him before, not having to exhaust himself studying endlessly and risking his life for exams.

But luckily, his friend was now free. It was said that on the day Xie Sanwa passed, he cried holding a wine jar all night.

Heaven had pity—finally freed from the endless burning of oil lamps, and no longer enduring the occasional crushing blow from his nephew’s talent.

Hearing about Xie Sanwa’s awkward state for the first time, An Ning almost laughed herself straight on the way back.