Chapter 375: Chapter 369_1 Chapter 375: Chapter 369_1 The craftsman issue had been resolved, and Zhao Erhu already had the materials ready at the construction site; they were just waiting to start. The farm wasn’t in a hurry, but now the pressing issue was to first build the storefront. After the construction, the decoration would also take a considerable effort. Time was tight, and it was uncertain whether they could open the shop before the start of the school term at Songshan Academy.
Master Chen bore a grudge against Lin Yue and had already made it clear in their circles that no one should take her work, or they would be opposing him. In Xin’an City, in their line of work, there weren’t many who dared to oppose him—doing so would certainly lead to ostracism and repression. Master Chen was smug in his heart, but hadn’t anticipated that a mere country woman would manage to involve Old Lu.
As annoyed as Master Chen was, there was nothing he could do. Although he had some accomplishments of his own, he was still a junior in front of Old Lu and had no influence when speaking. If Old Lu decided to help, he could only watch helplessly and wouldn’t dare to cause any trouble.
As construction of the storefront progressed, more than half a month had passed, and the entrance exam for Songshan Academy had begun. The four brothers, led by Dalang, had studied so diligently precisely to prepare for this day’s admission test.
Among the brothers, Erlang was the most confident. The others, including Dalang, were somewhat nervous. Although they’d studied hard during this period, Songshan Academy was the best academy in Xin’an City and had high admission standards. They didn’t know if they would be accepted, especially upon seeing how many people were there to take the test, which made them even less confident.
Lin Yue got up early in the morning to see them off at the gates of the academy, “Don’t be nervous. While I do hope that all of you can get into Songshan Academy, we can’t force these things. Just give it your best effort, and don’t put too much pressure on yourselves. Besides, if you don’t pass today, there’s always next year. Relax!”
Seeing that Dalang and the others were a bit nervous and fearing it might affect their performance, Lin Yue continued to provide moral support. Encouraged and comforted by Lin Yue, the brothers regained their composure.
“Mom, don’t worry, we will do our best.”
The results of the entrance exam were announced quickly, and within a few days, the list was posted. Of Dalang’s four brothers, except for the youngest, Silang, the other three had passed. It was quite miraculous that Dalang had just managed to scrape by. Nevertheless, he had passed and could now attend Songshan Academy. Surprisingly, it was Sanlang who had performed unexpectedly well, even better than Erlang, proving to be a promising student.
The three older brothers had passed, but Silang, knowing he hadn’t, was particularly dejected. After all, he was the youngest and, even though he had also worked hard, there was much he couldn’t grasp. It was not surprising he didn’t pass the exam. Lin Yue had brought Silang along mostly
Lin Yue consoled him by patting Silang on the head, “Silang, you’ve done your best. Besides, you are still so young. Just keep working hard. When Dalang and the others come back from the academy each day, they can teach you what they’ve learned.”
“Yeah, Silang, you’re still young. Just keep working hard and try again next year. You’ll definitely pass, and we’ll all be waiting for you at the academy,” they said.
Seeing Silang downhearted, the brothers quickly joined in comforting their younger sibling. With Lin Yue and his older brothers’ reassurances, Silang’s mood finally improved significantly. His thoughts soon turned back to food: “Mom, I’m hungry. Do we have anything delicious? I’m starving.”
Lin Yue and the brothers could only react speechlessly to Silang’s comment—he truly was a glutton!
Knowing that Songshan Academy’s results would be released today, Zhao Erhu couldn’t help but be concerned for his sons and took the opportunity to come over. “Wife, have the results been posted? How did this brat do in the exam? Has he shamed his old man?”
When Erhu asked this question, Silang’s mood, which had just brightened, began to sink again—he had let down his parents. At heart, Silang may have been a glutton, but he was also quite ambitious. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been studying with his brothers at such a young age without ever complaining of fatigue.
“Zhao Erhu, what are you saying? Songshan Academy is no ordinary place; it’s the best academy in Xin’an City and it’s not easy to get in. Moreover, they have only been studying with the teacher for so long. Don’t set your expectations too high,” Lin Yue, concerned for Silang’s feelings, scolded Zhao Erhu with a glance.
Hearing Lin Yue’s response, Zhao Erhu thought none of the children had passed. He had never actually anticipated Sanlang and Silang to succeed on this occasion; even though they studied with Dalang and Erlang, it was more for them to become literate and establish a basic foundation. He didn’t truly expect them to be admitted into Songshan Academy.
As for Dalang and Erlang, they had previously studied for a while and had better fundamentals as well as being older, which meant stronger comprehension. He had pinned his hopes on these two, satisfied if at least one of them could get in. If they didn’t, there was nothing he could do except to find a slightly lesser academy for them to start attending until they could try again the following year. Nevertheless, Zhao Erhu still dearly wished for his sons to succeed.
“I haven’t demanded anything in particular from them, I was just asking. Why take it so seriously? It’s only Songshan Academy. If they didn’t get in, we’ll just switch to another one. There’s no lack of places to study,” Zhao Erhu said, his heart feeling regretful but quickly adding an explanation after seeing his wife’s reaction.
“Dad, the three of us passed, only Silang fell a bit short and didn’t make it, which is why he’s been upset. We were just comforting him,” Dalang, ever the honest one, hastily explained when he saw Zhao Erhu had misunderstood.
“What?! You’re saying that aside from Silang, all three of you passed? Is that true, or am I hearing things?” Zhao Erhu had been somewhat disappointed, but upon hearing Dalang report that the three brothers had passed, he was first stunned and then overjoyed. It proved they were indeed his capable sons. As for Silang, given his young age, not passing was normal, and he would surely get in next year.
Gaining admission into Songshan Academy was a proud achievement, especially since Zhao Erhu’s three sons had been admitted together, which was unprecedented.
The news of Dalang and his brothers getting into Songshan Academy spread like wildfire in the village, stirring up envy, jealousy, and genuine happiness for them. People marveled at Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu’s good fortune, congratulating them and praising the boys extravagantly. Lin Yue, concerned that her sons might lose their humility, took pains to remind them.
“Mom, don’t worry. We understand. We won’t take people’s words to heart or become arrogant. We’ll definitely study hard and earn honors to make you and dad proud,” they promised.
The new shop, with Old Lu’s involvement, turned out better than Lin Yue had imagined. For the decoration, Old Lu only requested that Lin Yue provide the design drawings; he took care of everything else himself.