Wufu was clueless and indifferent about the state of the Old Zhou family. Having dealt with the property issue, she immersed herself in her temporary workshop again, engrossed in carving until she finished a jade lotus flower pendant and heard the good news that Zhou Xuennian had passed the examination and become a scholar.
The news had been overheard by Liu Jin and Madam Zhou when they went to measure the boundary at the homestead. They brought it back and shared it with her.
It was said that the Old Zhou family was going to throw a feast to celebrate Zhou Xuennian, the perennial Child Student who had finally passed the scholar exam.
When Wufu was about to leave to deliver the jade lotus flower pendant to Hundred Treasures Silver Building, Lady Liang paid a visit.
"Young Aunt, my mother is inside," Wufu greeted her with a bow.
Seeing Wufu dressed to go out, Lady Liang smiled and asked, "Wufu, going out again?"
"A trip to the town," Wufu replied. She nodded, took Liu Jin, and left.
Lady Liang watched her leave and sighed lightly, remembering the idle gossip that had come back calling her a ’mother tiger.’
"Why have you come?" Madam Zhou, upon seeing Lady Liang, smiled, took her hand, and led her inside the house.
Hongyu saw that a guest had arrived, hurriedly served tea, and stayed beside them, not bothering with anything else.
Lady Liang took a sip of the tea and realized it was sweet, looking towards Hongyu.
"The Young Aunt is pregnant, so I took the liberty of serving brown sugar water," said Hongyu with a sweet smile.
"What a clever and good child you are," Lady Liang praised.
Madam Zhou also looked approvingly at Hongyu, then asked Lady Liang how she was feeling and why she came.
With a forced smile, Lady Liang said, "The elder brother passed the scholar exam, and the family is hosting a meal to celebrate. Does my second sister know?"
Madam Zhou’s eyes lit up, "I’ve heard about it. Eldest brother has finally seen his hardship turn to sweetness."
Hardship turned to sweetness?
A scornful smile appeared on Lady Liang’s lips. His sweetness, earned by draining their entire family’s resources—what kind of sweetness was that?
"My sister-in-law asked me to come and invite you to the meal," Lady Liang said indifferently. She looked at Madam Zhou’s excited face and couldn’t resist adding, "Second sister, do you know how the elder brother got his scholar title?"
"Didn’t he just pass the exam?" Madam Zhou asked, puzzled.
Lady Liang sneered, "Second sister, do you remember when I came over before, and talked about how the elder brother emptied the family’s coffers to take the scholar exam?"
Madam Zhou paused and saw the indignant look on her sister-in-law’s face. She pursed her lips, then consoled her, "Guilan, with eldest brother becoming a scholar, it benefits the household too. Nothing else aside, when the son in your womb is born, he can study and write with his great uncle in the future. All these are tangible benefits. Are the other trappings, no matter how important, more crucial than the child’s future?"
She meant for Lady Liang to not dwell too much on the matter of gold and silver, as they were one family. If Zhou Xuennian continued to succeed in his exams, future generations could also benefit from it.
Madam Zhou’s idea was not wrong, after all, as the true uncle and nephew of the surname Zhou, one pen couldn’t write two ’Zhou’ characters differently. If one wished for the family to thrive, mutual support was necessary, and this was a frequent occurrence in many large families.
Lady Liang showed a bitter smile, "Second sister, I understand what you’re saying. But you only see one side and not the other. If the elder brother had earned his scholar title through genuine effort and knowledge, I would sincerely be happy for him and wouldn’t blame him for spending all our funds. But do you know where he spent that money? He bribed a fellow student in exchange for the exam questions."
She implied that Zhou Xuennian’s scholar title was bought with silver, that it was the result of cheating.
"What?" Madam Zhou exclaimed, standing up in shock.
Zhou Xuennian dared to be involved in an exam fraud?