Chapter 139: Rewards

Chapter 139: Rewards

On the afternoon of the exam, when the results were announced, almost everyone from Dujia Village gathered at the clan school, assembled outside the main gate and in the courtyard.

Nowadays, almost every household in Dujia Village has children studying at the clan school. Even if they are not their own children, they are nephews or nieces. The children's exam results are a matter of great concern to everyone.

"I heard that today the Township Lord will give rewards to the children who performed well. The fabric is brought from the capital, with patterns and colors that even the heavenly weaver couldn't produce!"

"Really? Such fabric must cost several taels of silver per roll. Is the Township Lord really giving it to us for free?"

"Do you think the Township Lord is like you? People outside say that the Township Lord is the reincarnation of the heavenly star of prosperity. Wherever he goes, the harvest is bountiful, and wealth flows in. A few taels of silver for fabric is nothing, let alone hundreds of taels."

"The Township Lord isn't giving it away for free either. Only children who perform well receive the fabric. If you want the fabric, go back and keep an eye on your child, make sure they study hard!"

...

Xing Mi stood by the door, seeing that almost everyone had arrived, and went in to inform Qiu Huanian.

Qiu Huanian had the soldiers carry out the table with several rolls of fabric and said to Liao Cang, "Mr. Liao, let's go out and announce the rankings."

Liao Cang, excited for his first time handling such a ceremony, eagerly took the red list and went out, followed by Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse side by side.

The people outside, seeing the fabric as beautiful as if woven by heavenly fairies, widened their eyes. If it weren't for the two tall soldiers in military uniforms standing by the fabric, some might have been tempted to go up and take a closer look.

The thirty or so children from the clan school stood at the front, naturally forming a line according to their height. Qiu Huanian, observing from inside, noticed that Yun Kang had directed the lineup and nodded slightly.

Qiu Huanian spoke a few words, announcing the future exam and reward procedures of the clan school. Liao Cang unfolded the red paper and began reading out the rankings of this exam.

First, he read the rankings of the younger age group. The first place in this group was Youge, who had already taken the name Du Qingyou. It was said that his uncle Wei Mai had suggested the name Du Tianyou, but Wei Liuhua vetoed it.

Youge, suppressing his excitement, changed his usual skipping to a steady walk and stepped forward first to receive his reward.

Youge was young and short, still a little round ball. The entire roll of bright red feather gauze, one and a half zhang long, was enough to make two sets of clothes for him.

Jiu Jiu had also come today, holding a long wooden ruler and large scissors to help distribute the fabric.

She unfolded a roll of bright red feather gauze, carefully measured one and a half zhang, cut a slit over a foot long with the scissors, grabbed both sides, and with a swift tear, the fabric split neatly along the slit.

Jiu Jiu's sewing skills were first learned from Wei Liuhua. Now, distributing fabric for Wei Liuhua's Youge was, in a way, a cycle and inheritance.

The second and third places in the younger age group each received five chi of jacquard satin. One child chose to save it until they had enough for one zhang, while another chose to cut it on the spot. Her sister was about to get married, and she wanted to sew a small jacket as a dowry.

In addition, all children who scored above eighty and achieved excellence received one chi of cotton silk. One chi of fabric was only enough to sew a small bag, so all the children chose to save it, eager to strive for the top three in the next exam.

Even if they didn't make it to the top three, they at least wanted to maintain excellence! With exams every three months, four times a year, saving up four chi of fabric would be enough to sew a small garment.

After the rankings of the younger age group were announced, it was time for the more competitive older age group.

Liao Cang first read out Yun Kang's name, and most people showed expressions of expectation. Yun Kang was naturally smart and had a solid foundation, making him stand out among the students of the clan school.

Li Jiaxin, standing next to Yun Kang, let out a soft snort. Yun Kang, as if he didn't hear it, stepped forward to express his thanks and asked Jiu Jiu to help him cut one and a half zhang of bright red feather gauze.

Yun Kang had studied with Du Yunse for over half a year, making him half a student of Du Yunse. Du Yunse had carefully read his exam paper and even slightly lowered the score, but Yun Kang's result was still firmly in first place.

Holding the folded fabric in his arms, Yun Kang looked at Du Yunse with expectant eyes.

Du Yunse nodded slightly, not disappointing him, "Well done, but still need to work harder."

Qiu Huanian curled his lips and subtly tugged at Du Yunse's sleeve from behind.

Yun Kang let out a sigh of relief, smiled at his parents who were waving outside, and then returned to the line.

Next came the second and third places... until the names of all the top-performing students were announced, but Li Jiaxin still hadn’t heard his own name.

Li Jiaxin clenched his fists inside his sleeves, his temples pounding, feeling like all the chatter around him was about him.

He prided himself on having studied in the county’s private school since childhood, believing he was far superior to the students in the Du Village clan school. In the more than ten days he had been studying there, he had always looked down on others, only Yun Kang, who had studied under the Number One Scholar, seemed somewhat worthy.

Kids are often sharper and more perceptive than adults. Li Jiaxin looked down on the students of the clan school, and his classmates avoided him too. Li Jiaxin blamed it all on the jealousy of the villagers, not heeding it, but instead feeling smug.

But now, those he had looked down on had achieved excellent grades, while he hadn’t even cracked eighty!

Li Jiaxin’s breathing became rapid, his skin burned with shame, and he wished he could disappear into the ground.

It was so embarrassing, truly so embarrassing! What on earth does the Du Village clan school teach, filling the exam with such basic questions and giving them so much weight?!

In such a place, how could he ever master the classics and take the imperial examination to bring glory to his family!

Maybe the Number One Scholar feared others in the clan would outshine him in the imperial exams, so he didn’t allow the clan school to focus on teaching the classics.

Li Jiaxin’s head felt like it was spinning, and by the time he realized the surroundings had suddenly gone silent, it was already too late.

He looked up in confusion, seeing many people in the clan school looking at him, and belatedly realized that he’d accidentally blurted out some of his thoughts.

His face instantly turned pale, and before he could argue, Liao Cang handed his exam paper back.

"Li Jiaxin, I just taught a similar type of question in class a few days ago and assigned homework. Why did you either leave it blank or write gibberish? How did you complete your homework?"

Li Jiaxin was drenched in cold sweat, not knowing how to respond. Although he was resentful of the clan school, he wasn’t truly foolish, and he wouldn’t dare disrespect the Number One Scholar or the Township Lord.

Qiu Huanian ignored Li Jiaxin. He raised his head and scanned the packed crowd, then looked again at the students standing at the front, and spoke loudly.

"Learning is about understanding principles, gaining wisdom, and mastering useful skills. Only by mastering the skills to support yourself can you go further."

"If you understand farming knowledge, you can grow abundant crops; if you can keep accounts and do calculations, you can manage an industry; if you can draw maps and recognize roads, you can travel far and wide... I funded the clan school, hoping to give the village children more opportunities, and also hoping that after they achieve success in their studies, they can make the world a better place."

"In my opinion, if a scholar only knows how to recite some classics and history, write some convoluted sentences, but doesn’t understand the economy of the people, doesn’t know where food comes from, where money comes from, then he should give up on the imperial examination and becoming an official as soon as possible, and not harm others."

In Du Village, Qiu Huanian’s words could be considered as golden rules. No one dared to contradict Township Lord Qishu to his face. What he said was the unshakable rule of the clan school.

The restless hearts of the villagers, stirred up by Du Yunse’s success as the Number One Scholar, calmed down after these words.

Those who wanted to take shortcuts with ulterior motives felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

Du Yunse stared intently at Qiu Huanian, his gaze extremely focused, his eyes filled with a smile, as if looking at his other half.

After Qiu Huanian finished speaking, he turned back and happened to meet Du Yunse’s gaze.

He paused for half a second, then raised his head and smiled, "Does the Number One Scholar have anything to say?"

Du Yunse took half a step forward, a simple action that made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

"What Township Lord Qishu said, every word and phrase, is exactly what I think. I hope the students of Du Village clan school can take this as encouragement, live up to the expectations of both of us, and in the future, go to different places to make the land they live on a better place."

"Clap clap clap!" Qiu Huanian quickly started applauding beside him.

Others didn’t understand the meaning of this action, but since the Township Lord did it, they all followed suit.

For a moment, thunderous applause erupted throughout the clan school courtyard.

Du Yunse's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness. Stepping aside from the others, he gently tapped Qiu Huanian's nose.

The first formal examination at the Du Village Clan School, co-hosted by Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian, came to an end. The children who achieved good results and received rewards were extremely excited, while those who performed slightly worse were mostly motivated, vowing to earn fabric rewards in three months to sew beautiful clothes for themselves or their families.

Qiu Huanian spoke earnestly at the clan school, sharing heartfelt words. Some people had sudden realizations and set their goals, while others remained as unresponsive as casting pearls before swine.

After returning home, Li Jiaxin threw a tantrum and left for the county town early the next morning with his family, without even saying goodbye or thanking his mentors.

Clearly, in their hearts, focusing on the eight-part essays for the imperial examination was still the most important.

When Qiu Huanian heard this news from Yun Kang, he wasn't too surprised and continued discussing sewing plans with Hu Qiuyan.

With the large bolt of red feather gauze Yun Kang had earned, Hu Qiuyan planned to sew a cloak for Yun Kang and a skirt for herself. She intended to take Yun Kang to visit family during the next clan school break.

After Yun Kang left, Chun Sheng quietly approached, hesitating to speak to Qiu Huanian.

"What's wrong, Chun Sheng? Weren't you having fun with Yun Kang just now?"

Chun Sheng sat on a small stool by Qiu Huanian's feet, resting his chin on his hand. "Yun Kang just told me about Li Jiaxin. He said that Li Jiaxin approached him the evening before the exam, but he didn't remind Li Jiaxin that Brother Hua and his brother both place great importance on general studies."

"Yun Kang said that even if he had reminded him, Li Jiaxin wouldn't have genuinely changed his attitude toward general studies. He would have just tried to cram last-minute to get a decent score, so he could continue to stay in the clan school."

"So Yun Kang decided not to say anything, letting him fail the exam and leave in shame."

Qiu Huanian raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting Yun Kang to have such calculations at such a young age, showing a bit of cunning.

"Chun Sheng, do you not like Yun Kang's approach?"

Chun Sheng shook his head repeatedly. "No, I think Yun Kang did the right thing. People who don't genuinely study shouldn't be allowed to stay in the clan school and waste resources!"

"I just feel that Yun Kang has suddenly become so capable, while I..." Chun Sheng clenched his fists, resolving. "Brother Hua, when we get to the capital, can you and my brother help me find a martial arts teacher? I want to learn martial arts!"

Chun Sheng had mentioned learning martial arts several times before, but it was always a passing fancy, and Qiu Huanian hadn't paid much attention.

This time, Qiu Huanian saw determination and resolve in his eyes. Yun Kang's growth had inspired Chun Sheng, making him realize that he too should choose a path and start striving.

"Alright, when we get to the capital, we'll help you find a good teacher."

Qiu Huanian wouldn't stop the children from finding their own paths. He hoped Chun Sheng would stay safe and healthy, and more importantly, live a meaningful life.

Where should they find a martial arts teacher? Should he ask sixteen later? That could work, but it definitely shouldn't be the path of a covert guard. At Chun Sheng's age, focusing on physical fitness would be best.

...

After a few days of paying respects to ancestors, meeting old friends, and organizing the clan school, more than half of the month-long vacation had passed, and it was time for Qiu Huanian's family to embark on their return journey.

This time, they would return to Xiangping Prefecture, pack all their belongings, and visit Old Physician Gu for a new prescription to strengthen their health before officially setting off for the capital to start a new life.