Chapter 146: Unified Understanding
When Li Xiaonan returned home, in the main hall, Li Yuzhu and Mei Jie were measuring and comparing a half-piece of fine cloth, discussing how to cut it most economically, while Li Jinzhu was sewing shoe soles, occasionally offering a suggestion or two.
“Brother is back?” Li Xiaonan looked towards the east room.
“He’s back,” Li Xuedong replied, leaning out.
“Is everything alright?” Li Jinzhu carefully looked at Li Xiaonan.
“Is Brother going to take the Autumn Imperial Examination?” Li Xiaonan didn’t answer Li Jinzhu’s question.
“I was just telling Eldest Sister about it,” Li Xuedong came out of the room. “Originally, I just wanted to try, I definitely wouldn’t pass, I just wanted to see how the Autumn Imperial Examination was conducted, to get some experience.
“But today Headmaster Dong found me and asked if I was taking the Autumn Imperial Examination this year, telling me to hurry and take it, saying it’s a good opportunity while the Young Lord is in Jiangnan and the Educational Commissioner for Liangzhe Circuit is Wei Educational Commissioner.” Li Xuedong looked at Li Jinzhu.
“I told your brother not to go,” Li Jinzhu interjected directly.
“Does Brother want to become a Recommended Scholar?” Li Xiaonan looked at Li Xuedong and asked with a smile.
Li Xuedong hesitated for a moment. “I want to, but my studies and writing aren’t good enough, at least not now. Although the professors all praise me, and Headmaster Dong also praises me, I know myself, and my classmates,”
Li Xuedong paused. “Second Brother Hong said not to pay attention to the gossip from classmates, saying they’re just sour grapes, but it’s true that they’re sour.
“I want to pass based on my own abilities.”
“What if your writing never reaches that level, and you never pass?” Li Xiaonan pressed.
“Then I’ll keep thinking about it. I also think about how great it would be if I were a great scholar, like Senior Student Lu at the Prefectural School, but I’ll never be a great scholar in this lifetime,” Li Xuedong said with a smile.
“The Young Lord said he would help Brother become a Recommended Scholar, but I refused,” Li Xiaonan looked at Li Jinzhu.
“This little girl is so petty!” Li Yuzhu raised her hand and lightly hit Li Xiaonan on the head.
“The Young Lord said he doesn’t need to do anything, as long as Brother participates in the examination, someone will naturally look out for him, just like Brother is at the Prefectural School now,” Li Xiaonan moved closer to Li Jinzhu.
“Then wait until you feel your studies and writing are good enough to be a Recommended Scholar before you take the examination,” Li Jinzhu said, looking at Li Xuedong.
Li Xuedong nodded repeatedly.
The next evening, as Li Jinzhu and the others had just returned home, Li Yin Zhu arrived in a hurry.
Li Yin Zhu first went to the kitchen and handed a packet of sliced mutton to Mei Jie, then entered the main hall and placed a packet of plum blossom cakes on the table, and then handed a packet of candied hawthorn to Li Xiaonan.
“Why are you here at this hour?” Li Jinzhu took a plum blossom cake.
“Erlang asked me to come back. I said I’d come after dinner, but Erlang couldn’t wait and kept urging me. He’s so annoying,” Li Yin Zhu poured a cup of tea and drank it.
“Is it about Brother’s examination?” Li Xiaonan asked vaguely, biting into a candied hawthorn.
“Yes! I knew you all would know. Erlang insisted you wouldn’t know, saying it’s a rare opportunity, and that Xuedong actually said he wouldn’t take it. You didn’t see him, he was so anxious, jumping around, saying all sorts of things.”
Li Yin Zhu poked her head between Li Xiaonan and Li Jinzhu, lowering her voice.
“How could the Young Lord, how could he? To borrow the Young Lord’s influence, how could that be? I said at the time, this influence cannot be borrowed. Erlang said I don’t understand and told me to come back and tell Eldest Sister. Can this influence really be borrowed? How did you discuss it? I think even if it can be borrowed, this influence shouldn’t be borrowed.”
“Eldest Sister also thinks it shouldn’t be borrowed, and I think so too,” Li Xiaonan quickly nodded.
“I knew it!” Li Yin Zhu breathed a sigh of relief.
“Tell Erlang when you go back not to always think about borrowing others’ influence. It’s always most reliable to rely on yourself,” Li Jinzhu said.
“Mhm! I’ll go back and teach him a lesson!” Li Yin Zhu tugged at her sleeves and snorted.
Li Xiaonan raised an eyebrow at her Third Sister. Li Yuzhu patted Li Yin Zhu’s shoulder from behind. “Look how impetuous you are. Old Master Hong is here, don’t lecture people with every word. Has your mother-in-law left yet?”
“She left the morning before last. The day I sent her off, I slept until the sun was setting, I didn’t even eat lunch.
“I didn’t retort to her even once, I just did whatever she said,” Li Yin Zhu confessed to Eldest Sister.
Eldest Sister didn’t allow her to retort to her mother-in-law directly, and this time, she truly didn’t say a word back.
“Was your mother-in-law happy when she left?” Li Xiaonan asked with a smile.
“I think she was alright,” Li Yin Zhu glanced at Li Xiaonan.
“Did your mother-in-law come with a purpose, or just to visit you?” Li Jinzhu asked.
“She said she just came to visit, but Nanny Zhou said she told Old Master that she couldn’t sleep well at night and wanted to come to Pingjiang City to see Doctor Tang for a diagnosis and get a prescription for conditioning,” Li Yin Zhu chuckled a few times.
Nanny Zhou was the youngest of the eight maids who accompanied the late Old Madam. When she was married into the Hong Family, she was only eight or nine years old. She stayed by the Old Madam’s side, starting as a little maid who ran errands and delivered messages, and eventually becoming the head stewardess by the Old Madam’s side. After Li Yin Zhu married into the Hong Family, Old Master Hong assigned Nanny Zhou to be Li Yin Zhu’s stewardess.
“In your home, is there anything Nanny Zhou doesn’t know?” Li Xiaonan asked with feigned astonishment.
“I don’t think so. Nanny Zhou is too amazing,” Li Yin Zhu said with admiration. “Oh, right, these candied hawthorns were made by Nanny Zhou herself and she asked me to bring them to you.”
“I could tell,” Li Xiaonan said, handing another hawthorn to Li Yuzhu.
Second Sister liked candied hawthorns the most, while Eldest Sister found them too sour.
“Is everything alright?” Li Jinzhu asked with concern.
“What could be wrong with her? She gave me a pile of prescriptions to encourage childbirth, and I accepted them all. If she gives them to me, I’ll take them,” Li Yin Zhu chuckled. “She also gave me a pile of books, a huge pile, and I accepted them all and piled them all in Erlang’s study.
“I said I would definitely read them carefully, and if I didn’t understand anything, I would ask Erlang to explain them to me. She said no, that I shouldn’t disturb Erlang’s studies, and then she started nagging me again, telling me to go back to Kunshan County and she would teach me. I said okay, that would be great. But I came here to take care of Erlang because Old Master asked me to. If I were to go back, Old Master would have to say so; I wouldn’t dare make the decision myself.
“She then told me to go find Old Master and taught me how to speak, this way and that. I said I wouldn’t go, I’m afraid of Old Master. If you want to go, you go. Then she started complaining about chest pain.
“Later, when she asked me what to do if I couldn’t understand, I said I would ask A Nan. She said what would a little girl like A Nan know? I said A Nan’s studies are better than Erlang’s, that’s what Old Master said. Old Master also said that County Magistrate Huang praised A Nan’s studies as well. Then she started complaining about chest pain again.”
“Did your mother-in-law see Doctor Tang for a diagnosis?” Li Yuzhu asked, suppressing a smile.
“She did. I accompanied her. She complained to Doctor Tang at length. Nanny Zhou secretly told me that she took up at least the time of three or four people. She asked me to escort her home and then go back immediately to apologize to Doctor Tang and prepare a gift of gratitude. That gift of gratitude was a full five taels of silver! Five taels! And I kept saying ‘blessings’ and ‘good fortune’, adding four or five blessings!”
Li Yin Zhu looked indignant.
“Be more understanding, don’t be angry,” Li Xiaonan patted Li Yin Zhu.
“I’m not angry, I just feel bad about the money.”
“Dinner is ready!” Mei Jie called out, bringing the dishes.
After the family finished eating, the cart waiting to take Li Yin Zhu home was already there. After seeing Li Yin Zhu off, Li Jinzhu said to Li Xuedong, “Prepare a few gifts tomorrow and go to Gao Village Market the day after tomorrow. Tell Mr. Gao that you won’t be taking the Autumn Imperial Examination this year, say that you feel your studies and writing are not good enough, and you’ll take it in a few later sessions.”
“Okay,” Li Xuedong quickly agreed, a smile appearing on his face.
“Buy a few pounds of pine nut candy to take with you,” Li Xiaonan added.
Li Xuedong’s face immediately turned red, and he mumbled something.
“Ai Ye also likes pine nut candy. Go and ask which family in Pingjiang City makes the best pine nut candy,” Li Jinzhu instructed with a smile.
Li Xuedong, with a red face, responded.
