Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 456 Diligence

Upon hearing that Master Zhang had arrived, not only the Yuan family, but also several recorders and the village head and others hurried out to greet him, and they were equally surprised.

What kind of person is the legal advisor? He is the confidant of the county magistrate. How could one not be surprised that he came in person to congratulate a student?

Facing the people from the county government, the straightforward and considerate Tao was a little scared and did not dare to talk to them.

Sensing his grandmother's fear, Yuan Qing bowed and said, "It is a great honor for Master Zhang to visit my humble home. Please come in."

Master Zhang smiled and said, "You must be Yuan Qing, young people are really formidable!"

"It's me." Yuan Qing bowed again.

Master Zhang nodded approvingly again and explained his purpose, "I came here this time to convey the wishes of the county lord. I congratulate you on bringing honor to the scholars of Qingshui County and taking first place in the prefectural examination."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, and the officer who was one step behind him immediately handed him an envelope of silver wrapped in red cloth and satin.

Master Zhang handed it to Yuan Qing with a smile, "This is the thirty taels of silver awarded to you by the county magistrate to encourage your studies."

"hiss!"

"hiss!"

"Thirty taels!"

The villagers who were watching were so shocked that they gasped. Thirty taels of silver! It was enough for the Yuan family to live on for several years!

No, his family spends a lot to support a scholar, so it won’t last that long, but it should be enough for a year or two!

For a moment, the villagers were particularly jealous of Yuan Qing. They thought that everything else was inferior except for studying. As soon as he passed the examination to become a student, the county magistrate gave him silver.

Still thirty taels!

You should know that the previous Magistrate Hu only gave Wang Xiaohua twenty taels of silver as a reward for her chastity; and Song Ying's father died while saving a police officer, and the government only compensated him with fifty taels of silver for his life.

Although the bonus money was paid by the county government and was a public account, and Chen Zhixian did not have to pay out of his own pocket, he still had to thank him. Yuan Qing once again bowed and said, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness of my old parents."

When County Magistrate Chen selected Yuan Qing for the county examination, Yuan Qing and he had the title of teacher and student, so Yuan Qing should call him his disciple.

Master Zhang smiled and took out a five-liang silver ingot, "This is a gift from me to you, my friend."

This was a personal gift, so Yuan Qing naturally declined it. After several attempts, he finally accepted it and led Master Zhang inside to drink tea and eat brown sugar eggs.

As soon as he left, the villagers at the door congratulated Tao and others again. The county magistrate gave them silver, and the legal advisor also gave them silver, which showed that they were very optimistic about Yuan Qing!

All the officials are optimistic about him, which shows that Yuan Qing is really good at studying and can pass the imperial examination!

Li's eyes sparkled, and she took out 60 copper coins and stuffed them into Tao's hand, "We are farmers, not like the county magistrate. This is just a small token of our appreciation, don't think it's too little, Sister Tao."

Tao was shocked and pushed it back: "How can this be possible? You are not well off, I can't take this money!"

Li held her hand and said earnestly, "Listen to me, sister. Your Qingwa passed the examination for Tongsheng, and he still needs to take the examinations for Xiucai and Juren. There are many places to spend money. This is a little gift from me, please accept it."

People from other villages did the same, and several heads of Wutong Village also quickly took out money to congratulate Tao.

Tao was happy and proud. She thought about how she had wanted to send her grandson to study at Qingshui County Academy, but had tried to borrow money from everywhere but failed. Now these people were offering to give her money on their own initiative.

Although she was very tempted, she firmly refused to accept the money because she thought of her grandson's previous request: "Fellow villagers, we are very grateful that you can come to congratulate us. We are not well off, so how can we ask for your money..."

After many refusals, Li saw that she was determined, thought for a moment and said, "I think it would be better if you could have a few banquets and we could all come and have a good time."

Since it is a banquet, gifts have to be given. Money is given, the banquet is enjoyed, and the relationship between the two parties is brought closer.

Tao regretfully refused again: "Qingwa is only a student, he has no official title, he is still a commoner, it is not right to rush to hold a banquet now, when he passes the examination, I will definitely invite you all to come and have fun."

Li clapped her hands and smiled, "This is a good idea. Let's wait until Qingwa passes the imperial examination. Your Qingwa is such a good student, he will definitely pass!"

The other villagers also agreed and praised Yuan Qing.

Tao liked to hear these words, and smiled with wrinkles all over her face: "I hope so. Although there are fewer candidates for the academy examination than the county and prefectural examinations, it is not that easy to pass.

The candidates for the county and prefectural examinations are basically young people in their teens or twenties, but the candidates for the academy examinations include old students in their forties, fifties, or even seventies and eighties. "

Most of the villagers didn't have a proper scholar in their family, so they were very surprised when they heard this. "Seventy or eighty years old? The earth is already up to his neck. It's useless to pass the exam to become a scholar, right?"

Tao nodded: "That's right, I really don't know what these scholars think."

Everyone was surprised for a while, and one person said, "Don't worry about it. After studying for so many years, you still can't pass the exam. It's either because you don't have the luck or you're not good at studying.

Your Qingwa has a lucky face. He is so young and has got the first place in the exam. It shows that he is good at studying and will definitely pass the exam..."

It was very lively outside the house, but the villagers inside became reserved after Master Zhang entered, and it wasn't that lively anymore.

Yuan Qing led Master Zhang to the main table and sat down. The head of the village, several village heads, and Mr. Wang chatted with them.

Seeing this, Song Tian, who was not far away, became excited and picked up the teapot and went over to add tea.

Unfortunately, he tried several times but Master Zhang didn't recognize him as a hanger-on from the yamen, nor did he show any intention of talking to him, which made Song Tian very upset.

Master Zhang and Yuan Qing had no personal relationship. He sat for a while, drank a few sips of tea, ate a few bites of brown sugar eggs as a token of respect, and then stood up to say goodbye.

When the registrar saw this, he hurriedly said that he wanted to leave together, so everyone in the courtyard escorted them out.

At this time, Song Ying and Luo Yanxing were planning to go back and had already walked to the ridge of the field next to them.

Master Zhang suddenly saw a familiar face and exclaimed, "Hey, Doctor Song!"

He left everyone behind and trotted over, saying with a smile, "Oh, what a coincidence, meeting you here! I was just saying I'd go to the clinic to look for you when I have time!"

His actions shocked all the villagers. They never expected that Master Zhang, who was so high and mighty in their eyes, would know Song Ying and be so cordial and warm to her, even more so than he was to Yuan Qing!

One person asked in surprise: "Master Zhang, do you know her?"

Master Zhang nodded vigorously, "This is the young genius doctor from Huichun Hall. Don't underestimate her because she is young. She is very skilled in medicine!

Some time ago, I got a, uh, very rare disease. I saw several doctors but none of them could cure it, not even Dr. Ma. I didn’t expect that she could cure it!

There is also Mrs. He San from Shunqing Prefecture. She had been ill for decades and had never recovered. She was the one who cured her!"

Song Ying felt guilty about his praise, especially when he said that she was better than Doctor Ma. She said quickly, "It's just a coincidence. It's not that great. My medical skills are far inferior to my uncle's.

Also, you don’t need to introduce me, I’m from the next village, they all know me.”

In the past, she was famous because of her background as an orphan. Later, she became a rare female doctor, and almost everyone in the surrounding villages knew her.