Hearing from the servants that Song Qiming had come to visit, Scholar Zheng, who was drinking tea to soothe his throat, hurried out of the room to welcome him.
"Qiming."
Dressed in a long green scholar's robe, he looked exactly the same as he did back then.
Song Qiming quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Scholar Zheng. "Your student greets you, sir."
Scholar Zheng reached out to support Song Qiming's hands. "I haven't seen you in over two years, and you've grown so much. Did Gaoli not come back?"
Song Qiming shook his head. "The Ministry of War is busy, so he didn't have time to return. I was only able to come back this time thanks to my eldest sister."
The commotion outside attracted the attention of the students studying in the elementary and classics halls.
"Who is that? A new student?"
Sitting by the window, Song Yaozu quietly turned his head to the person behind him and whispered, "That's my older cousin. He was the second runner-up in last year's imperial palace examination, and now he's a high-ranking official in the capital."
His classmate craned his neck. "Your cousin is back? Then did your cousin who became a County Princess come back too?"
Just as Song Yaozu was about to speak, someone rapped on his desk.
He shrank his neck and turned back around to see his teacher glaring at him fiercely with a disciplinary ruler in hand.
"You were distracted and talking during morning class. I order you to copy the article we are currently reading ten times and hand it in before morning class tomorrow."
Song Yaozu lowered his head bitterly. "Yes."
If he had known, he would have waited until after class to talk. How could he possibly finish copying something ten times?
Inside the room, the more Scholar Zheng looked at Song Qiming, the more satisfied he felt. This was his most successful student.
Song Qiming took a sip of tea. "It seems there are a lot more students in the private school."
With a glance, he could see the numbers had at least doubled, and the lecture hall was completely full.
Scholar Zheng replied, "Thanks to your success in the imperial exams, people from all the surrounding villages heard about it and sent their children to me to teach. There were too many people, so I had to hire two more teachers. It allows me to steal a little leisure amidst the busyness."
As the two chatted, the topic shifted to Song Yongnian and Song Yaozu, who were currently attending class in the classics hall.
Scholar Zheng's tone became slightly subdued.
"Yongnian is now a child scholar. The boy lacks natural talent, but he is quite hardworking. It's not impossible for him to pass the county exams and become a full scholar if he studies for a few more years, though it will ultimately take him a longer time."
"Yaozu falls a bit short. He talks a lot and has many friends, but he doesn't use his cleverness for studying. I've caught him climbing the wall to sneak out at noon several times. He is still young now, but if he gets a few years older and still can't pass the child scholar exams, it would be better for him to find another path. That would be better than wasting time and money."
Song Qiming glanced at the students running out the door after class.
"My second uncle will naturally worry about my younger cousin's affairs. I imagine he won't give up on him, so just let him study for a few more years. He's too young to do any real work outside anyway."
Scholar Zheng nodded slowly and sighed with emotion.
"That's true. I suppose I will likely never meet another student as brilliant as you."
Song Qiming picked up the teapot and refilled Scholar Zheng's cup.
"What are you saying, sir? You are not old at all. Perhaps you will meet one someday."
Scholar Zheng picked up his teacup and shook his head with a smile.
Even though Song Jinzhao was a firm believer in science, the fact that she had managed to transmigrate here made her adopt an attitude of "better to believe it than not." Thus, she still sought out the most famous feng shui master in Xining City.
Hearing that the County Princess wanted to repair her ancestral tombs, the white-bearded feng shui master grabbed his tools and came to the back mountain of Song Family Village.
He first wandered around the graves of Third Song and his wife, and then began to point out various things about the surrounding environment.
Old Man Song, who took this very seriously, immediately arranged for Oldest Song and Second Song to move trees and shift rocks. He didn't even allow the servants Song Jinzhao brought back to help, using the beautiful excuse that these tasks should be done by the men of the family to better show their filial piety, which would please their ancestors.
Knowing that Song Jinzhao and Song Qiming were going to repair the ancestral tombs, Village Head Song Mancang ran over that afternoon.
"Jinzhao, the village ancestral shrine has been built for quite a few years now. The roof tiles and beams are old, and some of the ancestral tablets in the inner shrine are cracking."
"After Qiming and Gaoli passed their imperial exams, I wanted to renovate the village shrine. Do you think our two families could pool some money together to refurbish it? We could have Qiming, our top scholar, personally write the words on the tablets, so people from other villages will know how successful the children of our Song Family Village are."
Hearing that Song Qiming would be asked to write the tablets, Old Man Song excitedly slapped his thigh.
"I think that's a great idea. Our Qiming's handwriting is the most beautiful."
The siblings exchanged a look. The money to renovate the village shrine was a drop in the bucket for them, but it would earn them a good reputation. This was something they could do.
Song Jinzhao said, "That's fine. If everyone in the village agrees, we will have to trouble the Village Head to handle the renovation matters. We can take care of the money."
Song Mancang waved his hand. "I will go talk to every household in the village. As for the money, our two families will split it in half, and Gaoli has to chip in too."
Gaoli hadn't scored as high as Song Qiming on the exams, nor was his official rank as high. If he didn't contribute any money, his presence would be even less felt.
Song Jinzhao hired craftsmen from the city to repair the ancestral tombs. With the help of the servants she brought back, the work was completed in just two and a half days.
Knowing that Song Jinzhao and her family wouldn't stay in the village for long, Song Mancang hurried to persuade the villagers.
Since Song Jinzhao and the Village Head's family were providing the money, the others had to provide the labor. Every household had to participate in the renovation of the village shrine.
Hearing that they didn't have to spend their own money, the villagers essentially had no objections.
The wooden beams used for the renovation and the wood for the plaques were all cut from the mountains by the villagers together.
On the day the renovation was completed, Song Jinzhao and Song Qiming led the villagers of Song Family Village in a grand sacrificial ceremony. Song Mancang even hosted a ten-table continuous banquet.
After the ceremony ended, Old Man Song and Song Jinzhao began to busy themselves with organizing a celebratory banquet for Song Qiming's success in the imperial exams.
Many prominent families in Xining City heard the news, and one by one, they showed up uninvited with gifts in hand.
The number of guests on the day of the banquet exceeded the total number of households in the entire Song Family Village.
At the main table, Song Qiming and the newly appointed magistrate of Xining City, Xiang Guangnian, chatted for a long time.
After all the official business was concluded, Song Jinzhao only had three days left of her planned stay in the village.
In the main hall, Old Man Song was reluctant to see them go, while at the same time, he began to worry about Song Jinzhao's marriage.
"There must be many talented young men in the capital. Now that Qiming has entered the court as an official, you should also consider the major events of your own life. Pick a good one, whether you marry into his family or take a live-in husband, you have to start making arrangements."
Song Jinzhao, who had been specifically called over to sit down, paused her expression for a moment.
Then she spoke, "Qiming isn't married yet, and Anhao is still young. Marriage can wait until later."
Watching Song Jinzhao walk away after speaking, Old Lady Song reached out and stopped Song Qiming, who was trying to follow her.
"Qiming, you are the eldest son of the third branch. Your older sister is already nineteen years old this year. You need to pay attention to her marriage."
Song Qiming awkwardly looked away at the wall.
"Grandson understands what Grandfather and Grandmother mean, but my sister is a very independent person. It's very difficult for me to interfere in her marriage; it has to be someone she likes herself."
Old Man Song glared. "I didn't tell you to force her! There are so many talented young men and sons of officials in the capital. Just bring a few more around her to show their faces. She's bound to find one she likes."
Old Lady Song nodded in agreement.
"In the past, our family was poor, and Jinzhao had to take care of the three of you. But now that we have so many servants, we absolutely cannot delay your sister any longer. If we wait a few more years, it will be truly difficult to find a good match."
