Upon entering the village, they were immediately met by a villager asking if they had passed the exams.
Old Man Song smiled, holding up two fingers, and said proudly, "They passed, and came in second place."
The villager was stunned, staring at the receding carriage. They passed after only a year of study?
Could it be that the ancestral graves of Song Sanlang's family were truly emitting auspicious smoke?
Not only did they have an impressive granddaughter, but now even the grandson was so accomplished.
The news spread like a bird with wings; before long, the entire Song Village knew.
When Song Gaoli's family returned, the villagers learned that both children had passed.
The snow at the foot of the mountain behind the village had just melted, leaving the ground damp.
Song Shixue led Song Qiming and Song Shixue in kneeling before the graves. Song Anhao, held in her arms, curiously tried to touch the tombstones with his hand.
Song Jinzhao held him by his lower half and moved him closer. "Anhao, call for Father and Mother."
His chubby little hand touched the tombstone, staining his fingertips black.
He instinctively tried to put them in his mouth, but Song Jinzhao hurriedly stopped him.
"You can't eat that. Call for Father and Mother."
After wiping his dirty hand clean with a handkerchief, Song Jinzhao let him stand on her lap.
His plump little arms waved about as he looked at the tombstones in confusion, opening his mouth to squeeze out a few sticky, milky sounds.
"Fa...ther... Moth...er..."
Song Qiming stared intently at the two tombstones planted before the earthen mound. They had been replaced with cypress wood just last year, showing no cracks or insect damage.
"Father, Mother, I passed the Tong Sheng exam. It only took me one year to pass."
"I'm a little disappointed I didn't get first place, but I'll do my best for the Prefectural Exam."
The top scorer in the County Exam could proceed directly to the Academy Exam. Since Song Qiming came in second, he had to pass the Prefectural Exam first before taking the Academy Exam.
Song Shixue said, "Mother, Elder Sister is teaching me medicine, and she teaches me and Brother martial arts too. We will become very capable in the future. You and Father must be well down there; don't worry about us."
A smile played on Song Jinzhao's lips as she tilted her head, watching the siblings.
She felt the boy's words were simple and pure, yet they always managed to touch the heart, leaving a trace of their presence.
Old Man Song and the others stood behind, quietly watching and listening. A cool breeze swept past the foot of the mountain, yet it inexplicably stirred a pang of sorrow in their hearts.
Back in the village, Old Man Song asked Song Jinzhao, "Qiming has passed the Tong Sheng exam. Should we hold a feast to celebrate?"
Song Jinzhao shook her head. "The Prefectural Exam is in April. Let's not hold one for now."
Song Qiming nodded in agreement. "I need to go see my teacher at the private school tomorrow, and then I must review my lessons. Let's wait until after the Academy Exam. If I pass and become a Xiucai, then we'll hold a feast. If not, let's forget it."
A Tong Sheng was still considered a commoner. Only upon passing and becoming a Xiucai would one officially enter the gentry class.
Privileges like exemption from corvée labor and taxes were only for Xiucai, not Tong Sheng.
In Song Qiming's heart, becoming a Xiucai was his true goal for this examination journey.
Hearing both siblings say this, Old Man Song couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension.
Passing the Tong Sheng exam was already a tremendous piece of good fortune. Setting expectations too high risked a harder fall, especially after only a little over a year of study.
Back home, Second Song said to Song Yaozu, "Qiming has already passed. You must work hard and aim to pass in one go two years from now."
Song Yaozu, fiddling with a dry grass stalk he picked up by the roadside, sighed heavily like an adult.
"I don't know if it's because I take after Father, but I forget things as soon as I memorize them. I don't even know if I can pass in two years."
Second Song blinked, then waved his hand, telling him to go study.
"It seems Yaozu might not have a talent for studying. If he doesn't pass in two years, we should probably just drop it."
Last year, the number of times Song Yaozu was kept after school was more than Second Song could count on both hands and feet.
Second Aunt Song stood with her hands on her hips, displeased. "There are still two years left; why are you saying such discouraging things? You'll bring bad luck."
Second Song leaned weakly against the wall. "Then tell me, what are we going to do about expenses after we pay the tuition in March?"
Second Aunt Song lowered her arms and went back to the room, counting their money over and over again.
The next morning, Song Jinzhao first went to the city to buy gifts for the teacher, then took Song Qiming to Scholar Zheng's house.
All six students who took the County Exam had passed the Tong Sheng exam. Before Song Jinzhao and her brother had been seated for a quarter of an hour, the other five families arrived one after another with gifts, nearly filling the main hall.
The Prefectural Exam in April required about ten days of travel by carriage from Xining City to Anyang Prefecture.
To be safe, they needed to depart by mid-March.
Song Jinzhao planned to take Song Shixue and Song Anhao along, setting off five days early to find accommodations.
Just as they were packing at home, Song Mancang and Song Dazhuang came to see them.
In the main hall, Song Mancang said, "Jinzhao, when are you planning to leave for Anyang Prefecture? Could you take Gaoli and his father along? We can pay for the travel expenses."
The village chief's family only had an ox cart. Traveling to Anyang Prefecture by ox cart wouldn't be much faster than walking.
Plus, with spring ploughing requiring the ox at home, he thought of having Song Gaoli and his father travel with Song Jinzhao's group for mutual support on the road.
Song Jinzhao hesitated before speaking. "Of course, that's possible. It's just that we plan to depart on March 10th. I don't know if that timing works for you?"
Song Dazhuang's eyes widened in surprise. "It only takes seven days by carriage to get to Xining City. Why leave so early?"
Eating and lodging outside cost money every day. The longer they stayed in the prefectural city, the more they would spend.
Song Jinzhao explained, "I plan to take Shixue and Anhao with me. My second brother is young, so the journey will definitely be slower. That's why we need to leave early."
Song Mancang looked at Song Anhao, who was crawling on the kang.
Although he lost both parents at birth, he lived better than when Song the Third was still alive.
Not only had the family become wealthier, but he also had an elder sister who treated her younger siblings like her own children. Soon, his brother might even become a Xiucai.
"Departing on March 10th is no problem. The journey is long and the roads are treacherous; it's easy to fall ill from the change in climate. Going early to adjust is wise."
After leaving Song Jinzhao's house, Song Dazhuang said with a pained expression, "Father, we originally planned to leave on March 20th. Now we're leaving a full ten days early. Lodging and meals will cost several extra taels of silver."
Song Mancang stopped walking. "The road to Anyang Prefecture is not without dangers. With Jinzhao there, I feel at ease."
Song Dazhuang hadn't considered that was his father's thinking, but upon reflection, it made sense.
The journey would take seven days. If they encountered bandits or robbers, losing money would be a small matter compared to losing their lives.
In the courtyard, Song Jinzhao looked at the two horses. Originally, she planned to drive the carriage herself and leave one horse at home.
Now, with Song Dazhuang coming along, she could simply let him drive the carriage while she rode a horse.
On the road, she could even teach the two children how to ride.
