Lao Zhoutou received Man Bao and Bai Shan's gift. The servant who followed also took out Mr. Zhuang's note and received it together. After they all got into the car, they were about to go out. However, Lao Zhoutou still waited for the old man.

After he came out, they walked side by side, two cars traveling together, out of the imperial city.

The old man envied him very much and said, "Have the fields in your farm harvested in autumn?"

Old Zhoutou said: "I have collected more than half of it, but there is still a little bit left to go, but it won't be long. It will only take a few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival to collect them all."

"Will the weather be good this year?"

Lao Zhoutou almost laughed out loud, "There was a slight drought when we first planted the rice seedlings, but it rained soon, so the weather was smooth."

The old man's family is also a landowner, but he is a small landowner. Although he does not work in the fields himself, he still goes to watch the long-term workers and tenants work the land every year, so he knows a lot about farming.

"The harvest is great. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, your family will have a big income again."

"Oh, don't you have one at home?"

"How can our family compare with yours?" The old man said, "The job of the boy in our family is managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he gets a fixed rent every year."

Lao Zhoutou suggested, "You can just apply to run your own business."

The old man shook his head, "My family is not like yours. I only have two sons. One is an official and the other is still studying. The land is not easy to manage, so it is better to just get a fixed rent."

Otherwise, why would he be so envious of Lao Zhoutou?

In fact, his daughter is promising and has many sons. No matter how many things his daughter conquers in the front, there will always be someone behind to hold it.

After leaving the Imperial City, the old man said goodbye to Old Zhoutou. He and Old Zhoutou lived on different roads. His son rented a two-entry courtyard on the edge of the inner city, and Zhou's house was on the third square from the Imperial City.

, go forward, then turn right for a short distance, it's very close.

They were all foreigners, and his son even arrived in the capital a year earlier than his daughter. As a result, they all had a house.

Lao Zhou returned home with everyone's envious eyes on his head. He ordered his servants, "Send Mr. Zhuang's gift to his yard quickly."

I also picked out several items from Manbao’s gift box and put them together, as Manbao gave them to Mr. Zhuang.

Everyone in the Zhou family respects Mr. Zhuang the most, because everyone knows that if Mr. Zhuang had not taught Man Bao how to read, Man Bao would not have been able to take this step in his life.

The Bai family received the Boxing Day gift. Mrs. Liu asked Lao Zhoutou what extra things he had given Mr. Zhuang, and she also smiled and added the same thing.

By the time Manbao and the other four returned home from school, the family was already busy preparing for the festival.

Man Bao helped Mr. Zhuang enter, while Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were carrying things for them behind. Lu was happy when she saw them when she went out, "Sir and Man Bao are back. Sir, let's have dinner together tonight, my mother-in-law said

The food is placed in the main hall."

Mr. Zhuang asked with a smile: "How many tables should be set up?"

"There are five tables to be set up," Mrs. Lu said, "Mr. Bai and Mrs. Bai have also been invited over. We will all have a reunion dinner together in the evening. We have many children, so we will eat separately to prevent them from making a fuss."

Today is the 13th, so everyone will have a lively reunion dinner first, and then everyone will have their own meal on the 14th. As for the 15th, of course it will be time to go out and play.

Living in the capital or in the inner city, it would be a pity not to go see the lantern market and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with all the people.

Mr. Zhuang himself made an appointment with his colleagues to go out to eat, drink and write poems that day.

In fact, Bai Shan also had someone make an appointment, and they were all from the Hanlin Academy. He couldn't refuse directly, so he decided to go hang out that day and gather some friends to go out. He had no choice but to have too many friends, which was also troublesome.

Zhou Man has no such worries, "Our hospital rarely socializes outside."

Bai Shan glanced at Man Bao, no, they were having a party, they just didn't call you.

Just like Zhao Liulang and the others never made an appointment with her when they went to Chunfeng Tower to socialize.

The two kitchens prepare together. After specifying the menu, one kitchen is responsible for several dishes, so the food is cooked quickly and is still hot when served. Especially the steamed pork made by Xiao Qian's, the meat aroma is very overbearing.

Mrs. Qian, along with the younger Qians, sat at the same table with Madam Liu, Mrs. Zheng and Mrs. Bai. There was no room for Man Bao at all, so she could only turn around and sit with Bai Shan and the others.

Bai Dalang was the oldest. He took the lead and gave Bai Erlang a piece of steamed pork. He said with a kind face: "Erlang, there is an exam next month. Eat more today."

Bai Erlang also gave him a piece of meat and said, "Brother, you should also eat more. I heard that last year you were only two places away from being on the list."

Last year, there were only twelve Jinshi candidates. Generally, those who failed would not be ranked. But I had connections with the Imperial College, so I inquired about the students’ answers. One of the marking teachers said that it was a pity for Bai Dalang because he was so far away from getting the first prize.

Just two short.

But Bai Dalang was not very sad, because there was another person in front of him who was even worse, and was only one away from winning. That person was Wang Yi, a student from Taixue, in the same class as Bai Dalang. When the news came out, both of them were close.

Vomiting blood.

But Bai Dalang didn't vomit after all, because he saw Wang Yi who was even worse.

When Bai Shan and Man Bao saw it, they immediately and diligently served them various kinds of meat and filled their bowls directly, "I want to eat more. You all have to work hard this time and try to pass the exam."

Bai Shan thinks Bai Dalang shouldn't have a big problem, because he almost won the prize last year. After a year of hard work, he should be even better, and...

Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "There will be a little more places for scholarships this year than last year."

The amount of scholarships is different every year. The number of scholarships is calculated by the Ministry of Personnel based on the existing data and the changes in officialdom from last year to this year.

For example, after the Yizhou king's line was liquidated, more Jinshi were admitted for the first and second courses than in previous years, because the loss of officialdom had to be replaced.

Bai Shan walked in front of the emperor and often listened to the adults and the emperor talking about these things. He knew a lot of inside information, but he also knew what could and could not be said.

When it came to the Jinshi Examination, he only had this little encouragement.

Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang understood and did not continue this topic. They were just very excited. The more people they recruited, the greater their chances would be. Especially Bai Erlang, he was a little guilty. He knew that he

He is still far behind his elder brother.

Zhou Lijun was also at the same table with them. Seeing that they had finished chatting, she brought up her own topic, "Sister-in-law, I have taken a fancy to a shop in Dongfang and want to buy it."

Man Bao was startled and asked, "Isn't the shop there very expensive?"

Zhou Lijun nodded, "I have been talking for a long time, but we still need eight thousand six hundred and seventy taels. One tael less will not be enough."

Bai Shan and others were also shocked and asked, "Why is this shop so expensive?"

"Mainly in Dongfang Lane, that street sells all silks, satins and rouge and gouache. The famous silver buildings in the capital are also there, so they are very expensive."
Chapter completed!