Now that Wang Youliang had reluctantly agreed, the old man was satisfied and said, "Eldest son, you haven't suffered much since you were young. It will actually do you good to go and experience some hardship now; it might just temper your disposition. Don't resent your father for being so harsh; I'm doing this for your own good, you’ll understand later."

Wang Youliang nodded dismissively.

The old lady, Madam Tian, and Madam He, who was outside, all breathed a sigh of relief. Madam He thought that since the people inside had already decided to pay the silver for Qingshan, she wouldn't need to approach the old lady and Madam Tian anymore; she could just wait for them to inform her and her husband.

As expected, Madam He had barely returned to her room to tell Wang Qingshan that the family elders would pay the money when Madam Tian arrived. Upon entering, Madam Tian ignored Madam He and walked straight towards Wang Qingshan.

Seeing Madam Tian arrive, Wang Qingshan quickly stood up. "Mother!"

Madam Tian walked over and pulled Wang Qingshan down to sit beside her on the kang. "Qingshan, the village head must have also notified you about serving the corvée labor, right?"

Wang Qingshan nodded. Seeing the mother and son start conversing, Madam He used the excuse of pouring tea and left.

"Qingshan, you’ve grown this big and have never done corvée labor, so you don't know how hard it is. I absolutely do not want you to go and serve. However, fortunately, your grandfather and grandmother have already decided to pay the five taels of silver for you."

Wang Qingshan looked at Madam Tian blankly, then felt a little ashamed. "It is this son who is useless, being this old and still causing the elders in the family worry."

"You child, we are all your elders; if we don't worry about you, who will!" Madam Tian stroked Wang Qingshan's head.

Wang Qingshan lowered his head, unsure what to say. Just then, Madam He brought in the tea. "Mother, have some tea."

Madam Tian didn't speak, but she took the tea. Madam He didn't mind Madam Tian's attitude; as long as they paid the silver for Wang Qingshan, that was enough.

That evening, the old man tucked five taels of silver into his robes and went to the village head's house. He settled things with the village head, explaining that the five taels were to substitute Wang Qingshan’s corvée labor, and as for Wang Youliang’s labor, he himself would serve it personally.

The village head was initially surprised. After all, everyone in the village knew that the old master and lady Wang favored their eldest son's family. Given this, how could they bear to let the eldest son serve the labor?

However, the village head didn't ask anything; it was their family matter, and it wasn't appropriate for him to pry. After the village head registered that Wang Qingshan would substitute with silver while Wang Youliang would serve in person, the old man returned home with peace of mind.

Not long after the old man left, Wang Youliang arrived at the village head's house. This made the village head quite perplexed; why would the son come right after the father had left?

After Wang Youliang stated his business, the village head confirmed with renewed confusion, "You mean you want to pay five taels of silver to substitute this corvée labor?"

Wang Youliang nodded. "Yes, Village Head Sir."

"But that doesn't sound right. Your father was just here; he told me that you were going to serve the labor yourself this time, and the five taels he paid were to substitute your eldest son’s labor. Did I perhaps mishear? Did your father pay five taels to substitute your labor, not your son's?" The village head was conflicted.

Upon hearing this, Wang Youliang looked embarrassed. "No, no, no, the five taels my father paid were indeed to substitute my son's labor. As for me, my father originally intended for me to serve the labor, but I’ve never done it since I was this old, and I was afraid that if I couldn't manage it, it would delay official business. So, I came myself to pay the silver; this silver is what I saved up myself."

Only then did the village head nod. "I see, that explains it. However, I can certainly re-register this for you, but you must go back and tell your old master."

Wang Youliang looked troubled. "This... I don't plan to tell my father about this. After all, my father intending for me to go was for my own good. If he finds out now that I didn't go, he will surely be heartbroken. He is already old, and I fear he might fall ill from anger, and that wouldn't be good."

The village head looked at Wang Youliang as if seeing him for the first time, nodding with satisfaction. "Well, the fact that you can think so considerately of your father shows you haven't lived up to his efforts in vain. Very well, I won't tell your father about this, but during the period when they are serving the labor, you cannot show your face to him. How do you plan to manage that?"

"I plan to go to town and find some work to do," Wang Youliang said.

The village head nodded. "Agreed, I will keep this from your father for you!"

"Thank you very much, Village Head Sir." Wang Youliang was delighted.

Having settled the matter, Wang Youliang was ecstatic, almost humming a tune. He had already decided that since he couldn't appear before his family for this period, he might as well go find Madam Huang; it had been a while since he last visited her.

Thus, on the day the people liable for corvée labor were supposed to assemble, Wang Youliang pretended to go to the assembly, but in the confusion of the crowd, he slipped away quietly and headed straight for Madam Huang's place in town.

Madam Huang was somewhat surprised by Wang Youliang's arrival, but she quickly composed herself, welcomed him in, poured him a cup of water, and then sat down to talk.

Seeing the unfinished embroidery on the kang, Wang Youliang knew Madam Huang was once again working day and night on needlework. He immediately felt a pang of concern. "You're back to rushing your embroidery again? Honestly, haven't I told you not to work yourself so hard? If you lack money, just tell me."

Madam Huang looked at Wang Youliang. To be frank, setting aside what Wang Youliang himself was like, he was quite good to her. At least he helped her during her most difficult time. She remembered how miserable she felt every day, unable to save up the tuition fees for her son, especially when her son reluctantly said he didn't want to study. It was fortunate Wang Youliang appeared then.

Madam Huang smiled gently. "It's not quite day and night, you know. I don't usually go out visiting, and there’s nothing to do at home, so I just embroider to pass the time."

"As long as you don't feel tired, that’s what matters," Wang Youliang said.

Wang Youliang pulled Madam Huang onto his lap and said, "I’m probably going to be here for quite a few days this time."

Madam Huang grew anxious. "But if Cheng'er sees you, what will happen?"

Wang Youliang comforted her. "Don't panic yet, listen to me. I'll hide when Cheng'er returns; how about that?"

Madam Huang was still uneasy. "But we are under the same roof; it would be too easy for Cheng'er to find you. If he sees you, I worry he won't be able to bear it."

Wang Youliang pondered, understanding Madam Huang's worries. After all, any son would likely find such a situation unbearable. After a moment, Wang Youliang suggested, "How about this: I'll go look around if there are any empty rooms nearby that I can rent?"

Madam Huang finally nodded. "That would be better. But I don't go out much. I only know Old Granny Wu next door; it's just her and her little grandson at home. They might have an empty room."

Wang Youliang nodded. "Yes, I’ll go ask her in a bit."

While Wang Youliang was busy arranging his supposed corvée service, Wang Youfu's family handled their matter very straightforwardly, simply paying the silver to conclude it.

Wang Qingchen hadn't encountered anything particularly noteworthy at home recently, but at the academy, there was something that commanded everyone's attention—whether those who participated in the County Examination had passed.

Wang Qingchen paid close attention to this to gauge the passing rate of their academy, allowing him to roughly estimate his own chances of passing. It was rare for him to focus on anything with such intensity.

Li Yuntai, noticing Wang Qingchen's great interest, teased him. "What are you paying such close attention for? It's not you taking the exam anyway. I never thought you’d be so focused on one thing."

Wang Qingchen ignored Li Yuntai’s teasing. "Isn't it so I can see how many from our academy passed the County Examination? That way, I can know if I have a chance to pass in the future!"

Li Yuntai considered it, and it did seem somewhat logical, but he still said, "Your thinking is a bit flawed. Everyone in the academy has different innate talents. Perhaps the candidates this time were particularly gifted, but the candidates next time might not be as outstanding. Moreover, if someone fails the County Examination once, they can retake it with the next batch, so your calculation isn't accurate."

Wang Qingchen realized that this made sense, so he stopped caring about the number of people who passed and returned to his studies with focus.

A few days later, the results of the County Examination were released. Wang Qingchen didn't bother with how others fared, but the two he cared about, Qi Jintang and Zhao Jing, had both passed.

He cared about Qi Jintang because they were from the same village, and he cared about Zhao Jing because he was engaged to Wang Caixia, making him a relative by marriage.

When Wang Qingchen returned home, he told his family that Zhao Jing had passed the County Examination. Madam Zhang soon learned the news and was overjoyed, saying she would go to the temple to burn incense and pray to the Bodhisattva to bless Zhao Jing to become a xiucai.

Madam Zhang had initially intended to ask Madam Yang to go with her, but seeing Madam Yang’s advanced pregnancy, she worried about any accidents during the trip. Better not, she thought, in case something actually happened. So, Madam Zhang asked Madam He to accompany her instead. At first, Madam He was reluctant to go, but Madam Zhang insisted, saying it would be good for her to get out and clear her head rather than staying cooped up at home all day. Madam He reluctantly went along.

Afterward, Madam He felt immensely grateful that she had gone with Madam Zhang that day, and she felt even more thankful to Madam Zhang in the days that followed.