Mrs. Yang greeted the villagers arriving with congratulations warmly, then settled down for a long chat with them. "I always knew your Qingchen was destined for great things.

He was a Xiucai when he was so young, and now he’s already a Juren." "Who could argue? Qingchen is not only excellent at earning money, but he’s a master scholar too. My heavens, how did you raise your son?

Why is he superior to everyone else’s in every way?" "Yes, yes, tell us quickly how you did it. We’ll copy you when we go back." "Oh, please. Even if we copied you exactly, our sons probably couldn't match Qingchen.

Someone like Qingchen is truly rare!" "Haha, you have a point there!" … Meanwhile, Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua went to the old residence and informed the Old Master and Old Madam about Wang Qingchen passing the Juren examination. The Old Master had initially thought his second son was just stopping by for a visit, so he hadn't paid much attention, never expecting the second son to deliver such monumental news. Upon hearing Wang Youfu’s words, the Old Master excitedly rushed up to him, "Lao Er, is everything you’re saying absolutely true?" Wang Youfu nodded, his face beaming with pride, "Father, it is true.

How could I possibly lie to you about something like this?" "Hahaha, good, good, good! Our Wang family is truly blessed by our ancestors! We finally have a Juren!

Our household status will never be the same from now on! Quickly, quickly, let's go offer incense to the ancestors and share this wonderful news with them," the Old Master exclaimed with agitation. The Old Madam was equally thrilled.

"Qingchen actually passed as a Juren? Does that mean I am now a Juren’s grandmother?" The Old Madam was first overcome with excitement—she would soon be the grandmother of a Juren! How could anyone in the village compare to her now?

Even across the entire Qingshan Town, few could surpass her! The more she thought about it, the more thrilled the Old Madam became. However, after a moment, she found a slight imperfection in her joy.

Ah, she and the Old Master lived with the First Branch; the successful Juren was a descendant of the Second Branch. How wonderful it would have been if the Juren had been a descendant of their First Branch—she would have had so much more standing! But then again, not just anyone could become a Juren.

The Second Branch would have to do; after all, he was still her grandson, wasn't he? The Old Master paid no mind to the Old Madam’s internal debate. He was busy ushering Wang Youfu and the others to burn incense for their ancestors.

The Old Master held a stick of incense, muttering something under his breath toward the ancestral tablets. In truth, one didn't need to listen closely to know what he was saying. After a long recitation, the Old Master solemnly placed the incense into the burner before them, concluding the rite.

After the incense offering, the Old Master turned back to Wang Youfu, "Now that Qingchen has attained the rank of Juren, the family must prepare for a grand celebration, mustn't we?" Wang Youfu nodded upon hearing this. "Father, I've been thinking about this too, but there are so many preparations needed. I was hoping to wait a few more days." The Old Master was very satisfied.

"That is indeed the right way to approach it. This is not a trivial matter; we must prepare thoroughly. Furthermore, our household is vastly different now than it was before.

We now have a Master Juren in our ranks! Therefore, everything we do must be suitable to our new station; we cannot allow others to see us lacking, lest Qingchen lose face when he ventures out later." "Yes, son understands," Wang Youfu replied. "Good.

Also, Qingchen’s success as a Juren is cause for immense joy. Remember to inform our relatives and close friends..." The Old Master continued to offer Wang Youfu endless instructions, which Wang Youfu met with continuous nods of agreement. Only when the Old Master felt he had nothing more to caution them about did he allow Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua to return home.

He then turned to the Old Madam and said, "Qingchen’s success as a Juren makes my heart soar! I must have a good drink tonight!" Seeing the Old Master in this state, the Old Madam didn't argue; after all, this was the achievement of a Juren, and she herself was overjoyed! Thus, the Old Madam instructed Tian Shi to prepare some wine for the evening.

When Tian Shi received the Old Madam's order, she was utterly perplexed. Ever since the Old Master had severely disciplined Wang Youliang the last time, alcohol had been almost entirely absent from the old residence. For the Old Madam herself to order wine now left Tian Shi deeply confused.

"Mother, your husband had finally given up drinking with such difficulty. Now ordering wine again, I worry that when the time comes..." Tian Shi voiced her concern. "You don't need to worry about that.

This wine is for your father tonight; it won't be for the Eldest Son," the Old Madam clarified. "Father wants to drink?" Tian Shi was astonished. Having been married into the Wang family for many years, she could hardly recall the Old Master ever actively requesting wine.

So, she cautiously inquired, "Mother, what has made Father so happy?" Seeing Tian Shi’s question, the Old Madam replied with a face full of smiles, "What else but Qingchen passing the Juren exam! The Old Master was beside himself with joy upon hearing it and is still talking about it now!" "What? Mother, Qingchen is a Juren?" Tian Shi gasped.

How could this be? Wasn't the Juren exam notoriously difficult to pass? Weren't there only a handful in all of Qingshan Town?

And Qingchen was so young! How could he have succeeded so easily? Why did everything seem to fall effortlessly into his lap?

Before, it was earning money from flowers; now, it was passing the Juren exam. Why did he receive all the good fortune, while her own three sons could never measure up to him? The more Tian Shi thought, the more bitter she felt.

If only her Qing Tong hadn't dropped out of school to open a shop, perhaps he could be a Juren now? Truthfully, this was all the fault of the Old Master and the others—not only did they not insist Qing Tong continue his studies, but they actually encouraged him to open a business. Now look: Qingchen was a Master Juren, while their Qing Tong was merely running a small shop.

Such thoughts naturally caused a flicker of resentment to surface on Tian Shi’s face, which the Old Madam promptly caught sight of. Seeing Tian Shi’s expression, the Old Madam admonished sharply, "Qingchen becoming a Juren is a great blessing for our Wang family. Don't start getting any crooked ideas again." Hearing the Old Madam, Tian Shi snapped back to reality, realizing she had momentarily failed to control her true feelings.

She grew flustered. "Mother, where would I get such thoughts! Since Qingchen is a Juren, how could I have any designs?

I was just thinking that since this is such a happy occasion, perhaps we should prepare a feast of fine dishes, truly nothing more." The Old Madam clearly didn't believe her, but since Tian Shi had explained herself, she didn't wish to press the issue. She merely stated, "That's not necessary. We still need to save money for Qing Tong’s upcoming marriage and other things.

We should be frugal where we can, as the Second Branch will surely handle their own elaborate celebration anyway." Upon hearing this, Tian Shi quickly nodded. "Yes, Mother, I understand. I'll go fetch a jar of wine for Father now." With that, Tian Shi quickly departed, leaving the Old Madam sighing heavily.

By evening, those who had been out during the day had all returned, and thus, everyone in the Wang household learned of Wang Qingchen’s success as a Juren. Upon hearing the news, they couldn't help but express their genuine happiness for him. The Old Master was deeply pleased to see the younger generation sincerely celebrating Wang Qingchen; he felt that as long as the juniors got along well, there was no worry they wouldn't support each other in the future, ensuring the Wang family would continue to prosper.

Consequently, the overjoyed Old Master drank far too much that night. It had been a long time since the Old Master had been this inebriated, frightening the Old Madam quite badly. She worked late into the night tidying him up before she could finally rest.

Of course, it wasn't just the Old Master; Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua also drank heavily that night, especially Wang Youfu. No amount of persuasion worked on him, causing Mrs. Yang's initial happiness to turn into anxiety.

Wang Youfu did not finally go to sleep until very late, and Mrs. Yang naturally attended to him until that hour. The next day, both Wang Youfu and Mrs.

Yang slept late due to the previous night's revelry and thus woke up late. Not long after they were up, a visitor arrived. To the family's utter surprise, the visitor was from a prominent, wealthy family in town, claiming to have come specifically to offer congratulations on Wang Qingchen’s passing the Juren examination and bringing a gift.

This left Wang Youfu’s family feeling overwhelmed and deeply honored. Usually, these wealthy households in town were viewed by them as unreachable clouds in the sky, but now they were specifically calling on them—it filled them with both elation and awkwardness. Fortunately, the visitor seemed to sense the discomfort of the couple, so they didn't linger on formalities.

They merely offered their congratulations and mentioned that if the Wang family were to hold a celebration later, they hoped to receive an invitation. Wang Youfu and Mrs. Yang naturally agreed profusely.

In their view, the mere fact that such people came to visit was a tremendous honor, and they would never refuse. After this person left, more wealthy families from town visited the Wang Youfu household in succession, and even envoys from families who already had a Juren visited, each presenting a gift. These visits were clearly intended to forge connections, which gave Wang Youfu an enormous sense of prestige.

By this time, almost everyone in the village knew of Wang Qingchen’s success as a Juren. However, upon seeing the caliber of people visiting Wang Youfu’s home, the villagers experienced a fresh wave of shock, followed by envy, resentment, and indifference, depending on their disposition. Over at the old residence, after hearing the news, the Old Master specifically summoned Wang Youfu to give him further instructions—mainly concerning what to be mindful of when interacting with these new acquaintances, and so on.

Of course, the Old Master himself didn't know much, so the advice he could offer was limited.