Chapter 74

Jiang Zhan has not been home for over a month.

Originally, he was supposed to have a day off every ten days, but because the county examination is imminent and he is the student most valued by the masters, the masters specifically kept him and a few others behind to give them extra tutoring.

Jiang Zhan has also lived up to expectations; the essays he writes are often praised by the masters, and even the head of the academy looks at him with special regard.

However, Jiang Zhan truly could not set his mind at ease regarding home, so he still requested a day of leave.

Who would have known that what he saw upon returning was nothing but ruins!

Jiang Zhan felt completely devastated; he hurriedly pulled over a passing villager to ask, and only then did he learn that the little dilapidated courtyard had long since been burned to the ground, and his family had moved to another place to stay temporarily.

Seeing that it was his eldest brother who opened the door, Jiang Zhan's heart finally settled completely.

As long as the eldest brother is there, the home is there.

At the dinner table, the family sat together, chatting and laughing.

Du Ruo used serving chopsticks to place a piece of meat into Jiang Zhan's bowl and asked with concern, "How have things been at the academy? Is studying tiring? Have you been eating properly? Are you on good terms with your fellow students?"

Jiang Zhan sat with proper posture and nodded toward her, "Sister-in-law, please set your mind at ease. I am doing well, it's just that the county examination is approaching, and the masters are managing us quite strictly, so we are usually not allowed to leave the academy."

Du Ruo nodded, expressing deep sympathy.

She was also someone who had been through the college entrance examination, so of course, she could understand that tense atmosphere before an exam.

Moreover, the admission rate for the imperial examination in ancient times was simply shockingly low; millions of people squeezing onto a single-plank bridge—saying they squeezed their brains out is not an exaggeration at all.

"Studying is important, but your health is even more important. You should still rest when it's time to rest. I've heard that the examination cells are very stuffy, and you have to stay in there for several days; you won't be able to endure it without a good body," Du Ruo urged.

Jiang Zhan felt warm inside, "I know, Sister-in-law, I will be careful."

Jiang Li coughed twice, then spoke nonchalantly, "It is a good thing for a man to suffer a little hardship; only by enduring the bitterest of the bitter can one become a person above others. Besides, he is already this old; he knows how to take care of himself. Wife, you don't need to worry about him too much."

Du Ruo shot him a glare, "How is he very old? He is only sixteen."

If this were her past life, he would have just started high school.

Jiang Li looked at his little wife with amusement, "He is sixteen; why does your tone, wife, sound as if you are a whole cycle older than him?"

Du Ruo: "..."

Don't mention it, she was exactly twenty-eight when she died in her past life, so she really was a cycle older than Jiang Zhan.

"Haven't you heard that the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother? You, the eldest brother, don't care about your own younger brother; if I, this eldest sister-in-law, don't look after him, wouldn't he be too pitiful?" Du Ruo tossed a pork rib into Jiang Li's bowl to plug his mouth.

Jiang Zhan saw this and was secretly happy.

Previously, he had been worried, fearing that his eldest brother would dislike his eldest sister-in-law for being ugly. Now it seems that is not the case, and the way his eldest brother looks at his eldest sister-in-law is even more focused than when he looks at Wan'er...

"Second Brother, there is some homework I don't understand. After we finish eating, will you teach me?" Jiang Wan tugged on Jiang Zhan's sleeve, pulling him back to his senses.

Jiang Zhan was stunned, "What homework?"

Jiang Cheng became excited; he swallowed the food in his mouth in a big gulp and then proudly puffed out his chest, "Second Brother, you don't know yet, do you? Wan'er has entered the village school and is already being enlightened. Moreover, she has extreme talent for reading; in just half a month, she has finished learning the 'Three Character Classic' and the 'Thousand Character Classic,' and she is not a bit worse than you were back then, Second Brother."

Jiang Zhan was taken aback, "But isn't Little Sister..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly shut his mouth, rushing to look at Jiang Wan's expression.

"Second Brother, I'm fine." Jiang Wan's smile was bright, and she even stood up and spun around, "Look, there's nothing wrong at all. Since I started going to school, I haven't had an episode even once!"

Jiang Zhan quickly reacted; in fact, he was worrying unnecessarily. Wan'er being able to go to school meant that his eldest brother and sister-in-law had already weighed the pros and cons and would not have agreed if there were any problems.

He then smiled and praised, "Wan'er is truly amazing, much more amazing than Second Brother."

She had also grown a bit taller; her current stature was not much different from other eight-year-old children, no longer the pitiful, bean-sprout-like appearance from before.

Previously, Wan'er had been ill for many years, and no matter how hard the three brothers tried, they could never make Wan'er truly happy, and her body was getting worse by the day. Now, not even two months after the eldest sister-in-law entered the family, Wan'er seems to have been reborn.

The eldest sister-in-law is truly their family's lucky star.

Halfway through the meal, Yao Yulan came over, and she even brought half a pot of wine.

Her husband, Jiang Tong, had finally finished his corvée labor and returned from the embankment side. The Jiang Clan Head was so happy that he had someone bring out the "Daughter's Drunkenness" that had been treasured for many years, saying the whole family should enjoy themselves.

He incidentally took half a pot for the Second Branch of the Jiang Family.

Jiang Cheng loves to drink and was immediately full of interest, but Jiang Zhan shook his head, "The master said that getting drunk leads to mistakes, especially before the county examination; one must not touch a drop of alcohol."

So that's how it is; what's the point of drinking alone?

Jiang Cheng had no choice but to cast his gaze toward Jiang Li and Du Ruo.

Du Ruo actually wanted to have a taste; it is said that ancient brewing technology was poor and the alcohol content was about the same as beer, which is why the ancients would chug several large jars at every turn.

Jiang Li, however, said, "Your eldest sister-in-law cannot drink either; her body is weak."

Du Ruo had no choice but to watch from the side, seeing that pair of brothers drink cup after cup as if it were plain water, without even seeing their faces turn red.

Sure enough, the alcohol content is low.

Du Ruo couldn't help herself; she took a wine cup and placed it in front of her, "A little drink cheers the spirit, and we're happy today, Little San, pour me a little too."

Jiang Cheng stole a glance at his eldest brother and, seeing that he did not object, said "Oh" and filled it up for Du Ruo.

Du Ruo was not pretentious; she picked it up and downed it in one gulp.

"Hey, Sister-in-law, don't..."

Unfortunately, the words came too late; Du Ruo covered her mouth and began to cough violently, her face flushed red from the choking.

Spicy, too spicy!

Didn't they say the alcohol content was low? Why does it taste like this?

Jiang Li sighed, put down his chopsticks, and patted her back, "Look at you, no one is fighting you for it, why drink so fast?"

Du Ruo hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of food to suppress it.

However, Du Ruo still underestimated the power of ancient wine; that very night, lying on the bed, she vividly demonstrated what it means to act crazy while drunk.

"You scumbag, tell me, was it you who hired someone to murder me?" Du Ruo's face was flushed, her eyes unfocused, as she grabbed Jiang Li's lapels and shook him desperately, "You wait, when this lady returns, this lady will poison you to death!"

Jiang Li had black lines on his forehead; what kind of messy nonsense is this?

He pried open his wife's chubby little hands, used a hot towel to help her compress her forehead, and coaxed, "Alright, alright, poison me, poison me, poison me all to death. Wife, are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you want to vomit?"

Du Ruo suddenly began to cry.

Jiang Li rarely saw her cry; she was always strong, optimistic, and vivid. Jiang Li had never seen her cry like a helpless child as she was now.

A fine, dense pain welled up in the bottom of his heart.

His movements became increasingly gentle.

Du Ruo pouted and sobbed, "I feel so uncomfortable, so much water, my chest hurts so much, I can't breathe, I'm going to die..."

Chest pain? This is not a small problem.

Jiang Li's expression turned stern, and he hurriedly lowered his head to check.

Just as he unfastened Du Ruo's top and before he had a chance to take a look, he received a slap on the face.

Du Ruo glared at him with misty eyes, "You dirty pervert, don't think that just because you have money, you, you are amazing, and want to sexually harass me. I tell you, I, Du Ruo, rely on my skills to eat, not on my body to earn money. Get lost, my medicine, I will absolutely not cooperate with someone like you!"

Jiang Li was caught between laughter and tears.

His wife's alcohol tolerance is too poor; she got drunk like this after only one cup, spouting nonsense.

It seems he will have to keep an eye on her in the future and not let her touch alcohol again.

Fortunately, after venting, Du Ruo finally fell asleep slowly, though she kept muttering intermittently about "green plum crisp," "protein juice," and other things Jiang Li could not understand.

Jiang Li didn't pay it any mind; only when Du Ruo stopped tossing and turning and her breathing gradually became light and shallow did he lie down with peace of mind.

When Du Ruo woke up, the sky was bright, and there was already no one by her side; only a few magpies were chirping outside the window.

She sat up, rubbed her forehead, and felt dazed.

"Host, are you finally willing to wake up?" The system's voice sounded slowly in her mind.

Du Ruo stretched, "Good morning, Little Tong."

"Good morning, my foot." The system rolled its eyes in annoyance, "Knowing your alcohol tolerance is poor and still drinking, aren't you uncomfortable now?"

Du Ruo argued with a guilty conscience, "It's not that bad, is it? Generally speaking, two bottles of beer and one cup of white spirit is no problem at all."

The system snorted, "You calculated it well, but unfortunately, Host, you forgot that this body you are in now is borrowed and different from your original one. The original owner's body has a sensitive constitution and cannot touch alcohol at all; one drink and she's drunk, with immediate effect."

How could it be like this?

Du Ruo really had a headache now; if she had known this, she wouldn't have drunk it.

Du Ruo suddenly remembered her behavior after getting drunk in her past life and hurriedly asked, "Then the habit of acting crazy while drunk shouldn't be there anymore, right?"

After all, the constitution is different now.

"That is truly unfortunate." The system chuckled, "As the saying goes, one's character is revealed through wine; your character, Host, is probably not very good, so even if you changed bodies, your behavior while drunk is just as bad—acting crazy and spouting nonsense, talking about penicillin, protein, lymphocytes, and microorganisms; you were only a megaphone away from shouting in Jiang Li's ear to tell him you are a soul inhabiting a corpse."

Du Ruo: "..."

Jiang Zhan's master was right; getting drunk leads to mistakes.

If Jiang Li became suspicious because of this...

Du Ruo hurriedly scrambled out of bed, put on her clothes, and walked outside.

Under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, Jiang Zhan was teaching Jiang Wan and Chunhua to read; both little girls were learning very seriously, nodding their little heads from time to time. In the corner, Jiang Cheng was chopping wood with effort, and Gouzi was responsible for picking it up and placing it neatly by the wall.

Seeing Du Ruo get up, Jiang Wan hurriedly ran over, her little face full of concern, "Sister-in-law, you were shouting so loudly last night, are you feeling better now?"

Du Ruo was embarrassed, "Yes, much better."

She hurriedly changed the subject, "By the way, Wan'er, where is your eldest brother?"

Jiang Li walked out of the kitchen, his tall figure silhouetted against the light, making him look even more handsome and peerless.

"I boiled some mung bean soup for you; it can sober you up. Drink it quickly, so you don't get a headache later." He handed the bowl in his hand to Du Ruo, his eyes smiling.

Du Ruo said "Oh," obediently took it, and asked as if nonchalantly, "I didn't say any crazy things last night, did I?"

Last night, huh...

Jiang Li remembered her crying, making a scene, and acting like a shrew, and couldn't help but laugh.

"How could you not? You, even when drunk, were thinking about those delicious things, green plum crisp, protein juice, you were drooling from greed."

Delicious things?

Du Ruo felt extremely guilty, "Yes, they are quite delicious, I'll make them for you when I have the chance in the future."

She drank the bowl of mung bean soup in a few gulps and then called Jiang Zhan and the others into the house for breakfast.

Breakfast was made by Chunhua; although the taste couldn't compare to Du Ruo's, it was already quite good after Du Ruo's guidance.

At the dinner table, Du Ruo asked Jiang Zhan, "Second Brother, are you going back to the academy today?"

Jiang Zhan shook his head, "The county examination is soon; the master gave me a day of leave to let me go home and prepare."

The county examination is the first stage of the child scholar examination and also a crucial one; if one cannot even pass the county examination, then one shouldn't even think about becoming a scholar, a provincial graduate, or a metropolitan graduate.

Moreover, there are many things to prepare; in addition to the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, there are also a bedding roll, paste, dry rations, clothing, and other miscellaneous items—a whole pile of things, after all, one has to stay in the examination cell for several days and cannot come out.

Du Ruo suddenly remembered one thing.

The system once said that if she refused to bind, then Jiang Zhan would very likely be implicated in a corruption case in the imperial examination and eventually die on the way to exile.

But based on Du Ruo's understanding of Jiang Zhan, this child is pure, kind, and upright, and even a bit of a pedant; he could never do something like cheating. There must be some hidden story behind it.

After thinking for a while, Du Ruo asked in her mind, "Little Tong, has Jiang Zhan's fate changed?"

"Not certain," the system said, "The Host has bound with this system, which means countless variables have been created. Who will change and how they will change are all unknowns."

That's the same as saying nothing.

Du Ruo was speechless.

To be on the safe side, Du Ruo still made a decision, "I will accompany him to the exam when the time comes."

Jiang Zhan hurriedly refused, "No need, Sister-in-law. The master will be following, and many fellow students will be together, so nothing will happen."

Accompanying someone to the imperial examination is not a very strange thing, but most of them are families with some financial means; after all, one has to stay in the county town for several days, not to mention delaying work at home, the expenses are also high.

Moreover, the eldest sister-in-law is only one year older than him; it would be terrible if she encountered bad people.

Du Ruo insisted, "The master has to manage so many people, it's impossible for him to take care of everything for you. It's better for me to go personally. Besides, you are the hope of our family to get ahead; I am counting on you to pass the scholar exam so I can bask in the glory."

Jiang Zhan wanted to say more, but Jiang Li spoke up.

"Alright, your eldest sister-in-law is right. The imperial examination is a major event; success or failure hinges on this one move, so we cannot be careless. Let's do this: I will go with your eldest sister-in-law when the time comes."

The head of the family had spoken, so Jiang Zhan could only agree.

With the eldest brother there, he thought there shouldn't be any problems.

After the meal, Du Ruo took Jiang Wan and Chunhua to start getting busy, making dozens of mung bean cakes and pumpkin pancakes, each packed in small bamboo baskets.

Then she and Jiang Li took Jiang Wan and carried the small bamboo baskets toward the west end of the village.

From afar, they could hear the clear sound of reading, and they also saw Master Jiang and the Zhu mother and son at the entrance of the school.

Du Ruo then pulled Jiang Li behind a tree to hide.

It wasn't that she was afraid of them, but she didn't want to argue with that crazy woman in front of Master Jiang.

Over there, the Zhu woman was jumping on her feet, "Jiang Old Third, what do you mean? Why won't you let my son continue to study here!"