By the end of each year, almost all students of those towns would gather in the county, under the presiding of the magistrate, the annual tongsheng examination started. Only those students who had passed this examination would be qualified to take the county examination next spring—the examination for xiucai. Only a xiucai would have an official rank. In Ling Jingxuan’s understanding, xiucai was like the student ID card the court issued all students. With it, those students who had studied hard for years could take the township examination held in every three years in autumn. Those who got listed as a juren would have one foot in the official circles. Next would be the provincial examination for jinshi held in spring every three years. Only jinshi could be taken as the real national public servants, which equaled to college graduates in modern times. So, to put it simply, tongsheng was like graduates from primary school, xiucai, middle school, juren, high school, and jinshi or above, college graduates. The original owner had passed the tongsheng examination at the age of thirteen. And no one in Ling village didn’t say he was the star of wisdom at the time. But the present Ling Jingxuan didn’t give it a sh*t at all. Someone who graduated from primary at the age of thirteen already called star of wisdom? How about those who passed the entrance examination for colleges at the age of twelve in modern world? If in modern times, let alone a mere tongsheng, even a xiucai was nothing at all!
“Oh.”
The small bun glumly turned to Yan Shengrui, finally quietness returned by his ears. As Ling Jingxuan was about to go out for some relaxation, he saw the big bun who only had his little butt exposed out there rummaged in the wardrobe. Curiosity crawled into his eyes, and he subconsciously walked over.
“What are you doing? Ransacking the wardrobes during the day?”
“Ah? Daddy, you scared me! I was looking for the saving pot you asked Uncle Wang to make for us.”
pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ As he said so, Ling Wen took out a saving pot out of the wardrobe, which Ling Jingxuan specially asked Wang to make for them, the three kids had one each. The wooden but naïve piggy image was really cute. Its big belly could at least accommodate thousands of copper coins. Seeing that he was using a lot of strength holding it, he guessed that he should have saved a lot now.
Out of curiosity, Ling Jingxuan followed him all the way to the tea table in the room, then Ling Wen carefully put it down, buckled off the cork, held it up and started to shake.
“Crash...”
Countless copper coins together with some silver ingots got poured onto the tea table and soon formed a hill-like pile, inside of which there were a few bank notes. Ling Jingxuan made a rough calculation. Beside that bank note of one thousand taels of silver which was left after buying the land, there was two of one hundred and a few of ten, plus those silver ingots and copper coins, it should be at least one thousand and five hundred taels of silver in total. For this, Ling Jingxuan perspired from embarrassment. When had his little bun saved so much money?
“Ten taels? No, I should take some silver ingots with me. No, no, no, what if it’s not enough then? So I should take some more. But…”
Tonally ignoring his daddy’s strangeness, Ling Wen put that giant saving pot on the chair beside, rummaged through that huge pile of copper coins with two hands, first, took up a bank note for ten taels of silver to have a look, and then put it back, over and over again, also, as if murmuring something. Ling Jingxuan squatted down strangely, “Why are you taking them out? Didn’t you save you’ll save till it’s full?”
He remembered that when he brought the saving pots back, the three little buns all said excitedly that they would fulfill them with money. But not long after, he took it out already. This wasn’t his stingy big bun’s style!
“Tomorrow I’m going to the county to buy something. But I put all my money inside. I’ll have no money if I don’t take it out.”
Speaking of this, Ling Wen also felt depressed. At ordinary times, he had been too preoccupied with saving money, and wouldn’t spend a single copper coin, which resulted in that he only got three copper coins for emergency in his pouch. See? As daddy said he was taking them to the country, he was in a hurry getting it out.
“Hehe…it’s really a rare thing that you have something you want to buy. What is it? tell daddy, daddy will buy it for you.”
For the first time he said he would spend money to buy something. Ling Jingxuan sat down in the chair beside, legs crossed. Did he little bun finally learn to spend money? So he would successfully step out the first step of raising them into the dandy rich second generation!
“No, I'll have to buy it with my own money.”
Throwing him an angry look, Ling Wen then suddenly looked back at his piles of copper coins, silver ingots and bank notes, “Daddy, should I take a bank note of ten taels or a few silver ingots with me?”
His round big eyes were rendered with naked entanglement. If he had known this, he would have asked about the price of those things first.
“That depends on what you want to buy.”
What? It would even cost him silver ingots? That was not his style! Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help feeling more thrilled. No parents wouldn’t hope that their kids would develop good habits of thrift. Even for those rich or official families, few wouldn’t wish to see their kids form a money blowing habit. But Ling Jingxuan happened to be the minority. He only wished that his little buns would spend money like water. Even if they spent all his money, it was totally fine. Though the whole kingdom, no one could do that.
“I... I can tell you, but you got to promise that you won't tell anyone else.”
Ling Wen rarely looked so embarrassed, face already turning red, Ling Jingxuan picked his eyebrow, made a you-can-count-on-me gesture. As he was ready to say to what things he’d buy, Yan Shengrui holding the small bun walked over, “Why can’t tell anyone else? Can we know about it?”
Sitting next to Ling Jingxuan, Yan Shengrui put down the small bun and glanced curiously at the coins piled up on the tea table. He came after hearing their conversation and, to be honest, he was also very curious about what he wanted to buy.
“Ge, why did you take the money out? Didn’t we agree to deposit money together and see who would fill it first?”
Ling Wen was confused. Compared with Ling Wen, he didn’t take money that important. As for how much money he had saved, probably as much as Ling Wen. When Ling Wen handed out his control of the purse strings of the family, Ling Jingxuan didn’t take back the banks notes in his hand. Later, in his face, he gave Ling Wu the same amount of silver, to show that he wasn’t partial to any of them. And every time he gave them money, the two brothers and Tiewa all got the same amount. Besides, Ling Wu was also not that kind of kid who would blow money, so the money he had saved shouldn’t be less than Ling Wen.
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