The days passed unnoticed and entered the twelfth month, Zifou and others returned home for vacation. Zeng Ruixiang also ended his private school lessons and devoted himself to tutoring Zifou at home, teaching him how to review questions, how to solve problems, and how to set up ideas. This year was busy with no time to sell couplets. Shen's family was also busy packing luggage and clothes for Zifou's exam, and the whole year passed without a good life. She always felt uneasy in her heart, afraid of missing something.

  Zeng Ruixiang saw this and comforted her, saying: "You're so worried, the child will be even more nervous when they see you. Just put your mind at ease, after all, the child is still young this year. Even if it doesn't work out this year, there's always next year." Shen heard this and felt that there was some reason to it, so she calmed down and began preparing food, clothing, and other things, no longer mentioning the examination.

  Just after the Lantern Festival, Zeng Rui-xiang took Zi-fu to the county town, saying that he was going to find a former colleague, Lian Sheng, to act as a guarantor and give him some advice. Originally, Zeng Rui-xiang wanted to rent a house to quietly accompany him for a month, but Zi-fu still insisted on living in his dormitory at the school, saying that it would be like practicing writing every day and there would be no pressure. Seeing that everything he needed to hand over had been handed over properly, Zeng Rui-xiang could only return home alone.

  Shen's family eagerly awaited the good news of their son passing the county exam, overjoyed to the point of tears. Zeng Ruixiang smiled and said: "This is just the beginning, the road ahead is still long, I wonder how many more tears you have to shed? This is just the simplest step, what's there to celebrate?"

  "It's just that Mother has no confidence in Big Brother either, didn't you see I've never asked because I believe in Big Brother's abilities." Zi Qing added with a smile, earning a white eye from Shen Shi.

  In late March, Zifu returned home. Shen's family was busy again and instructed Zeng Ruixiang to temporarily rent a small house in Anzhou. The hotel environment was still a bit noisy, and he had to take three exams continuously, so it was definitely not good for him to rest.

  Zeng Ruixiang saw Shen's family not stopping talking, said: "You just rest assured, I will help the child arrange everything. Fu Er is not small anymore. He knows how to take care of himself, but you are still talking. If you continue like this, you'll get neurosis."

  Zi Qing smiled and joked: "Why don't we let Mother go with us, so she can cook for Big Brother. If he doesn't eat well, his body won't be able to take it."

  Who would have thought that Shen's family listened and looked at Zi Qing, saying: "Do you think I don't want to go? If it weren't for the fact that our family really can't afford to leave, I wouldn't have gone. It's a good thing you're going to cook for your brother, these years I've seen you train quite well. Be careful not to be afraid of spending money."

  "Sister, when did you see me afraid to spend money? I'll go if I want to. My brother is going to pass the exam, and it's all thanks to my efforts. Brother, don't forget that." Zi Qing also wanted to learn about ancient imperial examinations, so she was very enthusiastic.

  Zi Fu smiled and agreed, saying: "Qing'er is our family's lucky star. With Qing'er gone, Big Brother will definitely have a smooth journey, and his writing will be as flowing as a spring."

  That day, Zeng Rui Xiang also followed him to go out. Because they still need to find a fellow tenant as a guarantor, Zeng Rui Xiang has many colleagues, so this was quickly settled. After renting the house, Zi Fu let Zeng Rui Xiang return home and went to find his companions to discuss together.

  Ziying stayed with Zifu in Anzhou. Every day, she went out to buy vegetables at the nearest market, and apart from cooking, she spent her time at home doing needlework or embroidery, flipping through idle books. After all, she was almost ten years old, and it wasn't quite right for a young girl to be out and about every day. Moreover, she was also a bit of a scatterbrain, and Zifu didn't feel at ease with her going out alone either.

  On this day, Ziqing was alone at home and suddenly remembered that the peach trees on the back mountain had all bloomed this year. After the Dragon Boat Festival, they could harvest over a dozen baskets of peaches. Since there were not enough people in the family to help with the sales, they didn't want to set up a stall in the market every day. It would be better to take advantage of this opportunity to ask Zhou Zhanggui if he wanted to buy them. If he did, then they wouldn't need to look for other buyers. With this thought, Ziqing changed her clothes and went out.

  Almost at the entrance of Zhou's grocery store, while crossing the road, Zi Qing looked at the large vegetable market not far away and thought about going out to buy a fish head stew for her big brother to nourish his brain. She didn't notice a horse carriage rushing towards her from behind. When the driver reined in the horse, Zi Qing was already sitting on the ground. The driver, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, hastily ran over and asked: "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

  Ziying stood up and patted her clothes. Before she could say anything, the young man exclaimed in surprise: "It's you! I still remember you, the little girl who sold lanterns."

  Ziying stared at him inexplicably, unable to find a hint of familiarity. At this moment, a 12 or 13-year-old boy in luxurious clothing walked out of the carriage, and he seemed to have recognized her too. He smiled and nodded, asking: "Are you looking for Master Zhou? What's the good news this time?"

  At this moment, Zi Qing suddenly remembered that at the end of last year when selling lanterns, Zhou Zhuang's master brought two children, and it seemed to have some impression. To know, Zi Qing not only couldn't remember the way but also couldn't remember people. Generally, strangers had to meet three or four times to remember each other's appearance. So the elegant young man in front of him naturally left no impression on Zi Qing. The elegant young man saw that Zi Qing was staring blankly, thinking about something, and when he saw himself, there was not a hint of warmth or surprise. He tapped his fan against Zi Qing's head, asking discontentedly: "What are you thinking? Did you suddenly become stupid? Or did you simply forget about this young master?"

  "Oh, I remember now, you're the young master of the Dong family." Zi Qing rubbed her own bumped head and replied somewhat unhappily.

  "Now that you mention it, you seem a bit unhappy to see me, why?" asked the boy in Chinese clothes.

  "Let me hit you with the car first, scare you a bit, then hit you with a fan, and you try smiling at me with a big smile on your face?" Zi Qing muttered.

  "Haha, you're still so sharp-tongued. This young master hitting you is a sign of respect, do you think anyone can have this honor?" The youth in fine clothes opened his fan and fanned himself a few times, with an air of arrogance.

  Zi Qing rolled her eyes, just about to speak, when Zhou Zhuang came out to greet them, warmly smiling and asking the young man in fine clothes: "Third Young Master, are you passing by today or have you come specifically to see old Zhou?"

  "It doesn't matter, it's nothing important, you go ask this little girl what's going on?" said the Third Young Master.

  Zhou Zhuoju then noticed that Zi Qing was also there, and Zi Qing didn't pretend to be polite, fearing that she would waste everyone's time. She briefly explained her situation in a few words, but Zhou Zhuoju did not respond immediately, saying only that he needed to ask first before knowing.

  Zi Qing saw this and hurriedly bid farewell to come out. She didn't notice that San Shao Ye gave a signal with his eyes to the long-following servant, who followed him out and said he wanted to send Zi Qing off. Zi Qing politely declined but couldn't refuse, so she said: "This big brother, what's your surname? I still need to go to the market to buy a fish, it would be troublesome for you to delay your time, and it wouldn't be good if Master missed his appointment. Besides, I now live in the city, it's very convenient."

  "It doesn't matter, young master has asked me to send it, I must see it through. My surname is Lin, just call me Lin Kangping."

  Ziying couldn't refuse, so she hastily bought a big carp. On the way home, Lin Kangping asked Ziying why she had moved to the city, and Ziying told him the reason. The two didn't have much conversation; Lin Kangping wasn't talkative, and Ziying was afraid of saying too much. After arriving home, she busied herself with cleaning the fish head and stewing soup. Ziying soon forgot about the matter.

  Who would have thought that two days later, Zifeng was reviewing his lessons at home, and Ziqing was preparing to cook pork ribs. Lin Kangping brought San Shao Ye to the door, and as soon as San Shao Ye saw Ziqing, he smiled and asked: "What kind of clothes are you wearing? I've never seen them before, they look quite interesting."

  Ziying glanced down at her body, wearing a white Western-style apron she had made herself, with lotus leaf edges and a pair of same-colored sleeve covers. On the pocket of the apron was embroidered an adorable little duck.

  "You haven't seen this before, I came up with it myself. It's convenient to wear while cooking and saves my clothes from getting stained with oil."

  "That's true, this looks pretty good, with a few clever touches. I didn't think you had a few clever ideas in that little head of yours."

  Zi Qing was just about to speak when Zi Fu heard the commotion inside and came out to take a look, asking: "Qing Er, why don't you let the guest in? What's the logic in blocking them at the door?"

  Zi Qing hurriedly explained: "It's the third young master of Zhou Zhuang's family." It was indeed a tongue twister.

  "My surname is Wen, just call me Wen San. Hello, you're Zi Qing's older brother, right? We've met before, that year when you and your younger sister were selling lanterns, I was standing next to you."

  "Oh, hello, I remember now. Thank you for your father's care over the years, but I'm not sure what brings you here today...?"

  "It's not about taking care of anything, it's just that your family's watermelon is well-grown and came to market early, so everyone gets what they need. I came today to see your younger sister, I accidentally bumped into her on the street two days ago, I don't know if she got hurt anywhere? Today I specifically came to take a look." As he spoke, he took over a string of paper packages from Lin Kangping's hand.

  Zifeng and Ziqing both didn't reach out to catch, Zifeng pulled Ziqing up and down to size her up, and then used his hand to touch her, knowing that his sister was really okay, before he could put his mind at ease.

  "Is everything okay now? The other day I saw her get up from the ground, and I was so happy to recognize her that I forgot to ask if she was uncomfortable anywhere. It worried me for two days at home, but today I came over to take a look and feel at ease." Wen San said with his hands raised, "It's just some snacks, don't be polite." After finishing speaking, he went into the house and put them down.

  Zi Fu instructed Zi Qing to serve tea, and due to Zi Fu's polite but distant demeanor, they sat for a short while before Wen San and his servant took their leave. Zi Fu carefully asked Zi Qing about what had happened, and seeing the worry on her brother's face, she said: "Brother, it really was just an accidental collision this time, and I didn't get hurt anywhere. From now on, I'll definitely be more careful when walking. Besides, in a few days after you finish your exams, we'll be heading back to Dongtang. I don't go out much nowadays anyway."

  Zi Fu thought for a moment, perhaps it was just his own paranoia, and his younger sister was still young, listening to her words, he didn't understand what he was worried about. Maybe she hadn't matured yet, and in a few days, she would return to the countryside, and the two wouldn't have another chance to meet, so he quickly put the matter aside and focused on studying.