Old Liu quietly cleared his throat, gently pushing away the flatteries and sycophantic support of the relatives, and looked up at the crowd gathered at the entrance of Sanlang’s house.

There were those with envy, those with jealousy, and those with both envy and jealousy. Various emotions surged on the faces of the villagers, making people forget how they once despised and criticized Liu Ji.

A person whose essence was not exactly good had been spoken of by the villagers as if he were a child of fate, saying all his previous misdeeds were because he was no ordinary person but a reincarnation of Wenquxing, naturally different from ordinary mortals.

Listening to these words, Old Liu almost got lost in them. He quickly glanced at Qin Yao.

Her expression was calm, with a slight smile at the corners of her mouth, showing that she was also happy.

But that happiness did not erode her heart; her dark eyes were as calm as water, clearly reflecting the various attitudes in front of the door.

Noticing his gaze, Qin Yao looked back, nodding slightly, "Dad, please help me entertain the villagers for now. I’ll take the two Lords inside for a rest."

Old Liu felt as if he had been hit on the head, and the trace of delight in his heart finally faded away. He instructed Qin Yao to keep the reward silver well, and they would handle the villagers.

Mrs. Li brought out all the snacks, candies, and preserved fruits from home. Old Liu stopped the women of the house, who were almost dizzy from all the compliments and congratulations, and had them distribute the candy and snacks to the villagers, sharing the joy.

Qin Yao took Zhou Zheng and another to the main hall for tea, sent two portions of reward money, and invited them to stay for dinner.

The two politely declined and took their leave.

Qin Yao didn’t urge them to stay, saying she’d treat them to a meal in the county town in the future. Seeing the villagers congratulating outside Qin Yao’s courtyard, Zhou Zheng didn’t really want to stay, so he agreed, saying goodbye with a smile, and rode away.

After Zhou Zheng and the other left, the villagers felt much more at ease. With everyone being enthusiastic, Qin Yao opened the doors for everyone to come in, have a seat, eat something, and drink some tea.

After a brief round of greetings, it was already mid-afternoon.

Mrs. He and Mrs. Qiu had long returned with Song Yu to the stationery factory, and Liu Zhong had matters to attend to, being called away by the factory, leaving just Old Liu and Mrs. Zhang staying at Qin Yao’s house.

"I’m exhausted!" Old Liu wiped the sweat off his face and remarked, "I never thought everyone would be so warm, warm to the point where I’m a bit scared."

Mrs. Zhang nodded in strong agreement, took a sugar water handed over by Mrs. Li, and drank more than half a bowl in one go, finally feeling some relief for her parched throat.

Qin Yao was doing alright. The Clan Leader and the village elders repeatedly instructed her to tell Liu Ji not to forget his roots once he became successful and to remember his clan kin.

She responded ambiguously, soothing the restless hearts of the clan elders and even gave them a heads-up to prevent them from having too high expectations for Liu Ji.

Qin Yao said to the two elders, "Dad, Mom, we’re eating here tonight. Let’s celebrate first. As for whether or not to have a banquet for the villagers, we’ll wait until Liu Ji comes back to decide."

The two elders happily agreed, having no objections.

The two of them didn’t rest for long; before dinner time, they got up and went about their own busy tasks.

Old Liu prepared a lot of incense, candles, and joss paper for sacrifices, planning to have Liu Ji properly console the ancestors at the ancestral hall once he returned.

Mrs. Zhang carried over Da Mao and picked a basket of seasonal vegetables to bring over, working with Mrs. Li in the kitchen.

Yin Le had already returned, knowing his master had passed the exam, more joyful than anyone else. After finishing his work at the factory canteen, he immediately returned home to help prepare dinner.

Qin Yao, however, stood beside them, unsure of what she could do since everything that could be done was already being done by someone.

Well, she’d just play with Da Mao, and while at it, amuse the easily amused Little Lai Fu.

Mrs. Li and others were busy in the kitchen, bustling with activity, while Qin Yao leisurely took two children to weed the vegetable garden in the backyard.

She directed, and the two children executed.

The children found it fun and worked enthusiastically.

News from the government had arrived, and presumably, Liu Ji and Ah Wang were already on their way back, leaving Qin Yao with little time to prepare.

She had to quickly tidy up the vegetable garden to make it look good, lest Ah Wang returned and noticed something was off.

By evening, the people from the old house returned one after another. Without Qin Yao saying anything, everyone was already aware of her household skills, each busying themselves, organizing a lovely dinner.

Prepared early, the dinner was served early, and when Da Lang and a few children finished school and got home, the family was waiting for them to sit down so they could start eating.

Today, it was Liu Zhong who picked up the children, telling them about Liu Ji’s exam pass on the way, drawing six pairs of skeptical, disbelieving eyes.

When they entered the door, they all rushed to Qin Yao, asking, and upon receiving her confirmation, Da Lang and his siblings were stupefied.

Could it really be true? They couldn’t quite believe it.

Even Si Niang, who had guessed that their father might have passed the exam on her way to school this morning, now couldn’t help but deeply question the exam content.

"When Dad gets back, I must ask him how he managed to pass," Si Niang murmured seriously, gripping her little fist.

Jinhua and Jinbao’s reactions were far more open, with suspicion? Not a chance!

All they knew was that their Third Uncle was now Mr. Scholar, and in the future, he’d become an official!

This last part was said by Mrs. He.

Mrs. He picked up a spoon, giving each child a generous helping of soup and meat, and threw in an extra piece for each Da Lang, Second Lang, and Sanlang, speaking with a serious, though jesting tone:

"Da Lang, Second Lang, Sanlang, in the future, you’ll be Young Masters now, remember to help your cousin Jinbao often."

Sanlang responded with an ’oh’, happily gnawing on a chicken piece, without any mental burden.

Da Lang and Second Lang only felt awkward, nodded awkwardly, and buried themselves in their meal, looking like they wanted to hide their heads in the bowl to escape the burning gazes from everyone in the old house.

Just as Mrs. He wanted to say more, Mrs. Zhang coughed twice, prompting her to sit back down, mumbling somewhat discontentedly to herself.

Mrs. Qiu and Liu Zhong exchanged a look, stood to toast their parents and Qin Yao with a glass of wine, said congratulations, and then focused on taking care of the children without saying more.

Some things need not be spoken too clearly; from Yan Nian’s behavior in treating everyone to a meal today, they already felt she wouldn’t abandon the people of the old house, and that was enough.

Only that, having grown up together, the sudden disparity in status and position between the brothers made Liu Bai and Liu Zhong quite sentimental for a while. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

During their reflection, they were suddenly startled by something Liu Fei shouted upon rushing back late at night from the county academy.

Liu Fei exclaimed anxiously, "With Third Brother’s nature, it might be fine for him to flaunt as a Scholar for a brief while, but if he really were to become an official, he would surely abuse power, accept bribes, deceive those above while exploiting those below, amass wealth unscrupulously, and oppress the people..."

"One day, things are bound to be exposed. The higher he climbs, the worse we will suffer when the time comes. And yet, you still wish to associate with him? Wouldn’t that mean our Liu Family would also face annihilation with him?"

Instantly, the entire old house fell into a deathly silence.