Yang Dachuan saw his timid appearance and couldnāt help saying irritably, "I never expected you to pass the exam. Spending money is just for you to get familiar with the process, so youāll be ready for future attempts."
"No way?" said Yang Qingtong, his eyes widening in shock at his words, "Dad, you really have no faith in me? Iām still your son after all. You have so little confidence in me, so sure that I wonāt pass?"
"Havenāt you indeed failed to pass?" Yang Dachuan asked lightly in response.
Instantly, Yang Qingtongās head drooped, and he clenched his fists, "Next year I will definitely pass."
Yang Qingrui then patted him on the back, "If you can promise not to fall asleep next year, youāll definitely pass."
"Brother, canāt you stop bringing that up? I didnāt do it on purpose. Who can resist when theyāre sleepy? If only there was something to keep one from feeling sleepy at all times," Yang Qingtong grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.
Hearing him talk about stimulants, Yang Chuxia thought of coffee and strong tea from her previous life. So she asked, "Are you allowed to drink tea during exams?"
"Sure," Yang Qingtong nodded, "But itās all prepared by the exam site, and most people donāt go for it."
"Since thatās the case, next time you take an exam, remember to ask the examiner for a cup of strong tea. Strong tea is stimulating; if you drink it, you surely wonāt feel sleepy again."
"Yeah!" Yang Qingtongās eyes lit up at her words, then he felt a bit annoyed again, "How come I didnāt think of that?" he lamented.
"Alright, alright, if you didnāt think of it, then you didnāt. There will be other chances in the future," Ms. Wang said, unable to stand seeing her youngest son with a gloomy face, looking listless.
"Exactly, itās not a big deal. Letās go back, wash up and take a rest. Your mother has prepared some delicious food on the stove. We can eat when we wake up," Yang Dachuan also joined in.
The two brothers went to see Old Yang first, then returned to the courtyard to clean up.
As the brothers couldnāt have Mr. Luo look over their test papers, Yang Chuxia asked them to write down what they remembered, so she could have a look.
Although she didnāt understand the requirements for the eight-legged essay exam, she still knew whether an answer was good or not.
Upon reviewing them, a problem emerged because she found Yang Qingtongās answers seemed even better than Yang Qingruiās, in her opinion.
The issue was that he hadnāt answered half of the final test questions, which was a bit of a pity; otherwise, he might have been another "Cultivated Talent."
About this, Yang Chuxia decided not to tell Yang Qingtong, to prevent him from becoming arrogant and not studying seriously anymore.
"Xiaxia!"
"Jinxiu?" Yang Chuxia put down the brothersā transcribed papers and smiled, "Why do you have free time to come back? Didnāt your mother-in-law ask about you?"
Yang Jinxiu had visited early in the year and also during the Lantern Festival, and now, just two months later, she was back again. Yang Chuxia wondered how her domineering mother-in-law had allowed her to return.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing much, just some stuff Qingtong and the others wrote. How come youāre free to come back? Didnāt your mother-in-law say anything?"
Upon hearing that, Yang Jinxiu snorted, "My mother-in-law has soft ears. Just sweet-talk her a bit, and there will be no issues."
"Pfft, if your mother-in-law heard that, sheād be furious," Yang Chuxia said.
"Humph, let her be angry if she wants. If sheās not angry, then itāll be my turn to be," retorted Yang Jinxiu, her usual somewhat timid demeanor gone, now showing a steely resolve, "You donāt know how she nags me at home every day. Itās so annoying. She finds fault with this and that. Iām tired of having to flatter her all the time."