Yun Jiao quickly stood up holding her bowl and moved to the back to stand.
Jiang Rong's face was full of excitement, "Quick, quick, quick, San Lang must not have eaten yet. Sister-in-law, go and stir-fry some dishes for San Lang."
Mrs. Liu, Jiang's third aunt, agreed, but she didn't leave, her eyes flickering as she looked at Jiang Youzhi.
Unlike Jiang Rong, she wasn't careless. She had long noticed that Jiang Youzhi's return today, before the end of the examinations, was unusual.
Mr. Jiang also looked at Jiang Youzhi with a sombre expression.
Jiang Youzhi, under everyone's gaze, spoke calmly, "Grandpa, Grandma, Mother, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Third Aunt, I'm truly sorry."
"The day before the exam, I somehow got an upset stomach and couldn't enter the hall for the first session. I lay in the inn for three days before I felt better, so I hired a carriage and came back."
After he finished speaking, the whole main room fell silent as death.
The elders and youngsters of the family all had expressions as if they had suffered a huge blow.
Only Yun Jiao, hiding in the corner, continued eating.
Her body was now so weak that she had to seize any opportunity to eat her fill.
Perhaps because her behavior was so different, Jiang Youzhi glanced at her.
After a long while, Jiang Rong finally spoke, "Didn't take the exam?"
Jiang Youzhi nodded.
Mrs. Chen was obviously also struck by the news, but she quickly recovered, patting her son's back, "Is your health better? Should we get a doctor to have a look? I noticed your face has sunken in."
Jiang Youzhi looked at Mrs. Chen, his gaze softening significantly, "I'm much better now."
Suddenly, Jiang Rong shouted, "Without taking the exam, doesn't that mean you have to wait three years to take it again?"
Third Aunt Mrs. Liu mumbled, "Sigh, how careless to have gotten an upset stomach."
Third Uncle Jiang Hua slapped his thigh hard, "I said I should accompany San Lang, but you all were unwilling to spend the silver, saying an extra person would cost more. Now it's all ruined!"
These words made the atmosphere in the room even more tense.
Holding her rice bowl, Yun Jiao looked at Jiang Youzhi with some sympathy, as now he seemed like the scapegoat of the family.
Even with her toes, she knew what they were thinking, no more than the high costs of studies. With Jiang Youzhi failing to get selected, the family would still have to support him for another three years, which was quite an expense.
If he had passed, it would have been different. Naturally, people would bring silver and land, seeking protection, and the whole family would live a better life.
Once she finished eating, Yun Jiao silently left through the back door, only to hear Mrs. Zhou's scolding as soon as she stepped out, "It's all that jinx's fault, cursed my Da Lang to death, made Erlang and San Lang sick as well. How is this life to carry on—"
Yun Jiao sneered, carrying her rice bowl around the house to the kitchen. She knew that whenever something went wrong in this household, it could all be blamed on her. She was nothing but a scapegoat.
Jiang Youzhi stood in the main room, without joy or sorrow.
He had long known what awaited him when he returned.
Mrs. Zhou was just being passive-aggressive.
In this family, he was being cherished like a phoenix egg, not because these family members loved him dearly, but simply because there were benefits to be gained from him.
Now that all the family's hopes were dashed, life probably wouldn't be easy for him for the next three years.
Though Mrs. Chen was also disappointed, she was more concerned about her son's health. She pulled Jiang Youzhi to sit down, "It's just good to have you back, let's not talk about anything else, eat first."
She turned around and called to her daughter, "San Ya, go get a bowl of rice for your third brother."
"Forget it, I'll go myself. I'll fry an egg for your brother, too."
After saying that, Mrs. Chen reached out to Mrs. Zhou, "Mother, give me two eggs."
Mrs. Zhou slowly raised her eyelids, "Those eggs have to be saved to exchange for money at the market. Why eat eggs, aren't there still vegetables?"