Manbao said, "I asked, Xia Wulang and Xia Qilang are not the children of Patriarch Xia's family. Xia Qilang is actually the great-nephew of Patriarch Xia, and Xia Wulang is separated by several branches. Yet, Patriarch Xia still supports Xia Wulang's studies, and usually doesn't hesitate to help, even encouraging the family to support them. Clearly, they intend for Xia Wulang and Xia Qilang to take the civil service exams first, so that they can lift the family in the future."
Actually, this is a common strategy used by many small landowning families. As long as one family member becomes an official, it can elevate the whole family and even the entire village.
Look at Manbao as an example. Zhou Erlang wrote back saying that after the news of her becoming an official reached Qili Village, the village itself bought firecrackers to celebrate for a day, and the clan bought more to celebrate for another day. In the end, Zhou Erlang had to buy even more firecrackers.
