One of them was initially so ill, he was bedridden. But when he got the news, he immediately bounced back. It wasn't his fault, his family had even sold their last several months' worth of food to support his attempt at the Imperial Exam, but he failed. He felt like he had let his family down and consequently fell ill. Now, Great Zhou's intense scrutiny of the Imperial Exam was another blow to him.
"Enough about that, go check on your mother, she and your father have been worried sick about you."