The poor little girl who traveled through the book, her father was lazy, her mother was stingy, and

Chapter 189 County Examination

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the villagers of Shanglin Village were very busy.

We had a banquet in the morning, and in the afternoon we had to give the money we had collected long ago to Lin Dahe.

Many people in the village felt that Old Mrs. Lin was lucky.

A fierce and unreasonable old lady can't stand up to the fact that someone has two good sons.

The eldest son opened a workshop, and people in the village rushed to work there. The youngest son worked as an accountant and gained the trust of his boss, and started doing business with him.

Even the honest and dull second son, in addition to collecting eggs, also weaves bamboo baskets and mats to sell during the slack season!

I heard that a lot of bamboo mats were sold to Jialin County.

Except for the married daughter who was a little noisy, the three sons were all better than the other.

This time, there were a lot more people gathered in front of the Lin family's old house than last time.

Those families who listened to Lin Dajiang and the head of the village and chose to wait and see last time regretted it so much that they beat their chests and stamped their feet when others got the money, and wished they could go back time.

This time, we have to collect money and give it to Lin Dahe no matter what. It will be useless even if we bring in the elders of the clan.

Those who had already made money borrowed from all their relatives this time, trying to scrape together as much as they could.

Even many villagers from Xialin Village were guarding the door.

There was a lot of commotion at the door, which made Lin Gui look over several times. He always felt that this matter was a little unbelievable. However, his son assured her again and again, and the old woman cried and begged her parents to give the money to the third son, so he turned a blind eye and let her do as she pleased.

This time, even the second daughter-in-law of the village head wanted to go and take a look, but was prevented from going by the village head.

Lin Dahe was busy until nightfall.

He collected a lot of small change and copper coins, which jingled loudly when he picked them up.

It was not safe to travel at night with the silver, so Lin Dahe stayed in Shanglin Village that night.

Sleeping in the same room with silver and copper coins, Lin Dahe hardly slept the whole night.

When you close your eyes, you will see tons of silver, too much to count.

......

After the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Dajiang's workshop started working again.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Shopkeeper Tong brought good news. The county magistrate gave him just enough money for the sausages.

Lin Dajiang was completely relaxed, which showed that Manager Tong was still at a loss.

"Brother Tong, why do you still look unhappy?"

"You don't know, there has been a constant flow of county officials coming to our Jialin County, and every time someone comes back, they praise the host and give him gifts. I thought the county magistrate had accepted the sausages as a favor, but I didn't expect that after the New Year, he would send the money for the sausages.

This makes us have to rethink what the county magistrate really meant. "

Lin Dajiang asked: "Maybe our county magistrate is incorruptible!"

"Brother Lin, stop joking. A clean family, a hundred thousand silver coins!"

Even though they were all family members, Shopkeeper Tong still deliberately lowered his voice when speaking the last sentence.

After that, the two of them talked for a few more words, and Shopkeeper Tong took away a batch of preserved eggs and sausages that had been made before the New Year.

Taking advantage of the cold weather, the workshop continued to work hard to make more sausages.

-

"Sir, I sent the money for the sausages, and when the shopkeeper Tong saw the money, his face suddenly turned sad. Do you think he was crying for joy?"

Under the dark blue cloud-patterned shawl, the fan-holding young man chuckled, "Stupid, in his mind, I'm afraid I've become a greedy official."

"Sir, this..."

"Nothing, just let them be. By the way, how is the case I asked you to investigate last time going?"

"Sir, our people followed them from the two lakes to Shuzhong, and then to Lin'an Prefecture. It should have been safe, but once we entered Lin'an Prefecture, the fish scattered and we lost contact for a while."

"Forget it. This matter that even gives my father a headache is not going to be that easy. Send more people to continue investigating!"

"Yes!"

-

Ever since Lin Xiaoman suggested that Gu Changsheng should exercise properly, Gu Changsheng has been walking for longer and longer periods of time every day.

Later, after he tried running around the yard a few times without getting out of breath, he changed from walking to running.

Later, he told Lin Xiaoman about this progress. Lin Xiaoman thought about it and decided to let Gu Changsheng and Xie Ci'an, two young masters who had never suffered, adapt to the county examination environment in advance.

Zhou Quan was asked to clean up the room next to his, and the three scholars went there to read.

In the name of getting used to the bad trumpet in advance.

"Xiao Man, are you sure this won't delay their reading?"

Lin Jingzhe was already accustomed to the smell of chicken, duck and rabbit shit, so reading there just made him feel a little smelly.

On the contrary, in his heart, chicken shit, duck shit and rabbit shit are all treasures, because after the operations of his younger sister and father, the shit and urine have become treasures that can make crops grow better.

But Xie Ci'an and Gu Changsheng had never smelled these smells, especially Gu Changsheng, who had never suffered any hardship.

The first time I got back I felt so nauseous that I wanted to vomit. I didn’t read a single word the whole morning.

Fortunately, Lin Xiaoman showed mercy and let them go in the afternoon, allowing them to go to Xie Ci'an's study to read.

After reading for an hour, they would run ten laps around Xie Ci'an's yard to give them a combination of work and rest.

But the next morning, Gu Changsheng and Xie Ci'an still read in the same place, holding their noses and spending the day.

On the third and fourth days, Gu Changsheng and Xie Ci'an were still almost fainted by the stench, but at least they could still understand a few words.

On the seventh and eighth days, the two had already given up any hope. They knew that Lin Xiaoman was doing this for their own good, fearing that they would be unlucky and get bad numbers, so he gave them practice drills in advance.

By the thirteenth or fourteenth day, the two felt that the stench didn't seem so bad anymore.

There was a snowfall in the middle, which covered up the stench a little.

But after a few days, the snow melted and the smell, which had not been so bad before, turned into a headache again.

This torture was repeated over and over again, and gradually, the two of them were able to ignore the unpleasant smell of shit and concentrate on reading, just like Lin Jingzhe.

In this way, the day for registration for the county examination arrived quietly amid everyone's anticipation.

This time, three young men from Shanglin Village were going to take part in the county examination.

The two grandsons of the village head plus Xie Ci'an.

This is a big event for Shanglin Village!

Xie Ci'an was not studying in Mingyi Hall, so he asked Gu Changsheng for help. Together with Gu Changsheng, Lin Yaowen and Lin Yaoguang, they gathered another student in Mingyi Hall and wrote a "Report on Mutual Guarantee and Relationship", which included the names, ages, facial features, names of three generations, etc. of the five people.

If it weren't for Gu Changsheng, Xie Ci'an wouldn't even be able to find a guarantor.

When asking someone to be a guarantor, a thank you gift is required. After the student signs the application, the joint form must be sent to the county school gate for stamping.

Everyone who has been helped along the way has to give money as a thank you.

Only after all the procedures are completed can they take the stamped "Report on Mutual Marriage" and participate in the county examination in February.

A thin piece of paper can be exchanged for the county examination paper.

After registering and receiving the "mutual marriage certificate", Xie Ci'an, who had been calm before, began to get nervous, not to mention the two brothers Lin Yaowen and Lin Yaoguang who had never seen the world and had never participated in the county examination.

Since the reports were on the same list, Xie Ci'an invited the two Lin brothers to read together.

Of course the two brothers of the Lin family were willing. After all, Young Master Gu had always been well educated, and his failure to pass the exam before was definitely due to bad luck in exams.

They didn't know how knowledgeable Xie Ci'an was, but the Xie family was the only family of descendants of a juren who passed the imperial examination from Shanglin Village and had been established in Beijing for many years.

But after only a few days of studying, the candidates taking the county examination had to rush to the county town.

The Gu family had an inn in the county town and had booked a room in advance. Lin Jingzhe planned to go to the county town with Xie Ci'an and the others to broaden his horizons, so he went with them.

On the day of departure, every household in Shanglin Village went out, as if the whole hope of the village was pinned on these three young men.

Lin Xiaoman saw Xie Ci'an's father, who rarely appeared in public, also came out to see his son off.

Except for Lin Jingzhe who only carried a package, the other three people who were taking the exam carried packages on their backs and held bamboo baskets in their hands.

The bamboo basket in his hand was made by Lin Lichun himself. He put a lot of effort into it, polishing each bamboo piece carefully, making it very smooth to the touch.

The villagers accompanied them to the village entrance. Lin Da borrowed a horse carriage from Lin Dajiang's family and sent the four of them to the town to meet Gu Changsheng.

When they arrived at the Jixiang Bookstore in the town, Lin Jingzhe, who had no pressure or burden from taking exams, was the first to jump off the carriage.

"Jingzhe, you are here."

"They are all here, they are all here. There are too many villagers who came to see you off. They were talking to each other and it took some time."

Gu Changsheng understood. His father was worried when he went out, so in addition to Ping An, he also arranged for a cook and four martial artists to go with him.

"This is my classmate, Song Pei, who is traveling with us."

The few people introduced themselves to each other, and after Linda moved the luggage to the carriage that Gu Changsheng had prepared in advance, the six of them divided into two carriages and set off.

Lin Jingzhe had witnessed the wealth and power of the Gu family. There were three carriages following behind them, one for the cook, and the last two carriages were filled with the items that Gu Changsheng usually used.

The group set off for the county town in a mighty procession. Lin Jingzhe had walked this road several times, but this was the first time he felt it was so long.

......

Shanglin Village.

It has been a month since Lin Dahe collected the money on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, and the villagers are looking forward to Lin Dahe's early return.

It was a cold February, but even so, those families who had paid the money went to the village entrance in groups every day, and some went to Old Lady Lin to inquire about the news, but they got nothing.

After a few days, the villagers became increasingly anxious.

People from Xialin Village also came to Shanglin Village every day to inquire.

Some people were worried that Lin Dahe was unlucky and encountered bandits again.

Some people guessed that Lin Dahe's boss had a big business, so he might have visited many places and had not returned yet.

No one thought that Lin Dahe took the money and ran away. After all, those who paid the money before the New Year had already received benefits once.

......

Lin Yaowen and Lin Yaoguang were the first to return to the county town.

The two had always longed for the prosperity of the county town since they had heard their eldest brother Lin Yaowu talk about it.

But now, because I have to take the county examination, I have no intention of wandering around once I arrive in the county town.

A group of six people checked into the Jixiang Inn.

Many scholars come here for the name of the inn, which means good luck and fortune. After checking in, they hope that their journey to the imperial examinations will be smooth and auspicious.

When the six people checked in, the Jixiang Inn was already fully booked.

Lin Yaowen suddenly felt that he and his brother had taken advantage, and thankfully said, "Thank you, Brother Gu. The Jixiang Inn is close to the examination hall, so we can save a lot of time going back and forth."

"Yes!" Song Pei felt that he must be lucky, as Gu Changsheng took the initiative to find him to sign an insurance policy, and it was natural for them to come together.

After moving in, the five people who were going to take the county exam got up before dawn every day. Lin Jingzhe was infected and wanted to adapt to the tension of the exam in advance. He ate and slept with them, went in and out with them, and actually felt a sense of tension.

On February 15th, the Jialin County examination began.

It was an ordinary examination hall with east-west gates at the southernmost part, surrounded by wooden fences and a large courtyard. The courtyard served as the main gate, also called the Dragon Gate. Behind the Dragon Gate was a large courtyard for candidates to stand and wait for their names to be called.

There is a notice board outside the examination room, indicating the location of the examination rooms in groups of fifty.

There are five county examinations in total, each lasting one day. The county magistrate will call the roll and students must bring exam baskets containing stationery, food, etc.

There were a large number of examinees, and they were divided into rows in advance, with fifty people in each row. A paper light board was placed in the middle of the courtyard, and the examinees walked in one by one, waiting to be called to enter.

Before entering the examination room, candidates will be searched all over their bodies to prevent them from bringing in copied documents or other paper.

The candidates were called into the hall to receive their papers, and someone shouted out his or her guarantee loudly. After the candidate confirmed it, he or she responded by shouting out his or her guarantee.

At this time, Lin Jingzhe and Gu Changsheng's four martial artists were standing together. Although he was not going to take the test this time, he could still feel the atmosphere.

It just so happened that Gu Changsheng and Xie Ci'an passed the inspection smoothly and entered the examination room with other candidates. Lin Jingzhe could not see what happened afterwards.

There are candidates in their teens and twenties, as well as those in their thirties and forties, about twenty or thirty of them.

He couldn't help but sigh that there were so many candidates in Jialin County. It was said that only thirty people could pass the county examination.

This made Lin Jingzhe's scalp tingle. With his half-baked skills, he was afraid that he could only go in and carry shoes for others.

Lin Jingzhe was deeply stimulated and returned to the inn alone. He took out the Analects and began to recite it.

Xiaoman once said that a good memory is not as good as a good pen. When you encounter something you can't recite or don't understand, just write it down. You will remember it after copying it several times. This not only allows you to practice your writing, but also consolidates what you have learned, killing two birds with one stone.

When Xie Ci'an found the examination room, he was dumbfounded.

The examination room was against the outer wall, and he could see a few bare trees outside through the leaky roof.

The examination room looked like it had been cleaned, but it also seemed not to be completely clean. The fallen leaves piled up at the base of the wall had been there for who knows how long, and they looked wet and dirty.

Fortunately, it has been sunny these days, otherwise the wet and sticky feeling would have made it really uncomfortable.

There is a table and chair in the examination room. There are five examinations, one a day, and there is no need to stay overnight in the examination room.

The tables and chairs were provided by the gift room. When the gift money was given, it was probably used here. If no benefits were given, the tables and chairs here might be missing some parts now.

Xie Ci'an checked the chairs first. Fortunately, the tables and chairs were fine, just shaking slightly. He looked at the ground and found that the ground was uneven.

He moved the table to the side, closer to the wall, and quickly adjusted it.

After doing all this, he got the examination paper with his application form. The first examination was called the county examination. There were two questions from the Four Books and one poem.

Xie Ci'an got the untitled essay topic.

It's still chilly and cold in February.

Cold wind kept blowing in through the gap between the ceiling and the wall of the examination room. Although he was wearing thick winter clothes, his hands and feet were still cold.

But his heart was filled with excitement, for this was his only chance to revive the Xie family, and the county examination was just the beginning.

Xie Ci'an stretched his muscles and waited until his body gradually warmed up before he took out his writing brush, inkstone and stone from the examination basket. He started to think about his answers while grinding the ink.

......

Inside, students from Jialin County were racking their brains to answer the questions. Lin Jingzhe, who was across the street, was also writing as furiously as the other candidates.

The venues are different, but they are all for the future.