With the help of his children and grandchildren, Zhao Qianci's feet were treated with medicine. At this time, his toes were swollen like radishes.

There's no other way, I have to persevere. They say the ten fingers are connected to the heart, so the same applies when my toes hurt.

However, Zhao Qianci felt relieved at this moment.

I don't know if it's because of the various bizarre and unlucky things that happened during my previous attempts at the exam that I developed a mental illness.

As the pain intensified, Zhao Qianci began to smile.

"Alright, all of you stop worrying about me. I feel great now."

Despite experiencing various setbacks, I still made it to the examination hall.

Now that my foot is injured too, I think nothing bad should happen again.

Everyone looked at Zhao Qianci with eyes that said, "You're just fooling idiots." Zhao Qianci was furious, but then decided to ignore these unfilial descendants.

Since I don't believe anything I say anyway, let's just wait and see.

As Zhao Qianci limped smoothly into the examination hall, Huang was moved to tears.

I cried for the old man's many twists and turns and the various hardships he suffered, and I also cried for myself these past few days, feeling tense and anxious, as if a knife was hanging over my neck.

The pain of potentially losing one's husband at any moment is something no one can understand.

Zhao Qingyan stood to the side, supporting her grandmother. Once Huang's emotions had calmed down, she suggested going to a restaurant for dinner.

After thinking for a moment, Ms. Huang said, "Shall we go eat at the same restaurant we ate at before? It's expensive."

"Huh? Expensive?"

Zhao Qingyan knew which family her grandmother was referring to—the one where she had eaten over a hundred taels of silver that time.

"Grandma, no. Earning money isn't easy. Let's just go to Ruyilou and have a bowl of tofu pudding."

I eat this every day at home and it doesn't bother me much, but after being away for so many days, I haven't had it and I'm actually starting to crave it.

So the grandfather and grandson went straight to Ruyi Tower.

When they arrived at Ruyi Tower, Han Santong was incredibly hospitable.

The grandfather and grandson ordered two bowls of tofu pudding, two fried eggs, and two fried dough sticks, but refused to pay for them.

Zhao Qingyan really wanted to say what was on her mind, but then she swallowed it back.

"This shopkeeper is not as honest as our Shopkeeper Han from Wufang Town."

This breakfast only cost a few yuan, and he treated me, so I owe him a favor. And favors like that are very valuable, you know!

While eating, he complained to Huang.

"Alright, sweetie, no matter what, they meant well, we should appreciate it."

Relationships are built over time, and we've been cooperating with Ruyilou for quite some time now.

"We came out today to relax, aren't you tired?"

At this moment, Madam Huang reverted to being the same smiling old lady.

"Sigh, I just don't want to owe anyone a favor."

Grandma, I'm so worried every day. Do you think we should go to the White Horse Temple to get a lucky charm and a peace charm for Grandpa?

What's wrong with my grandpa?

Did we really run into some kind of deity?

"Grandma, what do you think Grandpa is doing now? Could he be...?" Zhao Qingyan muttered worriedly.

"Alright, don't mention it. We can't help your grandpa in there; he's on his own now. Believe me, everything will be alright."

"Haven't you noticed that your grandpa's entry into the game has been going much smoother ever since he injured his foot?"

Huang was startled by her own thought after she blurted it out.

Zhao Qingyan's eyes widened.

"Grandma, what do you mean? Do you mean that if my grandpa wants to avoid disaster, he should try to get injured every time so that he can break this deadlock?"

How about we poke a hole in my grandpa's finger during the next exam and let him bleed a little?

What if it works? A needle prick certainly doesn't hurt as much as an injury.

The grandfather and grandson looked at each other and, surprisingly, found it to be true.

I wonder how Zhao Qianci would feel if he knew that his own daughter-in-law and granddaughter planned to harm his ten fingers.

The exam papers have been distributed in the examination hall, and the candidates are checking the questions for errors or omissions. They can only start answering the questions after the gong sounds.

Zhao Qingbei is a lively child with an excellent memory. When she saw today's topic, she was so excited that her little feet dangled back and forth.

Although Zhao Qianci had a lot of bad luck along the way, he was indeed very knowledgeable.

After carefully reviewing and analyzing each question, the answer quickly became clear to me.

Check the exam paper first, then check the answer sheet.

After ensuring that there were no stains or writing on any of the papers, Zhao Qianci finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the first time in his life that he had successfully entered the examination hall; please ignore the pain in his toes.

Fortunately, the pain in his toes reminded him that he was awake and not dreaming.

Who can understand the bitterness and tears I've shed over the years?

There are rules for the scientific examination. No matter how fast you answer the questions, you must wait until the fixed time to hand in your paper and leave the examination room.

Zhao Qianci, who had been the subject of much concern, managed to avoid any major mishaps during the examination, at most nearly knocking over his inkstone. Therefore, he became extremely cautious afterward.

In order not to contaminate the paper, the inkstone was placed on the seat.

Every movement was made with utmost care. When the Zhao family's sons came out of the examination hall, they were all lively and energetic.

Zhao Qianci, however, felt even more exhausted than harvesting five acres of rice fields in a day.

Huang and Zhao Qingyan stood at the entrance of the examination hall to greet people. As a group of Zhao family members came out, the grandmother and granddaughter's eyes were fixed on Zhao Qianci.

For no other reason than this special constitution.

From a distance, Zhao Qianci appeared somewhat tired, but he was unharmed and able to walk on his own; his leg didn't seem to be lame anymore. Only then did the grandfather and grandson feel a little relieved.

Then I tensed up again, looking around, afraid that some unknown creature might suddenly appear out of nowhere and cause trouble.

Hurry up and squeeze forward, trying to be protected within your own area the moment the old man (grandfather) comes out to take the exam.

The Zhao family's sons shared the same thought. Upon seeing Zhao Qianci, some immediately helped him up, others carried his exam basket, and the rest were responsible for security.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong, and the family arrived home safely.

Prepare some grapefruit juice. This is specially for Zhao Qianci, since he was injured this morning and it's meant to ward off bad luck.

As soon as the old man returned, Huang Shi became clingy, staying by Zhao Qianci's side without leaving for a moment.

The task of cooking was once again entirely handed over to Zhao Qingyan.

Considering everyone's hard work today, and especially Zhao Qianci's special constitution.

For dinner, I simply made vegetable and pork porridge; the others ate braised pork, while Zhao Qianci ate pork floss.

"Grandpa, this is delicious and very nutritious. You'll be surprised by the flavor if you mix it into your porridge. Try it..."

The county examination requires five consecutive sessions, and today is only the first one. There are still tough battles to come, so Zhao Qingyan tried her best to avoid upsetting her grandfather by carefully choosing her words.

If he could appease her, he would. Zhao Qianci didn't care about being treated differently; what if he choked on a piece of meat?

The unfilial descendants, eating meat, dared not utter a sound, lest they spoil the old man's mood.

Normally, everyone would have checked their work when they got back, but no one dared to bring it up. After finishing their meal, they hurriedly cleared the table and dispersed.