"I have seen your recent efforts!"

"Since you are so sincere in asking for my help, I will give you a test paper. Take it home and try to complete it. I will grade it and then draw a conclusion!"

After the teacher finished speaking, he told Lin Xue to go back first, while he went to the table and began to seriously prepare the test papers.

Most of these test questions are the same types of questions that appeared in previous years' examinations for the title of "Children's Scholar".

Some of them were taken out and made into test papers. Only after the whole set of test papers was completed was it given to Lin Xue.

"Sir, I'll sit here in your room!"

"There are people coming and going outside, I'm worried the test paper will get damaged!"

Lin Xue was eager to start working on the test paper, but his roommates had been making fun of him a lot these past two days if he took it back to the dorm.

If a commotion breaks out and the exam paper is ruined, all the teacher's efforts will be wasted, and all the groundwork I've laid will be squandered.

"You can sit at the table and do it. I need to grade the homework I left at noon. You can come to the classroom with me this afternoon!"

The old teacher didn't refuse. He still had homework to grade, and as long as Lin Zhongyi wasn't nervous in front of him, he didn't mind.

Time passed quickly as the writing continued. An hour went by in a blur.

Lin Xue took the completed exam paper to the teacher and asked him to take a look.

"Please sit down for a while, let me take a closer look!"

The old teacher took Lin Xue's exam paper and found that his student's handwriting was better than before, and the paper was also very neat, unlike the perfunctory work he used to do.

This first impression was much better; the next step was to check the answers to each question.

This was quite remarkable; the student had almost achieved a perfect score in mathematics, although the answer format was slightly different from what he had taught. But that wasn't a problem, as long as the answer was correct.

His arguments on classics and history are also his own, though they are somewhat immature, but it is clear that he has put in the effort.

There are other commendable aspects as well. It seems that my student has been working very hard recently, and I can clearly feel that he has made great progress.

This was even with Lin Xue deliberately restraining herself, as she was afraid that revealing too much at once would frighten her teacher.

"If you can demonstrate this level of skill during the provincial examination, you should have no problem becoming a candidate for the lowest level!"

With the teacher's words, Lin Xue finally felt relieved.

In the time that followed, she studied even harder at the academy.

Seeing his diligence and willingness to teach, the teacher would often find new books for him to read and give him a few questions to answer every now and then.

As the provincial examination drew closer, Lin Xue and her classmates even canceled their usual rest periods, and the students taking the exam were subject to stricter requirements.

Grandma Lin was worried about her son, so she would bring him meat and vegetables every now and then to help him get some nutrition.

Even though his sister-in-law and younger brother and sister-in-law had some complaints, no one showed them at this crucial moment of the provincial examination.

Everyone was holding their breath, worried that if Lin Zhongyi failed the exam, his status in the family might decline.

The two elderly people might fully support her continuing her studies, but her eldest brother and third brother are married with children. People are selfish at heart and care more about their own families.

However, if he passes the imperial examination this time, his elder brother and younger brother will naturally continue to support him unconditionally.

If I could pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, it would be a great honor for my ancestors.

Not only the Lin family, but other families in the academy were in similar situations.

They all scrimped and saved to support their students, gambling on that one in a million chance.

Two days before the exam, the old master finally allowed the students who were about to take the provincial exam to go home to rest and prepare.

They were invited to their homes to reunite with their families, and the day after tomorrow, the Master himself would lead them to the county seat to participate in the provincial examination.

When Lin Xue returned home, she could clearly feel that the atmosphere at home was somewhat oppressive.

Grandma Lin specially killed an old hen that she had raised for a long time and gave her both chicken legs.

The children only got some bones with little meat; the eldest brother and the third brother got a piece of back meat, and the two sisters-in-law didn't even get a bite of chicken skin.

Fortunately, they added a lot of green beans and squash, vegetables with a meaty flavor, and the two sisters-in-law and the family ate with great relish.

After finishing her meal, Grandma Lin asked her sister-in-law to boil a large pot of water.

The idea was to let Lin Xue take a nice hot bath to relax her mind and body so she could go with the teacher to participate in the provincial examination.

Lin Xue accepted all of her family's arrangements without hesitation.

We'll talk about everything after she passes the exam; right now, the main thing is to put the family at ease.

After resting at home for a day, Lin Xue returned to the academy the next day, this time carrying the luggage that Grandma Lin had prepared for her.

Although the county was not far from their place, Old Man Lin even decided to take his eldest son with him to the county to wait.

But they didn't tell Lin Xue any of this, because they were worried that he would be distracted during the exam.

Under the teacher's arrangement, they checked into an inn.

The people in this inn are very familiar with the Master, so they must have been there many times before.

On this day, the Master specifically explained several classic question types to them, which he had learned from other Masters.

Although he didn't know if they would pass the exam, he figured that if even one student passed, the students would be able to answer even better since he had just explained it.

Which teacher wouldn't want their students to achieve great success?

Fortunately, the teacher only explained the key points to them in the afternoon, and did not disturb the students' sleep at night.

The old master said that they should do nothing tonight, just sleep and rest so they can give it their all tomorrow.

The provincial examination lasted only one day, and the results would be posted the next day after the exam.

Therefore, students do not leave immediately after finishing their exams, but stay for another day.

Early in the morning, the teacher sent his students into the examination hall and then waited outside.

There were also many of the scholars' families there, and they were all gathered around.

Although the teacher had said that family members did not need to accompany their children, many parents who hoped their children would succeed still came along out of concern.

Lin Xue had no idea that his father and older brother had come over yesterday, but the two of them couldn't bear to stay at an inn and instead spent the night in a dilapidated temple.

If the weather weren't so cold now, I would have caught a cold!

Lin Xue went in full of confidence and came out calm and composed.

Some impatient students couldn't help but write out their answers from memory, asking their teachers for help in reviewing them.

Lin Xue was confident in herself and didn't do that, but unexpectedly, the old master came to him.

At the teacher's request, Lin Xue silently reread her answers on a blank sheet of paper.

After reading it, the teacher nodded repeatedly, feeling that Lin Xue was in the clear this time.

"Lin Zhongyi, I've always seen you slack off in your studies, but this time you've really impressed me!"

The teacher chuckled as he handed back the answer sheet, then stroked his goatee and walked out of Lin Xue's room.

Lin Xue was looking forward to seeing the results tomorrow.