Chapter 3 The Ancient Scholar Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 3) In Chu Nanfeng...

Due to Chu Nanfeng's negligence, his six-year-old sister was kidnapped by human traffickers, and his mother fell ill and passed away as a result.

After a series of blows, Chu Nanfeng was in a daze, living like a walking corpse every day.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Qige won over Chu Nanfeng, thoughtfully arranging medical treatment and providing medicine for him, adding clothes and delivering meals, carefully guiding him, and even "inventing" a wheelchair for him so that he wouldn't have to lie in bed every day.

Han Qige became Chu Nanfeng's only friend in the world, and under this pretext, he kept her by his side as an advisor, giving her advice and solutions.

Later, with Chu Nanfeng's help, Han Qige married Chu Nanfeng's former wife, recognized Chu Nanfeng's former teacher, befriended Chu Nanfeng's former confidant, wrote Chu Nanfeng's former poems and articles, and finally became Chu Nanfeng's former prime minister, just as recorded in history.

Chu Nanfeng, caught completely off guard after Han Qige became prime minister, was killed by a cup of poisoned wine.

However, Han Qige, as prime minister, would not be as benevolent as Chu Nanfeng. Relying on modern knowledge and historical records, he considered himself superior and was unwilling to be subordinate to others.

While trying to please the young emperor, he secretly raised an army to rebel. Although he failed, the country was thrown into chaos and the people suffered.

After reading it, Lin You was so angry that she paced back and forth on the table that Chu Nanfeng had just wiped clean more than a dozen times.

As a crisp gong rang out, the exam papers were handed out one by one. Lin You came back to her senses and, looking at her body that she couldn't do anything, had no choice but to suppress the urge to beat up the transmigrator.

Things have changed now. Anyway, with her around, she will definitely not let Han Qige's conspiracy succeed!

Chu Nanfeng, inside the cell, was unaware that his newly appointed system had nearly turned him into a spinning top with anger. He was staring blankly at the exam paper that had just been handed out.

The provincial examination required three sessions over nine days. If one passed and became a successful candidate, one could then fill a vacancy and become an official.

Therefore, the content of the exam is no longer simply the Four Books and Five Classics, which can be passed by rote memorization. Instead, it requires students to analyze the questions and write policy essays.

But the topic of this policy essay was remarkably similar to the one he had found in his notebook! Although it was unclear whether this was a coincidence, if it were discovered, he would likely face not only the charge of smuggling cheat sheets, but also the charge of leaking exam questions, which was equally serious.

"Thank you so much for saving me, young lady!" Chu Nanfeng thanked Lin You again solemnly. "If there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to ask."

"I...I'm fine right now. You should focus on your exam and do your best!"

Lin You replied somewhat embarrassedly, saying that Chu Nanfeng was being too polite; she had only mentioned it casually.

Chu Nanfeng stopped thinking about anything else and began to concentrate on writing his article. Lin You lay next to his test paper, watching him write with flowing strokes.

Although she couldn't distinguish between good and bad calligraphy, she still thought Chu Nanfeng was amazing. Even though there were no grids on the paper, every single one of his characters was the same size, neatly arranged, and beautifully written. It was a real pleasure to look at!

Having already written on a similar topic once, Chu Nanfeng was even more adept at it this time. He revised some details according to the examiner's preferences, making the essay even more brilliant than the previous one.

Chu Nanfeng spent most of the day finally finishing the entire draft of the policy essay. He breathed a sigh of relief, stretched his numb limbs from sitting for so long, and began to eat.

Lin You watched as he took out a small oil paper package containing coarse flour pancakes that had been cut into pieces and were somewhat yellowed.

He ate only a few small pieces of bread, then took a sip of the now-cold water to moisten his throat, before continuing to write furiously.

That's it for lunch?! That pancake was barely enough for three bites! If Lin You remembered correctly, he hadn't even had breakfast!

Ancient exams were so arduous! The conditions for these exams were worlds apart from her college entrance exam.

Lin You couldn't help but open the system shop. Although she only had 10 points, she thought there should be a way to improve Chu Nanfeng's situation.

With better conditions, he can take the exam better, achieve better results, and it will also help him in his future career as an official.

The system's online store was overflowing with all sorts of items, much like the Taobao app she used to use, with huge promotional ads on the homepage.

The recommendations are all things like a portable space that requires 9999 points to grow vegetables and raise chickens and adjust time, or a spiritual spring that requires 8888 points to cure all diseases and beautify the skin.

Lin You ignored the exorbitant prices of these items and started looking for things that Chu Nanfeng could use. Fortunately, there was no shipping fee for buying things from the system shop.

The system store also allows you to search for products. In addition to entering the name, you can also set the price range. Lin You directly set the price to the lowest value of 1.

Before it got dark, Chu Nanfeng revised and polished the article again, and Lin You also found a few cheap and practical items.

[Nutrition Bars] 1 point = 100 bars. One bar can provide the nutrition needed for a normal person's meal.

[Peppermint Candy] 1 point for 100 pieces, freshens breath, refreshes the mind, and quenches thirst.

【Thermos Flask】1 point for 10 flasks. After filling with hot water, it can keep the water warm for three days. Not only can the appearance be customized, but it also holds ten times more water than it looks.

This thermos is on sale; it says it's 90% off.

Lin You assumed it was a promotional tactic and, being frugal, spent 3 points, and the item appeared in her system inventory.

The system backpack is like a warehouse that comes with the system store. It has 100 slots of space, with each order occupying one slot. It is the standard equipment for every employee.

However, it can only store items purchased from the system store, and once an item is taken out, it cannot be put back in; therefore, it cannot be used as a space backpack.

Of course, if you buy a lot, you can take them out one by one. For example, Lin You only took one thermos and kept the rest in the system backpack.

Lin You designed the thermos to resemble Chu Nanfeng's water pouch and quietly placed it in his basket. Then, she took out six nutrition bars and ten mints and put them in as well.

In order not to disturb his exam, Lin You waited until Chu Nanfeng finished writing before telling him about it.

Looking at the things that had suddenly appeared in the basket, Chu Nanfeng was no longer afraid. He could sense that the female ghost who called herself a system was simple-minded and had no ill intentions towards him.

But the other party seemed to have misunderstood something. Although he was struggling financially, he wasn't so poor that he couldn't even afford water, it's just...

Chu Nanfeng's ears secretly turned bright red, his fingers gripped the pen tightly, and a rare hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

He didn't know how to explain to a girl that he would need to relieve himself in the cell for the next three days.

Fortunately, without him saying anything, Lin You had already understood his embarrassment from the commotion next door. After explaining how to use the three items, she took her leave and dashed out of the examination hall like a shot.

Although she had no sense of smell and couldn't smell anything, Lin You still ran several hundred meters in one breath before letting out a long sigh of relief. The exams in ancient times were truly insane!

I'd better wait outside. I can't help much inside anyway, and it might even affect Chu Nanfeng's exam.

Lin You wandered around the examination hall for a while, but the exam would last for three days, and she couldn't just wait there forever. Feeling really bored, she transformed back into her normal human size and strolled around the city.

She transformed herself into a beautiful long dress with wide sleeves and went wherever there was excitement. Although others couldn't see her, she was still enjoying herself.

After she grows bigger, her body becomes somewhat transparent, and she walks unsteadily, making her look even less like a real person. Fortunately, she only looks like a ghost, but she is not afraid of the sun or human breath as in legends.

Whether you're human or ghost, as long as you know how to be content, you'll live a good life. Lin You has always been good at self-regulation. Even when faced with such a big change, she didn't complain or blame others. Instead, she had a great time.

She wandered the streets for three days, familiarizing herself with every street and alley in the city, and finally, on the evening of the third day, she met her assigned task at the entrance of the examination hall.

Ancient examinations were indeed not only bizarre to look at, but the scholars who came out of them all looked terrible. Those who could walk out on their own were considered the best.

Lin You watched as a pale-faced scholar, his eyes glazed over, swayed unsteadily, and before he had gone far from the examination hall, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Chu Nanfeng, are you alright?" Lin You looked Chu Nanfeng over and saw that his complexion was okay and his breathing was steady, so she was relieved.

"I'm fine. The things the girl gave me are all very useful," Chu Nanfeng replied with a smile. Although his clothes looked a bit wrinkled, he was in much better spirits than others.

Whether it was a nutrition bar that was only as thick as a finger and three inches long, but could keep you full for half a day, or a water sac that could keep you warm for a long time after boiling water and could be used to drink and warm your hands, it made him feel much better than other test takers.

Not to mention the mints. Just pop one into your mouth and feel a refreshing rush straight to your internal organs, clearing your mind and brightening your eyes. Your thoughts become clearer, and you feel that you did even better on the problems this time than you usually do at the academy.

Apart from Lin You, the invisible system, no one else came to pick up Chu Nanfeng; he came to take the exam alone.

Feeling that he was not seriously ill, Chu Nanfeng did not rent a car and walked back to his rented courtyard alone.

The courtyard was a bit far from the examination hall, and it took Chu Nanfeng almost half an hour to get there. The courtyard wasn't very big, and the house consisted of three separate rooms, each rented to one of the three scholars who came to take the exam.

Chu Nanfeng lived in a room on the east side, which could only fit a wooden bed, a table and a chair, and a charcoal stove for cooking at the door.

Even a room like this would cost ten taels of silver a month to rent during the provincial examinations, enough to feed his family of three for more than half a year.

Although the provincial examination only lasted nine days, it required two days in advance to familiarize oneself with the environment, and the results were released fifteen days after the examination, so it took about a month in total.

Compared to the noisy inn that costs 300 coins a day, this place is simpler, but it is quieter and you can cook and boil water separately. You only need to buy charcoal yourself.

Charcoal costs two coins a pound. His stove is small, so one pound can cook several meals, which is much cheaper than buying food outside.

After washing up, Chu Nanfeng lit the charcoal in the stove by the door, grabbed a handful of brown rice, sliced ​​two pieces of ginger, and put them in an earthenware pot to cook slowly. Then he started making multigrain pancakes to eat for the next exam.

He was very skilled at cooking. Lin You watched as he added some water and salt to a bowl of slightly yellowish flour, kneaded it a few times, and formed it into a hard dough.

Take a piece of dough the size of an egg, flatten it into a thin pancake, and bake it near the stove.

Because it was made thin, one side of the pancake quickly turned golden brown. Chu Nanfeng casually flipped it over, moved it to a spot where the fire was less intense, and placed a new pancake on top.

"Cough...cough, Brother Chu, you've returned rather early." A scholar walked unsteadily into the courtyard and greeted Chu Nanfeng.

His face was flushed unnaturally, and he coughed occasionally, as if he had contracted an illness.

"Brother Liu." Chu Nanfeng nodded to him and then ignored him. The two were not acquainted; they had only happened to rent the same courtyard.

The scholar surnamed Liu glanced at the bubbling earthenware pot. The aroma of the crispy flatbread mixed with the smell of ginger porridge had already filled the courtyard, whetting his appetite, which hadn't had much food for three days. Liu involuntarily swallowed.

He thought that Chu Nanfeng would be as reserved as Zhang Shusheng in the other room, and would exchange a few polite words with him, so that he could take the opportunity to get a free meal.

Unfortunately, his plan failed, and Liu Shusheng couldn't bring himself to force his way in. He could only cough every three steps as he returned to his house, planning to go out to buy food later.

The middle room was occupied by a scholar surnamed Zhang. It was unclear whether he had not yet returned or had already gone to sleep, but Chu Nanfeng didn't care.

Lin You glanced at the sickly-looking scholar and pursed her lips, instructing her assigned task: "Chu Nanfeng, that man is definitely sick. You must stay away from him and not catch his illness."

"Okay." Chu Nanfeng replied with a smile, put the crispy baked cakes into the bamboo basket next to him, and asked her, "Would you like something to eat, young lady? My cooking skills are pretty good, and the freshly baked cakes taste quite nice."

"Don't worry about me, I can't eat." Lin You sighed dejectedly. She couldn't even smell the food, let alone eat it.

"Don't make too many pancakes. Eat your meal and go to bed early. You have an exam tomorrow, so make sure you're well-rested. I'll bring you some dry food tomorrow."

A note from the author:

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