Chapter 68
Prefectural City
Two days before the exam, Wen Shi began making final preparations, packing her things and getting ready to enter the exam room.
These days, the two of them stayed in the city and went to the temple to offer incense. He kept his teacher's teachings in mind and did not eat or drink excessively. He always paid close attention to his health.
While packing, the two of them were very focused, afraid of forgetting anything.
It's important to know that the pre-exam checks were much stricter than the previous two times in the county. Not a single word could be written on your clothes or the rice paper, otherwise you would be considered cheating. Once inside, they would have to strip naked for the check. In previous years, some people tried to smuggle cheat sheets into their clothes by writing on their underwear or hiding them in their clothes, but they were all caught and disqualified from the exam.
Wen Shi certainly wouldn't do anything, but he dared not forget his teacher's words; it's always good to be cautious in one's actions.
Wearing a single-layer long gown was the safest option, and it wouldn't be conspicuous.
"My lord, it's been raining a lot lately, though it's only in bursts. Just in case, you should bring an umbrella with you. The examination hall looks old, so please be careful not to catch a cold."
"good."
A few days ago, Yingxiang and Wenshi went to the Imperial Examination Hall. Yingxiang was deeply impressed by the Imperial Examination Hall. Compared with the magnificent government office, it was really not impressive. It is said that it has not been repaired for many years.
The oil-paper umbrella was bright yellow, with no words on it. Yingxiang checked it over carefully and put it away while she smelled it.
"You'll be gone for three days. Are two packs of pastries enough for you?"
Yingxiang knew Wenshi's appetite. The two packets of pastries contained only ten pieces in total, small and delicate. She couldn't let Wenshi take the exam on an empty stomach. Yingxiang opened them, frowned, and subconsciously asked.
That's enough.
Wen Shi bought the pastries himself yesterday. He bought ten packs, but he only brought two packs this time. It's not good to eat too much or get too full, especially since it's inconvenient to go to the toilet.
"Pastries are for filling your stomach when you're hungry."
Yingxiang sighed, remembering what Wenshi had told her, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. She prepared two water bags for him, filled with cooled boiled water to quench his thirst, and put them in along with the cakes.
She looked at Wen Shi with some concern. Wen Shi appeared calm at the moment, but she was definitely nervous inside. Yingxiang sighed inwardly and didn't say anything more.
Writing brushes and ink are essential and must be packed into his book box. In addition, there are pastries, a thick set of clothes, and all sorts of other things to pack into a bundle for him.
"Bring this outfit with you too, just in case it suddenly gets cold, so you can change and avoid catching a cold, otherwise it will be too uncomfortable."
"Okay, put it in."
Wen Shi glanced at his wife, put down what he was holding, walked over to her, and hugged her.
"My wife, you can rest assured."
Yingxiang hugged her back, but seeing the child running towards them, the two had to separate.
It's always good to have extra things on hand. Wen Shi picked out a few of his usual calligraphy brushes, and he had also cut the Xuan paper in advance. The Xuan paper for the exam was the best quality he had specially bought from a bookstore, something he hadn't been willing to part with before.
It started raining again at night, and this time it was quite heavy. Yingxiang couldn't help but turn over as she listened to the pattering rain. There were three exams in three days, and she could only hope that God would bless Wenshi so that he could pass the exam smoothly.
The child in his arms was sleeping soundly. He placed his feet on Wen Shi's body and one hand on Ying Xiang's belly.
Yingxiang didn't know why her child's sleeping position was so uncontrollable.
Before going to sleep, it behaves itself perfectly, but every time it wakes up, it starts to move around again. And before long, it's already moving again.
"Go to sleep."
In the darkness, Wen Shi's steady voice came. Yingxiang hummed in response and closed her eyes. "Every hurdle is difficult, but I will overcome it," she murmured to herself.
On the day of the exam, it was foggy outside early in the morning, and the sky was not fully bright yet. Wen Shi got up and dressed, looking solemn.
Hearing the noise, Yingxiang groggily opened her eyes.
"Go to sleep. I'll be back in a few days. Take care of yourself and the child."
Wen Shi bent down and kissed the mother and child, then picked up the book box that had been prepared in advance and went out.
There weren't many pedestrians on the road, but a large crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the examination hall. Everyone was there to take the exam; three years of dedicated study had all come for these few days.
Looking at the old plaque and the heavy red wooden door, Wen Shi's expression remained unchanged.
"Brother Wen?"
A familiar voice came from behind him. He realized that someone was calling him. He looked back in the direction of the voice and his expression changed instantly.
It was an old acquaintance, Song Xun, a former classmate from the county school. The two had crossed paths in the town before.
"Brother Song."
On this damp and gloomy day, Wen Shi was not in a good mood to begin with, but the moment he saw Song Xun, he remembered the hard times he had been studying, and his bad mood disappeared by more than half. Even if the weather was not cooperating, he would still strive to move forward.
He wasn't the only one worried about the weather; everyone hoped for sunny and bright days, but it seemed unlikely.
Many people are worried, fearing it will affect their exams.
"Long time no see, Brother Song, how have you been?"
"All is well. I'm still studying at the county school. What about you? I heard that you successfully became an apprentice. I suppose your chances are very good this time. Master Huang once achieved the highest rank in all three levels of the imperial examinations. Perhaps you will have such good fortune as well, Brother Wen."
"It's hard to say, but if that's possible, that would be best."
What do scholars strive for? Aren't they all hoping to rise above others and change their social standing? But that's not so easy. Opportunity, luck, and knowledge are all necessary. Wen Shi understood this clearly.
Song Xun had no intention of traveling a long distance to find a teacher; he felt that the county school would suffice. Soon, the gates of the examination hall opened, the two greeted each other, and quickly parted ways, agreeing to meet again after the exam.
It was a rare opportunity to run into an acquaintance. The two entered the examination hall, where the examiners had stern faces and were not polite to them at all. Their tone was serious and cold. Being an examiner in the examination hall was not something that just anyone could do, especially the examiners in the examination hall in the prefectural city.
Most of them held official positions, and their ranks were not low.
"Take off all your clothes and open your book box and put it here."
The examiners wouldn't even let the yellow paper wrapping the pastries go unchecked, and they checked each sheet of Xuan paper one by one. Since there was still some time before the exam started, Wen Shi didn't care much.
The teacher had told him long ago that he must be respectful to the examiners, not to be stubborn, and to do whatever they asked him to do during the inspection, and not to delay the exam.
Wen Shi remained silent throughout. After the inspection, he carried his book box and went inside under the guidance of another examiner.
Even though he was somewhat prepared, his expression changed when he saw the exam room, which was not much bigger than a wardrobe. It seemed that he could only sit or stand, and there was nowhere to lie down.
The teacher was absolutely right. It was difficult to even provide shelter from the wind and rain. Each examination room could only accommodate one student. Looking at the rows, although they were connected and separated, there were no doors. Inside, besides benches and desks, there was only a spittoon for them to urinate.
Some people started talking quietly as soon as they entered, while others, who had been taking the exam for many years and were older, were used to it. They found their exam room number, went straight in, and waited for the examiners to distribute the papers.
With more than an hour to go before the exam started, Wen Shi looked at the gloomy sky and felt a little worried. He hoped that it wouldn't be windy or rainy.
This exam room doesn't offer shelter from the wind and rain. If it gets windy or rainy, the exam papers will definitely get wet. They take the exam for three days straight and have to stay here. If they go out at will, their scores will be invalidated.
When he finally found his exam room, he didn't recognize any of his neighbors.
After Wen Shi went inside, he kicked the spittoon back a bit, sat on the not-so-sturdy stool, put his book box on the table, and his bundle under the table. He moved the table a little, and it was still quite stable, so he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He tried his best to appear calm, just like the ordinary-looking veteran test takers.
The weather was truly worrying. Yingxiang was awakened by a clap of thunder. She subconsciously looked at the child inside, who was still sleeping.
But Wen Shi had already left. She was conscious, put on her clothes, opened the window, and looked down.
They were staying on the third floor, which was the top floor of the inn. It was usually quiet, and the people staying next door were also there to take exams, but it seemed that none of them were there today.
The sky had already brightened, and Yingxiang looked at it, feeling as if a storm was brewing. She was a little worried about Wenshi, even though she had prepared a lot of things for him.
I was worried about a sudden downpour, but a light drizzle was fine, so I brought an umbrella.
She dressed herself and her child, then carried the drowsy child out with an umbrella to go out for a meal.
The food at the inn was outrageously expensive, but fortunately there were several restaurants nearby.
"father."
"Your father will be back in a few days, so you can eat your food."
Yingxiang ordered a bowl of porridge for her son, along with a basket of steamed buns and two bowls of steamed egg custard, enough for them to eat. In the end, they didn't finish the steamed buns and took half a basket back with them.
Later, she can eat it with hot water.
Before long, the wind picked up and the rain intensified. Inside the examination hall, the examiners began to patrol with umbrellas. Wen Shi had already received the questions.
He pondered for two hours before putting pen to paper.
As his thoughts gradually cleared, he began to work on his answers. Worried that the sudden wind and rain would soak the answer sheet, he didn't care about himself. He simply opened the umbrella and tilted it to block the wind and rain as much as possible.
He held a pen in his other hand, writing slowly but steadily.
Wen Shi couldn't sit down completely; the posture was a bit uncomfortable, but he could only endure it. He just hoped to finish the exam peacefully and that nothing unexpected would happen.
The candles in the book box were all new. The sky gradually darkened and the rain became heavier. Wen Shi looked at the answer sheet that was already more than half-written. After drying it, she carefully folded it up and placed it on the second layer of her book box. She closed the book box and put it inside.
He took out his thick clothes and put them on, and put away his umbrella. He already had the answer; if he couldn't finish writing it today, he would continue tomorrow.
This day made many students feel bad, but at most they would curse in their hearts, and no one dared to curse out loud.
Once every three years, if it happens to be a sunny day, that's good luck. If it happens to be a rainy day, you can only endure it. After a whole day, I only ate two pieces of cake to fill my stomach and drank some water to soothe my throat.
At night, he put on thick clothes. The cold wind kept blowing and the rain was not light. Although it was hard to bear, he sat in the chair and tried to lean back as much as possible.
In the middle of the night, Wen Shi was awakened by loud snoring from next door. He woke up groggily and found that the wind and rain seemed to have stopped.
The snoring continued unabated, making me frown as I listened, hoping only that tomorrow would be a sunny day.
In the inn, Yingxiang got up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. She subconsciously opened the window and found it was very quiet outside.
Before going to bed, she did not blow out the candle so that she could get up at night. Before she knew it, the candle had almost burned to the bottom, so Yingxiang replaced it with a new one.
She couldn't sleep well outside either; she couldn't fall asleep if there wasn't any light inside.
I just hope tomorrow will be a sunny day, and that it won't affect my exam.
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