Chapter 3 A Doting Father Often Spoils His Son
She definitely doesn't have the "exam god possession" ability; she's practically worn out the system shop, and the only unlocked items so far are a few beginner-level martial arts manuals.
"Introduction to Palm Techniques", "Introduction to Fist Techniques", "Introduction to Leg Techniques", "Manual for Lightness Skill Training", "Manual for Internal Energy Training"... Each book costs twenty life points, with no discounts available.
Oh, and there's also a painkiller on special offer; you can exchange one life point for three pills.
The customer service representative, an elderly woman, kindly reminded me: "You don't need to redeem the painkillers. I've applied for a few for you, and they might be approved in a couple of days."
"Understood. I only have this much health, so I need to save it for when I need it most."
With 98 health points, you can survive for three months if you don't make any mistakes, so there's no need to worry for now.
We can put the practice aside for now; let's get through this exam first. That's the most urgent matter.
Lu Jinlan quickly cleared her mind of distractions and began preparing for the exam with great enthusiasm, starting by recognizing characters, writing characters, and reading books.
At first, the Lu family did not notice anything unusual until Lu Jinlan ate both lunch and dinner in the study.
Madam Yan was heartbroken and couldn't help but nag Lu Jinzhao: "What kind of mother are you? You don't care about your child at all. If the Lu family's business isn't passed on to Lan'er, is it going to be passed on to that adopted son of a stepfather? Establishing a young master isn't the same as establishing a crown prince, why are you forcing her like this? Look how frightened the child is."
Lu Jinchao frowned slightly, "Husband, be careful with your words."
Looking at her expression, Madam Yan sat down timidly, muttering under her breath, "There's not much difference between 200th and 203rd place, let her take the test as she pleases."
Lu Jinzhao glared at him. "At least you're out of the bottom three by ranking two hundred. What do you know, you're a man? A doting father spoils his son. Lan'er is spoiled by you."
Yan Shi pursed her lips and remained silent. Lu Jinzhao sighed, "Never mind, I'll go talk to her."
Lu Jinlan studied hard all day, and Qing'er and Ximo took turns trying to persuade him.
Qing'er: "Young mistress, let it go. Even if you don't make it into the top 200, your mother and husband will still love you just the same. Why suffer like this?"
Lu Jinlan: "It's not entirely because of my mother's request. Isn't this the last exam before graduation? I just don't want to be last in the class."
Xi Mo said, "But you've been studying all day, and it's getting dark. You should take a break, shouldn't you?"
Lu Jinlan shook her aching hands; she was indeed very tired.
Fortunately, her Chinese Language and Literature major, which wasn't helpful for finding a job, offered calligraphy courses, teaching brush writing, chalk writing, and pen writing, so she had a solid foundation. However, she hadn't written in two or three years, and after putting down the brush for a while, her hand wasn't as steady.
Fortunately, Lu Jinlan's handwriting was quite bad before, so it doesn't matter if she doesn't write well now. If she had written well before and now she writes badly, it would be difficult to explain. Now, as long as she finds her rhythm, she can easily catch up.
Lu Jinlan stood up and straightened her back. "I'll lie down for a while. Wake me up in half an hour."
Xi Mo hurriedly said, "Let me give you a massage. You've been sitting all day; your back must be sore."
Qing'er hurriedly took a soft cloth dampened with hot water and used it to wipe her hands, which were stained with ink, while she frowned and massaged them.
Lu Jinlan lifted his heavy eyelids and noticed Qing'er's slightly red eyes. She smiled and squeezed his hand back, "Oh, are you feeling sorry for her?"
Qing'er glanced at Xi Mo beside her, and although embarrassed, she nodded slightly.
Lu Jinlan smiled and closed her eyes, "It's not hard for me because someone cares about me."
Ding! System notification: Health +5.
Lu Jinlan sighed to herself: I must have a talent for flirting. I've been single all this time, it's all because of the environment!
The pressure from the ink-washing massage was just right, making her drift off to sleep. Lu Jinlan yawned, "I'm going to take a nap."
Qing'er gently advised, "Don't push yourself too hard. If you're sleepy, go to sleep and we can talk about it tomorrow."
“How can that be? I haven’t finished reading my book yet. My mother has high hopes for me, and I want to give her a surprise. Everyone strives for their pride, and why should I always be at the bottom? I’m determined to prove myself.”
Lu Jinlan mumbled something, turned over, and quickly fell asleep.
Qing'er and Xi Mo quickly took off her shoes and covered her with a blanket. Only when they turned around did they see Lu Jinzhao at the door.
"Mother," the two quickly explained, "Young mistress has been reviewing her lessons and just lay down, she..."
Lu Jinzhao waved his hand, "I know, you can all leave."
In her sleep, Lu Jinlan felt a warm hand pressed against her face, which felt incredibly comforting.
When I woke up again, it was pitch black outside. There were no lights on in the room, and I could only vaguely make out the silhouette of someone sitting by the bed.
Lu Jinzhao sat there silently and upright, lost in thought.
"mother?"
"Awake?" Lu Jinzhao came to her senses. "I was afraid the candlelight would flicker and hurt you, so I didn't have anyone light it." As she spoke, she called the old servant outside the door to come in and bring in a lamp.
The candlelight shone brightly, instantly illuminating the entire room.
Lu Jinlan rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing here? How long have I been asleep?"
“It’s only been an hour. I heard you’ve been studying hard, so I came to check on you. Your father is making you ginseng soup. Drink it later and go to bed early. You don’t need to study too hard.”
Lu Jinlan couldn't help but smile wryly. What kind of hard work was this? Compared to preparing for the college entrance exam, it was nothing. Besides, if her foundation hadn't been so weak, she wouldn't have needed to cram like this.
It's clear that the eldest daughter-in-law has never suffered any hardship since childhood. She's been drifting aimlessly for sixteen years, and the whole family still treats her like a treasure.
Lu Jinlan felt as if her life had instantly switched from difficult mode to easy mode, and she was actually a little too happy to adapt.
While reviewing his lessons, a whole bunch of people followed to serve him. No sooner had Lu Jinchao left after his visit than Madam Yan arrived with a bowl of lovingly prepared ginseng soup.
Lu Jinlan drank a few sips of ginseng soup, ate half a pastry, and then quickly returned to her desk.
Mrs. Yan: "How can you eat so little? Can your body handle it?"
"Oh, Dad, don't worry about me. I'm sleepy after eating, and I still have three books to memorize. You go back and rest, I'll eat when I'm hungry."
Mrs. Yan sighed helplessly, "It's rare to see someone so ambitious. I won't bother you anymore."
He said to Xi Mo and Qing'er, "Take good care of her and don't let the eldest young mistress rest too late."
However, this situation meant they couldn't go to bed early, so as soon as it got late, Lu Jinlan told the two of them to go back and rest.
Qing'er hurriedly said, "How can this be? How can it be that the master is studying hard while the servants go to rest? Besides, if we leave, there will be no one to serve you if you want to have some tea."
Lu Jinlan smiled, "How could I possibly die of thirst? I have hands and feet, I'll find water myself. You've all had a long day, go home and rest early."
What's with the "superior" and "inferior" distinction? You're just doing a job, clocking in and out on time, earning your hard-earned money. Don't look down on yourselves.
Qing'er and Xi Mo became more and more confused as they listened. They looked at each other and knelt down with a thud.
“We would never dare to think that way. We are loyal to the Lu family and will never fail in our duty as servants.”
"..." Lu Jinlan was stunned for a moment. In a feudal society with strict hierarchy, what she said now was indeed a bit too advanced.
"Okay, anyway, I like quiet, you don't have to keep an eye on me all the time."
Qing'er said, "Then let Xi Mo go back. I'll stay here and serve you."
Xi Mo complained, "How can I, an old woman, let a man like you stand guard here at night? I'll do it."
"Let me do it. You women can't take care of people."
“Let me do it. Both I and the young mistress are women, so it will be easier for us to take care of her.”
The two chattered away beside her. Lu Jinlan, engrossed in writing, clicked her tongue and said, "Stop making noise. Why don't you both stay and sleep on the couch?"
The room fell silent instantly. Qing'er stammered, "What are you saying? There's a difference between men and women. How can I, a young virgin,..."
Lu Jinlan had almost forgotten about this, so she quickly chased Qing'er out and made Xi Mo lie down to sleep. Finally, there was peace and quiet in her ears.
Lu Jinlan worked late into the night until dawn, slept for two hours, ate a quick bite, and then continued studying.
After cramming for two days and two nights, I still felt uncertain, since there was still half a book left to read.
On his way to the exam, Lu Jinlan still held his books, making the most of every second.
Xizhou Academy is the top-tier academic institution in Xizhou.
Of the seventeen states in Hua Kingdom, the Western State is among the wealthiest, boasting numerous merchants, yet it appears relatively culturally barren. Whether due to feng shui or the land itself, it has produced few scholars for many years.
These merchant families, defying superstition, spent a considerable sum for the sake of their descendants. Led by Lu Jinzhao, the richest man in Xizhou, they funded the construction of a grand academy and hired renowned teachers from across the country. However, the students were like blockheads, their aptitudes far too ordinary. Even if they were considered good in Xizhou, they paled in comparison to students nationwide.
Not to mention someone like Lu Jinlan, who was a bottom-of-the-class student in Xizhou.
After hearing about these things, Lu Jinlan felt sorry for Lu Jinzhao. What's the difference between this and spending hundreds of thousands to send your child to tutoring classes, only for the child to score in the teens?
She strongly suspected that her place in the university was bought with money. In such a large city as Xizhou, only 203 students were admitted in her year, and she was one of them—a complete idiot. Luckily, they only admitted a little over 200; if they had admitted over 800, she might have ranked over 800th.
The carriage swayed gently as Xi Mo reminded her, "Young Madam, we've arrived."
As soon as Lu Jinlan stepped off the carriage, he was staring at the plaque of Xizhou Academy in a daze when someone suddenly bumped his shoulder.
A charming young woman affectionately put her arm around his shoulder, "Young Master Lu, it's been a long time."
Another round-faced, chubby girl affectionately linked her arm with hers, "Why are there dark circles under your eyes? Didn't you sleep well?"
Lu Jinlan glanced at the notification bar on the side of their heads and learned that these two were Sun Shao Niang and Yin Shao Niang, who took turns being last in the class with her.
"I haven't slept much these past two days because I've been studying."
The two were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"You? Reviewing your lessons? Hahahaha..."
"Hey Lu, are you trying to tell us a joke because you think we're still half asleep? Your textbooks look brand new, you're still studying? Don't be ridiculous."
Lu Jinlan was chatting and laughing with the two of them when a sinister voice suddenly drifted past her: "A bad student is a bad student. There's no use in studying. They should have dropped out long ago and given the spot to someone who needs it."
The three women's expressions changed, and Yin Shao Niang couldn't help but call out to the man, "Wu Siqun, stop talking like that. If you're a woman, speak clearly."
Wu Siqun turned her head and said coldly, "Sorry, I just couldn't help but state the facts."
Sun Shao Niang couldn't help but speak up for her, "We're all classmates, how can you talk like that?"
Wu Siqun snorted coldly, "I hate idiots, is that wrong?"
"Hmph, how smart are you? You only ranked 180th last time. Do you think you have the right to look down on us?"
Wu Siqun smiled slightly, "I am not very talented, I am ranked 180th, but this ranking is much higher than your bottom three."
Seeing the two beside him gritted their teeth in anger, Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "No need for pointless arguments. Let's settle this with this exam. We won't bet anything else. Whoever does poorly will stand at the academy gate and shout 'I'm as stupid as a pig' three times. How about that?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Young Master Sun and Young Master Yin were startled.
Wu Siqun readily agreed, "Okay, if I test the three of you, you stand here and shout. If any one of you tests me, I'll shout."
Lu Jinlan: "It's a deal."
Young Master Yin and Young Master Sun: "Hey? No, before you make the bet, can you talk to us about it?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I have confidence in myself. Is 180th place really this level? Such arrogance and rudeness, what's so scary about it? I can't even beat her in the exam, I might as well find a block of tofu and kill myself."
Lu Jinlan pulled the two into the examination room, which was noisy and Wu Siqun occasionally cast provocative glances at them, until their master entered.
An elderly woman in her sixties with white hair tapped the table with a pointer. "Silence, the exam begins."
"Huh?" Lu Jinlan was taken aback when she received the test paper. Why was this the test?
She guessed the wrong question.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Actually, the reason Sun and Yin were so happy to see Lu Jinlan was because if Young Master Lu hadn't come, they would have had to take turns being last in the rankings...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
