Chapter 147 Provincial Examination
"You said that we should live in the present, buy the things we like, and spend money on the people we like," Niu Niu said.
This question really stumped Sun Jiaxing.
After choosing the men's hairpins, Niu Niu selected the women's hairpins. She picked a gold hairpin for Zhang Yuniang, Old Lady Gu and Liu Xiaoru. She also did not leave out Gu Zhao and bought him a gold pendant with the shape of his zodiac sign.
Of course, after coming out of the jewelry store, Niu Niu’s little purse was almost empty.
Sun Jiaxing did not take her to continue shopping, but went to the final stop for the day: the Yamen.
As soon as he arrived at the yamen and revealed his identity, someone immediately took him inside. It was obvious that someone had informed this side in advance.
Niuniu was confused and asked, "Uncle Sun, is the person you want to see a certain adult?"
Sun Jiaxing nodded.
The two soon met a middle-aged scholar who looked to be in his forties and had a kind face.
"Is this the little girl?" the middle-aged scholar asked Sun Jiaxing with a smile.
Sun Jiaxing nodded, handed over a thin piece of paper, and cupped his hands: "Thank you for your trouble."
The middle-aged scholar picked up a pen and started writing on a piece of paper. Then he asked someone to bring a seal and stamped it.
This series of procedures is extremely cumbersome and takes a lot of time. If it were an ordinary child, he would have become impatient long ago. However, Niu Niu just waited there obediently. When she was bored, she would play with her fingers without making any noise.
After a long time, the middle-aged scholar finally stopped, exchanged a few words with Sun Jiaxing, and then handed a piece of paper with dry ink to Sun Jiaxing.
Sun Jiaxing took Niuniu's hand and stood up to say goodbye.
The middle-aged scholar smiled and watched the two men leave.
It was only when Niu Niu returned home that she found out what Sun Jiaxing had gone out to do.
After Gu Mingda took the thin piece of paper, he stood up on the spot: "Brother Sun, what are you doing?"
Sun Jiaxing still looked calm and composed, and replied, "As a father, I just want to give my daughter a little token of my appreciation."
"She has already received a lot of care from you, how could she take another house in Jiangzhou Prefecture?" Gu Mingda felt that Sun Jiaxing was crazy.
The two-story house where the Gu family now lives in Jiangzhou Prefecture had just been transferred to Niu Niu's name by having the title deed changed by Sun Jiaxing at the government office.
Sun Jiaxing said, "Before we set out, my wife and I discussed this matter. Since we are acknowledging our daughter, we can't just say it without any reason."
The two-story house in Jiangzhou Prefecture is located close to the Imperial Examination Hall and the Confucius Temple. If it were really sold, it could be sold for at least eight hundred taels of silver.
Gu Mingda shook his head: "The previous gold necklace was already very valuable..."
Sun Jiaxing said, "The gold necklace is just a gift for meeting you. The property you get is the real heart."
He originally wanted to give some land as a gift, but then he thought that Niu Niu was still young and might not be able to take care of it, so it would be more economical to give her a house.
"Anyway, the house has been transferred. If you want to pay rent, just give it to Niu Niu. I don't care." After saying this, Sun Jiaxing got up and left.
Gu Mingda and Zhang Yunniang looked at each other, sighed, and said, "Brother Sun is so generous. I don't know how to repay such a great favor."
Zhang Yuniang seemed much calmer than him and asked, "Why do you always think about paying it back?"
Gu Mingda was stunned.
Zhang Yunniang smiled and said, "He really treats Niuniu as his daughter. He gave the gift not because of us, but because of Niuniu. This is actually a favor from Niuniu."
"Niuniu is so young, how can she afford to return such an expensive gift?" said Gu Mingda.
Niuniu also nodded and said with a bitter face, "The house is so expensive. Even if we sell it, Niuniu may not be able to pay it back."
Zhang Yunniang patted her little head and said, "He gave you the house not because he wanted you to repay him."
Niu Niu tilted her head when she heard this.
Zhang Yunniang continued, "My dear, he hopes that you can truly become his daughter. You must be filial to Grandpa Sun in the future, understand?"
Niuniu nodded and said, "I know, he is also my family."
Zhang Yunniang also understood the awkwardness in Gu Mingda's heart, and said softly: "Husband, it is good for us to have more people love Niuniu. We treat the Sun family as close relatives, so that we will not let him down for his love for Niuniu."
Gu Mingda sighed. Sun Jiaxing was too good to Niu Niu, which aroused his fighting spirit. He had to find a way to become better so that he could maintain his position in Niu Niu's heart.
After Sun Jiaxing dealt with the real estate issue, he stayed in Jiangzhou Prefecture for another two days before returning home.
Before leaving, he tried hard to persuade Niu Niu to go back to the Sun family to live for a while. The Gu family was willing to do so, but Niu Niu refused.
"Uncle Sun, I will come to see you and godmother after my father finishes the exam." Niu Niu promised seriously.
Sun Jiaxing stretched out his hand and said, "Let's make a pinky promise. Whoever doesn't go will be a puppy!"
Five-year-old Niu Niu thinks that hooks are very formal, but six-year-old Niu Niu thinks that hooks are just a child's play.
At this moment, she looked like she really couldn't do anything to you, and said, "Since pinky promises are so important to Uncle Sun, then Niuniu will pinky promise with Uncle Sun."
Sun Jiaxing chuckled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear."
After pulling the hook, Sun Jiaxing stepped onto the carriage and kept looking back, constantly confirming with Niuniu: "You must go! You can't lie to me!"
Niu Niu nodded and promised over and over again.
After Sun Jiaxing left, the whole house seemed to become quiet.
Gu Mingda's provincial examination was approaching, and the children did not need to be reminded by adults, nor would they make any noise.
One morning two days later, Gu Mingda got up before dawn.
The provincial examination is divided into three sessions and lasts a total of nine days.
Unlike the twists and turns of the last scholar examination, this provincial examination went surprisingly smoothly.
There was neither a stumbling block that suddenly appeared nor a basin of dirty water that fell from the sky. On the way from the house to the Imperial Examination Hall, there was not a single setback.
Even when Gu Mingda just walked to the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, he did not have to wait outside like other candidates. The gate of the Imperial Examination Hall opened when he lined up. The inspection process was also extremely smooth. As soon as he entered, he was assigned to a normal examination seat.
Even so, Gu Mingda still did not dare to take it lightly and he remained extremely cautious.
If you want to say what is different about this exam.
That is the test question.
The questions of this provincial examination were very biased, so biased that they seemed like they were found out from nowhere by an old pedant in his eighties or nineties. He vented all the misfortunes in his life on this provincial examination, just to take revenge on the students.
Gu Mingda walked out of the examination room carrying the examination basket, looking tired, surrounded by the complaints of other candidates.
Gu Mingda was suddenly patted on the shoulder. It turned out to be Zheng Qi, who had passed the examination and became a scholar together with him in the last college entrance examination.
"Brother Gu, I'm afraid I'm doomed this time. I didn't do well on the questions on the meaning of the classics and the policy essays. The only thing I did well on the opening questions was the poetry. Now is the season when the chrysanthemums are fragrant, and I can write about chrysanthemums as if I were inspired by God." Zheng Qi said with a bitter face.
Gu Mingda frowned slightly and said, "The poem starts with yellow flowers, but you wrote chrysanthemums?"
Zheng Qi nodded vigorously.
Gu Mingda sighed and said, "'The lonely branches are half yellow', although the title describes loneliness, it is not about chrysanthemums, but rape flowers."
Zheng Qi was shocked: "What? The only question I answered well was wrong from the beginning!"
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