Chapter 46: Departure Instructions
Xiao Cai managed to keep Zhang Guangzong on the side by selling out her adopted daughter. He no longer worried about catching Xiao Cai wrong all day long. The couple was full of calculations and were just waiting for a chance to kidnap the child when Zhang Yunniang and her husband were not paying attention.
With the expectation of getting at least ten taels of silver in the future, the two of them spent money without thinking.
Zhang Guangzong wanted meat and vegetables for every meal. Although Xiao Cai seemed to eat coarse food, she actually cooked a special meal for herself every time.
In this way, money was spent faster and faster, and by the day of the entrance examination, little Cai was left with only a few copper coins.
Zhang Guangzong was carrying a basket filled with pens, inkstones, and paper. He acted as if he hadn't heard his wife's cry for money. He even blamed her: "You are a spendthrift daughter-in-law who can't manage the household. When the exam comes, I won't even have a bowl of top scholar soup to drink!"
Zhuangyuan Soup is a medicinal soup made by boiling Chinese jujube seeds, calamus, asparagus and other herbs in appropriate proportions. It was originally a prescription for refreshing the mind, but later it got the name Zhuangyuan Soup because a certain number one scholar took it frequently.
Drinking this bowl of soup before the college entrance examination will not change anything, it just means good luck.
Thinking of this, Zhang Guangzong was filled with indignation. He kicked Xiao Cai again and accused her, "Just wait, if I fail the exam this time, it will be because you didn't cook the top scholar soup!"
When Zhang Guangzong walked out of the door angrily, he smelled the strong smell of the top scholar medicine in the whole yard. He was so angry that his eyes widened and he looked fiercely at Xiao Cai behind him.
"If I don't get the top-scoring soup before the second exam, I will skin you alive," Zhang Guangzong threatened viciously.
The college examination is divided into two rounds, the first one is the main test and the second one is the re-examination. Only those who pass the main test can take part in the re-examination, and those who are admitted in the final re-examination can be called students, commonly known as scholars.
At this moment, Xiao Cai watched her husband walk out of the courtyard gate. For some reason, a dark expectation arose in her heart. She hoped that her husband would fail the first exam, so that he would not chase her for the top scorer soup.
Zhang Yunniang placed the top scholar soup next to Gu Mingda and said, "Husband, drink it quickly. If it gets cold, you might get a stomachache."
It was rare that her husband was safe and sound before taking the entrance exam this time, with no broken limbs and no cold. However, Zhang Yunniang was still worried, fearing that he might encounter something on the road again, and she kept holding him and giving him repeated warnings.
"When you go out later, go with someone else and walk in the middle to avoid being hit by something falling from the roadside."
Gu Mingda nodded and said, "Okay."
Zhang Yunniang added, "You should pay attention to see if there are any stones or something like that on the ground, so as not to trip over them."
Gu Mingda took a sip of soup, swallowed it, and said with a smile: "I will pay attention."
"You should also be careful about the people around you, in case someone pushes you. You should be careful about my brother. He is not a good person. You never know what he might do!" Zhang Yunniang was not polite at all when she mentioned her younger brother Zhang Guangzong.
Gu Mingda nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Zhang Yunniang talked for a long time, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, and asked: "Am I too long-winded? Do you find it annoying?"
Gu Mingda gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead behind her ears and said, "You care about me so much, I am so happy, how could I find you annoying?"
Zhang Yunniang blushed slightly when she heard this, and then she picked up his exam basket and looked through it, saying, "Let me check it again for you to see if there is anything you missed. Eat first, don't choke."
Normally she wouldn't be so nagging, but Gu Mingda had a physique that would get into trouble whenever he had an exam, so Zhang Yunniang was worried until he finished the test.
The first exam starts at 7 a.m., but to enter the examination room one has to go through two processes: initial examination and singing a guarantee, so many people get up at 4 a.m. and go out.
After Gu Mingda finished the sumptuous breakfast that his wife had prepared for him, he said in a gentle voice, "Brother Zheng and I have an appointment to go to the examination hall together. You don't have to see us off. It's so tiring so early in the morning. You can catch up on some sleep and get some more sleep. The children won't be hungry if they eat later."
Zhang Yuniang nodded.
Gu Mingda also reminded: "Don't be too busy doing embroidery, or you will hurt your body. If this stew recipe is useful, you won't have to work so hard in the future."
Zhang Yunniang was stunned when she heard this and asked, "Aren't you going to hand over the stewed food recipe to the public?"
Gu Mingda shook his head and said, "Keep it. It will be your private property when the time comes."
As the two were talking, a little man with a messy hair emerged from a pile of quilts.
"Daddy is going out?" Niu Niu asked crisply.
The couple spoke in low voices, but unexpectedly they still woke up their little girl.
Zhang Yunniang hurriedly said, "Niuniu, go back to sleep. It's still early and it's dark outside."
Niu Niu rubbed her eyes, slid down from the bed, ran to Gu Mingda, stretched out her hands, and looked like asking for a hug.
"Your father is going out, Niuniu, don't bother him." Zhang Yunniang stopped him softly.
But Gu Mingda had already picked up the child and said with a smile, "It's okay. It won't matter for a while. Niuniu, you must listen to your mother at home and be good. Don't run around. OK?"
Niuniu nodded vigorously, stretched out her hand, patted Gu Mingda on the head, and said softly: "Dad, you have to be good too, do well in the exam, and have a safe journey~"
Gu Mingda agreed with a smile, sent the little girl back to bed, helped her take off her shoes, covered her with a quilt, and then went out.
There were already several people waiting outside the door. They were all scholars living in this house.
Gu Mingda was very good at socializing and became familiar with them with almost no effort.
The sun had not yet risen and the sky was still gray. A group of people walked towards the examination room in a mighty procession.
The government hung bright lanterns on both sides of the main road early in the morning to light the way for the students taking the exam.
Gu Mingda was walking in the crowded crowd. Just as he passed the street corner, he suddenly heard the sound of something falling from a high altitude behind him.
When everyone looked back, they saw half a tile had fallen from the place they had just passed by. Everyone looked frightened.
"Fortunately we walked fast. If we had been hit, we would probably have had a bloody head and wouldn't have had the chance to take the exam." Someone sighed.
Gu Mingda was the one who was most afraid among the crowd, because the place where the tile fell happened to be where he had just walked past.
According to his luck, if he didn't walk fast enough, he would definitely be the one to be hit!
"Don't think about it, let's go into the examination room quickly." someone suggested.
The group continued to walk towards the examination room. Gu Mingda always maintained a moderate pace. However, the scholar next to him seemed a little anxious. He quickly passed Gu Mingda and ran forward.
"Ouch!"
As soon as the scholar passed Gu Mingda, his body tilted. If the people around him had not reacted in time and supported him, he would have almost fallen to the ground.
Gu Mingda couldn't help but persuade: "Don't be anxious, walk slowly, we still have a long time to leave the exam."
The scholar was still in shock. After he stood firm, he stepped on the grass that had just tripped him and cursed, "There's a stone buried in it. It almost tripped me!"
Gu Mingda also looked over and saw the protruding stone hidden under the grass.
Gu Mingda thought to himself, if the scholar hadn't insisted on cutting off his way, he would have been the one who tripped, and he might not have been as lucky as the scholar to be caught in time!
(End of this chapter)
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