Chapter 29: Provincial Examination
Shen Shilang put away the monthly salary.
He owes General Wei a lot, and if he achieves something in the future, he will definitely repay him.
Therefore, he didn't pretend to be noble and say that he didn't want these.
I have been benefiting from the Wei family for so many years and I still owe General Wei for saving my life. It is too late to say it now.
* Wei Jianming knew that Shen Shilang was going to take part in the provincial examination, and originally wanted to suppress Shen Shilang in the ranking of the provincial examination.
Now that he was beaten by Wei Zhaoxian because of Shen Shilang, he was even more angry.
I must heal my injuries and take part in this provincial examination.
Fortunately, Wei Zhaoxian didn't hit him on the butt.
The wound on my back started to scab over after a few days of healing.
It still hurts, but at least I can get up and move around.
On the night before the provincial examination, Mrs. Wei and Wei Ruyan came to Wei Jianming's courtyard together.
Mrs. Wei prepared the things Wei Jianming would need for tomorrow's exam.
"It's still too hot in Chong'an right now." Madam Wei said worriedly, "It just so happens that the provincial examinations have to be held at this time of year. It will be a pain to take the exam inside."
"Fortunately, second brother's wound has healed." Wei Ruyan said.
"By the way, are you still in pain? Will it affect the exam?" asked Mrs. Wei.
Wei Jianming moved his arm and said, "The wound has scabbed over. The skin and flesh still hurt, but it's fine as long as you don't move too much. I tried it. I sat down and wrote, and I didn't feel anything."
"I've prepared a thick cushion for you." Mrs. Wei opened the package and took out the cushion to show Wei Jianming. "It's a little hot to sleep on it in this weather, but it's soft and won't hurt you when you fall asleep. Just hold on and you'll be fine after you finish the exam."
Wei Jianming touched the cushion that Mrs. Wei had prepared. "I feel hot just looking at it. It would be nice if I could use a cool mat as a cushion."
"Isn't it because I'm afraid it will hurt your wound?" Mrs. Wei said, "Just bear with it."
Wei Ruyan said at the side: "Second brother, you must do well in the exam this time and put Shen Shilang's ranking below yours. You must not let him get ahead!"
When Wei Jianming mentioned Shen Shilang, his face darkened and he gritted his teeth, "Don't worry, no matter how much father likes him, he is still a waste. He is not good at studying. Although he passed the exam to become a scholar before, his ranking was in the middle, not outstanding, far worse than me. It's not certain whether he can pass the exam this time."
"Brother, I'm counting on you!" Wei Ruyan remembered again and asked Madam Wei, "Mom, are you going to prepare something for Shen Shilang?"
Madam Wei said coldly, "Didn't your father ask Shopkeeper Yue to come over and take over as the housekeeper? If you need anything, just let Shopkeeper Yue, who he trusts, do it. Why should I bother? If Shopkeeper Yue doesn't prepare it, don't blame me."
"Yeah, don't bother with him." Wei Ruyan said with her eyelids rolled.
Manager Yue did indeed send a package to Shen Shilang.
"I went to ask people about what was needed for the scientific expedition, and I don't know how much Mr. Shen has prepared, so I prepared some on my own initiative." Shopkeeper Yue respectfully placed the package on the table, "Mr. Shen, take a look and see if there is anything missing, and I will prepare some more."
"Manager Yue is very thoughtful." Shen Shilang thanked him and opened the package.
Shopkeeper Yue introduced them one by one: "This is an ice silk headband. As long as it is not in contact with the skin and is placed on the table for a while, it will become cool. The weather is hot and annoying now. You need to calm down more when you are taking the exam. If you feel irritable due to the heat, wear a headband, it can relieve a little."
Shen Shilang picked up the headband in surprise, and it really felt cool in his hand. "This is a good thing, not common in the market. Shopkeeper Yue must have spent a lot of effort to find it."
"It's not that hard, don't feel pressured, young master." Shopkeeper Yue said, "I'm in charge of the Northwest Business Company, and I know these things better than others. I know which side sells more, so I asked someone to leave one for me."
"Thank you, Manager Yue." Shen Shilang bowed.
"You are too polite, sir. This is what I should do."
Seeing Shen Shilang take out a soft mat, Manager Yue explained, "This soft mat is similar to the ice silk headband, and it is also cool. The provincial examination requires three days in the Imperial Examination Hall, and you need to rest well so that you can be energetic on the second day. I prepared a soft cushion for Master Shen, and put this soft mat on the cushion. It is soft and cool. Master, you will sleep comfortably, be energetic on the second day, and be in a better state for the exam."
"Besides, there are still many mosquitoes at this time of year." Shopkeeper Yue said, taking out a small porcelain bottle from the package, "This porcelain bottle contains a specially prepared fragrant oil. If there are mosquitoes, open the lid and place it next to your pillow, and the mosquitoes will not come near."
"And this is for refreshing the mind. If you don't get enough rest and feel sleepy during the exam, you can put it under your nose and smell it." Shopkeeper Yue took out another porcelain bottle, "You can also apply a little on your temples, but don't apply too much, otherwise it will irritate your eyes and make it hard to open them."
Both porcelain bottles were carefully labeled to avoid confusion.
Shen Shilang was really not prepared for what Manager Yue sent.
Please...collect 6...9...books...!
Things like the cool cushion and headband, not to mention that Shen Shilang had no money, he couldn't buy them even if he had money.
Shen Shilang thanked Manager Yue sincerely and escorted him out of the courtyard.
On the second day, Manager Yue arranged a carriage for Shen Shilang to take him to the Imperial Examination Hall.
At the gate of Wei's house, Shen Shilang saw Madam Wei and Wei Ruyan seeing off Wei Jianming.
Seeing Shen Shilang, Wei Jianming snorted coldly.
"Brother, don't bother with him. It's better for you to study hard. "Wei Ruyan said to Wei Jianming.
Shen Shilang ignored them and got on the carriage.
"Hurry, let's go too." Wei Jianming said.
After getting on the carriage, Wei Jianming said dissatisfiedly: "Mother, you let that shopkeeper Yue bypass you and become the master of the mansion? He even prepared a carriage for Shen Shilang. Shen Shilang is not worthy of it!"
"The shopkeeper Yue is your father's man. He will definitely tell your father about all the big and small things in the mansion." Madam Wei said, "Your father just got very angry and punished everyone in the mansion. Who dares to offend him at this time?"
"Just bear with it for a few days. Shopkeeper Yue won't be here for long. When the new housekeeper comes, I'll see what he does." Madam Wei said, "Since your father hasn't stripped me of my housekeeper rights, I'll wait for a while. When the storm is over, I'll still have the final say in this house. The new housekeeper has just arrived, and he's not like Shopkeeper Yue who will just stay for a while and then leave. Shopkeeper Yue naturally has no scruples and doesn't have to act according to my mood. Since the new housekeeper is going to stay in the house for a long time, he will naturally have to be considerate of me."
Seeing Wei Jianming nodding and listening with great interest, Madam Wei said, "You don't need to think about these things. You just need to do well in the provincial examination. Only if you pass it, you can smoothly go to Beijing to participate in the spring examination."
(End of this chapter)