The Northern Frontier had no way of knowing what was happening in Anshui County.
Anshui County had no knowledge of what was happening in the northern frontier.
At this moment, Jiang Sheng was standing guard at the entrance of the examination hall with her brothers. Around them were the families of the students who were equally nervous, their eyes filled with excitement as they stared at the gate of the examination hall.
After a long while, the two wooden doors slowly opened.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a student in his early thirties rushed out of the examination hall. He was excited and, as soon as he came out, he turned around and shouted three times as if to vent his emotions.
A woman in the crowd rushed over excitedly, and just as she stood still, the student picked her up and spun her around three times.
One of them called out, "Wife."
A sob escaped her lips. "My husband."
At that moment, no one thought they were being indecent, nor did anyone think they were being overly excited.
To endure the nine-day imperial examination for the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) is itself a remarkable feat and a testament to perseverance.
"Nearly five hundred students came from the entire Anshui County for this exam, but only about three hundred of them persevered," Zheng Ruqian whispered in Jiang Sheng's ear.
Other students either became too focused on their studies to endure nine days, or, after several days, simply couldn't continue writing and left in frustration.
Although only a few dozen of these three hundred students could ultimately succeed, it was already remarkable that they were able to persevere through the nine-day imperial examination, during which they could not lie down for six of the days and could only sleep fully clothed.
Jiang Sheng pursed her lips and remained silent.
Compared to the persistence that Zheng Ruqian and others were concerned about, she was more curious about the subtle fluctuations in the atmosphere surrounding the student couple.
It was as if something strange was emanating from their bodies and spreading in all directions.
Unfortunately, she was too young and had no one to teach her, so she didn't know that this kind of thing was called mutual affection.
After the thirty-year-old students emerged, countless more students continued to emerge from the examination hall. Most of them were full of energy, while others were dejected, and a few were even carried out.
The siblings' hearts clenched again.
Nine consecutive days of exams. The first six days had already made Xu Mo lose weight. The last three days were said to be extremely difficult, so much so that several students almost vomited blood. It was unknown whether Xu Mo could make it through.
Fortunately, amidst the surging crowd, Xu Mo, carrying his exam basket, came into view.
He had indeed lost weight, but he had done too much physical labor in the dilapidated temple. Although his body was thin, it was strong, a lean physique unlike that of someone who was sick and weak.
Upon seeing his younger siblings, he quickly smiled.
But Jiang Sheng didn't rush over recklessly. Instead, she glanced cautiously at the basket, as if afraid of knocking something over.
Xu Mo chuckled, "It's all gone, it's all been poured out."
For three consecutive days of exams, the small chamber pots would always be full. Since the students could not leave the exam site, the chamber pots were emptied by the yamen runners of Anshui County before the exams ended.
However, there were too many students taking the exam and only a limited number of officials. By the end of the exam, some students hadn't emptied their latrines in time, so they had to go to the greenhouse to empty them themselves.
Xu Mo was quite lucky. Just before the exam ended, Yuan, the yamen runner, happened to pass by. Since they had a good relationship, he kindly emptied the chamber pot for Xu, the scholar.
"Great, I don't have to worry about my brother's poop and pee anymore." Zheng Ruqian grinned foolishly.
After being glared at by Jiang Sheng, he put away his smile and reported the situation in a serious tone, "Big brother, I bought a villa in Xiaofu Village, dug a cellar, stored a lot of ice, and hired a lot of people to transport all kinds of precious things in the future."
Although the price was two thousand taels of silver notes, Huadi still only had eight hundred taels left.
"Brother, the Wen Family Medical Clinic has already established its reputation and started to make a profit," Wen Zhiyun said softly, pursing his lips.
Chang Yan shrugged. "Brother Fufeng went to Mount Tai. I'm helping him handle the Wang family's affairs."
Although there was no accounting, the benefits of managing the entire family were immeasurable in monetary terms.
Even Jiang Sheng tilted his head and said, "Big brother, all the cured fish and cured meat in the workshop have been sold. The weather is getting hot and the output will decrease again. Aunt is already preparing to research other things."
Xu Mo nodded slightly. While he was diligently practicing his calligraphy in the examination hall, his younger siblings were not wasting their time either.
They are all striving forward, whether the steps are small or large, whether they have made a profit or not. As long as they have made progress compared to their previous selves, it proves that their time has not been wasted.
“Good, all is well.” Xu Mo looked up and gazed northward. “I believe the third brother in the northern frontier will also be doing well.”
The siblings boarded the carriage and hurried back to the Zanhua Courtyard.
The Juren examination differed from the Tongsheng or Xiucai examinations because it was of great importance, serving as the final hurdle for local officials and thus receiving much attention. Therefore, the announcement of the results took longer.
The results of the preliminary and county-level examinations for candidates for the imperial examinations for the first and second degree were announced after half a month, while the results of the provincial-level examination for the first degree for the second degree took more than a month.
After returning to the courtyard with flowers in the hair.
Xu Mo did not become complacent after passing the imperial examination; instead, he continued to study the Four Books and Five Classics, even rereading the books he had read in his childhood.
He was as serious as before the exam, and his enthusiasm for learning had never waned.
Jiang Sheng, along with her second, fourth, and fifth brothers, peeked outside for a long time before quietly retreating with their butts sticking out.
Xu Mo once said that there is no end to learning, and he has taught his younger siblings a lesson through his actions.
Zheng Ruqian clenched his fist. "I'll go hire people right away and try to get the line from Anshui County to Danyang County running before my elder brother releases the results."
Wen Zhiyun also carefully picked up the small medicine box, "I need to go to Xieyang County. I recently discovered some problems while examining patients' pulses, and I need to consult with Dr. Wu."
Chang Yan shrugged. "Then I'll take care of the Wang family before Brother Fufeng comes back."
The once lively courtyard has returned to its quiet state.
Jiang Sheng stood in the courtyard, feeling inexplicably out of place.
She didn't like reading and was quite content with running her workshop, but her brothers' efforts made her feel ashamed. After hesitating for a moment, she went back to her room, picked up the miscellaneous books her eldest brother had given her, and began to read them carefully.
night.
Aunt Zhang made chicken noodle soup and served it to the children. Watching them slurp it down like little pigs, she smiled happily. "This chicken soup is made with fresh old hens, simmered over a fire for half a day until the bones and meat are tender, resulting in a rich chicken broth flavor. The hand-pulled noodles are made with eggs and flour, making them chewy and fragrant. Isn't the taste authentic?"
Normally, Jiang Sheng would have nodded and swallowed it down.
But today, she remembered seeing a dish of boiled noodles in a miscellaneous book and muttered to herself, "Auntie's noodles are delicious, but Jiang Sheng read in a book that boiled noodles can also be irresistible. I wonder what kind of heavenly taste it is."
Zhang Xianglian was taken aback, and unusually defiant, said, "How can noodles boiled in plain water possibly taste good?"
Jiang Sheng scratched his head and described in his memory, "The book said that the chicks should first be marinated for a day, then dried in the sun, and finally ground into powder and mixed into the flour. Even if you just boil them in plain water, they will taste extremely delicious."
How do you dry chicken, grind it into powder, and then mix it into flour?
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