For the first time, Jiang Sheng understood what it meant for misfortune to specifically target the unfortunate, what it meant for bad luck to come in waves, and what it meant for bad luck to make even drinking cold water cause problems.
She was only bumped when she got off the bus, so why is her ID card missing?
Not only her, but her brothers were also completely confused.
The entrance to the examination hall was packed with people, including students preparing for the exam and their families seeing them off. The crowd was so dense that they couldn't even find out who had caused the accident.
Jiang Sheng was about to cry.
The round eyes suddenly turned red, then rippled with layers of crystalline liquid, enveloping the eyeballs until they could no longer be contained and burst out of their sockets.
Jiang Sheng is a lively girl who has been begging since she was a child. She has experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships and has long understood that tears are useless.
She didn't cry when she was beaten, she didn't cry when she was scolded, she didn't cry when she was hungry, and she didn't cry when she was in pain.
But at this moment, overwhelmed with guilt, her tears streamed down her face.
Xu Mo felt extremely sorry for her and gently comforted her, "Don't be sad. At worst, you can skip the first exam. It's okay. Even if you don't pass, there's another chance to take the preliminary exam next year."
Jiang Sheng remained silent; she was too heartbroken. Why was it always like this? The things she feared most were the things that were bound to happen, and the things she was most afraid of were the things that were about to come.
If she had been more careful, if she had held the package tighter, perhaps the token wouldn't have been lost.
“Jiang Sheng.” Zheng Ruqian was also distressed. “Let’s go look for it. The paper must have been stolen on purpose.”
Who would deliberately steal Xu Mo's identity document?
It could only be the county magistrate and his wife, who had a grudge against them.
"I'm going to the county government office." Fang Heng grabbed his whip and was about to leave.
Xu Mo and Zheng Ruqian quickly stopped him, saying, "Even if we make a scene at the county government without evidence, what good will it do? In the end, it's because we weren't careful enough."
Well, I'll learn from this mistake and be smarter next time.
"Let's go back." Xu Mo didn't want to stay any longer.
They've run out of admission tickets, what are they still doing at the entrance of the examination hall?
Jiang Sheng lowered her head and remained silent, still shedding tears silently.
The older brothers returned to the donkey cart together, but when it was Changyan's turn, he did not move.
"Xiao Wu," Zheng Ruqian called him, "I'm back."
The long banquet remained untouched.
He stood upright in the crowd, wearing the most ordinary gray cotton-padded coat, and after a long while said softly, "Since we're here, why don't we take a look around? Just in case there are any rules."
Zheng Ruqian felt that his fifth brother was a bit cold-blooded; his sister was crying so much, why didn't he hurry up and leave?
Xu Mo hesitated even more. He had already come all this way, and he was really unwilling to leave like this.
But what good would it do to keep it? My identity document was deliberately stolen, and even if I found it, it would be too late.
Because the gates of the examination hall were open.
Thousands of students bid farewell to their families, shouldered their bags, and headed towards the examination hall.
They were full of vigor, they were determined to win, they fought with high spirits, and they forged ahead without hesitation.
These young men, ranging from no more than ten years old to thirty or forty, are heading to their battlefield.
Xu Mo should have been one of them.
Jiang Sheng became increasingly distressed as she thought about it, and tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string.
Xu Mo was also in a low mood and was about to turn around and leave.
Suddenly, Changyan came over.
He stuffed something into Xu Mo's palm, then hung the bundle on Xu Mo's body and shoved Xu Mo with his backhand.
"Go, brother. You'll have to face the rest on your own," Changyan said quietly.
Xu Mo had lived for twelve years, and for the first time he understood what it meant to lose something and then get it back, and what it meant to be so excited that he trembled.
His hands and feet were weak, but he still forced himself to rush to the gate of the examination hall. After showing his identification to the gatekeeper and having his small bamboo basket searched, he rejoined the tide of thousands of students.
Before Jiang Sheng, Zheng Ruqian, Fang Heng, and Wen Zhiyun could react, the gates of the examination hall were closed.
They clapped their hands at the long banquet, concealing their achievements and fame.
"Fifth Brother!" Jiang Sheng choked back tears, "What did you just do? Why did Eldest Brother go inside?"
"Yeah, Xiao Wu, how did Big Brother suddenly sneak in?" Zheng Ruqian asked, puzzled. "Did he use some kind of trick?"
Chang Yan shook his head. "Neither."
Only genuine identification could grant entry to the examination hall; this could not be faked.
“But it was clearly stolen just now.” Jiang Sheng’s eyes widened.
She suddenly remembered that after her fifth brother had seen her identity document, he had stuffed it into his bundle and never taken it out again.
So, who can prove that the one that was just stolen was a genuine identity document?
Zheng Ruqian and his two younger brothers exchanged glances, completely dumbfounded.
Like Jiang Sheng, they were careful to prevent their belongings from being lost, but they never imagined that someone would steal them.
I never even considered preparing a fake identity document in advance.
This trick of switching the dragon with the phoenix really taught them a lesson.
“Actually, you’ll understand if you think about it the other way around,” Chang Yan explained quietly. “If we were the enemy, what should we do to strike with a single, decisive blow?”
If someone doesn't act normally, it's because they're accumulating and building up their strength.
Xu Mo's county examination was the most crucial moment.
The long banquet was merely a precaution; it's unknown what expression the magistrate of Xiyang County will have when he sees the blank sheet of paper.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Jiang Sheng was very clever and immediately applied this principle to other situations. "To do things, you have to be unpredictable in order to disrupt the enemy's plans."
Chang Yan nodded with a smile.
Jiang Sheng's tears welled up again, this time not from guilt, but from excitement.
That's great! My brother can take the exam now.
And all of this is thanks to Fifth Brother.
"Fifth Brother, you're amazing!" the little girl exclaimed, opened her arms, threw herself at Changyan, and gave him a big kiss.
She was just excited.
The older brothers stared wide-eyed.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com