Before the end of the first month of the lunar year, Ding Xiang and his two sons went to Beijing.
Qin Yao got the news in advance, and drove a carriage with Liu Ji to Jinshi Town and accompanied him for a distance.
The girl was wearing a thick red riding coat and riding on a tall horse equipped with a full set of silver saddles, which amazed countless people.
Before Mr. Ding came back, no lady in the entire Kaiyang County had ever appeared in such an appearance.
Originally, only the Ding clan members came to see them off, but by the time the team reached the vicinity of Kaiyang County, the roadside was already full of people.
Upon hearing the news, students from the county academy came just to catch a glimpse of the beautiful face of the Ding girl.
On that day, that set of red riding uniform made countless men lose their souls.
Such a high-profile visit to Beijing made the Ding family famous in Kaiyang County.
The attire that Ding Xiang wore when she left became the object of imitation for the young ladies in Kaiyang County.
Mr. Ding came from the capital and married a woman from one of the five surnames. His daughter's dress must be the most popular makeup in the capital at that time!
All of a sudden, all the red silk and red cloth sold in the embroidery shops in the city were sold out and in short supply.
The factories had just started operations before the New Year, and the first batch of inventory was left over from last year. If you still want red cloth after it is sold out, you have to wait until February.
Under such circumstances, any young lady who could wear the red riding uniform would gain a lot of face in Kaiyang County.
It was just a pity for the common people women who got married during the same period. It was hard to find wedding dresses, and when they finally got one, the price was twice as high as usual.
Fortunately, this somewhat crazy red dress storm was quickly suppressed by the second national free enrollment competition.
The second day of February is the day when schools in Kaiyang County hold enrollment competitions.
Compared to the first year, the entire admissions process has become much more mature and has a set of rules. It is no longer as sloppy and chaotic as it was last year.
However, based on last year's situation, those who arrived at the entrance of the academy early in the evening and queued all night suffered a lot.
The information gap has always existed, whether in the past or in the future.
If you master the information gap, you will have an advantage over others.
When they came to send Ding Xiang's family to Beijing that day, after seeing them off, Qin Yao and Liu Ji came to Dingjiazhuang together and visited the two teachers of Xia Sanlang and Si Niang.
I have to say, the title of a great scholar's disciple is really useful.
With the help of his teacher, Liu Ji easily found out the screening criteria for this year's free admission from the two teachers.
What's more, when the other party learned that the child enrolled in school was actually Liu Ji's own niece, he generously said that with just a word from him, the child would be sent directly to the school and would not even need to participate in the competition.
Liu Ji was very tempted, but still resolutely refused.
It's easy to repay a favor for a piece of information, but it's hard to repay a free admission place.
What's more, he is different now than before. The more valuable and useful his teacher's identity is, the more difficult it will be to fulfill the other party's request.
This favor is not mentioned easily, but once it is mentioned, it must be a big deal.
Besides, Liu Ji is very confident in his own Jinhua. He doesn't need Master Ding to help him find a backdoor. The child can pass the exam and get in on her own.
but!
"Teacher, have other children come to ask about this?" Liu Ji asked tentatively.
I asked around and found out that there are actually a few vacancies left.
The Master waved his hands and said that rules are rules, and he only gave this exception to his great disciples, and he would not give this face to others.
Liu Ji was very happy with these words, and said with a smile: "It seems that I am the only one."
The Master smiled and said, "That's right!"
The questions they needed to ask had been asked, so Liu Ji and Qin Yao stood up and said goodbye.
The teacher escorted them to the main road. Even after the couple got into the carriage and drove away, they could still hear the teachers' instructions from behind:
"Have a good time, see you later for the entrance exam"
In the carriage, Liu Ji's happy smile instantly disappeared, and he snorted, "Who knows how many places these two people have been given."
Qin Yao chuckled and said, "Isn't this expected? You and I both know to come and visit the teacher, wouldn't others have thought of it? Even if we can't be exempted from the entrance examination, it's good to be able to ask some questions about the content of the examination."
"However, there are 50 places for admission this year. Our Jinhua is doing well in school and already knows the content of the competition. It is certain that she will be admitted successfully."
That is true, but Liu Ji, who had experienced the re-examination, always felt a little uneasy.
It was not until the second day of February, the day of the entrance examination, that I heard the Ding family's steward explain the examination process, and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Qin Yao carefully observed that there were several other parents with the same expression as Liu Ji.
No one from the family came. Only the couple brought Jinhua and drove their own carriage to register.
Liu Zhong was afraid that he couldn't speak and would disappoint the children, and he was too busy at the factory to leave, so neither he nor Qiu came.
The three brothers and sisters of Dalang started school yesterday and are currently attending classes in the classroom.
The entrance examination was held in the small square outside the Ding Family Ancestral Hall, and a total of 285 people signed up.
People from each village who knew each other stood together, adults and children, filling the small square.
The written test was cancelled this year, probably because there were too many people and the cost of paper and pens skyrocketed, which the Ding family could not afford.
The assessment process is simplified into one question: recite within a quarter of an hour. The more you recite, the higher your ranking. Finally, the top 50 students are selected for admission based on the ranking.
The teachers took into consideration that many children were illiterate, so they also prepared for the teachers to read aloud the content that needed to be memorized.
If a child has a foundation, he or she will naturally have an advantage.
But for those children who have no foundation at all, the difficulty of this assessment method is undoubtedly easier.
The assessment was still conducted in batches, with fifty people in each group, over two days.
Jinhua went up to draw lots and got the spot for the next morning. She was relieved, but her heart was also hanging high again.
Seeing the child's nervousness, Qin Yao touched her pigtails and asked softly, "Do you want to stay here and watch others' assessments or should we go home directly?"
Anyway, Liu Ji already knew the content in advance, and Jinhua had memorized it by heart.
Jinhua thought for a moment and replied, "Aunt San, I want to go home."
The examination area was cordoned off and I couldn’t see anything, so I might as well go home and read more books.
Qin Yao nodded: "Okay, let's go home first."
Qin Yao called back Liu Ji, who was joining the crowd to join in the fun, and the couple drove back home.
Unexpectedly, not long after they left, someone brought officials straight to the Ding Family Ancestral Hall Square, broke into the examination venue, and took away the two teachers.
The assessment at Ding Family School was unfair, and the teacher secretly sold the assessment content. He was detained by the county magistrate in the lobby of the yamen and given a stern warning.
If they had not been awarded the title of scholar, and if free admission was not a new decree issued by the court without too many rewards and punishments, neither of them would have been able to leave the county government safely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
