Erbao tilted his little head to listen to the anecdotes with great interest.
Sanbao was holding a plate of pastries, his cheeks bulging with food.
Tang Li glanced around and saw that there were businessmen, scholars and a mixed crowd drinking tea in the teahouse.
The most discussed topic was the county examination.
"Who do you think is most likely to win the first place in this county exam?"
"I think it must be the young master of the Qin family. This young master's talent is well-known throughout Hedong County."
"It is said that this young master wanted to take the county exam last year, but was stopped by his family elders. They made him study for another year, surely hoping to win first place this year!"
"The elders of the Qin family are indeed far-sighted. Winning the championship will bring great reputation. If they are noticed by some great scholar... that would be incredible."
In a private room in the teahouse, a dashing-looking woman was also listening attentively to the discussions. Beside her sat a chubby child, about five or six years old. He sat upright, holding a picture book in his hands. His eyes were already closed, and he was asleep, snoring softly.
Suddenly, there was a noise.
Tangli turned his head and looked.
I saw a huge black board being carried up and placed in the center of the teahouse.
Tangli had good eyesight and could see many people's names written on the board at a glance.
Qin Wenxuan, and her two children...
These are the names of the students taking the exam this time!
What's going on?
"This is a tradition of this teahouse. The teahouse owner is the banker, betting on who will be the top three in this county exam."
Tang Li turned around and saw the face of a clever young man, it was Lu Ling.
Lu Ling blinked at Tang Li, then stood up straight.
"Everyone, I have here the various information of the students taking the exam this time. Each one costs one or two taels of silver. Does anyone want it?" Lu Ling shouted.
Tang Li looked at him. It turned out that he had recorded the students' situations just for the purpose of selling them now.
He's quite business-minded.
Many of those present here are not just gambling to win money, but are also curious about the students.
Therefore, Lu Ling's business was very good and he sold more than twenty copies in one go.
Tangli also bought one.
Tang Li opened the booklet. It was all handwritten and the handwriting was nice.
The first page is a summary. There are a total of one hundred students from twenty academies taking part in this county examination, including thirty from Hedong Academy.
Some students have more detailed information, such as Qin Wenxuan, who came from a prominent family and had grades in Hedong Academy.
To keep it simple, just the name and the academy.
Dabao, Xu Jue, and Zhuo Shu all came from Hongwen Academy. For five years, no one from Hongwen Academy had passed the county examination.
Looks a little pitiful.
"Come on, come on, anyone who is interested can try their luck." the waiter called out.
"I bet on Qin Wenxuan to be the first."
"Student Zhang Qi, I've heard of his name. I bet he'll be the first."
"I bet Qin Wenxuan, one hundred taels!"
One of them said.
Everyone looked up.
One hundred taels is not a small amount!
As the saying goes, a little gambling brings joy. The gambling games in this teahouse have a betting limit of one hundred taels!
Although Qin Wenxuan has the highest probability of winning the championship, it is not 100% certain. If he loses, the loss will be significant.
"Qin Wenxuan is my cousin. This child is simply a genius. He could read at the age of three, write poems at the age of five, and compose verses at the age of eight, so he is the best candidate for the top spot!" the man said confidently.
If Tang Li hadn't gotten the script in advance, he would have really believed his lies.
Qin Wenxuan is indeed a talented person, but he is far from a genius.
"I bet one hundred taels on Wei Ziang and Xu Jue each." Tang Li said.
The odds for Dabao and Xu Jue are both ten to one. No matter which one wins, Tangli can get one thousand taels. After deducting the capital of two hundred taels, she can still earn eight hundred taels.
No matter what, it's a profit.
"Wei Ziang and Xu Jue? Who are these?"
"I saw it. It's from Hongwen Academy in Yaoshui Town. I've never heard of this academy before."
"What kind of good students can this kind of academy have? There are actually people betting on children from this kind of academy to pass. Is this too much money?"
"He's stupid and has a lot of money. I'm betting on Qin Wenxuan!"
There was a lot of noise.
"I'll follow one too." Lu Ling silently bought one tael of silver from Wei Ziang and Xu Jue respectively.
It was really these two children that day in the inn that made him look at them with new eyes.
Lu Ling's two taels of silver did not attract any attention in the noisy teahouse.
Everyone was laughing at Tangli, saying that he was stupid and had a lot of money.
"Big brother and brother Xu Jue will definitely get the top spot!" Erbao was very unconvinced.
"Yes!" Sanbao also clenched his little fists.
Tang Li smiled faintly: "There's no need to argue at this time. Let the facts speak for themselves. We'll slap them in the face when the results come out."
Erbao and Sanbao both nodded, thinking that what their mother said made sense.
They were waiting for these people to be slapped in the face by the results of their eldest brother and Brother Xu Jue!
The mother and her two children sat in the teahouse until the afternoon.
When the exam was almost over, they went to the gate of the county school and waited for Dabao and Xu Jue to come out.
After a while, I saw candidates coming out one after another.
Erbao and Sanbao stared with wide eyes.
"Brother, Brother Xu Jue!" Erbao saw it first.
Sanbao also shouted.
The two little guys were chattering, and Dabao and Xu Jue also saw them and walked towards them.
In the morning, Dabao was a little nervous, but now he is full of confidence.
Tang Li knew that the child had found confidence and seemed to have done well in the exam.
"Let's wait for Zhuo Shu." Tang Li said.
The five people waited for a while.
Zhuo Shu was the last to come out.
Hearing someone calling his name, he quickly looked over and saw Tang Li and the others.
Zhuo Shu quickly quickened his pace and walked in front of them.
Zhuo Shu was a little surprised: "Are you...waiting for me?"
"Yes, let's go back together." Tang Li said.
Zhuo Shu felt warm in his heart. No one had ever waited for him during these exams.
He always keeps to himself.
Sometimes, when he sees many people’s parents waiting, he would feel envious.
He didn't blame his parents. It was good that they were willing to raise him. But...
He will miss his sister.
"Let's go back."
Zhuo Shu nodded and hurried to follow.
Tang Li asked Dabao and Xu Jue about their exam results.
Dabao was a little excited and kept talking.
Dabao was talking when he suddenly shut up, feeling a little embarrassed.
Mother is asking them, why is he the only one talking?
"Xu Jue, how did you do in the exam?" Dabao pushed Xu Jue.
He also hoped that Xu Jue would do well in the exam. He wanted to be admitted to the county school together with Xu Jue. What would be the point if he passed alone?
Xu Jue talked about his performance in doing the test.
Dabao breathed a sigh of relief, and Xu Jue also performed very well.
Tang Li nodded, praised the two children a few words, and then looked at Zhuo Shu.
"Young Master Zhuo, what about you?"
It feels really good to have someone care about him.
Zhuo Shu blushed and told about his test results.
"Brother Zhuo, you will definitely have no problem with the county exam." Dabao said.
Zhuo Shu's face turned slightly red. He was actually very happy that there were no accidents on the first day of the exam!
Hopefully the next two days will go smoothly too.
It would be great if I could get into the county school!
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