I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they offend me, I will retaliate. Li Youran has no intention of easily letting go of someone like Wang Niangzi, who takes advantage of his kindness and comes to insults at his doorstep.
Regarding Wang Xiangyu's pregnancy, everyone was just watching the drama unfold. When Li Youran appeared, they hurriedly surrounded her and kept asking her questions.
"You Ran, don't blame me for being nosy, but do you really still have the mark of virginity on your arm?"
"Little sister Li, is it true that Lu Chuan is infertile? And how come Wang Xiangyu is pregnant again?"
There were too many questions, and Li Youran didn't have time to answer them all, so she simply rolled up her sleeves, revealing the cinnabar mark on her arm.
"Neighbors, look carefully, this is a real virginity mark. If you don't believe me, touch it."
As Li Youran spoke, she stretched out her arm in front of the old lady who usually loved to gossip.
"Auntie, you have such discerning eyes, please be a witness for everyone and see whether this virginity mark is real or fake."
A casual compliment from Li Youran made the old woman overjoyed.
"I guarantee with my life that this virginity mark is absolutely genuine."
After it was confirmed, people started discussing it.
"As for where Wang Xiangyu's child came from, I don't know, but the virginity mark is definitely real."
The onlookers weren't stupid; they knew without a doubt that the child in Wang Xiangyu's belly wasn't Lu Chuan's.
Since expanding its business, the steamed bun shop has enjoyed booming sales, directly monopolizing the steamed bun business for miles around. Everyone knows and is familiar with Li's steamed buns.
"Aunt Liu, why did you buy so many steamed buns today? Are you going on a long trip?"
Aunt Liu was a regular customer of the steamed bun shop, and she would come to buy a few steamed buns every day. Today, Aunt Liu bought many more steamed buns than usual, so Zhao Lanzhi asked her in a warm manner.
"The provincial examination is just around the corner, so I'm buying some steamed buns for my son to eat during the exam. It's already difficult enough for poor children to study, let alone have extra money to buy snacks. Besides, how can snacks last as long as steamed buns? If he gets sick, it will delay his exam."
Steamed buns are delicious, inexpensive, and store well, making them an excellent choice for long journeys. The provincial examination lasted nine days and six nights, during which candidates ate, drank, and relieved themselves entirely in their examination cells.
To prevent the food provided by the imperial court from being unpalatable or causing diarrhea due to acclimatization issues, most candidates would bring their own excrement to eat.
However, there are various checks upon entering the room, and once inside, the food is mostly in small, scattered pieces.
"So it was meant to be brought into the exam room, Aunt Liu. You don't need to pay for today's sesame cakes; consider it a small token of my appreciation."
Zhao Lanzhi was very capable; as she spoke, she added two more steamed buns to Aunt Liu's basket.
"I wish my brother Liu success in the imperial examination and that he will pass the provincial examination."
Aunt Liu's eyes crinkled with laughter when she saw Zhao Lanzhi giving her steamed buns for free and saying auspicious words.
"How could I possibly accept this!" Aunt Liu said, reaching for her money.
"Aunt Liu, please don't be so polite! Brother Liu's success in the provincial examination brings us great honor."
Li Youran pushed the purse back from Aunt Liu's hand and said with a smile.
"Okay, okay, then I won't be polite~"
The steamed buns, costing only a dozen or so coins, retained a permanent customer and even served as free advertising. This move was truly brilliant.
Taking advantage of the lull in the pancake shop, Li Youran opened the two letters.
One letter was written by Tian Yilang. In the letter, he expressed his gratitude to Li Youran, saying that the rare book that Li Youran gave him allowed him to learn a lot of knowledge he had never seen before, broadened his horizons, and gave him new insights.
At the end of the letter, Tian Yilang said that age was not a problem, ability was the most important thing, and he was sure he would get the top score in the exam. He hoped that You Ran could give him a chance and not keep focusing on his age.
After reading the letter, Li Youran couldn't help but smile slightly. She couldn't bring herself to dislike the childish and stubborn tone.
The top three in the provincial examination were named: Jieyuan, Yayuan, and Jingkui.
The provincial examination was presided over by an examiner appointed by the emperor. All students, tribute students, and imperial academy students in the province who had passed the provincial examination were allowed to take the exam.
Tian Yilang's claim of becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination was not an exaggeration. With his abilities, as long as he didn't underperform, the top scholar title was not his.
Li Youran then opened the second letter, which was written by Liu Zhiyuan to her.
In the letter, Liu Zhiyuan said that he looked forward to the provincial examination every day, but at the same time he was also worried about its arrival.
Liu Zhiyuan didn't have much hope for this provincial examination. He didn't know if he could make it into the top three, but no matter the result, he would go to the capital to study after the provincial examination.
Firstly, it was to gain a better promotion, and secondly, it was because he was worried about Li Youran being alone in the capital.
Before they knew it, the day of the provincial examination arrived. Li Youran brought Li Family Pancakes and held up a sign for Qingshan Bookstore as she went to the examination site.
Li Youran wanted to do charity work, providing free pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and food to test takers, and also wanted to advertise her bookstore and pancake shop.
However, not a single candidate went to eat the steamed buns. Only then did Li Youran realize that with the exam approaching, the candidates dared not eat any food from outside.
Fortunately, we had prepared quite a few calligraphy brushes and white paper, as well as a small number of inkstones.
Although some candidates tried to take advantage of the system and secretly took a few extra calligraphy brushes, it also helped those who really needed them and solved their urgent problems.
"You Ran!" Liu Zhiyuan's voice trembled with excitement.
In the two weeks since Li Youran left, Liu Zhiyuan felt like each day was an eternity. Whenever the night was quiet, he would secretly set out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and paint a portrait of Li Youran alone.
But he could never draw it well, feeling that his drawings were not as beautiful as Li Youran's, and that they lacked that feeling.
He never expected to see Li Youran at the entrance of the provincial examination hall before the exam.
Liu Zhiyuan felt certain he would do well on this exam because he was incredibly lucky.
"Young Master Liu, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
Although Li Youran was very enthusiastic, her tone carried a hint of politeness, unlike Liu Zhiyuan's excitement.
"Did your trip to the capital go smoothly?" Liu Zhiyuan continued, "Did you receive the letter I wrote to you?"
Liu Zhiyuan also wanted to ask Li Youran if she had been eating and sleeping well these past few days, if anyone had bullied her, and if she had missed him... He had many, many more questions he wanted to ask.
"Young Master Liu, you'd better hurry and get checked; the provincial examination is about to begin!"
Upon hearing Li Youran's words, Liu Zhiyuan hurriedly carried his book box and ran towards the provincial examination inspection office, almost missing the last minute.
Seeing this, Li Youran shook his head and smiled wryly, thinking to himself that this guy was a cunning and scheming romantic, not the innocent and refined scholar in flowing white robes at all.
Li Youran was unaware that a truly exceptional man like Liu Zhiyuan, who loved only one person wholeheartedly, was extremely rare in this world.
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