The exam room was so stuffy and hot that for the past three days, what they thought about most wasn't the exam questions, but the iced fruit drink.
If they had just one cup to cool off, they would be able to write more fluently and do better on their exams!
Soon, the Li family returned to the Hundred Flowers Garden, and Dean Zhou also led the students back to Luo'an.
Jiaren and Lige forced themselves to talk about the exam questions on the way, then went into the Hundred Flowers Garden, gulped down a bowl of millet porridge, and fell asleep without even glancing at the colorful flowers in the garden.
They slept soundly until the next morning.
This wasn't because I had slept enough; it was because I was so hungry I couldn't take it anymore.
The breakfast table had just been set up at home when the two boys finished washing up, sat down, and started eating without any hesitation.
Tao Hongying brought Shuiling and Shuiyun with her. She got up early and cooked a big pot of rice porridge and steamed two large steamers of green bean and pork buns. In the blink of an eye, the two boys ate half of them.
Each person was holding only one steamed bun in their hand, and they were all hesitant to take a bite, afraid that there wouldn't be enough for the two boys...
After Jiaren and Lige'er had eaten and drunk their fill, they blushed when they saw the state of their family members.
They were so hungry that they hadn't paid any attention to manners.
Those three days in the examination hall were the most miserable three days of their lives.
Jiaren, in particular, was assigned to the same cell as the stinky one.
The "stinky" cubicle is the last one in each row, next to the toilet.
Jiaren's position is slightly better than a bad one, but the improvement is still extremely limited.
Winter is cold, and everything can freeze, so it's not too bad.
But on a summer day like this, with dozens of people's excrement piled up together, the local official was unwilling to empty it frequently, and then the sun would bake it...
Jiaren thought about it and realized he'd eaten too many steamed buns; he felt a bit nauseous...
On the second day of the exam, the student with the worst score collapsed and had to be carried out.
Having no other choice, Jiaren tore the hem of his clothes into strips and covered his mouth and nose with them, managing to hold on until the very end.
Fortunately, Li Ge'er was in a good position, located on the innermost side, far away from the "stink bomb"!
The family was both surprised and annoyed when the two brothers recounted their experiences in the examination hall.
Tao Hongying said, "With so many people taking the exam, how can the examination hall not be properly cleaned up? So many people have studied hard for this day, and it's just being sloppy like this!"
Grandma Li chimed in, "Yes, we don't need them to provide us with fancy food, just a good environment so the students won't be distracted!"
Li Zhensheng said with a wry smile, "Mother, their place is not bad, it's just a bit stuffy and dirty. When I took the exam that year, it rained, and some candidates had already finished their papers, but the rain soaked them and they were ruined."
"Is that so?" Old Mrs. Li exclaimed in surprise, and everyone else sighed in astonishment.
Li Lao Er was eager to study and take the imperial examinations, never imagining that the exams would almost cost his son his life. He felt sorry for his son, but he didn't want to stifle his son's ambition.
So he said, “No matter how you did on the exam, you all did your best. Have fun these next few days. After the results are released, we’ll pick up Jia’an, Jia’xi and Mao’er, and then we’ll go back to Suijintan and stay for another two days.”
"Okay, Father," Jiaren replied with a smile. "We only glanced at them yesterday before going to bed. There are so many flowers in the yard now, let's go take a look!"
These past few days, Li Lao Er has been cramming on flower-growing knowledge with Lao Cao, and at least he can now name all the flowers.
At this moment, he took his son and nephew out and showed them off.
At noon, Tao Hongying cooked several dishes. Jiaren and Lige ate their fill, took a nap in the afternoon, and woke up completely in the evening.
They are young and physically strong.
But when the whole family was about to go to sleep, they weren't sleepy at all.
Jiayin immediately grabbed her two older brothers to work as laborers, compiling a list of all the famous flowers in the Hundred Flowers Garden, labeling their quantities, and writing numbers on the flowerpots for easy accounting when selling them later.
Grandma Li doted on her grandson, but seeing them chatting and laughing with her sister, enjoying a rare moment of liveliness, she didn't stop them.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the results were finally posted outside the examination hall.
The alley outside the examination hall was packed with people. Neither Grandma Li nor Jiayin dared to go in. Today was another day for cooking private dishes, so Li Zhensheng and Tao Hongying went to the restaurant.
Only Li Lao Er, along with Jia Ren and Li Ge'er, protected by Zheng He, Zheng Feng, and Ye Shan, stormed out of the examination hall.
The area in front of the list was packed with people.
Unable to get in, Zheng He, Zheng Feng, and Ye Shan resorted to their ultimate move.
Zheng He and Zheng Feng squeezed their way into the middle of the crowd. Ye Shan climbed onto the wall, then stepped on Zheng Feng and Zheng He's shoulders to jump directly to the front.
The three of them squeezed together until their clothes came ripped and they lost their shoes, but they finally saw the message.
Jiaren ranked fifty-first on the list, while Lige'er ranked one hundred and eight, the very last, barely managing to catch up with the last scholar.
This made everyone ecstatic!
After all, Jiaren's exam number was too bad, which hindered his performance, and Lige'er was also young, having only studied for three years.
Surprisingly, both brothers won!
Especially Li Ge'er, who had initially decided not to take the exam, but he insisted on accompanying his older brother, and the family agreed because they wanted him to gain experience.
I never expected him to be so ambitious!
You should know that many old scholars have studied until their hair turned white, yet they are still stuck before becoming xiucai (a lower-level scholar).
And Li Ge'er, as if by a joke, became a scholar.
Ye Shan ran home to deliver the news, while Zheng He went to Cyclamen to deliver the news.
Li Lao Er then took two boys to pay their respects and express their gratitude to Dean Zhou and the others, since they wouldn't be where they are today without the academy's nurturing.
Given their status, Dean Zhou and the other gentlemen naturally couldn't mingle in the crowd, so they booked a private room at a nearby teahouse.
I heard that Jiaren and Lige'er both passed the exam, becoming two promising young scholars. The dean and teachers were naturally delighted and gave them a lot of encouragement.
At this moment, the attendant sent by the academy also returned.
A total of eight students from the academy made the list this time!
Out of 35 candidates, 8 made the list, which is a truly surprising result.
Of course, the Li family was even more surprised, because they accounted for a quarter of the total number of newly appointed scholars in the academy!
Every day at noon is the busiest time at Cyclamen.
In particular, Cyclamen has recently launched a new drink, honey passion fruit drink, which is not only sweet but also has ice cubes.
In this hot weather, a glass of this will make you feel so refreshed that you wouldn't trade it for anything, not even the gods.
As a result, many customers are willing to come and sit down just for the fruit drinks.
After all, it doesn't matter where you eat, and having refreshing drinks would be even better!
When Zheng He arrived at Xiankelai, he saw Li Zhensheng and shouted excitedly, "Master, they passed! They passed! The eldest young master and the young master Li both passed the imperial examination and became scholars!"
"What?!" Even the usually composed Li Zhensheng was so overjoyed he almost jumped for joy. "That's wonderful! That's wonderful!"
Upon hearing the news, Jia Huan and Tao Hongying rushed out from the kitchen, both waving their spatulas excitedly.
If there are familiar guests, quickly greet them with a smile and congratulations.
Li Zhensheng waved his hand and said that to celebrate his nephew and son passing the imperial examination, he would give each table a dish and each person a fruit drink!
This prompted the guests to express their gratitude and congratulations even louder.
Similarly, the garden became a sea of joy at this time.
Especially Li Ge'er, who didn't react for a long time.
He was with his brother, so he didn't go all out during the exam; he just wrote down whatever he knew. How did he even pass?!
With tears in his eyes, Jiaren hugged his younger brother tightly and patted him on the shoulder.
Actually, my younger brother is the youngest and has only been in school for a few years. He doesn't have to study so hard, but during this time, I've been staying up late and getting up early with him without ever complaining.
Today's outcome is attributed to luck by others, but only he knows that luck accounts for three-tenths, while his younger brother's talent and hard work definitely account for seven-tenths!
That evening, the whole family had a nice meal to celebrate.
Li Laosan waited until the next day to bring Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Maoge'er before returning to Suijintan.
As a result, the three boys arrived early the next morning, as did Dean Zhou and Mr. Peng.
The Li family was puzzled, but they still politely welcomed Dean Zhou and Mr. Peng in...
Served at midnight~~
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