Chapter 430: No Name on the List
When Chen Zhancai heard this, he immediately became excited, "Really? The results are really out?" As he said that, he ran out the door without caring about his disheveled clothes.
The waiter followed him out of the inn.
Along the way, Chen Zhancai was filled with anticipation, his mind filled with fantasies of whether he would shout loudly or kneel down and kowtow after passing the imperial examination...
Unable to contain his inner anxiety, he trotted to the place where the results were announced.
There were already huge crowds of people here, and it was impossible to get through.
Chen Zhancai had to work very hard to squeeze to the front of the big red list.
He searched anxiously and nervously for his name on the list.
But after searching from the top of the list to the end, I didn't see the three words "Chen Zhancai".
He was a little unconvinced and thought he had missed it, so he started looking for it again.
I searched like this several times, but still couldn't find his name.
In that instant, Chen Zhancai’s eyes went dark and he almost fell to the ground.
Some of the people around were cheering, while others were sighing.
At this moment, Chen Zhancai seemed to have suffered a heavy blow, his mind was in a trance, as if he had lost his soul.
After being stunned for a long time, he turned around like a zombie, dragging his legs that felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and slowly walked towards the inn...
Along the way, his heart was like a jar of five flavors overturned, with all kinds of flavors intertwined together.
He regretted that he had to pretend to be a rich young man and that he had to dream of a romantic encounter.
Now, it feels good to pretend to be stupid, but I failed the imperial examination and have no money on me. How can I pay the bill?
Once I get back to the inn, the owner will definitely demand the room fee. If I tell the truth, he will beat me to death.
No, I can't say I don't have money. I have to think of a good way to get away with it.
There may be no good way, unless the store owner is kind enough to waive the rent.
Impossible, impossible, the shop owner is not his father, how could he not want money...
The more he thought about it, the more anxious and frightened he became. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He thought, as long as he didn't go back, everything would be fine.
After making up my mind and looking around, I decided to run away as soon as possible!
He threw his arms around and ran in the opposite direction of the inn, but before he had run far, he heard someone shouting behind him,
"Mr. Chen, please stay. Don't run!"
The waiter had been following Chen Zhancai for a long time. When he saw him coming out from the front of the list in a daze, he guessed that he had failed the exam. He wanted to go up to him and comfort him, but before he could get close, he saw Chen Zhancai running in the opposite direction of the inn.
He immediately felt that something was wrong and thought that Chen Zhancai could not bear the blow and wanted to commit suicide by the river, so he hurriedly jogged after him.
This shout was like a thunderclap that instantly struck Chen Zhancai's heart, and his steps stopped involuntarily.
Looking back, I saw that the waiter from the inn had caught up with me.
He was startled and cleared his throat calmly, trying his best to hide his inner panic. He said seriously,
"Who ran away? I just wanted to stretch my legs. Why make such a fuss?"
Hearing him say this, the waiter laughed awkwardly and said, "Don't blame me, sir. I thought you couldn't find the inn, so I caught up with you to remind you."
Chen Zhancai's eyebrows knitted together, his face displeased. "Why are you here instead of working in the store? Are you watching me, afraid that I'll run away?"
"No, no, no," the waiter shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly, "Mr. Chen, you really misunderstood me. I was just passing by and had absolutely no such intention."
Chen Zhancai snorted in his heart, "You little bastard, you still don't admit it, then I'll just go with the flow." "I see, then go away, I want to take a walk alone for a while."
"No hurry, no hurry. Since Mr. Chen is so interested, let me take you around and tell you about the local customs and practices."
The waiter is not stupid. He knows his responsibilities. If he really loses someone, he will definitely be scolded and may even lose his job.
Chen Zhancai was very angry when he saw that he was like a dog-skin plaster and kept following him everywhere.
Knowing he couldn't get rid of it, he had no choice but to go back to the inn.
The shopkeeper had already understood something from the waiter's eyes, but he still pretended to be ignorant and walked forward, smiling and asking,
"Mr. Chen, the results will be announced today. I believe you must have passed the exam on the first try, right?"
Chen Zhancai was extremely nervous after hearing this, but he still pretended to be calm, still pretending to be a rich young man and boasting.
"Even though I didn't make it to the imperial examination this time, it doesn't matter whether I passed or not. I can just let my father, Chen Baiwan, spend tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy an official position. Wouldn't that save me a lot of trouble?"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Chen is right." The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly in agreement, then tactfully changed the subject, "Now that the list of candidates has been announced, I believe Mr. Chen will set off soon. I just did a rough calculation of the accounts, and it's less than 60 taels of silver. Do you think we should pay the store..."
When Chen Zhancai heard this, his heart skipped a beat. It was like what he feared would come true. What should he do? How could he pay the store?
There’s no other way, just continue talking nonsense!
I have to admire Chen Zhancai's psychological quality. Even in this state, his facial expression has not changed much.
He waved his hand calmly, "Don't worry, shopkeeper. It's just sixty taels of silver. It's nothing to my Chen family. I wrote a letter home a few days ago. In less than three or five days, my father, Chen Baiwan, will send a butler to Ningjing to pick me up. I'll give you one hundred taels of silver then."
While he said this, he had already made up his mind. He would first use words to calm the old man down, and then find the right opportunity to escape quickly. He must not sit there and wait for death!
The shopkeeper was no pushover either, but he still wore a smile on his face, nodding his head in agreement. "Very well, sir, you can just stay here and relax."
"Is there anything else you want to do?"
"No, Mr. Chen, please go upstairs and rest."
When the shopkeeper saw Chen Zhancai return to the guest room, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes and ordered the waiter beside him, "Keep a close eye on this kid. Don't let him get away."
"Don't worry, boss. These days, except when I sleep, I'll be guarding his door all the time."
"No, for safety's sake, from now on, you have to keep a close eye on me for twelve hours!"
Hearing the shopkeeper's words, the waiter couldn't help but frown, "Shopkeeper, what do you mean? Are you afraid he'll run away? No way, he said his father is Chen Baiwan, the richest man in Anyang. There's no way he would cheat for such a small amount of money."
"Having said that, there are some things that we have to be on guard against!" The shop owner shook his head and sighed.
......
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