Before they knew it, it was July 20th, the day Li Xiangkang was to go to the prefectural city to take the exam.
Yan Qingqing got up early, but instead of doing her usual morning exercise, she took Ruyi directly to the study and checked all of Li Xiangkang's belongings.
He checked if he had brought enough writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Also, there were more mosquitoes in late summer, and although he couldn't bring mosquito coils into the examination room, Yan Qingqing had asked Ruyi to prepare mosquito repellent sachets for him in advance.
Have you also packed some durable dry food and water bottles?
The examination halls in ancient times were quite different from those in modern times. An examination lasted for three days, and candidates were not allowed to enter or leave the examination hall during those three days.
Each person has their own cubicle in the examination room, where they eat, drink, relieve themselves, and sleep.
Those who are not physically fit may not even be able to walk out of the examination room.
Yan Qingqing looked at these things with a worried expression, feeling that they were not enough.
Ruyi seemed to have seen through Yan Qingqing's thoughts and comforted her, "Madam, there's no need to worry. Our Fourth Young Master wasn't raised in a pampered manner."
These next few days will definitely not be a problem for him.
Yan Qingqing sighed; there was no use in worrying.
Li Xiangkang woke up later than usual.
Since he was setting off for the prefectural city today, he didn't need to review his lessons.
After getting up and quickly washing up, Li Xiangkang went to the study to get the things he needed.
He noticed that Yan Qingqing was checking his belongings for the exam with Ruyi over and over again. His heart warmed, and he said, "Mother, I checked everything yesterday. Nothing is missing. Just wait for my good news."
Yan Qingqing looked up at Li Xiangkang and smiled, "Okay, okay, I'm just worrying unnecessarily. You've always been a careful child."
But there are a few more things I want to say to you.
Remember what your mother once told you: "Never forget your original intention, and you will achieve your goal."
Your mother sent you to school only so that you could learn manners and have a deeper understanding of things.
Of course, even I wouldn't believe it if I said I didn't want you to get into high school. I just hope you don't put too much pressure on yourself.
Li Xiangkang smiled and replied, "Mother, don't worry, I've kept your words in mind."
The son will not forget his original aspirations, and of course, he hopes that one day he can bring glory to the Li family.
He hoped that his mother's official title would be changed because of her son.
However, it seems that my son's progress is still a bit slow.
Yan Qingqing wanted to cover her face when she heard this. So that's why Li Xiangkang was working so hard.
Should she be happy or stressed?
No matter what, the child cares about her, so her efforts over the past few years have not been in vain.
Yan Qingqing gave Li Xiangkang a few more instructions, then asked Ruyi to organize the things for Li Xiangkang in the examination room, and then took Li Xiangkang to the restaurant for a meal.
The Li family had an unusually complete breakfast. Li Xiangping and Li Xiang'an are usually quite busy, leaving early and returning late.
Needless to say, it's quite normal for Xiao Mochen to be unseen for three to five days.
Yan Qingqing sat in the main seat, and then the family members took their seats according to age.
Even Li Jinxiu and Li Xiangyang were there.
Li Jinxiu is already five years old. She has started to grow taller and is gradually losing her baby fat. Perhaps because she is well-cared for, she is very fair-skinned and has the potential to become a beauty.
Li Xiangyang is also very pretty, with a bit of baby fat on her cheeks. Despite her young age, she speaks very fluently and is quite talkative.
While stuffing something into his mouth, he said, "Fourth Brother, you must do well on the exam, and don't be nervous."
Whether I can walk sideways in the future depends entirely on you.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing glared at her and said, "How come you're so young and already acting like a thug?"
Li Xiangyang stuck out her tongue when she heard this. Although she was a little tyrant at home, she knew that the person she couldn't mess with the most was her mother, because her mother would really beat her.
Li Xiangkang, sitting closest to Li Xiangyang, patted her head and laughed, "Don't worry, your fourth brother will definitely work hard to realize your wish as soon as possible, so that you can walk sideways with ease."
Hearing this, Li Jinxiu raised her little hand and said, "Fourth Uncle, what about me? You can't just think about your little aunt and forget about your eldest niece."
Li Jinxiu's words made everyone laugh.
Actually, although these two kids are a bit mischievous, they really don't have any bad intentions.
Xiao Mochen, standing to the side, added fuel to the fire, saying, "You two little girls, didn't you see me? I can let you two walk sideways too."
What Xiao Mochen said was true, but unfortunately, these two girls lacked discernment and looked down on him.
Li Xiangyang said in a childish voice, "Brother Mo Chen, stop bragging."
You're always nowhere to be seen, neither scholarly nor martial, what's your mother called that again? "All talk and no action..."
Li Xiangyang forgot his lines as he spoke. Then he looked at Li Jinxiu with a blank expression. Li Jinxiu hadn't started school yet and didn't know how to express herself. Besides, she was a little afraid of Xiao Mochen and knew that Li Xiangyang wasn't trying to say anything nice.
Her little mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't say anything coherent. In the end, she just hung her little head down, looking like she knew nothing.
Upon hearing Li Xiangyang's words, Xiao Mochen scooped her up from the stool and threatened, "You little brat, how dare you speak ill of your brother Mochen behind his back? All that pampering I dote on you is for nothing."
After saying that, she reached out and pinched Li Xiangyang's face.
Li Xiangyang quickly covered his face and said, "I was just talking nonsense, just talking nonsense. Brother Mo Chen is the best."
Li Xiangyang's antics actually made the atmosphere particularly cheerful.
The whole family had originally planned to say a few words of encouragement to Li Xiangkang, but now there's no need to.
After Yan Qingqing and the others finished breakfast, A-Da came to ask Li Xiangkang if they could set off, as the carriage was already harnessed.
The formal exam is scheduled for ten days from now. It will take Li Xiangkang about three days to travel by carriage from his home to the prefectural city.
Yan Qingqing had arranged the inn in advance, so Li Xiangkang only needed to stay there when he arrived.
This time, A-Wu and A-Liu accompanied Li Xiangkang to the prefectural city.
Ah Wu ran errands for Yan Qingqing for a while; he was quite clever.
Ah Liu, on the other hand, was a rather honest and steady child, which put Yan Qingqing at ease, given their contrasting personalities.
However, considering that he was at odds with the Shen family, and that the prefectural city was Shen family territory.
She was afraid that the Shen family might suddenly decide to target Li Xiangkang. This was a critical moment for Li Xiangkang, and Yan Qingqing couldn't risk his future.
So he arranged for Mu Xi to send two guards down the mountain early on, disguised as servants, to accompany Li Xiangkang to the prefectural city.
These days, even if you have money and power, you still need to be safe and secure.
Li Xiangkang has also learned some martial arts in recent years, so Yan Qingqing is quite relaxed about his safety.
After bidding farewell to Yan Qingqing and his brothers, Li Xiangkang boarded the carriage.
His mother said that he should always keep something in reserve and not reveal all his secrets. Not many people knew that he knew some martial arts skills, so he could ride a horse, but now he was forced to switch to a carriage.
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