I had only heard about Zhao Qianci's bad luck in the exam before, and I just took it as a joke. But today I finally witnessed it for myself. This is too "exciting".
First, they were nearly gored by wild boars, then they almost fell under a car wheel, and then a stampede occurred.
Every single one of them was potentially fatal.
Sympathetic glances fell on Zhao Qianci.
Huang was starting to have second thoughts and really wanted Zhao Qian to give up the exam.
Zhao Qianci also became angry at this point.
"Alright, stop giving me those looks. What's wrong? I just had bad luck on the exam, so what?"
Regardless of whether it was good or bad, this was the closest I'd ever been to the exam hall.
Let's leave early before the exam, and you guys protect me a bit more. I don't believe I can't get into the exam room.
"Hmph, I'm determined to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar this time. Otherwise, all the books I've read will have been for nothing."
No one dared to say anything; the group of weak, helpless, and trembling children rolled back to their rooms to study.
What a wonderful day, and I haven't read a single book. Should I write another poem? Should I read a few more articles?
Whether it's true or not, they all made excuses and got out of there.
Left alone with Huang Shi and Zhao Qianci, Zhao Qianci suddenly hugged Huang Shi's arm, looking very aggrieved.
"Honey, what should I do? Do you think I'll be able to get into the exam hall this time?"
Although Ms. Huang was having second thoughts, she couldn't bear to discourage the old man from looking at his hopeful eyes.
Take a deep breath.
"Okay, you'll definitely succeed this time. Look, although there were some close calls today, we escaped unharmed."
Isn't this great? This should be the best one ever, right?
Today may have been a close call, but you'll likely have a smooth exam as well.
With your talent, passing the imperial examinations at the county level (xiucai) or even the provincial level (juren) would be a piece of cake.
Zhao Qianci's eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed with excitement after being encouraged by Huang.
It was truly strange that the face of a fifty-something-year-old man showed the longing of a twenty-year-old.
This is understandable. No matter who it is, if their lifelong dream has been thwarted, and they finally see a chance to realize their dream, wouldn't they be excited and thrilled?
According to his usual habit, Zhao Qianci always slept on the outside when he slept at home. Huang was worried about this and wanted Zhao Qianci to sleep on the inside, but Zhao Qianci disagreed.
Huang was constantly worried, fearing that something might happen to Zhao Qianci in the middle of the night. Half-asleep, she felt Zhao Qianci turn over.
Huang instinctively grabbed at him, and when she opened her eyes, she found her old man hanging face down by the bed, almost disfigured.
Huang's heart was pounding; this was truly a test of courage.
With a forceful pull, Zhao Qianci was lifted up and placed on the inside of the bed.
Startled awake, Zhao Qianci no longer insisted on sleeping on the outside and instead obediently slept on the inside under his wife's protection.
Who knows what might happen if you sleep outside?
Fortunately, Zhao Qianci had experienced too many of these dramatic events before, and soon fell asleep again.
Today is only the third day of the Lunar New Year, and there are still four full days until the exam on the eighth day.
Ms. Huang is a little worried that she will go bald in the next few days.
They lit candles and kept their eyes open until dawn.
Looking at the top of the tent and the walls, she was afraid that some insect might fall down and bite the old man.
Set breakfast on the table. "Time to eat."
Zhao Qingyan shouted, and everyone in the rooms came out.
The moment I saw Huang's face, my jaw dropped.
"Mom, why are your eyes so dark? What did you do last night? Didn't you sleep?" Zhao Minggeng asked.
"It's okay, I'm not a big fan of certain beds, stop with the nonsense, let's eat."
After you finish eating, hurry back to your studies. I'm telling you little rascals.
"This time you absolutely have to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. If you don't pass, hmph..." Madam Huang said viciously.
"Mother, if we don't pass the preliminary examination, are you not planning to let us continue our studies?"
Zhao Changgeng said with some anticipation.
Huang's eyes widened at her son.
"Look at your pathetic self. If you don't even pass the imperial examination, all my money will have gone down the drain. If any of you dare to make me do a losing business, I'll break their legs."
Alright, to avoid breaking your leg, shut up, eat quietly, and then go back to your studies.
For the first time, no one spoke while eating at the Zhao family's dinner table.
This feels strangely nice.
He was told that the old man was not allowed to go anywhere, but should stay in his room and read. If he needed to use the outhouse, there was a toilet behind the door. After he was done, he could just call his son to come and empty it.
She wouldn't even let Zhao Qian leave the room. After giving her instructions, Huang Shi lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
Seeing how hard his wife was working, Zhao Qianci felt very sorry for her.
But I'm already so old, if I don't try now I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
After all, he's getting older every day, and he can't take any more of this kind of stress. Putting aside whether he gets injured or not, just the shock and fright he gets from one thing to another is too much for his old heart to bear.
"Sigh..." He let out a long sigh, sat down at his desk, and began to read.
In the morning, Zhao Qingyan went out for a token walk, traversing the road between her rented courtyard and the examination hall to carefully observe whether there were any uneven sections of the road nearby.
Unexpected situations are prone to occur, or rather, what if a robber suddenly jumps out of some alley?
It's not that Zhao Qingyan is pessimistic, it's just that her grandfather's actions were too frightening, so all possible dangers must be nipped in the bud.
After making sure I remembered my surroundings, I went to the farmers' market and bought some vegetables as a token gesture.
Why is it symbolic? Because if Zhao Qingyan doesn't buy groceries and suddenly creates a huge table full of food out of thin air, her true identity might be exposed if someone in the family sees it.
He carried the shopping basket home and fastened the door in one smooth motion.
Once in the kitchen, I threw the groceries into a trash can in my spatial dimension, then took out the meat I had stockpiled in my previous life, along with the vegetables I had prepared in the valley.
Zhao Qingyan doesn't even dare to eat the vegetables grown in the village now, for fear of causing problems.
Who knew that Zhao Qianci's bad luck wouldn't just appear out of nowhere and mutate? What if the perfectly good vegetables were poisoned?
In just over a day, if you ask what "seeing a snake in a cup" means, Zhao Qingyan will definitely give you a detailed explanation based on her own experience.
After dinner, the sun went down, and the temperature was neither too high nor too low. Zhao Qianci, who had been cooped up in his room all day, wanted to go out into the yard for some exercise and also wanted to use the outhouse.
After all, he was so old, and he was still relieving himself in his room. Even if his sons were very filial, he was still able-bodied and had hands and feet. Zhao Qianci felt very embarrassed.
Huang followed him closely, even when they went to the outhouse, she had to endure the stench and follow him.
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