After the inspection, Zhao Qianci originally planned to lie down and sleep in the tent immediately, but he was still not at ease, so he sprinkled the powder under the bed, on the walls, and around the newly erected tarpaulin tent before he felt at ease.
They turned the test basket inside out again to make sure there were no unsafe elements inside, and then put the test basket into the tent.
They opened the large umbrella and, using it against the wall and the door panel of the examination room, completely covered the entrance.
Even when it rains, the large umbrella can block the rainwater from drifting in from outside.
Once he was sure it was safe, Zhao Qianci lay down on the wool blanket and quickly fell asleep.
At midnight, a night with a bright moon and few stars, the sky was quickly covered by dark clouds, and large raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Many students were awakened by the rain that drifted in, but Zhao Qianci slept soundly. A clap of thunder in the sky startled Zhao Qianci from his dream.
When I woke up, I didn't know if the umbrella wasn't properly secured or if the heavy rain had shifted its position.
Gradually, it slipped off the tarpaulin tent, and soon it could no longer shield itself from the rainwater drifting in from outside.
Zhao Qianci quickly reached out a hand to stabilize the umbrella.
Just then, another thunderclap struck from the sky, hitting Zhao Qianci's umbrella directly on top, with a flash of white light and sparks flying.
Startled, Zhao Qianci quickly withdrew his hand.
Thankfully, the umbrella handle was made of bamboo, otherwise I would have been electrocuted and burned.
Fortunately, the rain was heavy enough that the flames on Zhao Qianci's umbrella, which had been struck by lightning, were quickly extinguished by the rain.
All of this was clearly seen by the weak man living opposite Zhao Qianci, which terrified him so much that he thought Zhao Qianci had been struck by lightning and died.
The next morning, the weak man was so frightened by the sight of Zhao Qianci peeking out from behind the umbrella that he fainted.
The morning is a free time, and this period is crucial for all the test takers to go to the restroom.
Zhao Qianci's examination room was far from the latrine.
After all the candidates had finished relieving themselves in the outhouse and were about to eat, they kept sensing a faint, unpleasant odor wafting over.
Unfortunately, people couldn't make noise in the examination room, and the smell grew stronger over time.
The yamen runners patrolling the examination halls also sensed something was wrong with the smell and sniffed around, trying to find the source of the odor.
The source of the smell was finally determined to be the weak man.
Looking inside, I saw that this person had fallen under the seat. I called out a few times but there was no response. Peeking over, I saw that the area beneath them was wet.
After reporting to the chief examiner, two people came and carried the weak man out.
The original plan was to use a simple stretcher, but once we got to the person, we found that they had not only urinated but also defecated, so we didn't want to contaminate the stretcher.
It's like they just lifted one leg up and pulled the other leg out.
When they arrived at the area outside where the candidates had submitted their papers early and were resting, the yamen runners, out of humanitarian spirit, still let him lie down on a chair.
After the doctor took his pulse, he stroked his beard, then quickly put his hand down and looked at it with great distress, as if it were covered in excrement.
"Sir, this person has caught a cold and has a fever."
But strangely, he showed signs of fright, and his filth was likely related to that.
After the doctor finished speaking, he stood with his hands behind his back, as far away as possible.
The examiner and the constables looked at each other in bewilderment. Last night, it had only rained and thundered a few times, and nothing strange had happened. How could he have fainted from fright?
By the time the weak man woke up, the exam had already been going on for more than half an hour.
The weak man looked up at the sky and sighed, "God is trying to kill me."
The weak man is from Shanshui Village, Ji'an Town, and his real name is Xu Ruonan.
The youngest son in the family has spent a lot of money on his education over the years, and we are hoping that he can pass the imperial examination and bring honor to our ancestors.
Xu Ruonan is very hardworking and academically accomplished, but she gets stage fright every time she takes an exam.
The questions that I can answer easily on a normal day, I can't remember at all when I'm in the exam room, and the more anxious I get, the less I can remember.
The more he couldn't remember, the more panicked he became, creating a vicious cycle. He failed the imperial examinations three times in a row, and this time he ended the exams in such a shameful way.
Xu Ruonan was filled with resentment and wanted to find an outlet for her anger. She couldn't find a reason to vent her anger and resentment, so she ended up hating Zhao Qianci.
"Officer, that old man in the examination room across from me isn't human, he's a monster."
Last night, a bolt of lightning struck, and I saw it clearly; his umbrella caught fire.
Logically speaking, with such a huge lightning bolt, he would definitely be struck by it while holding an umbrella; a normal person would either die or be seriously injured.
Last night's heavenly lightning must have helped him overcome his tribulation; he was perfectly fine this morning.
That must be it. He's a demon, a demon! Quickly catch him and burn him alive!
If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have fainted from fright. It's all his fault, his fault..."
Xu Ruonan became increasingly agitated as she spoke, having initially thought the constables would arrest Zhao Qianci.
When he looked up, he saw everyone looking at him with the kind of concern that people with intellectual disabilities have for him.
After discussing it, the group concluded that Xu Ruonan had mental problems.
If someone isn't struck by lightning and killed, then everyone in the exam hall must be a monster, since everyone else is alive.
Zhao Qianci was simply lucky to have registered at the examination hall.
Last time, the exam hall collapsed, but they were unharmed. This time, there was thunder, and they were unharmed again. Can you say they aren't incredibly lucky?
But then again, this person is unlucky. Why do all these scary things happen to him?
"Hey test taker, stop thinking about all that nonsense and hurry up. While we guys are still free, let's go to the outhouse together and take care of your pants."
Only after being reminded did Xu Ruonan snap out of her resentment and realize her embarrassing situation, her face turning bright red.
There's no toilet paper these days, and Xu Ruonan doesn't have any spare pants. Her pants are already full of poop. What to do?
This man had completely let loose, asking the yamen runners for a bucket of water and a ladle.
After entering the outhouse, take off your pants, wash yourself clean, turn your pants inside out, use the bamboo strips provided in the outhouse to scrape off the excrement, and then use a ladle to rinse them with water.
Whether it was clean or not is unclear, but Xu Ruonan was wearing wet pants when she came out of the outhouse.
Returning to her previous spot, Xu Ruonan saw the stained area on the chair and had no desire to sit down. Instead, she stood there, letting the sun shine on her backside.
I hope I can dry my pants through the dirty shirt.
The constables took another big step back; standing next to this guy was simply too much of a test of their patience.
As for saving face, Xu Ruonan had already given up struggling. At this point, she had failed the exam and would be separated from her family when she got home. From now on, she would have to rely on her own hands to do farm work in the fields.
What hope is left in life?
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