Chapter 205 The Clash in Front of the Examination Hall
The next morning, the entire villa was bustling with activity.
All the items to be brought to the examination hall had been prepared well in advance. In addition to the necessary pens and ink, there was also a food stove, thicker clothes, and incense pills to refresh the mind.
Sheng An was worried that Xu Jinnian would draw a bad number, so she specially prepared several boxes of incense.
This incense is in the form of a paste, and a small box of it costs a lot of money. She brought it from Qingzhou on purpose.
The weather still had some lingering summer heat, and cooked meat would spoil and rot the next day, so Sheng An didn't prepare any. Instead, she made a few snacks that could be stored for a long time, so that Xu Jinnian could take them whenever he was hungry.
The main dishes were dried noodles and crispy baked flatbreads made by Sheng An himself, which could be cooked with the water provided in the examination hall.
Sheng An didn't make any of the food items like steamed buns, mantou, or fried dough sticks.
These stuffed foods are manually broken into small pieces by the inspectors before entering the examination room to prevent anyone from smuggling in cheat sheets.
Sheng An didn't believe these people would wash their hands before breaking food, and Xu Jinnian wouldn't eat food that others had touched, so she simply didn't bring any.
This time, she didn't send the food she prepared for Xu Jinnian to Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua's courtyard.
The examination room was in poor condition, and it was common for candidates to have stomach upsets. If these two people experienced gastrointestinal discomfort and it affected their ability to answer the questions, she, as the person who delivered the food, would be held responsible.
The sun had not yet risen in the east when everyone headed towards the examination hall.
At this time, the entrance to the examination hall was bustling with activity, gathering all the students who had come to take the exam. There were no fewer than a thousand people at a glance, and the whole place looked like a vegetable market.
Sheng An saw this and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The competition is too fierce!
Regardless of the number of candidates, Dongjiang Prefecture only selects sixty successful candidates for each provincial examination, a truly remarkable ratio.
Xu Jinnian and the other two did not change their expressions at all. However, they recognized a few familiar faces among the candidates. They were all people who had participated in the Jiang family's internal competition that year.
These people also noticed Xu Jinnian and his group, and they pushed through the crowd to greet them. They were very friendly and warm in their conversation, and agreed to get together sometime after the exam.
After these people left, Sheng An whispered to Xu Jinnian, "Weren't they a little too enthusiastic towards you?"
Before Xu Jinnian could respond, Fang Qingzhou said with a smile, "Mingyu was the top scholar in the last county-level examination. They admire Mingyu's talent and now that they are participating in the same provincial examination, they naturally want to befriend Mingyu."
The implication is clear: these people have high hopes for Xu Jinnian, believing he has a very high chance of passing the imperial examination and that befriending him would only bring them benefits.
Sheng An looked at Xu Jinnian with bright eyes, and gently tickled his palm from an angle unnoticed by others.
That's amazing!
Xu Jinnian received his wife's praise, and a smile appeared on his face as he took her hand in front of everyone.
Many test takers witnessed this scene, but none of them said anything.
They're a married couple, not some illicit lovers. What's the big deal about them shaking hands?
"What kind of behavior is this in broad daylight? It's utterly indecent! Why isn't anyone doing anything about it? They should kick this bastard out of the exam hall..."
Xu Laosan, who had accompanied Xu Huaining to the examination hall not far away, saw this and immediately began to berate them with furious glares and spittle flying, wishing he could rush up and curse them to punish the two people on behalf of the government.
Xu Huaining noticed the strange looks coming from those around him, frowned slightly, and interrupted Xu Laosan, saying, "Third Uncle, stop talking."
Xu Laosan hadn't finished cursing, but dared not disobey him, so he could only swallow the rest of his curses and glare fiercely at Sheng An and Xu Jinnian as if they were his father's killers.
Xu Huaining changed his mind and said gently, "We are brothers after all. Since we have run into each other, we can't pretend we didn't see you. I'll go over and say hello to Jin Nian and his wife. Uncle, come with me."
Xu Laosan was very unwilling, and his gaze toward Xu Jinnian became increasingly disgusted: "What's the point of meeting such a cursed star? What if it offends you and prevents you from passing the imperial examination?"
Upon hearing the words "failed to pass the imperial examination," Xu Huaining's face stiffened, but he quickly recovered: "If Third Uncle doesn't want to go, then so be it. I'll go and talk to Jin Nian by myself."
Xu Laosan panicked and quickly said, "I'll go, I'll go with you!"
That bastard child can't stand to see Huaining do well. What if he doesn't want Huaining to become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and tries to sabotage him so that he can't take the exams?
He must protect Huaining every step of the way and not let that bastard's evil scheme succeed!
Xu Jinnian was completely unaware of Xu Laosan's petty intentions. He was bowing his head and promising Sheng An that after the exam, he would accompany her to tour all of Jinling and buy her the most popular storybooks of the moment.
If he couldn't find any good ones, he would write a few books for her to read alone.
Xu Jinnian had written about it before, and it was quite good. Sheng An read it with great interest and took it to the bookstore to exchange it for ten taels of silver.
Upon hearing that the man wanted to write a story for her, Sheng An was overjoyed.
Just as he was about to hold up five fingers, indicating that he should write at least five books for him, a sudden voice interrupted: "Jin Nian, sister-in-law, you've come too."
Disturbed in her good mood, Sheng An looked at the newcomer with displeasure.
Seeing Xu Huaining's fake smile, she cursed her bad luck inwardly.
Sheng An used to dislike Xu Huaining's face, but after learning that he was cunning and calculating, she developed a strong aversion to him and disliked him very much.
When the three of them conspired to kill the pregnant Liu Huazhi, Sheng An's feelings towards Xu Huaining plummeted, leaving him with nothing but vigilance and disgust.
Unlike Sheng An, Xu Jinnian didn't show his emotions. When he saw Xu Huaining and Xu Laosan, he nodded calmly and said, "Hmm."
Xu Huaining seemed oblivious to his coldness, his face still bearing a warm smile: "I wonder where Jin Nian is staying? Let's find a place to get together after the exams are over."
Xu Jinnian declined directly: "I have other plans after the exam, and I don't have time to meet with Brother Huaining."
Xu Huaining's face showed deep disappointment, and even his voice revealed a hint of frustration: "I was abrupt and didn't ask you if you had time beforehand. It's alright, we brothers can get together again when you return to Qingzhou."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Sheng An spoke up sarcastically on Xu Jinnian's behalf, saying, "Jinnian wants to accompany me to other places for sightseeing, unlike you who lost your wife early and have so much private time."
Fang Qingzhou and the others, unaware of the inside story, looked at Xu Huaining with a strange expression and scrutinized him more closely.
Sister-in-law Xu is straightforward and won't speak ill of others without reason. However, she may have some questionable behavior, so one should be wary of her.
"You ill-mannered thing! What right do you, a woman, have to interrupt when a man is speaking!"
Xu Laosan was very dissatisfied with Xu Jinnian's indifferent attitude, but he knew that he was nothing in Xu Jinnian's eyes, so he kept suppressing his dissatisfaction.
Seeing Sheng An, a woman, speaking rudely to his precious nephew, he could no longer bear it and directly pointed at Sheng An's nose and cursed.
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