Chapter 204 Death Tribulation
With only six days left until the provincial examination, the official roads and docks of Jinling were bustling with batches of scholars heading to take the exam, and every inn in the city was fully booked.
Some scholars who arrived late and were short of money had no choice but to find inns far from the examination hall to stay, or endure the noise and stay in the cheapest dormitory or even the woodshed.
With such appalling living conditions, it was difficult to get a full night's sleep, and during the day these scholars could only go out to find a quiet place to read.
Every year, some candidates fall ill due to poor eating and sleeping habits, causing them to miss the triennial provincial examination.
Xu Jinnian and his two companions stayed in a spacious villa, where they did not disturb each other. Over the next few days, they focused on studying and preparing for the exam, while also getting enough rest so they wouldn't be unable to finish the exam.
It's important to know that the provincial examination lasted for nine days. All candidates had to stay in a small, simple examination shed for those nine days, where they ate, drank, and relieved themselves.
If you're lucky, you'll be assigned an exam booth that's windproof, rainproof, and far from the latrines. If you're unlucky, you won't be able to answer the questions properly, and you might even be carried out of the exam booth horizontally.
In short, the imperial examination tested not only knowledge, but also the luck and physical fitness of each candidate.
Although Sheng An said she would leave Xu Jinnian behind and travel all over Jinling City with Liu Xiaoyun and Liu Yanran, she actually spent almost all her time at the villa, cooking nutritious meals for Xu Jinnian.
Of course, I also cooked meals for the other two couples.
Liu Xiaoyun and Liu Yanran were very grateful. They knew nothing about kitchen work, so they could only arrange for their maids and servants to help Sheng An. They also carefully prepared a thank-you gift.
In her spare time between meals, Sheng An was not idle; she would play chess with Liu and Liu or learn embroidery.
Her chess skills were taught by Xu Jinnian, and while she wouldn't call herself a master, she was quite good at it, winning more often than losing against Liu and Liu.
As for embroidery, Sheng An had never had the chance to try it. Seeing that Liu Yanran's embroidery skills were exceptional, he took the initiative to ask her for advice.
Liu Yanran was happy to teach her and was very patient in doing so.
Today, Sheng An's homework was to embroider a bamboo leaf. She picked up her needle and thread and spent half an hour embroidering a, well, a winding earthworm.
After staring at the "earthworm" for a long time, Liu Yanran finally couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Is your embroidery of an earthworm that has been nibbled on by a fish?"
Sheng An nodded shamelessly, trying to save face: "Yes, yes, it was bitten by a fish. How about it, isn't it very realistic?"
Liu Yanran exchanged a glance with Liu Xiaoyun, who was secretly laughing, and then praised her insincerely, "Sister-in-law has a great talent for embroidery. I've been holding an embroidery needle since I was five years old, and I still can't embroider something so lifelike."
At this point, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle again.
Sheng An could no longer keep up the act. He waved his hand dejectedly and said, "Forget it, I'm not going to learn it."
Liu Yanran, however, was not having it. She immediately encouraged him with a serious expression, "You have mastered the two needlework techniques I taught you in just two days. This shows that you have talent. With more practice, you will definitely be able to embroider beautiful pieces."
Liu Xiaoyun also started to praise: "Yanran is right. Embroidery cannot be mastered in a few days. Every master embroidery master in the workshop has been holding a needle for more than ten years before he became a master embroidery master. My sister-in-law is nothing compared to her."
Besides, they don't make a living from embroidery; they just learn it to pass the time in their spare time. Whether their embroidery skills are good or bad is not important.
Encouraged by the two, Sheng An picked up her needle and thread again as if she had been injected with chicken blood: "Okay, I'll learn the needlework techniques first, and then practice slowly when I have time later."
She is still very interested in embroidery, and it is very fulfilling to watch various silk threads turn into exquisite patterns.
If she dies again someday and travels to another world, maybe she can make a living with this skill.
At this moment, Sheng Quan completely forgot that he had cooking skills and that even if he traveled back in time, he wouldn't starve to death.
The leisurely yet fulfilling days passed quickly. On the day before Xu Jinnian and the other two were to take their exams, they finally put down their books, left the study, and took the three women to the countryside to relax.
That night, Sheng An closed his eyes but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Listening to the soft breathing beside her, she tiptoed and propped herself up on one side, carefully observing whether the man beside her was asleep through the dim light from the candle burning outside.
Just as her head was above the man, a large hand suddenly appeared, grabbed her neck, and pressed her down.
Just as Sheng An was about to cry out in surprise, her mouth was sealed by warm lips, silencing her utterance.
Xu Jinnian didn't go too far. After a brief touch, he released the person who was lying on his chest, his deep, husky voice carrying a hint of a smile: "An'an can't sleep?"
Sheng An took a few breaths and pinched the man's chest in annoyance: "Pretending to be asleep in the middle of the night to scare people, do you know you'll scare them to death?"
The force was nothing to worry about. Xu Jinnian adjusted his position, put his arm around his wife's waist, and lay face to face with her on the bed: "I'm not trying to scare you, it's just that I woke up as soon as you made a sound."
Upon hearing this, Sheng An immediately asked with concern, "You woke up so easily, were you nervous?"
At twenty-one, in my previous life I would have been a college student. It's perfectly normal to feel nervous and anxious before the provincial examination, a major test that would affect my future.
Before the man could explain, Sheng An patted his chest to comfort him:
"There's no need for us to be nervous. You're so young, you'll have plenty of opportunities. Even if you fail for a while, it's okay. You still have this face, I definitely won't look down on you..."
Xu Jinnian: "..."
An'an's words of comfort sounded a little strange.
A hint of helplessness flashed in Xu Jinnian's eyes. He raised his hand and gently pinched the tip of Sheng An's nose, interrupting her incessant chatter: "I'm not nervous, it's An'an who's too nervous."
Sheng An was taken aback. Was she nervous?
Xu Jinnian didn't offer any explanation. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, his smiling words carrying a blatant hint: "Since An'an can't sleep, why don't you do something with your husband to help her sleep?"
Sheng An was horrified and instinctively clutched her clothes, looking at the man as if he were a beast: "You'd better behave yourself tomorrow when you have an exam!"
That scoundrel has been behaving himself these past few days, so why is he starting to seduce her again tonight?
Is she the kind of woman who can resist temptation?
A soft chuckle reached her ear, and Sheng An realized she'd been tricked. Annoyed, she pinched him again: "Don't laugh!"
Xu Jinnian held the soft hand on his chest and kissed it: "Your husband will stop laughing."
Sheng An snorted and deliberately turned her back to him.
Otherwise, looking at that unkempt face, she was afraid she might actually do something drastic.
Just as Sheng An was urging herself to close her eyes and fall asleep, a tight embrace pressed against her back, and a large hand held her waist tightly. A man's soothing low voice whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid."
Sheng An froze, opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
She was afraid, yes, she was afraid.
The three-year period has passed, and the calamity of death from the previous life is approaching.
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