As soon as it was light, the inn became lively.
The old master also got up very early today, and he led his students to the place where the results were posted.
Although it's still a while before the results are released, they're not the only ones who can't contain their excitement; the entire notice board for the results is already surrounded by people.
"The officials are here, everyone make way!"
Soon, a group of officials came from behind the crowd, carrying several large red notices that they plastered all over the bulletin board.
Then everyone, whether they could read or not, started pushing forward, but Lin Xue wasn't in a hurry to squeeze in.
The old master couldn't resist. Despite his thin and frail appearance, he was incredibly slippery when it came to squeezing through people.
Before Lin Xue could react, the Master had already squeezed to the front of the crowd.
He started looking forward from the last person, mainly because there were too many people ahead of him, and he didn't squeeze through immediately.
While looking at the list, I counted on my fingers.
Eight candidates came to his academy this time, and now he is holding up three fingers, presumably because he has already seen the names of three students.
As the master looked, he stretched out his fingers, finally stopping at five fingers.
Five out of eight people who came were selected, which is a pretty good result.
When the teacher came out, everyone saw that he had a big smile on his face, especially when he looked at Lin Xue, his smile was even more intense.
"Great job! I didn't expect you to get first place. Looks like all that studying these past few days has paid off!"
The teacher walked over to Lin Xue, patted him on the shoulder, and led his student back to the inn with a smile.
Old Man Lin was also squeezing into the crowd with his eldest son, but unfortunately, neither of them could read.
Although neither of them could read, they did recognize the name Lin Zhongyi.
When they looked from the last name to the first name, they discovered that their second son's name was prominently displayed at the top of the list, and both father and son were moved to tears.
"Dad, it seems Mom didn't kill that old hen for nothing. Second Brother didn't let us down this time!"
Lin Zhongde clenched his fists excitedly, thinking of what his wife had told him a while ago. Now he no longer had to worry or be troubled.
Now that their second younger brother has passed the preliminary examination, if he can pass the county-level examination during the autumn harvest, their family will be able to change their fortunes.
At that time, the phrase "a family of farmers and scholars" will be enough for them to establish themselves in the village.
Let's see who dares to laugh at them for supporting an idiot to study.
Lin Zhongde said that his second younger brother usually seemed very smart, so how could he not study well?
He himself said that the reason he failed the exam the previous times was because of his health.
Before setting off this time, Mother personally killed an old hen to nourish my second brother's body.
If a single hen could solve the problem, why has their family waited until now to produce a scholar?
Lin Zhongde felt both happy and resentful, much like the old man Lin.
Everyone thought that if they had killed a chicken for their second son earlier, they wouldn't have had to wait so many years.
Fortunately, Lin Xue was unaware of their thoughts.
Otherwise, she would definitely add, "If you don't work hard, eating a lot of chicken won't help!"
Lin Xue followed the teacher back to the academy first, while Old Man Lin and his eldest son arrived home first.
When the family members heard that their second son had passed the imperial examination, they were all overjoyed with smiles on their faces.
Even Lin Zhongyi's sister-in-law and brother's wife showed rare smiles, unlike their usual gloomy expressions.
When the children heard that their second uncle had passed the imperial examination, they straightened their backs as they walked.
In the past, when they went to the village, they were often ridiculed by other children their age.
Now that my second uncle (second paternal uncle) has finally passed the exam, let's see if anyone in the village dares to laugh at them anymore.
When Lin Xue returned, he brought back the document confirming his status as a student.
This item is extremely valuable; it determines whether he can take the imperial examination to become a scholar.
This time, the teacher gave them a three-day break so they could rest well and then return to the academy to continue their studies.
After Lin Xue returned, she didn't hide in her room to read as usual.
She reached out and hugged the youngest child in the family, Lin Zhongping's only daughter.
"Has Niu Niu not been eating properly lately? How come she's lost so much weight?"
It wasn't until she held the child in her arms that Lin Xue realized how thin the child had really become.
All I could feel was bone and skin. Could it be that we're really starving?
"Second Uncle, Niu Niu has eaten some porridge, she's not hungry!"
Lin Xue knew what they meant by "paste"—it was a powder made from wild vegetables mixed with ground tree roots.
It not only tastes bad, but it also has absolutely no nutritional value and is difficult to digest.
The reason the children didn't feel hungry was because the mushy food they ate was difficult to digest.
Niu Niu's words pained Lin Xue. What a good child she was! How could she let her go hungry?
"Does Niu Niu want to eat meat?"
Lin Xue touched Niu Niu's sparse, yellow hair; the child clearly suffered from severe malnutrition.
"think!"
Although her grandmother had said that all the meat in the house belonged to her second uncle, she was determined to tell him the truth now that he was asking her.
Because her father had told her that her second uncle was a scholar who knew a lot and was very capable.
In Niu Niu's mind, scholars are very, very capable people.
"Then Niu Niu, wait at home. Your second uncle will go and get you some meat!"
After saying that, Lin Xue took an axe from the woodshed and ran off to the back mountain.
The women in the family were busy with their work in the vegetable garden, while the others went to work in the fields after chatting with Lin Xue for a while.
There were only three children left at home, and the eldest, Daya, was out digging for wild vegetables with her basket and wasn't home.
The eldest son's second son is seven years old this year and has no idea how dangerous it is for his second uncle to go up the mountain.
Seeing that Lin Xue had left, although he was a bit mischievous as a boy, he didn't go out to play by himself and leave his third uncle's daughter behind.
It wasn't until the adults in the family gradually returned and asked about Lin Xue's whereabouts that Lin Xiao Er said his second uncle had gone to the mountains.
This frightened the Lin family quite a bit, and they all grabbed their sickles and hoes and went to the foot of the mountain together.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, they didn't dare to delay and split up to search up the mountain.
"Lin Zhongyi, Lin Zhongyi, where did you hear that squeak!"
"Lin Zhongyi, Lin Zhongyi, where are you?"
Lin Xue was carrying a half-grown wild boar back when she heard someone calling her name.
"Third brother, what are you howling about over there?"
The more Lin Xue listened to the voice, the more she felt something was wrong. What was wrong with the third brother? Why was he calling her name with a sobbing tone?
"Second brother, second brother, why did you come up the mountain? Do you know how worried the family was about you?"
"Haven't you heard there are wolves in these mountains? How come you're so bold as to come up here by yourself?"
Upon hearing his second brother's voice, Lin Zhongping rushed over.
Before I even got close, she launched into a tirade of criticism.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
