Xu Chengzong jumped up as he came out of the examination hall, touched the calligraphy brush in his arms, and squeezed the sachet, his heart filled with tenderness.
He abandoned his servant and carriage, and rode back to Xiushan County at full speed, heading straight for the Meng family.
Upon hearing the gatekeeper's report, Meng Fangxu's heart stirred, and he went directly to the gate to see him.
Then he saw a man pacing back and forth at the door, his face full of anxiety. When he saw him, he immediately became excited and called out "Brother Meng" twice.
Meng Fangxu saw that he was radiant and full of energy, looking confident and determined to succeed, as if he was certain that he would pass the exam.
However, he knew this guy's own limitations; it would be impossible for him to pass the exam in just half a year unless the God of Literature intervened.
He cleared his throat and asked, feigning seriousness, "How did the exam go?"
"It went very smoothly, and I feel confident that I will pass the exam."
Meng Fangxu subconsciously pursed his lips, wanting to dampen his blind confidence, but the guy took something out of his pocket, wrapped it carefully in a handkerchief.
He recognized it with his sharp eyes; the handkerchief looked like it had been embroidered stitch by stitch by his own younger sister, and his face immediately darkened.
Xu Chengzong seemed oblivious, revealing the cleaned calligraphy brush inside. He patted the sachet at his waist and said in a cheerful tone with a hint of boasting, "Thanks to Li Niang for getting me this Wenchang talisman and Wenchang brush, I was divinely aided during the exam, and the questions went very smoothly."
Meng Fangxu felt a pang of jealousy, thinking about why he hadn't passed the exam back then, and said sourly, "The results haven't come out yet, what are you so smug about?"
Xu Chengzong smiled, his eyes full of confidence. Then he became serious, put away his brush, and bowed deeply to Meng Fangxu, who was puzzled and quickly stepped aside.
"Please pass on a message for me, Brother Meng. Once the results of the provincial examination are out, I, Xu Chengzong, will come to propose to her in a grand and honorable manner, with all the proper betrothal gifts and formalities, so that she may become my bride in a glorious and dignified way."
Meng Fangxu wanted to ask what would happen if you didn't pass the exam, but then felt it was unlucky. Considering her younger sister and mother's attitude, she hesitated for a long time and decided to wait for the results before asking.
What if this guy gets incredibly lucky and passes the exam?
After Xu Chengzong finished speaking, he prepared to leave. Meng Fangxu subconsciously asked, "Don't you plan to see Liniang?"
Xu Chengzong shook his head: "I'll come see her again after I get the title of Xiucai, so I can tell her that I haven't disappointed her."
He led his horse away, but after walking a short distance, he looked back one last time.
Meng Fangxu was still standing at the entrance, the plaque above his head bearing the words "Meng Mansion," which stood out prominently in the increasingly dark twilight. A pale yellow shadow appeared faintly behind him before appearing beside him.
Xu Chengzong recognized the person he had been longing for. He smiled and waved, but when he turned back, his eyes welled up with tears. The anxiety, fear, and unease in his heart finally surfaced belatedly.
He couldn't help but think about what would happen if he didn't pass the exam, what if the Meng family refused to marry off their daughter, or what if Liniang married someone else...
He feels he did well on the test, but what if it's just a matter of self-satisfaction?
He tasted bitterness and couldn't help but regret not studying hard in the past. He thought that since his father was a county magistrate, he only knew how to be carefree and didn't strive for progress.
He quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, resisting the urge to turn back again, mounted his horse, and rode away without looking back.
The results of the provincial examinations are usually released in about five days. Xu Chengzong was trying to avoid seeing his beloved, but he was also plagued by nightmares and unable to sleep peacefully, while he was also anxious about the results.
On the night before the results were released, he couldn't sleep. He looked through the books in his room over and over again, memorizing them repeatedly, trying to regain the confidence he had when answering the questions.
Before dawn, he dragged his servant to wait. People around him couldn't help but tease him and were also curious whether this unreliable son of the county magistrate could pass the exam. So, not only the students who participated in the provincial examination, but also many ordinary people who might not even know many characters gathered in front of the notice wall.
When someone came to post the notice, everyone rushed over. Xu Chengzong and his servant searched for his name together, one from the beginning and the other from the end.
He glanced at the list and saw his name in the middle of the second column. He was overjoyed, but then worried that it might be a duplicate name. He checked the exam room number, hometown, and age again, and then burst out laughing with excitement.
"I passed the exam! I passed the exam!"
The servant, forgetting to continue searching, hurriedly congratulated his young master. Those who had come to join in the fun also saw this and offered their congratulations, showering him with all sorts of flattering words.
Xu Chengzong squeezed through the crowd and galloped away. In the short time it took his servant to fetch the horse, he was nowhere to be found. Looking around, he figured Xu Chengzong must have gone to find Miss Meng, so he pulled his horse and hurried after him.
There were too many people near the notice wall, so the horse couldn't run wildly. When the crowd thinned out, the servant still couldn't find the person, so he quickly rode his horse to look for him. Finally, he caught up with his young master, who was running and jumping around, as happy as a fool.
"Young master, young master, don't run! Riding a horse is faster." As he spoke, the servant reined in the horse and dismounted.
Xu Chengzong slapped his forehead, patted him on the shoulder and said he would give him a raise. He then mounted his horse and rode off first, telling him to go back slowly by himself and that he could play outside for a day or two if he wanted.
When the Meng family saw that he had indeed passed the exam, they still couldn't believe it. It wasn't until the servants they had sent out returned that they believed it and couldn't help but look at Xu Chengzong with higher regard.
Xu Chengzong and Meng Liniang had not seen each other for nearly ten days. They poured out their hearts to each other on a tree in the front yard. Xu Chengzong then rushed home to tell his parents that he still needed to prepare a wild goose as a betrothal gift.
Xu Chengzong passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). The Meng family had no reason to object anymore, and the Xu family immediately began to make arrangements.
The two families quickly calculated their birth dates and times and found that they were a perfect match. They then decided on a date and set the wedding for the second day of the seventh lunar month.
Xu Chengzong had been confined to his studies for half a year, but he couldn't stand it any longer and started taking her out to play in the streets and alleys.
On the other hand, Di Xiu's medical skills have also reached a certain level of proficiency, and he has begun to treat patients on his own.
Dr. Li often complained, "I've taught three apprentices, but my entire school has starved to death." However, seeing how quickly he learned and became proficient in acupuncture and massage, curing patients one by one, he felt very gratified.
He didn't ask his third disciple when he planned to leave. While he was still around, he kept urging his eldest disciple, who was much more mediocre in comparison.
The disclaimer letter that Di Xiu had written earlier was used again to deal with another medical dispute. After discussing it for a long time, Dr. Li and Dr. Huang decided to continue using it.
They opened this clinic together out of compassion, wanting to help people solve various ailments. However, they were also really troubled by these disturbances, and doing so did indeed reduce some of the problems.
However, it should be used with caution to prevent it from spreading and being used by quack doctors to harm patients.
They revised the document and published it in the clinic, which caused quite a stir. Most of the responses were supportive, because people believed in their medical skills.
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