Chapter 96 County Examination
The county examination was presided over by the county magistrate and consisted of five sessions.
Early in the morning of February 12th, just as the night watchman passed by striking his clapper, Guo Baiwen could faintly hear the sound of someone getting up in the courtyard.
I reckon it's Grandma. She went to bed very late last night and got up so early today. She has to go to the shop later.
I wonder if Grandma, at her age, can still hold on.
Although he was still lying down, he was already conscious. While listening to the sounds outside, he subconsciously reviewed the preparations he had made the day before.
After confirming that nothing had been missed, his eyes unconsciously began to move, and he slowly cleared the last vestiges of morning grogginess before finally opening them.
He quietly got up and changed his clothes. As he was packing his things in the dim light of dawn, Chen Baoyue woke up. Hearing the noise, she turned her sleepy eyes to look at him, and sat up in surprise, saying, "Is it already time?"
"Hmm, it's okay. You should sleep a little longer."
He had barely finished speaking when he saw Chen Baoyue also quickly get up, clearly not intending to continue sleeping.
The lights inside the house were quickly turned on, and the two of them helped each other pack.
Just as he was about to leave with his exam basket, Grandma Guo brought over breakfast.
Thinking about the exam, I prepared a simple breakfast today: I took out the pancakes I made the day before, fried them, and had a cup of freshly brewed egg tea with them.
If you eat a warm breakfast, you won't feel cold all day.
Upon hearing the sound of a gong outside, Guo Baiwen tidied his clothes, went to the toilet before leaving, and then waited at the entrance of the examination hall with the basket he had prepared.
He arrived rather late; there were already quite a few candidates queuing up at the entrance.
There were thirty people lined up in a row, and when he arrived, he was in the eighth row.
Standing in front of him was an elderly examinee with a gray beard, who was currently being inspected by the yamen runners to see if there were any smuggled items hidden in his basket and clothes.
When it was his turn, he submitted his receipt first, and then went to the front for inspection.
During the inspection, even the food brought along was carefully examined. Fortunately, Guo Baiwen listened to the teacher's advice and brought fried rice.
The pancakes in the basket of the person before me were broken into powder, and it was even checked that they were made by hand. I don't know if they'll still be edible after they're inside.
However, if you get really hungry then, you probably won't care about this discomfort.
Once you're inside the exam hall, just go into the row of small rooms according to your assigned number.
The house is low, so it's fine to sit for long periods, but if you stand up, you have to bend over.
After arranging his small house, Guo Baiwen went inside to start putting away the things in his basket. He took advantage of the fact that there weren't too many people around and could come out and move around a bit more.
Once the exam hall is closed, they will not be allowed to leave the building freely.
The first round was relatively simple. It only tested some interpretations of the Four Books and Five Classics, and also required answering the second half of a sentence given the first half, or the first half of a sentence given the second half, as well as the source of the interpretations and passages.
Further down, there's a list of specific book titles and chapters that you need to memorize.
The test examines the mastery of the Four Books and Five Classics.
As long as you memorize the Four Books and Five Classics, you will be able to write them down.
Guo Baiwen has been diligently memorizing his lessons during this period, and he still keeps in mind the points his teacher made about his handwriting last time.
I wrote it out on a draft paper first before slowly transferring it onto the exam paper.
When he came out of the examination room, many students had already handed in their papers and left.
The results of this exam would be posted on a notice board at the county government office the next day. Grandma Guo got up very early, but even though Guo Baiwen said she was confident about the exam, she didn't dare to go and see it by herself.
They insisted on bringing Chen Youtian along, and the two of them huddled in the crowd listening to the yamen runners reading out names under the notice.
As she watched the names of her children dwindle and she still hadn't heard her son Wenzai's name, Grandma Guo was already wondering how to comfort him when she got back.
Chen Youtian, on the other hand, acted as if he'd just picked up some money, tugging hard at Grandma Guo's sleeve, "Grandma Guo! Did you hear that?! Young Master Guo! He passed! He passed!"
Grandma Guo was so confused by the tugging that she still managed to argue, "No way! I didn't hear my Wenzai's name called at all."
"Read it! Read it! Read it 'Guo Baiwen'!" Chen Youtian's face turned bright red, as if he had just drunk two ounces of liquor, and his eyes lit up.
Only after he said that did Grandma Guo belatedly realize that Wenzai had changed his name and was no longer called Bawen.
No wonder she hadn't heard Bawen's name after listening for so long.
She was getting old and confused, but she couldn't think about anything else right now. She grabbed Chen Youtian's arm and asked anxiously, "What place?! Did you hear what place Wenzai was just announced to be?"
"Twenty-seven! The twenty-seventh!"
"Good, good, good, as long as it's manageable." Grandma Guo was happy and not only bought meat but also several kinds of braised dishes to take home.
By the time the results of the second and third matches came out, Grandma Guo had gained some experience.
Instead of awkwardly squeezing into the crowd, they would bring a small stool with them before leaving home and reserve a spot at a nearby tea stall well in advance, so that they could hear the yamen runners announcing names and rankings from outside.
Candidates who fail the previous exam are not eligible to participate in the subsequent county-level exams.
When the last name was called, the candidates and their relatives who hadn't heard their own names were all dazed, unsteady on their feet, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
Grandma Guo was initially overjoyed for her son Wenzai, but seeing their expressions, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Forget it, I'll be happy when I get back.
My own exam results weren't exactly top-notch, so I won't dwell on other people's painful experiences.
Guo Baiwen ranked 23rd in the second round and 23rd in the third round.
If things continue at this level, it's practically a sure thing, if not a guaranteed win.
The Guo and Chen families were both quite happy, but they were also afraid that their happiness would put pressure on Guo Baiwen, so they could only keep their joy to themselves these past few days.
I don't know whether it's good or bad for a while.
When the results of the fourth round came out, Guo Baiwen's ranking had subtly moved up again, climbing to twenty-first place.
After hearing the results, Grandma Guo didn't show any emotion in front of everyone, but when she was alone in her room, she began to pray to all the gods and Buddhas for blessings.
Only one game left.
Guo Baiwen thought he wasn't nervous, but when he saw the door where the final list was posted, he realized his heart was pounding incredibly fast.
When the sound of the gong was heard again, the crowd that had been noisy and discussing suddenly quieted down.
The gate opened, and several yamen runners came out, each holding a large piece of paper, which they were posting on the bulletin board.
Upon seeing this, the crowd immediately erupted in excitement.
Almost the instant the papers were pasted up, the crowd began to surge forward involuntarily.
Guo Baiwen was also pulled along and subconsciously squeezed inside.
At this moment, people's natural fear of the county government seemed to disappear, and all they could see was this piece of paper covered with names and rankings.
"Excuse me! Let me see first!"
"Don't push! Everyone, don't push! Just because you're at the front doesn't mean you'll get a spot!"
The sounds of crying, laughter, and cursing mingled together, creating quite a lively scene.
No one knew who stepped on whose foot or who pulled whose hat, but Guo Baiwen finally managed to squeeze to the front of the notice and was able to see the words written on it.
Will his name actually be on this piece of paper?
If so, he should go back today and start preparing for the prefectural examination in April.
Unlike the county-level examinations, the prefectural examinations required three consecutive sessions, making them a tough and difficult battle.
But what if his name isn't on it...
It's alright, it doesn't matter.
He's only been in school for two years at most; if he doesn't succeed the first time, he'll try again, and even a third time.
It's just an exam, it's nothing, it's nothing.
He kept repeating the same thought to himself, and finally, under the shoving from behind, he silently opened his eyes and began searching for his name on the notice board in front of him.
He was tall, and he was squeezed into the crowd, blocking the view from behind. The two people behind him jumped around for a long time but still couldn't get past the tall guy in front of them.
Seeing that he was still unwilling to move away from the front, the two students, who were already anxious about their rankings, could no longer tolerate this.
"Hey! Have you finished watching?!"
"Exactly! Standing so tall and blocking the way, what's with all the showing off?!"
Because of his anxiety, he didn't speak very politely.
They thought the tall guy in front would turn around and say something to them, but to their surprise, the people in front remained silent. Just as the people behind were getting increasingly impatient, a cheer suddenly erupted, "I passed! I passed!"
And he was only ranked eighteenth!!!
The results of the county examination were announced, with the top twenty in one tier and the bottom thirty in another.
He originally thought that based on his grades, it would be quite an achievement to be able to squeeze into the final fifty.
Unexpectedly, his last-minute effort allowed him to successfully squeeze into the top twenty!
Although it's at the bottom of the top 20, it's still a solid top 20!
"I made it—" Guo Baiwen's eyes lit up. Before he could finish his reflection, the two people behind him, hearing the cheers, pushed forward even more anxiously.
He already knew his ranking, so he avoided the crowd that was still pushing forward and slowly walked back.
After finally managing to squeeze out of the crowd, his clothes were all wrinkled, but it was the most relaxed and pleasant moment Guo Baiwen had experienced in a long time.
Half of my heart was at ease. Now, standing outside the crowd and looking at the list, I saw some candidates cheering and jumping for joy after passing the exam, and others looking ashen-faced and crying angrily.
Beneath a single notice lie two entirely different feelings.
The imperial examinations...
He unconsciously suppressed the joy on his face and sighed.
This is only the first step of the county examination; he hasn't officially become a student yet.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I just realized that the summaries lately are all two words. Damn it, I'm completely out of ideas! [cracked face]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
