Chapter 88 A New Year, A Myriad of Human Experiences…
Today is a nice day.
Yang Xianu mixed a bowl of rice bran with the leftover vegetable soup from breakfast and then carried it to the chicken coop in the backyard.
The five or six chickens inside saw the food and rushed over one by one.
While her mother was feeding the chickens, Xu Tianqiao tiptoed into the henhouse and collected all the eggs laid that day.
Count them, there are only two today.
The weather has been cold lately, and the hens are laying fewer eggs. It seems they'll have to wait until spring, when the weather warms up, to lay more eggs.
Recently, things have been going better at home, so Yang Xiaonu hasn't been saving up the eggs she's collected these past few days to sell, unlike before.
After feeding her, she looked at Xu Tianqiao's hands, which were still holding the eggs, and asked, "Only two today?"
"Mmm, Mother, there are too few eggs."
"There aren't many eggs because it's been cold lately." Yang Xiaonu led the child to the kitchen, made her put the eggs down, washed her hands, and coaxed, "How about we fry these two eggs and eat them?"
If you have three, you can make three bowls of sweet egg drop soup.
But last time, because she only had two eggs, she only made one bowl for each of them, Qiaomai and Tianqiao.
As soon as I put the bowl on the table, I was scolded by Qiaomai.
Now that the family is better off, we no longer need to provide these good things like eggs and candy for just him and Tianqiao.
If she mentioned it once or twice, Yang Xianu could still mumble "uh-huh" to get away with it.
But Yang Qiaomai kept talking to her every day, and her ears were almost calloused from all the talking.
So it's better to avoid trouble.
Winter days are short; it gets dark as soon as it's past 5 PM.
Just as she was about to close the door, she heard a knock at the gate of the yard.
Who would it be at this moment?
Hearing the knocking, Yang Xiaonu became alert. While telling Tianqiao to stay inside and not go out, she picked up the washing mallet by the door and shouted in the yard, "Who is it?!"
Fortunately, the voice coming from outside the door was very familiar.
"Madam Yang! It's me!"
So it's Guo Banshan.
She opened the courtyard gate, and upon seeing familiar faces, her expression relaxed. "Nothing's wrong at the academy today? Why are you here at this hour?"
Guo Banshan smiled and handed over the half-piece of cloth he was holding. "It's the New Year, and the academy is on holiday for the next few days. I'm going back to Guo Family Village soon, and I thought I'd come and see you and the child before I go back."
He handed it over, and Yang Xiaonv took it without hesitation. "Is this fabric something you're planning to ask me to make clothes for you?"
The uniforms issued by the academy had been torn twice before, and Guo Banshan brought them to her for mending both times.
Since they were all acquaintances, she only accepted a few coins as a token payment.
So when he got the cloth, he assumed that Guo Banshan was going to ask him to make him a new outfit.
"No, no, this was specially brought for you and the child."
"Such a big piece of cloth?!" Yang Xiaonu was startled by his action and hurriedly began to refuse, "Brother Banshan, you don't have many clothes yourself! This, how can you accept this!"
This fabric doesn't feel cheap to the touch.
Previously, Guo Banshan would occasionally send over some dried bean curd and candied fruit. Since the items weren't considered too expensive, and he said they were for sweet buckwheat, they were not expensive.
So after she declined a few times, she finally accepted it.
But this large piece of cloth is different.
It must be worth a lot of money!
"Please accept it, Madam Yang," Guo Banshan insisted. "These are New Year's gifts from the academy; I have enough clothes to wear!"
"Besides, I've been staying in the county town these past few days and have already troubled you quite a bit, so please don't stand on ceremony with me."
After a back-and-forth exchange, Yang Xiaonu finally gave in and accepted the cloth.
Holding such a large piece of cloth in her hands, Yang Xiaonu felt a little embarrassed. "These days, you're always the one bringing things over, and I haven't had anything to give you in return—"
As she was talking, she suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "I just fried some salted beans a few days ago. You said you were going back to Guojia Village soon, so I'll pack some for you to take on the road."
Even if he didn't accept the salted beans, Yang Xianu would still try her best to give him things later.
Upon hearing this, Guo Banshan did not refuse and readily agreed.
He stood at the door for a while and then saw Yang Xianu come over with two cloth bags. "This bag contains salted beans that I made. They were originally made to go with rice. They're a bit salty, so don't eat too many later, or you'll get thirsty."
"I know."
Then, looking curiously at the other bag, she asked, "What's in this one?"
Yang Xiaonu smiled shyly, "I saw you wearing straw sandals a few days ago. Now that the weather is cold, even if you make thick socks, straw sandals are still a bit cold. Luckily, we had an extra pair of shoe soles at home a few days ago, so I made you a new pair of shoes."
After she said that, Guo Banshan looked down at his feet.
A pair of straw sandals, worn and not new, probably worn for quite some time. I don't know when, but there was even a hole in the heel of the sandals.
No one noticed his usual attire; it was only today, when Yang Xianu brought it up, that he noticed.
Her face flushed instantly, and she tried to hide her torn foot behind her back, feeling embarrassed as she stammered, "This, this is so embarrassing..."
After all, a pair of shoes isn't cheap.
It's time-consuming and laborious to do.
Especially after being persuaded by Yang Niangzi, he took out a shoe, tried it on his foot, and found that it fit perfectly, which made him even more embarrassed.
"This—this is too valuable."
Guo Banshan had already reached into his collar. "How about I just give you the money for these new shoes?"
Yang Xiaonu was displeased upon hearing this. "If you keep saying that, then I'll give that piece of cloth back to you!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Banshan dared not mention the money again and had no choice but to accept it.
"Then thank you, Madam Yang."
"You're too kind." Yang Xiaonu waved her hand. "Are you in a hurry to leave the city?"
Guo Banshan was a little dazed. "Huh? Ah!"
"Ah, what Madam Yang says is true," Indeed, it was getting late. He carefully stuffed the two cloth bags into his arms, as he still had to catch the oxcart home.
So he could only walk away while looking back, saying, "Then I'll head back now. See you after the New Year."
See you after the New Year!
Once the person had disappeared from sight at the alley entrance, Yang Xiaonu looked around the courtyard gate to make sure no one else was there before carefully closing the gate.
When Yang Qiaomai got home, she had just finished making a big bowl of fried rice with eggs.
Smelling the delicious aroma of eggs and cured meat, Xu Tianqiao didn't need anyone to feed her; she picked up a spoon and started eating from the bowl.
One spoonful after another, he held the spoon quite well.
People tend to have a better appetite in winter, since it's cold and they need to eat more to keep warm.
In winter, when people wear many thick clothes, it's not very noticeable even if they gain a lot of weight.
Yang Xiaonu ate her meal while thinking about it, but soon she was amused by her own idea.
After all, in previous years, there were never any days when we could worry about gaining weight in winter.
Last year, her family wasn't exactly well-off. Even during the Lunar New Year, they only managed to buy new shoes and New Year's dishes for everyone by saving money from the sweets, eggs, meat, vegetables, and buckwheat delivered by the shop.
But tonight, while we were staying up to welcome the New Year, several new dishes appeared on the Yang family's table.
Not only were there more meat and vegetables, but even the oil floating on top of the soup had become thicker.
It was already dark when a series of explosions came from outside. Yang Qiaomai led Tianqiao into the yard and looked out. They saw people setting off firecrackers in the alley outside.
Amid the children's cheers, even through the door, bursts of light could be seen outside, and in the distance, fireworks could be seen being set off near the county government office.
It wasn't very big; from a distance, you could only see a glimpse of the fireworks' brilliance.
This year, their family bought some firecrackers in advance. Yang Qiaomai lit an incense stick, and the two of them squatted at the door of their house, setting off firecrackers just like everyone else in the alley.
"uncle!"
Sweetie's speech has become more fluent now. Today, to match the occasion, her sister dressed her in a bright pink jacket with delicate white pom-poms adorning the edges.
A small red dot was placed between her eyebrows, making her look even cuter.
She looked at the small firecracker, raised the incense stick higher and higher, her small face serious as she asked earnestly, "After lighting the firecracker, will the Nian monster stop coming to our house to eat our children?"
A while ago, she heard the story of the man-eating monster Nian from Sister Guo.
Children are at a time when they are afraid.
These past few days, I've had to coax and plead with my mom to go to the toilet with me at night.
She was terrified that if she went to the toilet, the Nian beast would catch her and eat her.
Looking at her like this, Yang Qiaomai couldn't help but smile even more. "Yes, that's right, setting off firecrackers will keep the sweet buckwheat safe!"
After receiving the assurance, Xu Tianqiao felt much more relaxed.
The incense sticks that had been held high were carefully lowered.
Soon, the sound of firecrackers from the Yang family echoed through the alley.
'Bang bang bang!' 'Bang bang bang!'
It's a new year again.
*
The Lunar New Year has passed, and the weather is still chilly despite the warm spells.
This year is a year of major examinations. The capital city will hold the spring imperial examination, while the local areas will hold county-level examinations.
Since the start of the school year at Yangzheng Academy, a tense atmosphere has been pervasive, with only a few months left until the county examination.
For this year's county examination, the students in Class A, who were preparing to take the exam, were all reading and writing with an air of certainty that they would win.
However, for students like Guo Baiwen and Lin Zhongbin who have just entered Class A, their foundation is still relatively weak, and they have only recently learned the key points of the article. It would be a bit too much for them to take the exam now.
Fortunately, besides the two of them, there were several other students in Class A who were not participating in this county examination.
However, both Master Guo and Master Cao felt that if the academy exam went smoothly this year, the students could also register to take the exam next year and broaden their horizons.
Even if we don't guarantee a place, it's good to accumulate experience so we won't feel nervous in future competitions.
After spending a long time in Class A, Guo Baiwen was unconsciously amazed by the hard work and diligence of his classmates.
Perhaps everyone was holding back a strong desire to learn, and even those who weren't taking the exam this year were motivated by the atmosphere of studying.
During the period leading up to the exam, all the students in Class A were in this situation.
During lunch break or after school, students from Class B or Class C would instinctively lower their voices as they passed by.
The exam was drawing ever closer.
The county examination was on the tenth day of the second lunar month. It wasn't until the day before the exam that Master Cao allowed the students who were taking the exam to rest.
“We have made sufficient preparations beforehand, regardless of whether the final result is good or bad,” Master Cao said, though he still looked serious. However, the words he spoke made him seem less serious than he actually was.
"Remember, everyone, mindset is the most important thing. Stay calm and don't panic."
This is easy to say, but every year when students take the exam, there are always a few who lose their composure.
Master Cao could only give him a few more instructions himself.
Fortunately, the county examination was held in the county town. When Guo Baiwen arrived at the academy in the morning, he found that most of the seats in the Class A, which was originally full, were now empty.
Knowing that those who didn't come today had gone to take the exam, the remaining people greeted each other and returned to their seats to continue their studies.
The county examination consists of five sessions, one per day.
The first round is the easiest. Although the specific rankings won't be announced, you can only proceed to the next round if you pass the previous one.
So a few days ago, the academy was just like any other day.
After all, although there are fewer people in the classroom, there are still daily lessons and assignments, and those who stay at school are not taking exams on their own.
Once the novelty wears off in the last couple of days, it will be fine.
Until one class, Guo Baiwen saw a somewhat obscure problem, pondered for a moment, and tried to solve it.
Although the written content matches, when checking and proofreading it afterwards, it always feels like something is missing.
Just as he was about to ask Master Cao a question, he glanced up and noticed that the Master's hands behind his back seemed to be trembling slightly.
The sun is shining brightly today, and it doesn't seem as cold as it has been a few days ago.
Guo Baiwen was startled at first, then suddenly remembered.
If you do the math, today is the fourth exam, which also has the highest elimination rate in the county-level exam.
Perhaps that's why, even though Master Cao today doesn't look much different from usual.
—Thinking back, I was actually a little worried.
Guo Baiwen pretended that he hadn't noticed anything, raised his hand to ask the teacher a question, and after receiving an answer, he sat down while holding his book, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious.
I wonder what the questions for this year's county-level exam will be like.
Out of curiosity, Guo Baiwen took advantage of the break between classes after the fifth exam to join the crowd outside the exam hall.
It was also just in time, arriving right when the exam was ending.
The previously closed gates opened, and under the supervision of the yamen runners, the examinees inside came out one by one in order.
Several of them even burst into tears as soon as they stepped out the door.
Completely unaware that they were in public.
This action caused the already anxious crowd outside to panic involuntarily.
Inspired by them, some other test takers also started wiping their reddened eyes.
Seeing that the hard-won order was about to be disrupted, the constables quickly stopped the still crying candidates and made them move to the corner. At the same time, they also told the students blocking the door to find their families and leave as soon as possible.
Life is full of ups and downs, nothing more than this.
A rough count suggests that at least several hundred people participated in the county examination this year. These candidates ranged in age from young children to adults and seniors.
Compared to the young children who don't yet understand how rigorous the exams are, the older test-takers clearly looked more distressed.
I don't know if I'll be able to pass this exam.
Only if I succeed in this county examination can I continue to participate in the prefectural examination in April.
Only those who pass the prefectural examination can be considered as students of the lowest rank.
Only those who become students in the preliminary examinations can participate in the twice-yearly provincial examinations and become scholars.
Therefore, among so many candidates, only a very few will ultimately pass the prefectural examination and become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
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