Chapter 95 Applying for the Exam
The weather had been rather bad for the few days leading up to the Lesser Cold, with gloomy skies. It was only a rare two days of sunshine before the fourth nine-day period of winter approached.
When Uncle Stone came before, he also brought a few bundles of firewood along the way.
These bundles of firewood would sell for at least three or five copper coins in the county town these days, and the expenses wouldn't be small if you wanted to get through the winter.
It's definitely not as convenient as in the village when it comes to firewood.
This stuff is heavy and used up quickly. Uncle Shi first gave Guo Banshan a few bundles, and then put the rest in the backyard of Guo's shop.
While eating breakfast, Guo Baiwen discussed with his family the possibility of taking Mao Mao to buy some firewood outside the county town, taking advantage of the good weather these next few days.
Or try asking around to see if there's a place that sells cheaper charcoal.
It's better to prepare more at once, so that we won't have to keep looking for people to buy firewood during festivals.
Household expenses have been quite high lately, so we should try to save money whenever possible.
After Grandma Guo asked if it would interfere with his studies, she allowed him to take Chen Baoyue out with him during his ten-day break.
It was only after leaving the city that the advantages of having a donkey became apparent. Uncle Shi, who relied solely on carrying loads, could only manage five or six bundles at most at a time, and just carrying them for one trip was exhausting.
It's different when you have Mao Mao. We have a handcart at home, so we can haul a lot at once without much effort.
However, Mao Mao is still young. Since bringing it home, Guo Xiaohua has treated it as a pet because of its long eyelashes on its big eyes. She would take a special wooden brush to brush its fur whenever she had free time.
Guo Baiwen didn't dare to overwork it. Once the cart was almost full, he would slowly make a few more trips.
After confirming that they had collected enough firewood and informed their families, the two took the empty donkey cart and headed to a village further out of the county town.
Chen Baoyue hadn't left the county town for a while, and now that she was out catching her breath, she felt much more refreshed.
Guo Baiwen was initially worried that the weather outside was cold and that he would inevitably be exposed to the wind and cold during this trip.
However, Chen Baoyue's preparations were very thorough. She not only prepared a hand warmer but also brought a very large and warm piece of leather.
As long as it doesn't snow, this kind of equipment is more than enough.
Originally, Chen Baoyue thought it would be quite a long journey, and she would have to ask around at several places to find charcoal. However, because Chen Baoyue was very familiar with the nearby villages, she managed to buy some in a village not far from the old bridge market before noon.
The price is about one-third cheaper than in the county town.
Guo Baiwen originally wanted to buy less, but the person said that if he bought more, he could get a discount.
Upon hearing this, not only Guo Baiwen but also Chen Baoyue were tempted.
The two men held the rope and pondered for a while on the cart, managing to squeeze out a space to put the charcoal in. They managed to put it down, albeit crampedly.
Because we were hauling more stuff this time, the ruts under the cart were much deeper, and we were worried that Mao Mao wouldn't be able to handle it, so we kept stopping and starting on the way back.
I was hoping to go back for dinner.
With this delay, the meal will probably have to be postponed as well.
Fortunately, the two of them drove slowly, stopping frequently, and still got home earlier than initially expected.
As soon as she got home, Guo Xiaohua went to tug at Mao Mao.
Feeling a little sorry for it, I patted its head. The two of them stared at each other, looking rather cute from a distance.
After a while, they took Mao Mao and the cart behind it to the backyard.
Fortunately, the room where firewood and charcoal were stored was right next to the donkey shed, so all we had to do was put the charcoal down in reverse, without having to carry it by hand bit by bit.
Guo Baiwen can do it himself.
Seeing this, Chen Baoyue dusted off her hands and said, "I'll cook, and then I can take it to Grandma and the others. We've been busy all day, we should take a break."
The hot pot business is good today. I reckon Grandma Guo is still busy at the shop with Qiaomai and the others at this time.
The two of them hadn't had lunch yet and were starving by now.
"Make something simple that you can eat right away."
"I know."
After washing her hands, Chen Baoyue prepared to knead the dough. She quickly kneaded the dough until it was smooth. Seeing that she didn't need help, Guo Xiaohua stepped aside to chop vegetables, glancing at her every now and then.
She quickly rolled the dough into long, thin noodles.
In this kind of weather, soup is perfect; a hot bowl of it warms both the body and the heart.
I still had a piece of the firm tofu I bought yesterday soaking in water. I diced it, added some freshly chopped vegetables from Xiaohua, mixed it with chopped chili peppers and eggs, and stir-fried it with lard.
The fragrant topping is now ready.
Once the noodles are cooked, scoop them into bowls, pour a spoonful of the sauce over each noodle, mix, and eat.
I prepared two earthenware pots in advance, one for the noodles and the other for the toppings, and placed them in a small pot next to the stove to heat them up in a water bath.
After the three finished their dinner, Guo Baiwen carried the basket he had prepared and headed towards the shop in the north of the city.
When we arrived at the restaurant, the timing was perfect, just as the diners were about to leave.
Guo Baiwen rolled up his sleeves and said, "Grandma, you eat first, I'll clean up."
Grandma Guo quickly pulled him back and snatched the rag from his hand. "You should rest. You work so hard studying every day, and you've been running around all day today."
Guo Baiwen dodged, preventing his grandmother from taking the rag away. "I've memorized all the books I need to, and I've written quite a few articles. Sitting around all day is making me stiff. Going out today made me feel a bit more relaxed, and cleaning now will help me unwind."
Seeing that she couldn't reach the rag in his hand no matter what she did, and that he was talking so eloquently.
Grandma Guo could only sigh helplessly, "Fine, fine, do whatever you want, I'm not going to interfere anymore."
After helping to clean the shop, Guo Baiwen buried himself in his books again once he got home.
The end of the year is approaching again, and the county examination is in February. Guo Baiwen plans to take the exam next year.
I flattened the Xuan paper with a paperweight, ground the ink, dipped the brush tip in the ink, and began to write with my wrist suspended.
Although he has now entered the calligraphy academy, Guo Baiwen still maintains the habit of practicing calligraphy every day.
It can take anywhere from one hour to two or three hours.
Today, because of buying charcoal, I estimate I'll practice for about half an hour before it's time to go to sleep.
Unfortunately, I'll have to make up for the lost time tomorrow.
After all, the saying "your handwriting reflects your personality" is popular nowadays. If your handwriting is not good, many people will not even want to take a look at what you have written.
Through consistent practice day after day, Guo Baiwen's calligraphy has made great progress. While it may not be as graceful and elegant as a dragon in flight, at least his writing is readable enough to make people want to read it from beginning to end.
It was also because of his significant improvement in handwriting that even the usually strict and demanding Master Cao praised him many times.
After practicing his calligraphy, he stretched his shoulders, neck, and wrists a little and then began to recite his book while standing.
Fortunately, I had already finished all the assignments due tomorrow before leaving home today.
After memorizing the books, one should start drafting essays and figuring out how to write examination poems.
This is the routine for most of the day. If the teacher assigns too much homework, he will adjust the learning routine according to the content of the teacher's lessons.
But it's already very late. If I stay up like this any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to get up for the academy tomorrow morning.
While he was still hesitating, the dark figure that had been standing outside the window couldn't help but gently tap on the wooden window frame and say, "Take a break. You've been busy all day. You're not tired, but just looking at you makes me feel tired."
Now that we're all in the same courtyard, Grandma Guo can come over with her oil lamp.
She used to live downstairs and only knew that Wenzai studied hard every day, but it was inconvenient for her to go upstairs to persuade him. Now that he is under her nose every day, she can persuade him more or less.
"knew!"
You can't get fat in one bite, and you can't get thin in one bite.
He subconsciously responded, but after packing his things, Guo Baiwen thought that he would have to get up an hour earlier than usual tomorrow.
We must make up for today's lost time.
Thinking this way, I lay down on the bed, perhaps because I was really tired today.
Normally I would toss and turn before I could fall asleep, but today I barely touched the pillow with my head, and I don’t even know how long it would take to drink half a cup of tea.
He fell asleep.
The following day, because the Lunar New Year holiday was approaching, all the students were more concerned about next year's exams than about the upcoming Spring Festival.
Even during his commute to and from school, Guo Baiwen could hear a lot of people talking about him.
"Oh right, some people in our class are planning to play this year. What about you? Are you planning to play?"
"Of course I have to participate."
Amidst such discussions, the New Year seemed to pass exceptionally quickly.
After the first month of the lunar calendar, the county government announced the examination date, which was February 12th, a month later.
The provincial examination is held twice every three years. It was already held last year, so it will not be held again this year.
So, apart from the two students who had already passed the preliminary examination, there were thirteen students in Class A, and all of them planned to take the exam.
When Master Guo learned that Guo Baiwen was preparing for the imperial examination, he called him over and spoke with unusual seriousness: "You haven't been studying for very long. You should know that it would be best if you could pass the exam, but even if you don't achieve your goal, it doesn't mean that the imperial examination is everything. Do you understand?"
He was worried that Guo Baiwen's mind would be worn down by the exam, as it was his first time taking it.
In previous years, there have been quite a few candidates like this in the examination hall.
He originally thought that it would be fine to let Guo Baiwen take the county exam next year to give it a try, but he didn't expect that Guo Baiwen would leave the exam a year early.
Guo Baiwen pursed his lips and said seriously, "I have already thought it through."
Master Cao then poked his head out of the window, smoothing his beard. "How confident are you?"
He couldn't be too certain, so Guo Baiwen thought for a moment and said, "It's about 80%."
He had studied the county examination questions over the years, and during this period, he had also discussed the county school examination questions in depth with Master Cao and Master Guo. He was about 80% sure that this was a fairly normal answer.
Master Cao didn't say anything upon hearing this, but simply waved his hand at Master Guo: "Since he wants to go, then let him go."
After saying that, he turned to look at Guo Baiwen and said, "Once you're in the exam room, just do your best and don't think about anything else."
"It's the same after the exam. Whether you succeed or not, as long as you've done your best, that's enough."
Guo Baiwen bowed respectfully to the two teachers, saying, "Yes, student understands."
*
Two days later, Guo Baiwen, along with Lin Zhongbin and other classmates from the academy, went to the ceremonial office of the county government to register for the examination.
Master Cao and Master Guo were both students who had received government stipends over the years, so it was not difficult for them to act as guarantors.
However, in addition to this, five people are required to act as guarantors for each other. This time, three of the students from the academy are also guarantors who are familiar students from other academies.
I heard they're from the same village, so they know each other quite well.
Once all the documents were complete and submitted to the gatekeeper, and after receiving the official seal of the Confucian academy, a registration fee of nearly three hundred coins was required to complete the registration.
I'm just waiting for February 12th to report to the examination hall.
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