Chapter 117 is a joyous occasion!
The difficulty of the ancient imperial examinations was no joke.
Even though Guo Baiwen had made preparations, after failing the provincial examination again the following year, he couldn't help but start to doubt himself.
Will he really pass the imperial examination?
Especially after hearing that Lin Zhongbin had passed the first year of the assessment for the allocation of official positions through donation and had now successfully become a patrol inspector in the neighboring state.
He only learned after receiving the letter from the other party that Lin Zhongbin's current duties were mainly responsible for maintaining order and arresting criminals. Although he also had to do some miscellaneous tasks outside of his official duties, compared to other low-ranking officials such as postmasters, he was already a proper official of the ninth rank.
But he's still stuck in the same place.
Seeing this, Chen Baoyue could only comfort him, saying that everyone has their own destiny.
Guo Baiwen felt that this statement was both right and wrong.
He still follows his old habits: getting up early to exercise and have breakfast, followed by an hour of morning reading. Then, according to the arrangements of the teachers at the prefectural school, he occasionally attends lectures.
Studying, writing essays, and practicing calligraphy—every day was arranged very regularly.
He asked himself if his understanding of classical texts was not bad, yet he failed every time. Could it be that he lacked travel and study experience?
After pondering this question for several days, Guo Baiwen felt that he should not be like Master Guo and Master Cao in the past, but find an academy or private school to become a teacher.
Perhaps we can discover knowledge that we didn't notice when we were students in the process of teaching?
But this was just a fleeting thought, so he simply wrote a letter and sent it to Master Guo, who was now at the state school.
Because over the years, in addition to regularly sending New Year's gifts, he and Master Guo had also maintained contact intermittently, so Guo Baiwen received a reply very quickly.
When he wrote the letter, he was so confused that he only sent two thin sheets of paper. But now, holding this thick letter, Guo Baiwen felt a little ashamed even before opening it.
Despite his shame, clutching the thick letter, he steeled himself and opened it.
The first thing you see is Master Guo's beautiful calligraphy; it's a letter that's not exactly short.
[May my wise and discerning friend recognize:]
I hope you are well. I heard that you failed the imperial examinations twice and now wish to take up a teaching position at the academy while also preparing for the exams. I have been unable to sleep at night and have finally decided to write this letter to express my heartfelt thoughts to you.
You started your studies late, but when I first saw your quick wit, I knew you would succeed in the imperial examinations. The imperial examinations were like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge; you should know that Han Yu passed the exams three times and Su Shi passed them twice.
No sage of old achieved his ambitions without experiencing hardships. Your previous failure in the examination may have been due to bad luck or a temporary block in your writing, not a lack of talent or learning.
Having taught for nearly thirty years, I've witnessed countless young people's spirits waning with repeated failures, but I've also seen those who persevere ultimately triumph. Even I, like many others, wasted years on preparing for the imperial examinations, but perseverance is the most valuable quality in life.
I have compiled a list of selected examination papers from recent provincial examinations for you, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. I have also included a note-based version of "Essentials of Imperial Examination Writing," which is based on my notes over many years. I hope it will be of some help to you.
Words cannot express the depth of my feelings; I wish you that your patience will eventually wear off and the moon will shine through.
No wonder it was such a thick letter; it turns out that the Master had added quite a few things to the end of the letter he had written.
When Guo Baiwen carefully opened the papers at the back, he couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes.
Searching for the ink scrolls was already difficult, but what was even more remarkable was that each teacher had written annotations and explanations on the side. Guo Baiwen also opened and flipped through the book filled with notes.
I wonder how much effort the Master put into preparing these things.
Test!
Of course, we should continue taking the exams!
If it doesn't work next time, there's always the time after that!
After he passed the provincial examination, he personally delivered the good news to his teacher!
Twenty-nine taels, Guo Baiwen later calculated in detail.
Without calculating the travel expenses, the amount of silver spent each time taking the provincial examination was roughly this amount.
It's fine once or twice, but if he really wants to keep taking the exam for a long time, there will be a large expense every three years. He should save more money and not continue to live off his savings.
Fortunately, he had performed quite well at the prefectural school. After hearing that he wanted to find a place to become an introductory teacher, the head of the prefectural school was willing to recommend a suitable academy for him to teach at.
After receiving the letter, Guo Baiwen took Chen Baoyue with him to prepare for their return journey.
On the way back, Chen Baoyue slept in the car all day and looked rather listless.
Guo Baiwen sensed something was wrong and asked her a couple of questions while she was still lucid. She only said that she hadn't been sleeping well at night because she was staying at an inn during her time in the prefecture.
Now that I can finally take a car back, I can't help but feel sleepy; I'm just too tired.
But not long after she finished speaking, she drifted off to sleep again.
This excessive sleepiness is a bit too much. I wonder if it's because of the two times it accompanied me on my days-long exams.
Guo Baiwen looked at the person sleeping soundly in his arms. Compared to before the autumn examination, the person seemed to have become even thinner. The long eyelashes cast a small, light shadow on the pale face like two small fans.
She looked really tired, and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. I pulled over a blanket and carefully covered her up, while thinking to myself that I would find a doctor to come and take a good look at her when we got to the prefectural city.
It wouldn't be good if it left any lasting health problems.
Because it rained on the way back, the journey back to the prefectural city took longer than the journey there.
In addition, Chen Baoyue was extremely tired, so for the sake of safety, the carriage could only stop and start along the way. By the time they arrived at the courtyard in the prefectural city, it was already September 25th.
The chrysanthemums outside the city are blooming beautifully, and many people have been going out to climb mountains and admire them these days.
Guo Baiwen saw quite a lot from inside the carriage. Several times he wanted to call Chen Baoyue to peek out the carriage window, but when he turned around, he saw her sleeping soundly.
So he swallowed those words back.
It wasn't until she entered the city that the clamor of the people inside finally woke her from her sleep.
"Have you entered the city?" His face had been pressed against the soft pillow for a long time, leaving two faint red marks.
Guo Baiwen leaned against the carriage wall, smiling as he looked at her. "We'll be at our house soon. I'll ask the driver to stop right in front of the house."
Upon hearing this, Chen Baoyue lifted the carriage curtain in surprise, "Why didn't you call me when we entered the city?"
Hearing this, Guo Baiwen couldn't help but smile. He reached out and brushed the hair that had fallen across her forehead back up. "You're sleeping like a little pig. I just want you to sleep a little longer."
Are you feeling any better? Or are you still very sleepy?
"Feeling better?" Chen Baoyue gave an ambiguous answer, subconsciously touching her lower back. "The carriage is still a bit small. My back always aches badly after sleeping for a while."
"You'll be fine once we get back to your room. You have nothing to do this afternoon, so you can sleep in a bit." He took her hand and helped her down from the carriage. "But you're so sleepy. After I finish packing, shall I call a doctor to come and take a look at you?"
Chen Baoyue shook her head, "I just feel really sleepy. I just need to rest for a few days. Why do I need to go to the doctor's house?"
"If it doesn't get better by then, I'll go see a doctor."
Hearing her say that, Guo Baiwen grasped her hand and said, "It doesn't matter if it's a day earlier or later. Besides, it'll be easier to have a doctor come and see a doctor sooner, won't it?"
That makes sense, and after thinking about it carefully, Chen Baoyue nodded.
Not long after she finished her afternoon nap and got up, the doctor Guo Baiwen had invited arrived with his medicine kit.
He was actually quite nervous. Although Chen Baoyue had always been in good health, the back-and-forth travel was indeed exhausting.
I just hope I'm overthinking it and it's not a serious illness.
As Guo Baiwen thought this, he couldn't help but start pacing back and forth in the yard.
Before half an hour had passed, the doctor, who had been seeing patients in the room, sent his young apprentice out to call for help, "Scholar! Scholar!"
He was already on edge, and hearing the young apprentice call him like that made him even more anxious. He hurried along for a long time before rushing into the room, asking as he went, "How is she?! Is something wrong with my wife?!"
In that instant, all sorts of illnesses flashed through his mind.
Seeing that his eyes were about to redden, the doctor quickly explained, "No, no! It's wonderful news! Your wife is pregnant!"
'Bang—'
The words "pregnant" were like three cannon shots, making Guo Baiwen's head buzz.
He felt like there was something wrong with his ears, and he almost swayed uncontrollably. He quickly grabbed the back of the chair for support. "Are you serious?"
"I've been a doctor for so many years, do you think I can't tell if someone is pregnant?!" the doctor continued irritably. "It's been almost two months already!"
Having said that, he ignored the couple who were completely dumbfounded and turned to write a prescription. As he wrote, he explained, "Although your wife is in good health, she has been traveling and struggling for so many days, which has taken a toll on the fetus. I'll write two prescriptions for you. Go out and find a shop to get the medicine later. Your wife still needs to rest and recuperate for a while."
It wasn't until the prescription was shoved into his hand that Guo Baiwen suddenly came to his senses.
While thanking the doctor profusely, she couldn't help but ask, with lingering fear, if there was anything she needed to be careful about during this period.
After seeing off the doctor and apprentice he had invited, he returned to his room and saw Chen Baoyue lying on the couch. Both of them had the same look of surprise on their faces.
"I...I really don't know—"
Chen Baoyue's face was flushed, and she seemed to have just come to her senses when she heard this. "Right, right, now that the doctor mentions it, I just remembered that my period hasn't come yet."
I originally thought it was delayed this month, but I never expected that I was pregnant.
Guo Baiwen sat on the edge of the bed, originally wanting to reach out and touch her now flat stomach, but he subconsciously withdrew his hand as soon as he reached out.
"I haven't washed my hands yet!" she said, but her feet were still pacing back and forth, as if she were completely dazed.
After finally calming down, he carefully washed his hands several times before daring to gently stroke Chen Baoyue through her clothes.
They hadn't expected the child to arrive so suddenly. Guo Baiwen carefully helped the child lie down, saying, "You should rest a little longer."
Thinking about the precautions he had just learned from the doctor, he became increasingly restless.
After settling the person in bed, he got up from the edge of the bed and said to her, "Oh right, I almost forgot we still need to get the tonic."
"I'm going out for a bit later. I should write back to tell Grandma and my in-laws about this happy occasion!"
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