Chapter 108 What time is it now? ...
When we came out of the inn, the city lights were just coming on.
Night fell, but the sarongs along the street lit up according to the varying heights of the storefronts, making the originally bluish-gray cobblestone path appear warm and shiny.
There were more oilcloth awnings set up by street vendors than I had seen in the capital last time. Under the vermilion gauze lanterns, sugar painting artists were drawing different patterns on stone slabs for the children who stopped in front of their stalls, their wrists flying.
The copper bells hanging in front of the wonton stall jingled, and the steam from the soup and the aroma of the wontons wafted through the street. Every now and then, passersby would stop the stall owner, drawn by the smell, and order a bowl of freshly made wontons.
Occasionally, carriages and horses would pass by on the wide streets. The sounds of horses' hooves, wheels, and the laughter and conversation of pedestrians made the prefecture, which was originally just a rough impression, exceptionally vivid.
It also became exceptionally prosperous.
During the day, I felt that this place was no different from the prefectural city I had visited before, but only now do I realize how different it is.
Guo Baiwen stood at the entrance for a while, then subconsciously let out a sigh before following Chen Baoyue step by step.
The only routes he recognized in the past few days were from the city gate to the inn and from the inn to the examination hall.
As for the rest, I don't recognize any of them.
Before leaving, the shopkeeper kindly pointed out the way to the bathhouse, but she still couldn't quite understand it. Fortunately, Chen Baoyue said she remembered where it was.
So the two of them went to the hot spring resort one after the other.
It happened to be lunchtime, and the aroma of food from many restaurants and eateries along the way wafted far and wide, making one's nose itch with enticement.
Halfway there, the two couldn't resist stopping at a pancake stall.
Their specialty is scallion and pork pancakes. You can smell the aroma of the scallion and pork filling from a distance. People who like scallions love it, and there's already a long queue in front of them.
The two stood behind and watched for a while, and found that preserved vegetable sesame seed cakes were also quite popular.
The stall wasn't big, but the old lady was very quick at making pancakes, and her grandson, who was helping her collect the wallets and oil paper packets, was also very efficient.
The two waited in line for quite a while before it was their turn. They decided to buy one of each flavor and asked the mother-in-law to cut them in half. They each got half of the different flavor of wheat cake.
That way you can enjoy both flavors.
The scallion and pork pancake was generously filled with meat, and at twelve coins, it wasn't too expensive. However, the flavor of the preserved vegetable pancake was quite surprising to Guo Baiwen.
Although no meat was added, the preserved mustard greens inside the wheat pancake were sweet and savory. To better blend with the filling, they were made thin and baked until crispy.
It's really delicious.
The freshly baked pancakes were still a little hot to the touch. The two of them held the oil paper package and ate them with slurping noises as they continued walking in the direction the shopkeeper had pointed out earlier.
After leaving the alley where the pancakes are sold, there is an old-looking archway. After passing through the archway and turning right onto a small bridge, you will find yourself on a wide street. Follow this street south, and you will arrive at the bathhouse on South Street.
Their shop is very large; it occupies about one-fifth of the entire street.
In addition to bathing and soaking, it also offers a one-stop service including ear cleaning, massage, acupuncture, bone setting, and cupping.
There were many people coming and going at the main gate. The bathhouse was divided into men's and women's sections. The cheapest bath cost only five coins for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
If you want to extend the hot water time later, you will need to pay extra.
Besides the cheaper options, this bathhouse also offers more expensive ones.
Large hot spring pools, small hot spring pools, medicinal hot spring pools, fragrant hot spring pools, flower petal hot spring pools... covering a wide variety of types.
Rather than meeting strangers in a large hot spring pool, Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue both opted for a private small hot spring pool.
These small hot spring pools are connected by several thick copper pipes, and are separated by bamboo rafts and wooden doors. Each room can only accommodate one or two people.
Because it's a single room, it costs 15 coins to soak in it for 15 minutes.
But in this kind of weather, being able to relax your body and mind by soaking in hot water for a while longer sounds very relaxing.
Guo Baiwen originally planned to book a 15-minute session, but after thinking about it, he decided to book half an hour instead.
His hair is quite long now. Because he used to shower at home all the time, he didn't have a hairdryer like in his previous life, so it would take a long time for his long hair to dry completely.
Therefore, I have to choose a time when the weather is nice before each hair wash, and start boiling water to wash my hair at noon.
It's rare to find everything here. I've been cooped up in the exam room for two days, so I might as well give my hair a good scrub too.
So, after asking for scented bath soap and bath gel, I took the small baskets provided by the bathhouse for carrying my change of clothes and, following the signs indicating men and women, entered my respective private room to slowly take a bath.
After this bath, Guo Baiwen wondered if it was just his imagination, but when he looked in the mirror again, he felt that his cheeks and arms had become much whiter and smoother.
For the students waiting for their exam results, those remaining five days felt like an eternity.
With each passing day that the results were announced, it seemed that the lobby of the inn I was staying in saw an increase in anxious scholars pacing back and forth.
But wandering around like this only makes the onlookers anxious, and it seems to serve no other purpose.
The night before the results were to be announced, Lin Zhongbin came to see him with a pot of wine and two snacks to go with it.
My original intention was to drink more so that I wouldn't have trouble falling asleep at night.
But before he could even have a couple of drinks, he didn't want to pick up his chopsticks anymore and started pacing around the small room again.
Guo Baiwen looked up for a while and realized that while Lin Zhongbin himself didn't feel dizzy, he was feeling a bit lightheaded.
"Stop, stop, stop! Why are you walking around like this?"
"I, I, I don't know either," he felt he should do something, but there was nothing he could do.
At this point, if he stopped pacing back and forth, he would probably find it even more unbearable.
Unable to hold back, Guo Baiwen sighed as he looked at him.
It's impossible for him not to be nervous. A couple of nights ago, he woke up suddenly in the middle of the night before he could even come to his senses.
Chen Baoyue, who was also awakened by his movements, asked him what was wrong.
Guo Baiwen was too embarrassed to say that he dreamed he had failed his exam.
But the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, along with her pale lips, had already unconsciously given Chen Baoyue the answer.
In the darkness, she feigned ignorance and asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Nightmare?
"I guess so," Guo Baiwen said, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his undershirt.
"What did you dream about?" Chen Baoyue got up, threw back the covers, went to the table, poured a cup of tea, handed it to Guo Baiwen, and asked with concern, "Why are you sweating so much?"
Guo Baiwen gave a wry smile, took the cup of tea, and drank several sips before his wildly beating heart calmed down a little.
"Once you wake up, you don't remember anything from your dreams."
Chen Baoyue moved the candle by the window, and its warm orange light gave people a lot of comfort.
"It's good that you don't remember. It was just a nightmare. Dreams are always the opposite of reality." Chen Baoyue hugged him and patted his back as if to comfort him. "It's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid."
When Guo Baiwen was patted like that, he felt a wave of embarrassment rising in his heart, and his heart, which had finally calmed down, suddenly started pounding wildly again.
A surge of heat climbed straight up from my heart to my neck, then up my cheeks, and finally to the soft flesh behind my ears.
It's incredibly popular.
"I'm not young anymore, why are you still treating me like a child!"
Seeing Guo Baiwen's current popularity, as bright as a boiled shrimp, Chen Baoyue couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling.
"You don't like it?"
Upon hearing this question, Guo Baiwen immediately lost his confidence.
He glanced left and right, and after a long while, as if he had made up his mind, he turned his head to stare at Chen Baoyue, speaking in a voice so soft it was like a mosquito buzzing.
"Well, I didn't... say I didn't like it."
Then came the scene—which was somewhat inappropriate for children.
However, perhaps because of this, Guo Baiwen was not as nervous as before in the following days.
But this kind of thing can't be discussed with Lin Zhongbin.
After all, he had asked Lin Zhongbin before, and he was told that Lin Zhongbin was not engaged yet!
I heard that his family plans to help him find a few good matches after he passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar.
This gives an idea of just how high the Lin family's expectations were for Lin Zhongbin to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.
Guo Baiwen naturally had no right to tell him to stop walking like this, so he could only sigh and silently pour a glass of wine for each of them.
"Drink up, have a little. Once you're drunk, you won't think about it so much anymore."
As a result of this persuasion, more than half of the original jar of wine ended up in Lin Zhongbin's stomach.
Although Guo Baiwen only drank a small portion, not much, the alcohol was starting to take effect, and he was slurring his words uncontrollably.
Fortunately, my brain is still functioning.
Seeing that the two of them had drunk quite a bit, he called over the waiter, and the two of them helped Lin Zhongbin back to his room.
When he came out, Guo Baiwen still remembered to close the door behind him.
When he returned to his room, even on the flat, unobstructed corridor, he couldn't help but stumble.
He declined the waiter's offer to escort him, and after entering the room, he found his way around on his own. He found the soft couch in the inn, climbed onto it, grabbed a blanket from the side, and fell asleep with his hands covering his stomach.
When Chen Baoyue woke him up, Guo Baiwen's head was still buzzing.
The buzzing sound had just subsided when the sound of gongs announcing the results could be heard at the entrance of the Examination Yuan not far away.
'clang--'
"Clang—Clang—"
The bronze gongs rang out louder and clearer with each strike.
Even from a great distance, it could be heard clearly.
With the sound of those gongs, Guo Baiwen's lingering effects of alcohol instantly dissipated.
He flipped himself up from the soft couch with unprecedented agility, almost falling off the blanket covering him.
He stared intently at Chen Baoyue beside him, his voice trembling with urgency as he asked, "What time is it now?"
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