Chapter 364 East City
When some people are happy, naturally some people are sad.
Some people stood there in a daze, their eyes blank and empty;
Some people bite their lower lips, unable to hide their loss;
What's more, some of them could not help covering their faces with their sleeves, sobbing softly, and their shoulders shaking slightly.
Those who passed the exam would gather in groups of three or four, congratulating each other or quietly comforting their companions who failed.
The top three in the first class also gathered together and bowed to each other.
Wu Jingshu looked at Xiao Yunshuo with a burning gaze, her tone challenging him: "Princess Xiao's literary talent is admirable."
Xiao Yunshuo replied calmly: "Miss Wu's solution is brilliant, even better."
Their eyes met briefly in the air, and Wu Jingshu's eyes showed an undisguised high fighting spirit.
She knew that her article was actually one or two points inferior.
But she was confident that she could compete with Xiao Yunshuo again in the final exam.
Even... it's not impossible to compete for the title of Jieyuan!
After the greetings, Xiao Yunshuo took the initiative to walk towards Helian Chaolu outside the crowd.
"Miss Helian."
Helian Chaolu's heart tightened and he straightened his back instantly.
Nothing he did could be hidden from this person's eyes, and he was prepared to be questioned or even ridiculed.
However, the expected military action did not come.
Xiao Yunshuo's eyes were calm, even with a hint of...sincere appreciation?
"The girl has a talent for poetry."
Helian Chaolu was slightly startled, then replied cautiously:
"Writing poetry in the exam room is so restrictive, it feels a bit awkward. I'm sorry for the poor performance."
Xiao Yunshuo shook his head slightly, his tone serious:
"Compared with your popular poems, it is indeed a bit restrained.
Yun Shuo had the honor to read "Poor White Hair", which was not written at the desk in the study or in the confined space of a square meter.
Perhaps only you, born in the vast grasslands, can write with such a broad mind."
Helian Chaolu remained calm, her eyes slightly less alert.
"Princess Xiao, you are too kind. I am convinced that my skills are inferior to others.
After this experience, I realized that I still need to hone my skills and that I am indeed not as good as you."
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Yunshuo's lips:
"Miss Xie Helian made me famous."
Finally, she came. Helian Chaolu understood that she was referring to her previous evaluation and said seriously, "I'm just telling the truth."
She did feel guilty about the "overpraise", but her response at this moment was still frank and resounding.
An imperceptible sense of mutual appreciation flowed between the two of them.
Helian Chaolu looked at the princess who had traveled alone to a foreign country, and inexplicably felt that she had a kind of lonely courage similar to her own.
But she had no intention of delving into it, didn't want to ask, and didn't care.
She carries the entire Helian clan's burden, which is too heavy a burden that cannot be changed by a little appreciation.
Xiao Yunshuo nodded slightly, bowed, and turned to blend into the crowd.
Helian Chaolu also turned and left, only silently saying sorry in her heart.
As soon as the list of names was read out on the podium, Qin Zhaoyue immediately became lively.
She suddenly jumped up from the armchair and pushed her three children forward in a hurry.
"Go, go, go back to the palace, immediately, right now!"
"Sixth sister," Xiaojiu immediately hugged her arm, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave. It's getting dark. How about we go to the night market?"
"Okay!" Qin Zhaoyue agreed very readily.
The three children were confused and suspected that there was something wrong with their ears.
Why is Sixth Sister so happy? Did the sun rise from the west?
Qin Zhaoyue immediately let go of his hands, as if he had thrown away three hot potatoes.
"Go ahead, go find your third sister to go shopping with you and have fun."
Before she could finish her words, she had already slipped away, turned around and was about to run away.
"Wait a minute!" Xiaojiu reacted the fastest, screaming and rushing over to catch her, "Third sister is busy, she has something important to do!"
Qin Zhaoyue dodged nimbly without even turning her head, "Bah, sister, I have something important to do too. Whoever wants to accompany you can do so. Anyway, I won't accompany you!"
"You have some serious business! Stop right there, Qin Zhaoyue, you bastard!"
Xiaojiu was so angry that he jumped up and down. Xiaoqi and Xiaoba also reacted and started chasing after him.
…
East of the city, Anyefang.
Next to the faded wooden door of "Zhou Ji Grocery", a wooden sign with the words "New Dates Arrived" was hung all day long.
A peddler carrying a load on his shoulders, with bamboo baskets on both ends, staggered into the alley from the entrance.
"Hey—please stay and accept my blessing!"
"Newly arrived stone inkstones from the East Market, and dried rambutans from the West Market."
"Glue-toothed glutinous rice cakes—they can stick to children's greedy mouths, but they can't stick to parents' purses."
"The copper hairpin—it can't embroider the lady's hair. I'll swallow this shoulder pole on the spot."
"Clogs—locust wood soles with tung oil finishes—make the dead leaves creak and the dewdrops feel cold underfoot."
"Clam oil—it can't cure my wife's beautiful face, but it can cure my husband's chapped hands."
"The autumn wind is rising—prepare for winter goods, put away the bamboo lady, and take out the hot water bottle."
"And the newly-painted rabbit-hair teacup from last night, a single teacup holds the essence of the autumn in Qujiang—"
This tune was originally the most common cry of peddlers walking around the streets of Fengjing City, but the last sentence was newly added.
The peddler has a wide network of contacts, so it is not uncommon for him to occasionally find one or two new items.
He walked slowly past the door of Zhouji Grocery Store, his eyes seemingly sweeping over the wooden sign in front of the door unintentionally.
He walked away slowly, shouting, without stopping at all.
He walked slowly through the two blocks, and perhaps because he was tired, he stopped in front of a small tavern with a shabby oilcloth tent on the side of the road.
"Shopkeeper, give me a bowl of muddy wine, the cheapest kind."
He took out three cents and placed them on the chopping board, then took the coarse earthenware bowl handed to him by the shopkeeper.
He didn't go into the shed, but squatted in the shade by the roadside, sipping the turbid and slightly sour wine in small sips.
I originally wanted to take a break, but happened to get some business.
A middle-aged man wearing a half-worn hemp robe and with an honest face came over and pointed at the dough sticks in the basket and asked:
"How much is this?"
"Two cents a piece."
"Two pieces."
The man paid the money, took the candy wrapped in oil paper, and left in a hurry.
He was the manager of the nearby Beitianyuan. When he returned to the slightly shabby but clean courtyard, a group of children, big and small, immediately surrounded him, looking at him eagerly.
"Don't worry, don't worry," the man said with a gentle smile on his face. He squatted down and opened the oil paper package, revealing the amber-colored gummi dough inside.
"Everyone gets a small piece. Line up and everyone gets a share."
He carefully broke open the candy, and the children cheered and carefully licked the hard-earned sweetness.
The chattering died down immediately, and the man touched the head of one of the half-grown boys.
"Zhu Zi, Grandma Wang at the end of the alley has difficulty walking, so she asked me to bring her a bag of coarse salt.
Please go and give it to grandma."
"Okay!" The boy named Zhuzi took the small salt bag and ran out.
Zhuzi walked to Grandma Wang's low house as if he knew the place well, handed the salt in, and received some praise from Grandma.
On the way back, I kicked a particularly round stone in the corner of the wall. I thought it was interesting and picked it up.
He casually used a stone to scratch two horizontal lines of different lengths on the mottled wall.
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