An Jingzhi and his mother chatted all the way in the back of the oxcart. An Jingzhi would respond to whatever his mother said, happily rambling on about the village from east to west, even telling him which hens laid the most eggs. This would have been impossible before. The original owner simply couldn't bear to hear these words, feeling they were unworthy of his scholarly status and unsuitable for discussion. He also despised the An family for their vulgarity.
Father An was driving quietly in the front and couldn't get a word in, but he was happy with it because his son wouldn't stare at him and make his back feel cold when he was being held by his wife.
Normally it would take more than an hour to drive a ox cart to the county, but An Lao San arrived in just one hour.
Standing at the school gate, the people coming and going were all classmates returning to school. They all lived in the county, unlike An Jingzhi, who had rushed from the countryside, carrying large bags and small bags. The arrival of An Jingzhi and his family drew frequent stares. Compared to the other parents of the students, An Laosan and his wife were draped in poor clothing, their clothes patched and speckled with mud from their journeys.
Mother An suddenly fell silent as she watched all this, not knowing where to put her hands. It seemed as if they shouldn't have come to see their son off.
He murmured, "Go, son."
An Jingzhi smiled and said, "Mom, you and Dad can go back without worry. I will go home to see you next month."
"Dad, go back and drive the ox cart slower. Don't be so anxious. What if you accidentally fall?"
An Jingzhi's generous and unpretentious smile soothed the anxiety and discomfort in the hearts of An Laosan and An's mother.
"I know, I know. Don't worry." An Lao San pulled his wife onto the cart and looked at his son proudly. This was a school for all the scholars in the county, and not only did his son get in, he even scored better than them!
Only after An Lao San's ox cart left did An Jingzhi walk in. He walked into the school carrying his school bag, a change of clothes, and a bag of pancakes baked for him by his mother.
Leaving behind a group of people whispering.
"This kid is so arrogant just because he passed the exam? Wasn't he hiding before? Everyone knows that his family is from the countryside."
"I invited him to a poetry reading a few days ago, but he didn't go. We're really giving him a hard time. Don't bring him along in the future. If we don't want to tease him, is he worthy of playing with us?"
After putting his things back in his residence and packing them up, An Jingzhi returned to the school. The teacher would check on their academic performance after the holiday.
A group of people gathered around Sun Tingwen, looking at An Jingzhi who came in with a look of disdain on their faces.
An Jingzhi didn't even look at them. He walked to his seat and opened the book to read.
When the teacher came in, everyone was already there. Some people only pretended to read after seeing the teacher come in. The teacher shook his head and ignored them. When he looked at An Jing and found that he was reading seriously, the teacher nodded with satisfaction.
Ever since the original owner passed the exam on his first try, he'd become somewhat impetuous, no longer diligently studying. He'd even become distracted during class, something he'd never experienced before. The teacher had called him in several times to reprimand him, but it didn't work, and the original owner actually felt resentful.
The teacher walked up to the stage and looked at An Jingzhi. "Jingzhi, you come first and recite the homework I assigned you. Don't make a single mistake."
The teachers in the school are very strict in their education, which is one of the reasons why the original owner was able to pass the examination and become a student.
An Jingzhi stood up and said, "Yes, Master."
An Jingzhi recited the article very fluently without any stumbling or hesitation, just as the Master said, without any typos.
The master nodded in satisfaction and asked him to sit down.
Considering that he became famous at a young age, it is understandable that he could not control his emotions for a while. After returning home this time, he has calmed down a lot. If he can continue to maintain his performance in the future, he can expect to become a successful candidate in the imperial examination.
The teacher asked Sun Tingwen to recite again. He was not shy and recited immediately, with a fluency no less than An Jingzhi.
When it was He Changxing's turn, he was a little nervous. While reciting, he suddenly forgot the next sentence. An Jingzhi secretly reminded him behind his back, and then he finished reciting smoothly.
After sitting down, he glanced at An Jingzhi and mouthed "thank you".
An Jingzhi nodded without saying anything.
The teacher glanced at them, seemingly turning a blind eye. He Changxing was a diligent student, but he always got nervous during exams. When he got nervous, he forgot everything he had learned. This was the second time he had failed the exam.
The teacher didn't know what to do with him, so he could only pay more attention to him on weekdays and let him learn to adjust his mentality.
After that, a number of people were called upon one after another. Most of them could recite the poem fluently, but a few struggled. The teacher, disappointed, slapped their hands one by one. He told everyone to prepare for tomorrow's class and left.
After the teacher left the school, the tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.
When He Changxing turned around, he found that An Jingzhi took out a pancake from a bag next to him and was eating it with relish.
He Changxing swallowed his saliva, looked at his thick arms, and tried to look away from the cake, "Why did you help me just now?"
After chewing the cake in his mouth and swallowing it, An Jingzhi said, "You already knew it, but you were so nervous that you suddenly forgot it. You would have remembered it even if I didn't mention it. But you are too slow. I want the teacher to finish asking questions quickly. My cake is so fragrant next to me. How can I eat it if the teacher doesn't leave?"
He Changxing: “…”
He didn't expect that An Jingzhi helped him for this reason. The smell of fried dough sticks came from the tip of his nose, and it seemed to be quite fragrant.
"Gugu~"
An Jingzhi stopped and looked at him suspiciously, "Didn't you eat?"
He Changxing's ears flushed, "I've eaten it. It's just that your cake is too fragrant."
He turned around, opened his bag, and took out a box of pastries. "Can I trade this with you?"
An Jingzhi took a look and saw that these cakes were from Fuxiangji. They cost two coins per box. Tsk tsk, what a rich family!
Pointing to the fried dough sticks beside him, he said, "My cakes are not as expensive as yours. Are you sure you want to change?"
He Changxing nodded hurriedly, "If you want to exchange, I'll give you all these cakes."
He Changxing held up five fingers, thought for a moment, and put two down. "Give me five, no, just three pancakes will do."
"Here are 20 pancakes. Take as many as you can. Don't bother with five or three."
He Changxing looked at An Jingzhi in surprise. He couldn't resist the aroma of the pancakes. "Okay!"
"Hmm, is this made by your family? It's delicious! It feels very crispy and not greasy."
"Yeah, my mom made it especially for me."
An's mother wasn't exaggerating; her cooking skills were truly impressive. I don't know how she learned this skill, as she rarely even goes into the kitchen.
An Jingzhi could only attribute this to his extraordinary talent.
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