Chapter 101 The Provincial Examination (3)
Li Xiaoxiao walked out the door and went straight to the riverbank, where many women were washing clothes.
She approached a plump woman who lived closest to her home and was the most familiar to her: "Sister-in-law, I want to ask you something."
The plump woman knew they were the families of a scholar who had just moved in last month to take the provincial examination: "What can I do for you, young lady?"
Li smiled and said, "Do you know Zhang Li? He's the tall, thin young man who lives with us."
The plump woman replied naturally, "Yes, I know him. He lives around here, and I see him often."
Li smiled and asked, "What about his father and mother? Do you know them?"
The plump woman frowned and thought for a moment: "I haven't seen his parents much, but hasn't his mother been bringing you meals lately?"
You haven't met Zhang Li's parents? They're not locals, are they? How could you not have met them? Li Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat, instinctively realizing she hadn't been careful enough. Zhang's mother had been bringing them food for almost a month, and she had only just realized she didn't know where they usually lived: "So you hadn't met her before she started bringing food? Don't they always live here?"
Another woman in green chimed in, "I haven't seen him before. Even Zhang Li only came here in the last six months, right?"
The plump woman said, "Now that you mention it, I remember. Zhang Li wasn't from here before. I heard he was originally from Tangxia Village outside the city. He only came here about half a year ago..."
Li Xiaoxiao's smile vanished: "I heard your hometown is Tangxia Village? Who told you that?"
The woman in green said, "We heard it from him, otherwise how would we know?"
Li smiled and said, "So, Zhang Li only came here half a year ago, and you can't be sure if he's a local, right?"
That's certainly true," the two women nodded.
Li smiled and said, "What was he doing around here before he sold himself? Do you know?"
The woman in green said, "He doesn't seem to have any regular job. He just rents a small room in Pingsha Lane and occasionally goes out to help people unload goods, drive carts, and do odd jobs."
The plump woman chimed in, "Although he doesn't have any fixed job, Zhang Li has never been short of food. My family runs a braised pork offal business, and Zhang Li buys braised pork offal and a few ounces of liquor every few days. He's a regular customer of ours."
Buying wine and meat every few days? That's not what he said, that his family couldn't make ends meet, so he sold himself into prostitution.
This behavior looks incredibly strange.
Li Xiaoxiao then asked, "Does sister-in-law know where Zhang Li's rented house is in Pingsha Lane? Could you take me there?"
The two women exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and ignored her.
They can chat casually, but they don't have the time to take her to find someone.
Li Xiaoxiao took out a string of coins from her purse: "Whoever has time to take me there, this string of coins is theirs."
A string of coins, a full hundred coins! The woman in green was agile and immediately jumped up and stood in front of Li Xiaoxiao, her face full of smiles: "I'll take you there, I'll take you there, I'm free."
The plump woman, less agile than the other, was angered when the other woman beat her to it, shouting, "She asked me first, so I should have the money!"
The woman in green rolled her eyes and stuffed the money into her pocket: "I was the one who said his house was in Pingsha Lane, I didn't take advantage of you!" She stopped washing her clothes and immediately pulled Li Xiaoxiao toward Pingsha Lane: "Sister, I'll take you there now."
Li Xiaoxiao followed the woman in green northwest for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, turning and twisting her way into Pingsha Lane, and stopped in front of a small house with moss-covered walls: "Zhang Li used to live here, but I don't know if he returned the money after he sold himself."
Li smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, sister-in-law. You can go back now."
But gossip is in the nature of women in all eras, and the woman in green was no exception: "Sister, what do you want with Zhang Li? You—"
Li Xiaoxiao interrupted her: "Sister-in-law, your clothes are still sitting by the river, not washed yet, right? You snatched this job from Aunt Pang, aren't you afraid she'll throw all your clothes into the river?"
The woman in green cried out in surprise, no longer caring about gossip, and hurriedly ran back.
Li Xiaoxiao stood in front of the small house and glanced at the lock.
The old lock was covered in verdigris and dust, indicating that it hadn't been opened in a long time.
If this is where Zhang Li used to live, then he probably hasn't rented it out to anyone else since he left.
She reached out and tugged, the latch fell off, and the dilapidated door opened easily.
A musty smell hit me, and there were cobwebs hanging in the room, indicating that no one had been here for some time.
The room was very dilapidated, with a patched-up bed, a broken table, two stools, and a cabinet at the head of the bed. On the cabinet was a bamboo pen holder with a nearly worn-out calligraphy brush inside.
There are calligraphy brushes here! Didn't Zhang Li say he was illiterate?
Li Xiaoxiao opened the drawer in the cabinet and found several letters inside, covered in dust.
She opened it, glanced at it, her expression changed slightly, and then took the letter away.
Remembering that Zhang Li had once told someone that his hometown was Tangxia Village outside the city, she wondered if she should go there. What if it was true? Could she find Zhang Li and his parents there?
But she immediately suppressed the thought. No, Ah Sheng was still at the clinic, Meng Guanqi was taking an exam, and there was no one at home. How could she leave now? What if they had a backup plan?
The most important thing right now is not to investigate Zhang Li, but to keep a close eye on Meng Guanqi, who is taking the imperial examination at the examination hall. We can deal with everything else when our family arrives.
After leaving Pingsha Lane, she went to Yanghetang. It was already bright outside. There were many patients queuing up to see a doctor for serious illnesses and to pick up their medicine. Li Xiaoxiao found the doctor from that morning and joined the queue behind him.
When it was her turn, the old doctor didn't even look up: "Where do you feel unwell?"
Li Xiaoxiao sat down: "How is my brother?"
The old doctor was surprised: "It's you! Come with me."
The old doctor led Li Xiaoxiao to the second floor: "He's in bed number C. I've already prepared his medicine for him to drink. He vomited several times, and he should be sleeping right now."
Li Xiaoxiao walked to bed number C. Ah Sheng was lying on the bed, fast asleep, his face pale, as if he had lost a lot of weight overnight.
A young apprentice medicine doctor approached: "Doctor Ni."
The old doctor said, "Little Tang, how many times has the young master in bed number C vomited?"
The young medicine boy, Xiao Tang, said, "He's vomited three times already. I just gave him some medicine to soothe his stomach and a bowl of thin porridge."
Li Xiaoxiao frowned: "How could this be? Wasn't it supposed to be cured after drinking the antidote?"
Doctor Ni said, "Oh dear, he drank an amount that could knock out a cow. The antidote can't neutralize its effects all at once. How can his body withstand that? He needs to be recuperated slowly for three to five days to allow the effects of the drug to be completely eliminated before he can fully recover."
Do I need to rest for another three to five days? Li Xiaoxiao was even more frustrated. She held Ah Sheng's hand and softly called out, "Ah Sheng~"
Ah Sheng slowly opened his eyes. When he saw it was her, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he weakly called out, "Sister Xiaoxiao~"
Li smiled and said, "You stay here and take good care of yourself. The doctor said you'll need to take medicine for a few more days to get better."
Ah Sheng's lips were pale: "Sister Xiaoxiao, where is the young master?"
Li smiled and said, "Young Master went to take the exam, have you forgotten? Today is the last day of the provincial examination..."
Ah Sheng had no idea what had happened. He thought he had made himself sick by overeating. Remembering that today was the last day of the young master's exam, such an important day, and that Sister Xiao Xiao was still taking care of him, he felt so guilty that he burst into tears: "Sister Xiao Xiao, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so greedy. Am I a burden to you?"
Li Xiaoxiao didn't tell him the truth, but shook her head: "It's not your problem. Just stay here and recover. I'll take care of the young master, so don't worry."
Ah Sheng was still under the effects of the medicine, and after saying a few words, he fell asleep again.
Dr. Ni said, "Sleeping more is also good for his health and helps to counteract the effects of the medicine."
After leaving the clinic, Li Xiaoxiao returned to the small courtyard by the river, took out some rice, and cooked a pot of thin porridge with a little bit of ginger and salt.
After the porridge was cooked, she packed it into a bamboo tube, along with a bamboo tube of water, and drove the carriage to the entrance of the examination hall to wait for Meng Guanqi to come out.
After hearing Dr. Ni's words, she felt heavy-hearted, wondering how Meng Guanqi was doing now.
Unexpectedly, the medicine Zhang's mother had given was so strong. Although she had pricked Meng Guanqi's fingertips and toes to force him to wake up, she had no idea whether the effects of the medicine had completely dissipated. In addition, the gates of the examination hall would not be opened until the end of the examination. Even if Meng Guanqi fainted inside, they could only carry him aside and wait until the examination time was up before someone could come and take him out.
Moreover, fearing that Zhang's mother might have poisoned his food and water, she threw away all of his food and water. Today, he had nothing but a few menthol pills to refresh himself.
Under such dire circumstances, could he still take the exam?
This was the first time Li Xiaoxiao had experienced what it meant to be "extremely anxious" in all the time she had been in this world.
Finally, as dusk settled and the sun began to set, the bells rang in the examination hall, signaling the end of the exam.
Li Xiaoxiao took the lead and squeezed to the front, standing on tiptoe to look inside.
The candidates emerged one after another, almost all of them pale and unsteady on their feet. Their families waiting outside went up to claim them one by one, helping them into carriages and taking them away.
Li Xiaoxiao was almost the first to rush forward, but only after everyone had left did she see the pale and tired Meng Guanqi stagger out.
Li Xiaoxiao felt extremely distressed and immediately rushed over to support him: "Young Master~"
Meng Guanqi's long, feather-like eyelashes fluttered. When he saw it was her, a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips, and he surrendered himself completely to her.
Li Xiaoxiao carried him quickly onto the carriage, helped him sit down on a chair, and fed him water from the bamboo tube.
Meng Guanqi hurriedly drank half a bamboo tube of water, then suddenly shoved her away and leaned against the window, vomiting violently.
He hadn't eaten all day. First, he vomited the water he had just drunk, then he vomited up cloudy yellow bile, and finally he couldn't vomit anything at all, just dry heaving.
Li Xiaoxiao patted his back gently, and when he calmed down a bit, she used a handkerchief to clean his mouth and fed him water to rinse it again.
After vomiting all the nausea in his stomach, Meng Guanqi rinsed his mouth, drank some water, and finally felt a little better, but he had no strength left in his body.
Seeing that he had stopped vomiting, Li Xiaoxiao changed the bamboo tube and fed him some thin white porridge.
The white porridge had a little salt and some ginger shreds, giving it a light and refreshing aroma. For Meng Guanqi, who hadn't eaten all day, it was an excellent stomach-soothing meal.
He drank slowly, filling his empty stomach with food, and the discomfort that had plagued him all day finally subsided.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
Li Xiaoxiao took him to the clinic and found Dr. Ni to examine him.
Doctor Ni exclaimed in surprise, "This young master also drank the datura chicken soup? Why wasn't it sent over earlier this morning?"
Li Xiaoxiao's face was ashen: "He was supposed to take the provincial examination today. I pricked his fingers and toes to draw blood and used a mint-based brain-stimulating pill to force him awake so he could finish the exam. Doctor, could you please check if there's anything wrong with his body?"
Doctor Ni was horrified. To think that someone would administer such a potent drug to a student preparing for the provincial examinations—the person who administered it was truly ruthless! The provincial examinations were held only once every three years; how could someone possibly pass the exams after drinking such a large dose of sleeping potion?
Moreover, this young lady is too ruthless. She even knows to prick her fingertips and toes to bleed. Most people can't bear that kind of pain. But even so, there's no guarantee that she'll be fully conscious. I'm afraid that if she's forced to go to the examination hall, she'll only end up in a coma. What a terrible thing to do.
Especially considering this young scholar before her, with his fair skin and unparalleled beauty, and the fact that he was able to take the imperial examination at such a young age, he was clearly a prodigy. To be schemed against like this could ruin his life!
It seems that the clandestine activities within the homes of these wealthy families are truly impossible to guard against.
Doctor Ni looked at Meng Guanqi with more sympathy, but he didn't say anything. He carefully took Meng Guanqi's pulse and then released his hand after a while: "Young master is in good health. It doesn't seem to be a big problem. It's just that his spleen is a little weak. I'll prescribe some mild tonic medicine for you to take home and decoct for him. He'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Li Xiaoxiao breathed a huge sigh of relief; it was good that nothing happened.
Whether it's one patient or two patients, it's still the same to take care of them. After thinking about it, Li Xiaoxiao decided to bring Asheng home as well, since she felt more at ease having him under her own watchful eye.
The next morning, Li Xiaoxiao asked the eleven-year-old twin boys next door to help watch over Meng Guanqi and Asheng: "If you play in my yard and help watch over your two older brothers for a while, I'll give you ten coins each, okay?"
Upon hearing that there were ten large coins, the twin boys' eyes lit up: "Great!"
Li Xiaoxiao first gave each of them five large coins: "I'll be right back. If any strangers come in, yell for help and don't let them in, understand?"
The twin boys, holding the deposit, smiled with delight, their eyes crinkling: "We know! We won't let any of them in."
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then added, "If Zhang Li comes over, you should ask your parents to come and help stop him. You absolutely cannot let him into the yard, okay?"
The twins nodded repeatedly: "Okay, don't worry, sister, we definitely won't let him in."
She left the twins to play in the yard, went back to her room to write a letter, and then hurriedly left.
She found a security escort agency and paid ten taels of silver: "Please deliver this letter to the Biyang County government office immediately and hand it over to the magistrate."
Where there's a high price to pay, there's bound to be a brave man. The escort agency accepted the order and immediately dispatched a rider to Biyang County to deliver the message.
After delivering the letter, Li Xiaoxiao hurried back. The twins were playing in the mud in the yard.
Li Xiaoxiao asked, "Has anyone come after I left?"
The twins shook their heads in unison: "No, but our older brother is awake and cooking in the kitchen."
Meng Guanqi is awake?! Li Xiaoxiao was startled and immediately went into the kitchen, where she saw Meng Guanqi with his sleeves rolled up, cooking porridge with a spoon.
Li Xiaoxiao was overjoyed: "Young Master, you're awake?"
Meng Guanqi's face was still a little pale, but she looked much better: "You're back. Let's have some porridge together."
Li Xiaoxiao quickly took over and brought the cooked porridge into the house.
She had a lot to say to Meng Guanqi. After putting the porridge away, she gave the remaining ten coins to the twins and sent them home.
Back in the main room, Meng Guanqi had already started serving the porridge: "Come and have some porridge."
Meng Guanqi can actually cook porridge?! Is he starving?!
Li Xiaoxiao picked up the bowl and took a sip. It had a light ginger and salty taste, which was very pleasant to drink.
She asked in surprise, "Young master, when did you learn to cook?"
Meng Guanqi smiled slightly: "Back at the academy, we all took turns cooking, washing clothes, and even planting vegetables and grains. The headmaster said, 'Don't neglect small things.' If a scholar who has passed the imperial examination is lazy and doesn't know anything about farming, how can he understand the needs and sufferings of the common people? Doing these things also tempers our character. We don't have to be experts, but we must understand them."
Li Xiaoxiao sighed, "Professor Gu is quite unconventional; no wonder he doesn't want to be an official."
The prevailing thought of this era was that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, but he went against the grain, requiring students to learn how to do laundry, cook, and even do manual labor, carrying out the concept of "putting people first" to the end. This can only be described as unorthodox.
Li Xiaoxiao always thought that the porridge Meng Guanqi made was even better than what she could make herself, and she drank three bowls in a row before Meng Guanqi slowly drank one bowl.
Seeing that he didn't ask for more after finishing his bowl, Li Xiaoxiao finally brought up yesterday's events: "I've already written a letter and asked someone to send it home urgently. They'll definitely send someone over as soon as they receive it~"
Meng Guanqi hummed in response, his expression indifferent.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at him hesitantly: "Yesterday's exam, you—" She couldn't tell his emotions and didn't know if he had finished writing.
Meng Guanqi said calmly, "I've finished writing."
Li Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief and patted his shoulder: "It's good that you've finished writing. We've done our best. As for whether you'll pass or not, that's up to fate. Even if you don't pass this time, you're still young. You can try again in three years—"
"Xiaoxiao!" Meng Guanqi interrupted her, his eyes gradually becoming more determined: "Not only did I finish writing, but I also finished writing it while I was very sober. I don't think the drug affected me; on the contrary, I feel that I did even better on the test."
Li Xiaoxiao was stunned: "Really?" Not only did he not faint, but he also performed beyond expectations? What kind of chosen one is this?
Meng Guanqi went back to her room and brought out several sheets of paper covered with writing: "When I woke up this morning, you weren't here, so I wrote down yesterday's test questions and answers from memory."
This is almost a habit of every student. After the exam, they would write down the answers and hand them to the teacher for evaluation. The teachers could also make a pretty good estimate of the students' level based on the answers.
After Meng Guanqi finished the first two exams, he also wrote out the answer sheets from memory. Unfortunately, his teacher was in Luzhou, and there was no one to help him look at the answers. However, he planned to hand them over to Magistrate Meng after the exams, so that Magistrate Meng could also use them as a reference.
He nearly fainted yesterday and vomited so much, yet he was still able to recite the answers from memory today. It's a pity Li Xiaoxiao's level is limited to recognizing characters; she doesn't really understand this kind of classical Chinese writing and can't offer any advice. But that doesn't stop her from believing in him.
She immediately perked up and slammed her hand on the table: "Great! Young master, you're going to pass the imperial examination with flying colors and infuriate those petty villains who've been plotting against you behind your back!"
Meng Guanqi's eyes flickered uncertainly: "That's right. They think so highly of me that they didn't hesitate to poison me. The best way to get back at them is for me to succeed in one fell swoop and thwart their plans."
At this point, he looked at Li Xiaoxiao and asked, "After you took me to the examination hall yesterday, did you find Zhang Li and his parents?"
Li Xiaoxiao sighed and shook her head: "After I came back, Zhang Li found a little beggar to scout out information. When I found out, he ran away very quickly, and he knew this area much better than I did. He disappeared into the alley and I couldn't find him. But I did find something."
She took out several letters from her bosom and told Meng Guanqi what she had learned from the two women by the river: "According to the neighbors, he only came to live in this area about six months ago and just became familiar with the locals. We wouldn't have known this if we hadn't asked him carefully. So it seems he's not a local, and even his claim of being from Tangxia Village outside the city is probably fabricated. I had the older sister-in-law take me to his old place, and after picking the lock, I found these letters."
Meng Guanqi took the letter from her hand, opened it and looked at it. His expression changed slightly: "Isn't he illiterate? What a coincidence that you were able to find these letters and bring them back intact?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "I also think there's something wrong. This investigation went too smoothly... And does the person he mentioned in his letter have a grudge against our family? What does our son passing the imperial examination have to do with him?"
Meng Guanqi put the letter away: "I can't guess what's going on. I'll tell my father when he comes."
Li Xiaoxiao asked with delight, "Will the adults come?"
Meng Guanqi stared at her intently for a moment: "Didn't you send a letter back? My father knows I've gotten into such a big mess, how could he not come?"
Li Xiaoxiao was immediately relieved: "It's good that the magistrate is here, it's good that the magistrate is here. Let's go home with him after we see him, and come back on the day the results are announced. I've been feeling uneasy living in this courtyard. I didn't dare to sleep last night, afraid that Zhang Li would use some kind of trick to harm us again..."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard Ah Sheng vomiting from the side room on the right. The two were startled and rushed to the side room. Sure enough, Ah Sheng was lying by the bed, vomiting incessantly.
Li Xiaoxiao quickly went over to pat his back, and after he finished vomiting, she took the vomit out of the basin and poured it away. She then fed him water and porridge.
Ah Sheng couldn't drink the porridge, so Li Xiaoxiao said, "You still need to take medicine. It's bad for your health if you don't drink any porridge."
Ah Sheng had no choice but to force himself to drink half a bowl of porridge.
Li Xiaoxiao asked, "How are you feeling now?"
Ah Sheng said weakly, "I'm dizzy. I feel like the whole house and bed are shaking, like I'm on a boat."
Li Xiaoxiao said, "The doctor said you are detoxing. You have already taken the medicine for one day out of the three days. You should be fine after taking it for two more days."
Ah Sheng nodded weakly, even this simple action made him dizzy and in great pain. He said with tears in his eyes, "Sister Xiaoxiao, you drank more chicken soup than I did, how come you're alright?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Xiaoxiao felt Meng Guanqi next to her looking over as well, clearly he also wanted to know the answer to this question.
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