The house that Xichun and her friends rented was two miles away from the examination hall. Such a distance was not a problem even if they walked there on the day of the exam.
The families living here are all ordinary people from the capital, but they are obviously much wealthier, so they are not curious about the two scholars who have passed the imperial examinations moving in.
It was very quiet around us. In the dead of winter, there wasn't even the sound of children making noise outside. Everyone was finally able to get a few peaceful nights to sleep.
"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and this is the first time I'll be spending it away from home. I figured since both of our families are away from home anyway, we might as well celebrate together peacefully. I'll also ask my family to cook some of our local specialties so we can have a lively celebration together."
Fu Changfeng and Zeng Juren occupied the study together, and these days they have been reading behind closed doors, completely unaware of the New Year celebrations. Sister Cao had no choice but to come to Xichun to discuss it.
"I think this will work. Let's go grocery shopping together. I can never get used to the local flavors. Adding the chili peppers we brought will really make it special." Xi Chun thought the same thing and readily agreed.
Since the two had nothing to do, Taozi went out with them to buy groceries. He was good at this, and they could buy mutton transported from the north. It looked very fresh. The shop owner told them that the sheep were raised in the suburbs and that they slaughtered as many as they could sell each day, which was very convenient.
After frying all the meatballs, they bought red paper, and Fu Changfeng and his companion personally wrote a couplet with auspicious meanings and pasted it on the door, creating a festive atmosphere.
"The dishes tonight are truly sumptuous. Come, come, let's eat quickly. I heard that the palace will send people out to set off fireworks later. These things are rare even where we live. We should take a good look at them." Fu Changfeng sat at a table with Zeng Juren and also invited Xie Juren to join them.
The group enjoyed the meal immensely, the taste of their hometown instantly filling their hearts. The three of them drank wine and composed poems, putting aside their thoughts of the upcoming exams and having a good time.
"Today is truly the happiest day I've had since I came to the capital. I have good friends to keep me company, and I'm enjoying fine wine and delicious food. The atmosphere is much better than in the inn. It's a pity I don't have enough money, otherwise I would like to stay on my own."
After having a few drinks, Xie Ju finally opened up and told his innermost thoughts. He said that Fu Changfeng and the other man had invited him before, but he had to refuse because he was short of money.
"Brother Xie, your scholarship is so excellent, you will surely pass the imperial examination this time. At that time, none of this will be a problem. After you become an official, you can realize your ambitions. All these years of studying are for this purpose." Fu Changfeng comforted him.
"Alas, it's not that easy to achieve. These days at the inn, I've heard of many talented scholars from Jiangnan, each one of them highly learned. When I first left Yizhou Prefecture, I was still confident that I would pass the exam this time. But now that I'm in the capital, I'm not so sure anymore. There are too many talented people in the world, but too few discerning judges."
Scholar Xie shook his head; he too had gone from being full of vigor to being severely discouraged.
"Brother Xie, don't underestimate yourselves. Those of us who passed the provincial examination are already quite similar in terms of knowledge. We just lack a little more talent and luck. Come, let's drink this cup together. I hope we can both achieve our goals."
Xi Chun and the others were unaware of the conversation between the three men. The two men were eating hotpot and chatting in the courtyard. There were many children's voices outside the courtyard, indicating that they had already gone out to play with their parents.
"I really want to see how beautiful those fireworks are later. I've only ever heard of them being set off in Yizhou Prefecture, but I've never seen them before," Sister Cao said with anticipation.
"It must be quite a sight." Having seen so many grand occasions, Xi Chun wasn't particularly curious about the fireworks of the ancients.
Soon it was almost midnight, and the cheers outside grew louder. Xichun and Sister Cao didn't dare to go out at this time, worried that there would be too many people and something might happen.
"Let's just look around from here in the yard. I heard we can see it from here too."
Just as Sister Cao finished speaking, they heard a series of loud bangs in the distance, and huge fireworks burst into the sky, accompanied by a chorus of exclamations.
"This is so beautiful! No wonder I always hear people talking about it. So this is what fireworks look like."
"Hehe, yes, it's a pity that beautiful things are too fleeting, disappearing in an instant."
On such days, the people could only enjoy such beautiful fireworks. No one dared to blink, and they stared intently at the sky. However, the fireworks only lasted a few seconds before they were gone. After waiting for a while and then there was still no more activity, the crowd dispersed.
As the New Year passed, the time for the exam drew ever closer, and most of the people coming and going around the area became scholars, presumably from prefectures near the capital who had arrived after the New Year.
“These days there are more and more people, and it’s a mixed bag, so be careful when you go out,” Fu Changfeng reminded Xichun. These days she and Sister Cao have been going out for a stroll in the neighborhood, sometimes to the temple fair, sometimes to buy groceries.
"Okay, we also plan to go out less from now on. There are too many people, and we're worried something might happen. We're not familiar with the area, so it's better not to wander around."
Before they knew it, the imperial examination was about to begin. Fu Changfeng and Zeng Juren were sent to the examination hall, where they once again witnessed the sheer number of people. Normally, one or two Juren would be enough to shock the common people, but today, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"It's crowded, Sister Zeng, let's go back soon. It's cold right now, let's go back and warm ourselves by the charcoal fire." The two of them felt relieved for the moment. They had been waiting and had things to do, so they didn't feel cold. But now they felt the cool breeze of the capital.
"Let's go, I'm feeling quite cold too." Sister Cao was holding the hot water bottle, which was starting to get cold, and the two of them went home together.
"Bang bang bang, oh oh oh." The voices of children echoed through the streets and alleys. Today is the second day of the second lunar month, the day when the dragon raises its head, and many children have come out to play.
"It seems the capital city takes the Second Day of the Second Lunar Month very seriously; it's so lively. It's a pity we can't see it for ourselves." As the two got off the carriage, hearing the children's laughter, Sister Cao thought of her own children and felt a pang of melancholy.
“When they come back, we can go out and see the world. It’s really boring being stuck in this small place every day. By the way, why don’t we play Go together? I’ve been studying it from a book these past few days.” Xi Chun was so bored that she picked up Fu Changfeng’s Go manual to learn.
"I don't know how to play Go, but we're just killing time anyway, so let's practice," Sister Cao said, also bored.
At first, the two were not very interested, but after practicing a few more times, they became interested instead.
"Let's play again, let's play again, this chess game is really quite interesting." After playing for several days, the two finally stopped.
"Taozi, has the doctor backed out yet? With so many people taking the exam, I'm worried that some might change their minds. We're unfamiliar with the capital, so it's better to find a doctor with a good reputation."
"Don't worry, Sister Xichun, he said he would definitely come that day." Taozi said to Xichun after confirming the doctor's condition.
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