Chapter 45 The Exam is Over
On the day of the exam, the Imperial Examination Hall was crowded with people who came to see them off. Su Wanwan stood on tiptoe and looked around, feeling worried. The temperature had dropped and it had rained in the past few days, and she felt freezing even during the day, let alone at night.
She stuffed the package to Pei Changfeng and told him, "There are two oil-paper packages in it. The larger one is a vegetable cake, which you will eat today. The smaller one is a sesame cake, which you will eat in the next few days. The kettle is also in the package. It contains sugar water, but only a little sugar. In addition, this big package contains thick clothes and two knee pads. Wear them when you feel cold at night. If you feel sleepy, put thin clothes under thick clothes to cover yourself. Don't get sick, okay?"
"I remember everything," Pei Changfeng squeezed her palm, "Don't worry about me, eat well and don't hurt your stomach."
"Alas," Su Wanwan held his hand in reverse, "I put the salt in the rice bag in a cloth bag, and there are longans in it, but you must not eat too much longan, or you will get angry. The candles, your pen and inkstone are all in the basket. What else is there? I really forget more and more when I'm anxious. Oh, by the way, there are candies and moon cakes in the basket, as well as the medicine prepared by the senior for you, and the paste for mending the knife is also there."
There are nine days left for the exam, and there are many complicated things to prepare. Su Wanwan is a person who easily worries, and she wishes she could take the exam herself.
Hu Qi was watching from the side and wanted to laugh, "Okay, okay, stop being annoying, people are starting to line up over there, go quickly."
When Pei Changfeng started queuing, his family members were not allowed to accompany him.
"Wanwan," Pei Changfeng stuffed something into her hand, "This is for you."
After saying that, he stepped into the examination room.
"This person is really..." Su Wanwan looked at the hairpin in her hand and didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Why is he giving me this at this time?"
The hairpin was a gardenia with a crystal in the middle, adding a nice color. It was made of pure silver. Su Wanwan muttered, "Where did he get the money to buy the hairpin? Did he save money without telling me?"
"You are so lucky, little girl," Hu Qi took a look, "you look pretty."
Su Wanwan touched her head and then inserted the hairpin. Pei Changfeng happened to turn his head and saw her wearing the hairpin he bought, with a beautiful smile on her face.
Pei Changfeng was very lucky. He was not assigned to take the test next to the stinky number, and he was quite some distance away from the stinky number. There was sunshine during the day and it was not too cold.
On the third day, after the first exam, he saw a candidate sitting next to the smelly seat foaming at the mouth and being carried out. He took a painkiller, stretched his muscles, and continued to prepare for the second exam.
On the fifth day before Pei Changfeng went to take the exam, it rained heavily. Su Wanwan sneezed and walked around in circles in the room. She couldn't help but think about many things. She was worried that Pei Changfeng would get sick, and then she was worried that he would be cold. In short, she couldn't sit still, and she saw a lot of her hair falling out.
She had nothing to do, so she tore off a few pieces of paper used by Pei Changfeng, crumpled them into a ball, and made a mark on one of them.
The first time she drew an unmarked number, Su Wanwan thought to herself that two out of three was the best, so she drew two more times, but in the end she didn’t draw any.
It’s okay. A man shouldn’t talk about strange things. Su Wanwan silently threw the paper ball aside.
The weather changes so suddenly that there is no chance for us to prepare.
Many candidates caught cold because they did not put on more clothes in time at night. They could not even hold a pen steadily, let alone write.
Pei Changfeng changed into the thick clothes that Su Wanwan prepared for him, put on knee pads, asked Hao Jun to help boil some hot water, and closed his eyes to rest.
Maybe it was bad weather. There were lightning and thunder in the past few days. The temperature was extremely strange, colder than usual in autumn. It rained all the time. Some unlucky candidates had leaking roofs in the examination rooms and could not sleep at night. Their test papers got wet if they were not careful. It was so miserable.
The number curtain rustled in the wind. Pei Changfeng ate a longan and continued answering questions.
"Why is it still raining?" Su Wanwan stamped her feet anxiously at the door. "Senior, do you think my husband will be cold?"
"I prepared some typhoid and cold medicine for him. If he gets sick, he just needs to take a pill," Hu Qi said, feeling a little cold as he sat under the eaves. He rubbed his hands, "It's a little cold. Why is it so cold this year? It's really strange."
Thinking of this, Hu Qi couldn't help but praise Su Wanwan, "You are so thoughtful, you made him shoes with thousand-layer soles, and you also brought cotton and knee pads, so he wouldn't be cold. He is so lucky to marry you."
Su Wanwan smiled shyly, "Senior, you are praising me so much that I feel embarrassed. If my husband passes the exam, it would be my blessing. I would instantly go from being a village girl to being the wife of a successful candidate."
"That's not necessarily true. If he hadn't met you, would he have had such good fortune?" Hu Qi stood up. "We just complement each other."
The rain continued to fall, and Su Wanwan cooked a bowl of hot noodle soup in the evening. The hot soup warmed people's bodies.
The rain continued until the last day of the exam. Su Wanwan and Hu Qi went to pick up Pei Changfeng. When she saw him, Su Wanwan immediately waved, "Husband, I'm here!"
The candidates who came out all had fatigue on their faces, and some were even carried out. It was obvious that they had no hope of getting a ranking this year.
Pei Changfeng also looked very haggard, his clothes were wrinkled. Seeing Su Wanwan trying to help him, he stretched out his hand to separate the two of them, "Don't come over."
Pei Changfeng didn't dare to imagine what he smelled like after not washing his hair or taking a shower for nine days. Su Wanwan tactfully didn't get any closer, and she and Hu Qi each carried some things back.
After returning, Su Wanwan immediately boiled water, and Hu Qi covered his nose to show Pei Changfeng his legs.
"Your legs are fine. You should wash them first. You're scared of the fumes."
Pei Changfeng was somewhat surprised. When Su Wanwan finished boiling the water, he wanted to fetch water. Su Wanwan immediately let go of his hand and said, "I'll do it!"
Hu Qi said at this time: "Buy a servant. I have never seen a scholar without a servant to serve him. Your legs and feet are not good now, and you can't do heavy work. You should buy one to save Wanwan some energy."
"I thought about buying one before," Su Wanwan smiled and poured water into the basin, "but my house is too small and I have no place to live. Besides, I never know when I'll need money in the future..."
"Buy it," Pei Changfeng said, "My legs really can't do heavy work. You'll feel more relaxed after you buy it."
Su Wanwan seemed to have figured out something from his words, "Are you confident... in this exam?"
"The weather was bad and many candidates were sick. I was lucky. If nothing unexpected happens, I should get a rank."
Su Wanwan had never asked about his grades since he came out, so she was delighted when she heard this. "Buy, buy, buy. I'll buy them when I get home! It's unacceptable that he has become a juren and still doesn't have a servant to serve him. I have to buy them!"
Pei Changfeng laughed, and after she went out, he quickly started to take off his clothes and wash himself.
"Girl," Hu Qi reminded her, "after you pass the exam, both the county and the village will give you bonuses. You can use the money to rent a good yard to live in. I don't think it's possible to live in the village."
"It's impossible to live here," Su Wanwan nodded. "My husband has had a feud with some people, and they all want to kill him. Now that my husband's leg has not only recovered, but he's also going to take the exam, those people will definitely come back again. We have to move to another place to live."
"But senior..." Su Wanwan looked at Hu Qi, "You know a lot."
Hu Qi laughed and said, "I am already old, so I know a lot."
The results of the provincial examination were announced one month later. Before the announcement, no one knew that Pei Changfeng had gone to take the exam. The group rested in the provincial capital for two days and then prepared to go back.
Su Wanwan tidied up the house first, and then Widow Liu brought Su Chaochao over.
Su Chaochao bowed to Pei Changfeng in a formal manner and said, "Congratulations to my brother-in-law for passing the imperial examination."
Pei Changfeng touched his head and said, "Thank you very much."
Widow Liu was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't worry, my daughter and son-in-law. I didn't tell anyone about Changfeng's exam. When someone asked me about it, I said you went to see a doctor! Now it's good. Our Su family's ancestors are going to have a son-in-law who is an official."
"That's an exaggeration," Su Wanwan pressed Widow Liu, "The results haven't been announced yet."
"My son-in-law will definitely pass the exam," said Widow Liu mysteriously. "I've asked the fortune teller, and it's a sure thing!"
"So what are you going to do after you pass the exam?"
"No big deal," Su Wanwan said as she swept the floor. "By the way, you used to be a maid in a wealthy family. Come with me to the pawnshop tomorrow to buy a servant."
"Okay, okay, I want to buy a servant," Widow Liu stuffed a silver ingot into her hand, "Don't forget me when you become rich, girl!"
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