Listed as a major event by everyone in the Zhao family is the county examination that will begin in February.
Becoming a tongsheng is the first step on the road to the imperial examination.
Even though we know that Zhang Xiulin is talented, things that have not yet been settled will still keep people in mind.
Prepare nutritious meals for Zhang Xiulin every day, provide her with a quiet study environment, and give her money to buy the necessary pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, etc.
Compared to the nervousness of Zhang Xiuyuan and others, Zhang Xiulin was much calmer, probably because he already had a plan in mind.
As the county examination approached, Li Xiucai's private school had already been closed for vacation, and the students all went home to study on their own.
For the county examination, five people must form a bond with each other and a student must act as a guarantor.
Five people are friends, which means five people need to take the exam together. Zhang Xiulin happened to have four classmates who would take the Tongsheng exam together this year.
Li Xiucai himself was a naturalized person, so he did not need to find anyone else to act as a guarantor.
Generally speaking, if you ask a student to act as a guarantor, you need to pay two taels of silver or the value of two taels of silver to the student.
Some people can make a lot of money by acting as a guarantor once a year.
Li Xiucai was unwilling to accept them because they were his students, but several students insisted on giving them.
This gift to Zhang Xiulin was prepared by Zhang Xiuyuan for her. It consisted of one tael of silver, plus a series of other items worth one tael of silver, including flower cakes.
Zhang Xiulin had not yet moved out of the house he had rented in the county town, so he moved in a few days before the county exam.
After the marriage, the Zhao family's pastry shop reopened. The shop was not far from the house, so they could take care of each other with Zhang Xiulin.
The county examination was divided into four sessions, one per day, presided over by the county magistrate. The county magistrate of Renhe County was Bai Heng.
Soon, the first day of the county examination arrived.
Because there are so many people taking the exam, you need to queue up early to enter.
When Zhang Xiulin got up, it was still dark outside, but the kitchen and living room in the house were lit.
Zhang Xiuyuan was concerned about her and got up early to get busy. He had just finished making breakfast.
Zhang Xiulin felt warm in her heart as she looked at the tall figure busy in the kitchen.
"Sister Lin, are you awake? I was thinking of calling you later. I'm glad you're awake. Go wash up quickly and then come for dinner." Zhang Xiuyuan turned around and saw her.
"Yeah." Zhang Xiulin went back to the house to wash up.
When I went to eat again, I found that my brother and sister-in-law were also sitting down to eat.
"Your brother and sister-in-law will accompany you to the examination room later." Zhang Xiuyuan said.
Zhang Xiulin nodded and did not refuse. She felt very happy to have her family accompany her before the exam and to have a hot meal early.
She became more determined to achieve something in her career.
After breakfast, Zhang Xiulin checked her exam basket, which contained the necessary pens, ink, paper, inkstone, flint, a pot of water, and a few flower cakes, so that she could eat or drink when she was hungry or thirsty.
Zhao Chuchu helped her carry the exam basket, and the two went to the county government's ceremonial room together.
On the way, you can see candidates and their accompanying family members going to take the county exam in groups of three or four.
When Zhao Chuchu and Zhang Xiulin arrived, there was already a long line outside the county government's ceremonial room. Because it was still dark, some yamen runners were holding tall torches outside the ceremonial room, while others were maintaining order.
The ancient imperial examination was even more grand than the modern "college entrance examination". As a modern person, this was the first time that Zhao Chuchu had the experience of participating in the imperial examination in person.
The people around were talking in low voices before entering the venue.
"I heard that there are more than 200 people taking the county exam in Renhe County this time."
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