After entering the room and lighting a candle, Zhang Xiulin took out a handkerchief from the examination basket, carefully wiped the dusty table, and put out the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.
It was still dark and the exam was not yet time. Zhang Xiulin leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.
She started grinding ink when the exam was almost about to start.
The test papers were handed out as soon as the ink was ground.
In addition to the test papers, there were also blank papers.
On the first day of the county exam, the test was about pasting scriptures. Students were asked to write down the corresponding preceding or following sentences from one or two verses of the Four Books and Five Classics. Once, her brother and sister-in-law saw her working on the test, glanced at her, and said, "Isn't this a fill-in-the-blank test?"
The three words "fill in the blanks" are a very appropriate description.
Zhang Xiulin had a photographic memory and could even recite the Four Books and Five Classics by heart.
Zhang Xiulin can start writing after just a glance, but she writes very carefully and seriously.
In the imperial examination, the examiners also pay attention to the appearance of the paper. If the handwriting is not neat, it will leave a bad impression on the examiners.
For example, there are two papers and both people answered correctly, but because one of them wrote the paper sloppily, that person may come in second place.
During this year, Zhang Xiulin went from being illiterate to being familiar with the Three Hundred Thousand Books and the Four Books and Five Classics. This year, she also practiced calligraphy hard.
She has a talent for reading, but practicing calligraphy requires long-term persistence.
Nowadays, Zhang Xiulin's handwriting is just neat and beautiful.
It's still quite cold in February.
Even if I wear a cotton jacket, my hands and feet will gradually become cold after sitting for a long time, and I need to move my hands almost every once in a while.
Some candidates would hand in their papers early after finishing their exams. Zhang Xiulin also handed in his paper early after checking it twice and finding no mistakes.
She left the examination room carrying her exam basket.
Outside the examination room, there were many anxiously waiting family members. Zhao Chuchu left after Zhang Xiulin entered the examination room. This was Zhang Xiulin's request.
She thought she was no longer a child. If she passed the county exam, she would be a successful candidate. How could she require her brother and his wife to accompany her in everything?
But she unexpectedly found Xiao Jie waiting for her.
"Sister Lin."
Hearing the familiar soft voice, Zhang Xiulin looked up and saw a familiar little figure in the crowd. It was Xiao Jie.
"Xiaojie, why are you still here? You haven't been waiting here all the time, have you?"
Song Wanxian was no longer there, and a servant was accompanying Xiao Jie.
Xiao Jie immediately shook his head: "No, no, I just got here too." He didn't dare to look at Zhang Xiulin, for fear that she would see through him.
In fact, he had been waiting outside since Zhang Xiulin entered the examination room for several hours. He felt hungry and ate two buns.
Song Wanxian had to leave first because she needed to take care of the Fengya Bookstore business. Xiao Jie didn't want to leave, so he waited here.
Afraid that Zhang Xiulin would ask more questions, Xiao Jie quickly changed the subject: "Sister Lin, you must be hungry. Let's go eat something."
Xiao Jie pulled her towards the inn not far away.
Zhang Xiulin saw through his thoughts, but did not expose him and let him drag her away.
The second day's test was on Mo Yi, which focused on sentences from the Four Books and Five Classics, and required students to answer the questions' meanings. To use her brother and sister-in-law's summary, it was a short-answer question.
On the third day, both the Tiejing and Moyi examinations were conducted, but the difficulty was increased.
The fourth day tested the interpretation of classics and poetry. The students had to express their views and understanding of a sentence from the Four Books and Five Classics. To use her brother and sister-in-law's words, they were required to write an argumentative essay. The requirements for poetry and rhyme in the county exam were not very high.
During the four-day exam, Zhang Xiulin kept a calm mind and performed very easily.
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