Chapter 30
Chapter 30
After a whole day of classes, the students in Class C looked dazed.
From the morning to the noon hour.
From 15:00 to 15:00 in the afternoon, there are still homework assignments on the Four Books and the Five Classics.
Seeing everyone panic.
To convert the time, it is 7 am to 12 noon, and 2 pm to 6 pm.
It seems okay, but whether there is a break between classes depends entirely on the teachers and doctors.
Their teachers and doctors obviously did not mean that.
Two and a half hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, almost without stopping.
Random checks are also required from time to time.
The homework includes copying, memorizing, and writing a short article.
If I finish these assignments carefully, it will take at least two hours.
Compared to the previous days, this is simply terrible.
The students in the third grade class who are used to being lazy can no longer think straight.
Ji Yuan was the most normal one among them, and he even wanted to shake his head.
With this amount of time, is it considered hard work?
There is no morning self-study or evening self-study, so why should I be afraid?
For him, this kind of class is actually a lot quieter.
The Money-loving Society and the Poverty-stricken Society all quieted down and finished their homework honestly.
I haven't seen them quarreling every day.
The dormitory was very quiet. Six people were all working at their desks, writing articles. After finishing, they checked each other's recitation.
You can lie down only after the hour of Hai.
After lying down, my roommate brought up the entrance exam.
There are three freshmen in their dormitory, Ji Yuan, Li Ting, and Chen Zhiliang.
Chen Zhiliang was the most nervous. If he ranked too low, it would be embarrassing and he would be given special attention by the teachers.
Thinking about the endless homework makes me feel overwhelmed.
Li Ting also said: "I thought the ranking would not be announced, why did you suddenly bring it up?"
"It's not something I brought up suddenly." Chang Qing, as the dormitory head, interacted with the teachers the most. "I was busy with the county school before, so I didn't bring it up. Now that the county school is over, the ten students will go to the prefectural examination in a few days, so naturally everything will be fine here."
Chang Qing looked at the sleepy Ji Yuan and said, "Ji Yuan's ranking should be good."
Ji Yuan shook his head and said, it’s just an entrance exam, we’ll talk about it after we get in.
A temporary ranking doesn’t mean anything.
It doesn't matter whether it's good or not.
Early the next morning, Ji Yuan exercised as usual, then wrote big characters, and finally washed up and ate, and entered the Bingdeng Hall a quarter of an hour before Chenshi.
As soon as I came in today, many people looked over.
Li Ting couldn't get up in the morning to exercise, nor did he need to practice calligraphy, so he had plenty of time. He arrived at the school early and knew what had happened.
Ji Yuan looked around and his eyes were fixed on the paper posted in front of the Bingdeng Hall.
Li Ting said: "Don't look at it, it's just the admission score."
It seems that I did very poorly in the exam.
Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head, then walked forward to take a look.
To his surprise, the ranking started from 36th place.
There are a total of fifty-five students in Class C.
Thirty-five old students and twenty new students.
The first place among the freshmen is ranked thirty-sixth, directly below the thirty-fifth place among the seniors.
The next ones will naturally follow in sequence.
So the last student admitted is the 55th?
Ji Yuan saw his name after fifty-five.
Even Ji Yuan couldn't help but open his eyes wide.
Last one?!
He got the last place in the exam? !
According to the current ranking, he is even the last in the class.
wrong.
The county school in Zhengrong County is divided into grades A, B and C.
He is not only the last in the class, but also the last in the whole school.
This realization made Ji Yuan let out a small sigh.
He has never gotten such a score in an exam, either in his previous life or in this life.
"He's a child prodigy, but he got the last place in the exam."
"Haha ...."
The brothers Wang Xingjie and Wang Xingzhi were senior students, so their rankings were naturally before 35, so it seemed natural for them to laugh at Ji Yuan who was ranked 55th.
Ji Yuan was briefly shocked, then looked over and said, “It’s just a temporary ranking.”
"It's still temporary. Do you think you can catch up with others if you work hard for a month?"
"You're dreaming! You haven't had a teacher to teach you for a while. Can you catch up with your grades in February?"
That is true.
But in just one month, not much can change.
"That's you. It's been less than a year since Ji Yuan started elementary school, and you were able to get into the county school in a year. How come you can't beat others in just one month?" Li Ting counterattacked. His ranking was neither high nor low, currently ranking 43rd, so he was also laughed at when he said this.
Ranking by grades is really cruel.
Ji Yuan is naturally competitive.
In his previous life, he had never fallen out of the top three. This time, when he suddenly saw that he was the last, he felt competitive, but he still said calmly: "If one month's effort is not enough, then work hard for two months. If two months is not enough, then ten months."
Ji Yuan looked at the provocative Wang Xingjie and raised his eyebrows, "Speaking of which, the bet from last month has not been fulfilled yet."
Bet?
That bet!
All the students in the C-class hall reacted immediately, and some people started to make a noise, "Didn't you bet that Ji Yuan would definitely slack off before the sixth day of the second month?"
"According to the agreement, you all lose!"
"Yes, I lost everything! Where's the money?"
Ji Yuan hugged his chest and said, "I also bet some money, now give me my winnings."
When Wang Xingjie and his friends were making the bet, everyone in Class C was playing. Even the most diligent dormitory head, Chang Qing, would get distracted and even secretly go play Cuju.
So no one believed that Ji Yuan would persevere.
He is only nine years old, how can he have such great perseverance?
But he actually persisted and even studied hard after the bet was over.
So Wang Xingjie and his team lost completely.
Wang Xingjie and Wang Xingzhi grinned. How could they have forgotten about this? They just deliberately didn’t mention it.
If Ji Yuan wins, it means they all lose.
That will cost you money!
All that money must be given away!
Although their family was relatively well off, they still felt very painful when they gave away several taels of silver at a time.
Li Ting keeps a record of the accounts and asks for repayment one by one.
Ji Yuan was not polite and split the money 50-50 with Li Ting. He even said with a smile: "Thank you. I will use the money to buy books and study hard. I will definitely surpass you."
"Dream on! I've been studying for six years, and you still want to surpass me?!"
Wang Xingzhi just shouted, and Ji Yuan said casually: "If you don't agree, let's make another bet?"
Still betting?
The people who were originally showing off their might suddenly became discouraged.
That's not so bad.
They have no money!
And I vaguely feel that if it were Jiyuan, maybe I would really surpass them?
This statement would only boost others' morale, so everyone just shut up.
Seeing that they were no longer causing trouble, Ji Yuan returned to his seat with the scroll.
While others were still trying to calm down, he was the only one who picked up the book to review his lessons.
Class is about to start. How can I not review the lessons in advance?
Besides, he got the last place in the exam.
It turned out to be the last one.
This result touched Ji Yuan's heart.
He can't accept this result!
Although Ji Yuan looked relatively calm, the soul of the King of Scrolls in his heart was directly triggered.
In the next few days, Wang Xingzhi and his men did not dare to cause trouble for Ji Yuan again. After all, they would not be able to win the argument and it would only bring shame upon themselves.
But Ji Yuan himself almost strictly follows his schedule.
Just like in the village, I get up at 1:00 a.m. and start exercising before dawn.
Whether you are taking the exam yourself or attending the county exam, having a good body is very important for the exam.
After daybreak, he would practice writing the character “永” (Yong) a hundred times in the bamboo forest, and then put the characters in the tea room of Zunjing Pavilion, where the old teacher would help him point out the mistakes.
It was almost the middle of the morning at this time. He quickly washed up, ate, and went to the C-class hall to recite his lessons.
After a day's classes, it was the hour of You. I would go to the Zunjing Pavilion to take back the large characters I had commented on and continue copying the "Spring and Autumn Annals".
He would copy the 180,000 words of the Spring and Autumn Annals stroke by stroke.
The Zunjing Pavilion closed at 12:00 p.m., and Ji Yuan helped the old teacher clean the yard before returning to the dormitory to do today's homework.
Get up at Yin time and rest at Hai time, which means get up at about four o'clock and go to bed at ten o'clock in the evening.
Time was used exactly by Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan enjoyed it. He knew that time waits for no one. He also felt that he was an adult and was not so playful.
In the eyes of others, it looks a bit more terrifying.
Even Master Guo specifically asked the dormitory head Chang Qing to find Ji Yuan and have Ji Yuan come to the Research and Study Office to talk to him.
When Master Guo saw Ji Yuan coming to see him with a book in his hand, he couldn't help but hold his forehead.
"Today, a group of jugglers came to the county town and will perform at the overpass tonight. Why don't you go and see it?"
There is such a thing?
Ji Yuan never noticed.
Master Guo said with a smile, with relief in his eyes, that his old friend Master Zhao had not misjudged his student.
It was already afternoon, and Master Guo was preparing to go home. As he walked outside the county school, he said, "In fact, the county school is not that strict. It is still necessary to take a proper rest."
Mr. Guo spoke in a roundabout way.
Thinking about the discussion in the Research and Study Office today, fellow teachers and doctors, it is the first time that I feel surprised at a student’s diligence.
"He got up at 3:00 pm, which is earlier than me. When I took the imperial examination, I was not as diligent as him."
"More than that, he has enough homework recently, and he can still write a hundred characters a day."
"Why doesn't he look tired?"
"You're so young, and you don't even want to sleep."
"Oh, I wish my sons could work as hard as this."
Most of the other masters just mentioned it, but Master Guo, as a good friend of Master Zhao, felt differently.
So after class, I went to talk to Ji Yuan.
If he really learns bad things from Ji Yuan, Old Zhao will definitely come after him.
Master Guo said, "If it's because of the results of the entrance examination, you don't have to worry."
Ji Yuan was indeed shocked by his exam ranking, but his daily study was not entirely due to this.
After all, whether there is such a ranking or not, his daily routine is always like this.
Ji Yuan was about to speak but stopped talking. Master Guo thought he had hit the nail on the head and said with a smile, "Based on your essay, you wouldn't be the last one."
"Showing off one's talents is not a good thing. If you are a child prodigy, you will be far superior to others, and your situation will only become more difficult."
After that, Master Guo said, "I believe you. There will be many more exams in the county school in the future. There will always be a chance not to be the last one."
“It will also convince other students.”
"By the way, the ranking in the exam is naturally also due to your handwriting."
"But now it seems that there is no need to worry."
"Go and have some fun, as long as it's not excessive, it's fine."
After Mr. Guo returned home, Ji Yuan slowly walked towards the dormitory.
So that's what is happening.
Other children might not understand what Master Guo said, but he understood the hidden meaning.
His poem did make him famous, but it attracted a lot of attention.
He understands that being too rigid will lead to failure, and so do others.
Therefore, the test results were pushed back.
It is not only to make him less arrogant and less impatient, but also to prevent those people from targeting him.
If you pour some oil on a stove that is burning brightly, the stove will probably explode.
Watering it at this moment will make it peaceful and stable.
Unfortunately, they don’t know that they are not children after all and their minds are naturally calm.
But it was well-intentioned.
It is a genuine kindness to the students.
If he is really an eight or nine-year-old child, being praised to the extreme is definitely not a good thing for his growth.
There was no need to talk about this matter, as Master Guo was afraid that he would be too tired from studying these days, and that it would undermine his confidence.
So I revealed a little bit to make myself feel better.
Be it ranking or revealing this matter.
Encourage and comfort at the same time.
The county school is considering all of this for the students.
The word "education" is an eternal problem.
Modern education can also cause a lot of controversy over encouraging education or suppressing education.
It is so difficult to strike the right balance.
Ji Yuan smiled, looked in the direction of the Research and Study Office, and felt inexplicably more at ease.
It cannot be denied that the school's ranking does motivate him.
But what is more valuable is that he met many good teachers.
Ji Yuan followed the moonlight back to the dormitory with brisk steps. When Li Ting wanted to say something, he took the initiative to speak: "I heard that there is a circus troupe at the overpass today. Do you want to go and watch it?"
Not to mention Li Ting, even Chang Qing, Chen Liangzhi and others who were rolled up by him in the dormitory had their eyes light up.
Ahhhhhhh!
Really!
Are you really going out to play?
Woohoo, during this period of time, seeing Ji Yuan studying every day without stopping, they couldn't help but follow him and learn.
After so many days, I'm really tired.
Ji Yuan actually took the initiative to say he wanted to go out and play? !
Let’s go watch a circus!
How can I not go?
Only then did Ji Yuan realize that gratitude was written on the faces of the people around him.
What should I do? I suddenly feel a little guilty.
I accidentally rolled everyone up.
Ji Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I made some money from Wang Xingzhi and his friends last time, so let's go eat some candied haws."
Now everyone was even happier. Li Ting even put his arm around Ji Yuan's shoulders and said, "Okay! Let's go! I'll also contribute some money! Let's go!"
The roommates in the dormitory seemed to be afraid that Ji Yuan would go back on his word, so they hurriedly packed up and left.
It’s really hard to follow the King of Rolls!
Zhengrong County is very lively at night. The curfew does not start until 10 pm, but it is only a little after 7 pm and the streets are bustling with people.
Because a circus troupe was passing by, the area near the overpass was even more crowded.
Fortunately, the police officers in the yamen have stepped up patrols, so public security is good.
"Look, the acrobatics have already started, and there's a storyteller next to them." Li Ting and Chen Liangzhi clapped their hands excitedly.
Ji Yuan also found it interesting, but he was short and could only see inside by standing on a high place with the others.
Because I was standing high enough, I actually saw someone familiar.
Ji Yuan was holding some pastries in his hand, all of which were bought with the money given by Wang Xingzhi and his friends.
At this moment, several of them were surrounding a shorter boy, who was about eleven or twelve years old and was also a student at the county school.
He seemed to be from a merchant family. When Ji Yuan was taking the examination for the county school, he saw with his own eyes this child being cheated when buying a purple-hair brush.
Now the kid tightly grasped his money bag, staring at the calligraphy and painting in Wang Xingzhi's hands with shining eyes, and asked excitedly: "Really? Sell it to me for thirty taels?"
"Is this really Mr. Shen Ishida's painting?"
Ji Yuan frowned as he listened. Chen Shitian was a famous calligrapher and painter in Tianqi State, and he was also the founder of the "Wu School".
How could this person's paintings appear in the small Zhengrong County and be sold for only thirty taels?
It's clearly a lie.
Fortunately, the man counted his money and frowned, saying, "I don't have that much money."
Even if the family is rich, they are only eleven or twelve years old after all and will not carry so much money.
Wang Xingzhi and his friends were disappointed and had to leave.
Ji Yuan, who witnessed all this, shook his head slightly and happened to meet the gaze of the dormitory head Chang Qing.
Chang Qing obviously saw it too. He was already twenty years old, so he could tell it was a scam. However, he had no intention of helping. He just said, "He's a businessman. He's on good terms with the people from the Copper Stinky Society. Don't bother with him."
Ji Yuan frowned at this, and Chang Qing said with some contempt, "Those Shang Ji are usually lackeys of the sons of the noble families. They are used to being their dogs, and they are eager to pay them money as tribute."
Everyone in the county school knows that the students are divided into the Poor Society and the Money-Smelling Society.
But there are also internal conflicts in the Money-Stuff Society.
Some of them were children of officials, while others were businessmen.
It was only in the last ten years that the business class was allowed to take the imperial examinations. Because of the custom of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, as well as the local atmosphere, they were naturally looked down upon by the children of officials.
Even the poor people in the society think that business people are of low status.
But on the other hand, the Shang class is the richest among them, even some children of the gentry cannot compare to them.
They were naturally not among the poor, and the gentry had to play along with them reluctantly, and they looked down on them.
Ji Yuan is not curious about these twists and turns.
But two other words came to my mind.
This is not being a lackey, it is clearly bullying.
No matter how many high-sounding excuses are used, this is bullying.
The students in the third grade hall of the county school are of different ages, which makes the bullying seem even more vicious.
Ji Yuan had never liked Wang Zhixing and the others in the first place, and now he was even more disgusted with them.
Chang Qing naturally didn't like the fact that he was glorifying bullying.
Seeing Ji Yuan's indifferent expression, Chang Qing felt bored and was too lazy to say anything more.
After a while, he continued, "Why do you think they cheated Qian Fei of his money? It's because of your bet that those people from the Tongxiu Society are left with no money."
Qian Fei is the business student.
Chang Qing was naturally not trying to remind him, he just wanted to tell Ji Yuan that he was also responsible for this matter and should stop pretending to be a good person.
Chang Qing had long been fed up with Ji Yuan's appearance.
Not to mention that he was called a little prodigy as soon as he arrived, and everyone said he had a bright future.
Furthermore, during his time in the county school, although he was young, he had a very high reputation.
After all, he always manages to make the people from the Money Society lose face, something even he himself can't do.
The children from poor families, led by him, all began to listen to Ji Yuan, which made him feel ashamed.
Even when going out to play, if Ji Yuan didn't say so, no one in the dormitory would want to go out.
Ji Yuan was shocked. There was actually such a reason, which he didn't know.
But what does it have to do with him?
He didn't propose the bet, and he didn't steal the money from other people's pockets.
It's not his fault that he wants to deceive people.
Make him feel guilty?
What are you dreaming about? He is not the one who takes all the blame on himself.
"If they cheated people out of money, they should report it to the police. What does it have to do with me?" Ji Yuan said calmly. He even took a bite of the cake he won and even glanced at the candied haws in Chang Qing's hand.
Ji Yuan was too lazy to say anything more. Chang Qing had already returned the candied haws to Li Ting. It seemed that he wanted to be "aloof" to the end.
No matter how angry others were, Ji Yuan was still the same as usual, from fire-breathing to kicking a vat, and even to breaking rocks with his chest.
But Ji Yuan was a little curious about whether the large stone slab was a real bluestone slab or a gypsum slab.
The calmer Ji Yuan was, the more Chang Qing felt that he was narrow-minded. He remained silent and relaxed until he returned to the dormitory.
Ji Yuan shrugged and said to Li Ting, Chen Zhiliang and the others, "I still have one article to go. I'll finish it before I go to sleep."
ah?
Still doing homework?!
No need.
Seeing Ji Yuan working hard, everyone forced themselves to cheer up.
Go ahead and learn it. Don’t look like a waste.
The next day at school, Ji Yuan specifically asked about it and felt relieved when he learned that Qian Fei did not buy the painting by Mr. Shen Shitian.
In the following time, I will naturally continue to study.
Master Guo and the others were a little surprised at first, but they were relieved when they saw that Ji Yuan really didn't seem to be struggling, and even seemed to be able to handle things with ease, apart from time.
There's no way, maybe some people are born energetic.
The teachers looked at it curiously.
For Ji Yuan, this was normal study, but other students naturally complained.
After all, in comparison, it is really too tragic.
If I had fun last month, this month will be painful!
The strict instructor even carried a ruler to watch them going to and from school every day.
Being late for school will result in three punishments.
If you don’t hand in your homework or bring it with you, you will be punished with three punishments.
Can’t recite the text?
The teacher first made him copy as punishment, and then after class he gave him a strict discipline and a ruler!
It’s terrible, really terrible!
Especially the twenty new students, all of them had their eyes wide open.
They usually study hard, but compared with what they learn in the county school, it’s nothing.
The Four Books in the morning were okay. These are what we learned mostly before entering the county school.
The new Five Classics class that started in the afternoon was like a heavenly book.
Some students don’t have textbooks yet and can only take notes while listening, looking very embarrassed.
Students who have books in class appear to be particularly different.
Among the twenty new students, the majority, sixteen in total, were from poor families.
Among the sixteen people, only Ji Yuan and Li Ting had books, so naturally they attracted attention.
Among the Five Classics, the one taught in Class C this year is The Book of Songs.
In the Class C halls, the Five Classics are taught in rotation, and those selected for teaching are those that most people have never learned.
After completing the study of the Five Classics, students will be eligible to take the examination for Grade B.
For example, the older dormitory head Chang Qing, vice president Jiang Ke and five or six others.
They all have not learned the only one of the Five Classics, The Book of Songs.
After finishing studying the Book of Songs this year, they will be eligible to take the B-grade hall examination at the end of the year. If they pass, they will be students of the B-grade hall in the future.
The "Book of Songs" was explained and recited chapter by chapter at a very fast pace, which left many students at a loss.
The old students were fine. Although many of them were learning the Book of Songs for the first time, they had copied down the book before, so they were able to follow the lectures by the Five Classics doctor.
But many new students have not had time to copy books.
"If you don't have money, don't study."
"Exactly. It's so funny."
A group of rich kids laughed in low voices. How could they miss such a good opportunity?
Ji Yuan looked around and saw that Qian Fei didn't say anything. He just frowned and looked at everyone.
Those who originally wanted to laugh at Ji Yuan Li Ting, as soon as they looked over, immediately left as if they were stung by a bee.
Who dares to mess with Ji Yuan?
But they can actually afford the Book of Songs?
This set of books has at least five volumes and costs several taels of silver.
After class, Ji Yuan took the initiative to tell his new classmates, "The Zunjing Pavilion has the original copy of the Book of Songs. You can go there and copy it in advance."
Most of these classmates came from poor families and naturally could not afford to buy books. Even if they copied a book, they had to have the original as a reference.
Everyone looked at Ji Yuan with naturally grateful eyes.
Chang Qing said, "Just copy mine. The teacher at Zunjing Pavilion likes quietness and he definitely won't like us making a fuss over there."
Chang Qing called out to the old students who had books: "Bring our books over for them to copy."
"But we copied it ourselves, so there are some ink spots, please don't mind."
The poor freshmen just had books to copy, so they naturally didn’t care about these things.
This is indeed a good idea.
However, after counting, I found that among the children from poor families, there were eleven old students and fourteen new students. Excluding those who had books by Ji Yuan and Li Ting, there were still twelve who needed to copy.
By this calculation, two freshmen have to share one notebook for copying.
Chang Qing said, "Ji Yuan, take out your books and let them copy them. This way it will be faster."
Ji Yuan was about to agree, but suddenly he flipped through his "Book of Songs" and couldn't help but hold his forehead with his hand.
This was one of the first Pentateuchs he copied.
The words above may be difficult for others to recognize except for yourself.
Other aspects of Ji Yuan were fine, but he couldn't get over the hurdle of ugly handwriting, especially after practicing for a long time.
Even if I take it out, the other party won't be able to understand it.
Ji Yuan hesitated and politely declined, saying, "I also copied mine, I'm afraid you can't understand the words."
"Copy mine. Mine is easier to recognize." Li Ting naturally knew what Ji Yuan's handwriting was like, and his book was a printed copy, so it was naturally easy to copy and it was not easy to make mistakes.
As soon as Li Ting's book reached the hands of other classmates, it immediately caused an exclamation.
Those who stayed behind at this moment were naturally children from poor families. They couldn't help but praise: "Such a beautifully bound printed book is not available in our county."
"Yes, what neatly arranged books! This set must be very expensive."
“It’s pleasing to look at.”
We are all scholars, so how can we not love books? Li Ting was naturally happy when he was praised.
Ji Yuan still had to go to the Zunjing Pavilion to get the large characters he had corrected, so he left for the time being.
Chang Qing looked at his back, then looked at the people who thanked him repeatedly, and he felt a little better.
Among the poor children in the county school, he is naturally the most important.
How ridiculous it is to listen to a nine-year-old child.
But why didn’t Ji Yuan allow others to copy his book?
Even if you dislike Ji Yuan, you know that he is not such a stingy person.
Chang Qing looked at Ji Yuan's location and the books he hadn't taken away. Why not go and take a look?
-
February 26th, there are still two days until the February monthly exam.
The third-grade hall of the county school is filled with a reading atmosphere.
Everyone is eager to study hard sooner or later.
Freshmen naturally don’t want to be in the bottom 20, as their workload will be doubled.
The senior students don’t want to be surpassed by the freshmen, as that would be so embarrassing.
Even the least serious students in the class became focused at this moment.
Ji Yuan took some time to look at the one hundred characters he had practiced yesterday. There were still three or four mistakes in them, so he would focus on studying them today.
When there are no mistakes at all, the old master said that you can start copying the calligraphy, which is a big step forward.
When practicing calligraphy, you need to be diligent and thoughtful.
If you just concentrate on writing for a hundred years, it will still be the same.
Only by learning the font structure and stroke order of famous calligraphers can you write well and finally form your own style.
Ji Yuan was not in a hurry and only regarded daily calligraphy practice as a way to hone himself.
Put away the big characters and continue reciting today's "Book of Songs".
By the way, he has almost finished copying the 180,000-word "Spring and Autumn Annals".
Otherwise, copy the Book of Songs again.
After all, he himself couldn't bear to read these words.
He started working after the monthly exam.
Ji Yuan continued to recite. This time, the first test was on the Four Books, and the second was on the Book of Songs.
As of now, all Four Books will definitely be tested, with questions selected randomly, but they will be more advanced and the questions will be more tricky.
I have learned the first fifteen chapters of the Book of Songs, which I probably need to memorize and understand, but I have not yet learned the deeper levels.
I focused on studying this aspect, circled some key points, and immersed myself in memorizing them.
Until February 28th, all the students in Grade C Hall looked like the students in Grade B Hall before, with dark circles under their eyes.
Is this exam week?
Exam week is horrible no matter where you are!
According to the custom of the county school, the examination day was actually not difficult. There was an hour's test on the Four Books in the morning and an hour's test on the Five Classics in the afternoon.
We have a holiday after the exam, which is earlier than usual.
It sounds good, but it puts a lot of psychological pressure on students.
Because the teacher of the county school will announce the results on the second day, which is the morning of the first day of the next month, during the sacrifice ceremony in the Confucian Temple.
Even Ji Yuan couldn't help but let out a cry.
To put it in terms of calculations, is it roughly equivalent to raising the national flag in the morning and announcing the school's overall performance under the flag stand?
And publish the school rankings? !
This is too cruel.
And the teachers finished grading the test papers in just one afternoon?
So what if I have half a day off after the exam.
Can you continue playing?
Think about it, the results will be announced tomorrow!
The senior students patted the numb shoulders of the new students and said, "It will be like this every month from now on. We will offer sacrifices to the Confucian Temple on the first day of every month and announce the results after the sacrifice. The instructors and mentors will be present."
Yes, the principal and the dean of studies are here.
Too cruel, gentlemen.
If I ranked last in the exam, the whole county would definitely know about it.
All the scholars and students in the A-class and B-class halls know about it.
The teacher will also remember your name.
These are not hundreds or thousands of students. There are only ninety-eight people in the entire county school.
No, we also have to subtract the ten students who passed the county examination and went to the provincial capital to take the examination.
There are eighty-eight students in total. If you always rank last in the exams, my name will probably be known by everyone in the county.
What’s the difference between this and social death!
Ji Yuan was a little nervous because of the atmosphere.
After the exam on the morning of February 28, Ji Yuan compared the answers with Li Ting and others after he came out.
Qian Fei, a business student, happened to pass by and they also discussed a few words.
Qian Fei usually looks erratic, but he is very serious in his studies.
Li Ting said: "The Four Books are fine, we have all studied them for a few years. The main thing is the Five Classics. Although we have only studied the first fifteen chapters of the Book of Songs, and we are only tested on these, I still feel that there are many shortcomings."
Qian Fei nodded.
No matter what, the afternoon exam will continue.
As expected, the exam on the Book of Songs not only requires rote memorization, but also requires interpretation of the meaning.
Some of the sentences have their meanings marked.
After an hour, many students were sweating profusely.
Play for a month, then study for a month. This kind of gap is so disparity that it is hard to persist without some determination.
Fortunately, I managed to get through the monthly exam.
How the result will be depends on tomorrow's situation.
The classmates who usually quarreled with each other had no mood to quarrel. They were just afraid that they would be ranked in the bottom 20 in the exam, and then they would have to double their homework in the future.
Especially for new students, it feels like this rule is aimed at them!
Those students who were previously in the C-grade hall had learned at most four classics, and some almost learned two.
Only they were meeting for the first time.
It’s difficult. It’s really too difficult.
Fortunately, the holiday came after the exams, and the students in the county town went home, and even the students who lived in the dormitory found places to play.
Ji Yuan sighed.
Li Ting thought he was also worried about the exam, so he said, "But for the February exam, we will definitely be able to catch up later."
Ji Yuan nodded and mentioned another thing: "The main thing is that once the holidays come, the school cafeteria will not provide meals, so we have to go out to eat."
During weekdays when we are in class, the cafeteria provides meals, but today is a holiday, so naturally there is no dinner.
What he was worried about was having no food to eat.
Ji Yuan counted the money he had on hand. He had paid for it from the 16th day of the first lunar month to the county school, and now it was the 28th day of the second lunar month.
It’s been about one and a half months.
These days I'm spending more than I'm earning, so I can't help but worry about money.
Besides, I have spent a lot of money recently on practicing calligraphy and copying books.
Let’s first talk about the big characters that you must practice every day. If you write one hundred characters a day, you will need at least five sheets of paper, which is almost two cents.
There were also paper and hemp ropes for copying books. If I remember correctly, in one and a half months, he went to buy paper himself once and asked the bookstore to deliver it twice.
In total, I bought about two thousand tickets, and paid nearly seven cents in silver.
Although it was because of copying books, he also felt bad about spending money.
This is just the price of paper. One ounce of ink can write about 1,200 large characters and 3,600 small characters.
Practicing calligraphy and copying books used up seven or eight kilograms of ink.
Including the broken pen, all in all, the stationery cost him eight cents of silver.
He has only been in school for more than a month!
It only cost eight cents!
Half of all assets are gone!
No wonder it is said that people from extremely poor families cannot take the imperial examinations.
This "must not" does not mean that it is not allowed, but it is the ultimate meaning.
Very poor families will not be able to pass the imperial examination in the end.
If he hadn't made a fortune from silage, he would probably have to pick up garbage to make a living, let alone copying books.
And the expenses are not just about pens, ink, paper and inkstone.
The county examination was on holiday some time ago, and it lasted for six or seven days in a row. Naturally, the canteen did not provide meals, and the daily food cost eleven or twelve cents.
He also bought tableware to thank Master Zhao and Master Zunjingge for their help.
Anyway, in the end, after counting, only four cents were left of the one tael and six cents of silver he brought with him.
It may not seem like a big deal, but there will be many more places to spend money in the future.
After all, the textbooks were copied, but there were still some extracurricular tutoring materials that were not copied, and they were all paper and ink.
His family background in his previous life wasn't very good, but he didn't have to worry about notebooks and pencils.
No wonder people say that studying was difficult in ancient times. He really felt it.
Wait a minute, Ji Yuan touched his body again.
The few taels of silver I won from the last bet haven’t been put in yet!
With this calculation, it seems that he has more money on him?
Adding the money I won, it turned out to be two taels and four cents.
I feel better and even eat better!
In the evening, Ji Yuan and Li Ting went to eat the cheapest plain noodles at the door. Maybe it was because of the recent exercise, but Ji Yuan always felt that one bowl of noodles was not enough to fill him up.
Just like Li Ting, he wanted a second bowl of noodles.
The noodle stall owner laughed and said, "At your age, you need to grow up. They say that young boys can make their father poor. Now is the age when you need to eat!"
Ji Yuan looked at himself.
yes.
He is nine years old this year and it’s time for him to grow up!
No, he can't let himself get away with eating, otherwise he will grow up to be a dwarf and he won't have anywhere to cry.
Under Li Ting's surprised gaze, Ji Yuan simply replaced the noodles with chicken legs.
For the sake of height, he shouldn't be so stingy!
Besides, he doesn’t seem that poor?
Seeing this, Li Ting silently replaced the noodles with chicken legs.
You can't grow taller by yourself.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they naturally went back to study.
Unexpectedly, I saw Chang Qing coming out to eat noodles.
Chang Qing was naturally reluctant to leave, but there was nothing he could do since there was no food in the cafeteria.
Chang Qing and Chen Zhiliang swept over the chicken leg bones that the two people had eaten.
Chen Zhiliang said heartlessly: "Sure, you've also eaten chicken legs, I want to eat some too."
Chang Qing didn't say anything. He and the other two members of the Poor Society felt a little jealous.
When I returned to the dormitory, I saw Ji Yuan still reading. Thinking of the day when I saw Ji Yuan's words, I felt good again.
With handwriting like that, it's impossible to get good grades.
No wonder he ranked last in the entrance examination.
Chang Qing felt better and looked kind.
Ji Yuan looked at him and then returned his eyes to the book.
March 1st.
All students gathered at the Confucian Temple.
Compared with the last time we worshipped at the Confucian Temple, this time there were fewer procedures and fewer people.
The students from the second-class hall who had passed the county examination had already packed up and headed for the provincial capital. They left in a low profile, probably for peace of mind.
There was a teacher from the county school accompanying him, and the government office also sent two constables, and they set out early today.
The teacher did not say anything this time. The instructor mostly talked about the major and minor events in the county school last month, as well as the list of punishments.
Finally, the results of the February monthly exam will be announced.
The first-class hall is full of scholars, so naturally they have to consider their dignity, so only the top three are mentioned.
All the students in Grade B took part in the county examination last month, so there was no monthly examination.
The focus is naturally on class C.
On weekdays, they are the most noisy and have the largest number of people in the county school.
The thought of announcing the results in front of so many scholars and students made me feel depressed.
Even the teacher was there. All fifty-five students in Class C were alert and staring intently at the thin piece of paper in Master Guo's hand.
Master Guo is also an assistant teacher in Class C and is most familiar with them.
If the instructor is the principal, he will give strict instructions and maintain discipline.
As an assistant teacher, Mr. Guo was also the class teacher, and was in charge of all the chores on a daily basis.
Master Guo looked at them with a smile and opened the paper in his hand: "I will announce the results starting from the 20th place."
ah?
Twenty-first?
How could it be announced like this?
Either from back to front or from front to back.
The other teachers and doctors had no objection, and the students did not dare to say more.
From 21st to 35th, the rankings were announced one by one.
These fifteen people are the safest and have the best chance of making a breakthrough.
It is quite disappointing that they are not in the top 20.
They were not among the last twenty people to be punished, so they were fortunate.
Many people breathed a sigh of relief. Ji Yuan looked and saw that among the students ranked 21 to 35, only one was a new student.
The other fourteen were all old students of the county school.
As soon as he entered the county school, he scored better than the old students in the exam. Liu Rong, the grandson of Mr. Liu, raised his chin and was obviously standing out from the crowd.
He ranked thirty-sixth in the entrance examination.
According to the special ranking of the county school, that means first place in admission.
Now he has ranked 32nd, which means he is better than the students who have been enrolled for a few years.
When everyone was expressing their feelings, many old students also realized this problem.
Wait! No way!
Which one of them was so miserable that he fell below the 20th place? !
Doing double the homework with the freshmen?!
Everyone was terrified, and the scholars from the top class nearby who were watching the fun became even more eager.
We all know each other every day. I may not know the twenty new students, but I know the others more or less.
Cruel, so cruel.
Don't be fooled by Mr. Guo's smiling face, he actually has a firm grasp on people's hearts.
"Now the ranking of the bottom twenty will be announced."
"The following students will need to pay double the homework for the next month."
Here we come!
It’s finally here!
Master Guo read out the names one by one. Most of them were indeed new students. They were mentally prepared and did not feel so badly.
But when the names of the other two people were read, everyone couldn't help but be surprised.
"The 40th person in the C-class Hall is Wang Xingzhi."
"Forty-third, Wang Xingjie."
ah? !
two!
You know, they both have been in the county school for nearly three years.
I have already studied the Five Classics.
At the end of last year, they took the exam for the B-level hall, but they didn’t pass.
Can’t even beat the freshmen this year?
Even among freshmen, the ranking is at the bottom.
From 36th to 55th.
They are still between forty and forty-three.
They are also cousins, and after their names were called out, everyone in the Confucian Temple focused their eyes on them.
The two people's ears were red all the way to their necks, truly demonstrating what it means to have a red face and a thick neck.
Li Ting couldn't help but look at the two of them proudly.
Li Ting ranked 36th, which means he was behind the senior students who had been enrolled for several years. His result was already pretty good.
Although I still need to do double the homework, if I work hard, I may be able to escape from the "sea of suffering" in March.
Qian Fei, the young master who had been bullied by the two of them, also ranked 39th, which was also better than them.
"Wait a minute, there is only one freshman among the 21st to 35th place."
“But there are two old students from thirty-six to fifty-five?!”
I don't know who asked this question.
A little thought revealed that something was wrong.
When someone's grades fall behind, someone else's will move up.
Since there are two senior students occupying the last 20 places, does that mean someone has been promoted?
Twenty-one to thirty-five have all been announced.
Does this mean that the student who was promoted even made it into the top 20 of the third grade hall? !
The students were in an uproar.
Most of the old students in the C-grade hall have studied for many years and have been enrolled for at least two years.
Just one test and you beat them all?!
How long has the school been open? More than a month? I didn’t even have classes in the first month!
Everyone looked around, and many of them fixed their eyes on Ji Yuan who was in the front.
Could it be him?
After the names of the last twenty were read out, Ji Yuan's name was indeed not on the list.
If this is the case, then it illustrates a problem.
Ji Yuan, after one and a half months of enrollment, he was ranked in the top 20 in the third grade hall!
Seeing everyone talking about it, Master Guo didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "No. 20, Ji Yuan."
It’s indeed him!
In the entrance examination, he was at the bottom of the class C, ranking 55th.
Even the report card was posted in front of the school.
In a month and a half, he went from 55th place to 20th place.
Not only does his grades improve compared to the new students, but he's even better than many of the older students in the school.
How old is he this year? !
How come he is so awesome!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
