"Alright, take a ten-minute break, then let's continue."
Chen Jingzhi patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder and handed him a bottle of mineral water.
"Sifting for gold in the sand is hard work by nature. Maybe the next article will bring you a surprise?"
"Sigh, let's hope so!"
Zhou Yu sighed and respectfully accepted the bottled water.
The break time is over.
The sound of rapid mouse clicks filled the marking room once again.
Zhou Yu mechanically moved the mouse and gave a C rating to a piece titled "A Happy Event in Xia Kingdom".
He felt as if all the joyous occasions were draining his soul.
Almost entirely relying on muscle memory and the last shred of a doctoral student's professional ethics,
That's why I didn't directly label this article as "template article, no comment".
He blanked out his mind and resignedly clicked on the next chapter.
Only one thought remained in my mind:
Please, give me something different, even if it's terribly written.
The screen flickers as a new document loads.
The title has only four characters.
Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze on the four bold characters.
Fan Jin's Success in the Imperial Examination.
"Passed the imperial examination?"
Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment.
"This name... it sounds like it's aiming for academic success."
He had already pre-determined several clichéd directions for this article:
It's nothing more than a poor student studying hard for ten years, finally achieving success in the imperial examinations, and the whole family celebrating.
Ultimately, it elevates to the integration of personal destiny and national sentiment.
The only highlight,
It might just be a matter of the author's writing skills and the rigor of their research into historical details.
With that thought in mind, he scrolled down the scroll wheel with scrutiny and critical eye.
The first paragraph avoids the usual cliché about how time flies and the mundane description of magpies on branches.
It's just a single line of dialogue.
[Fan Jin, who hadn't even looked at it before, read it once, then read it again, clapped his hands, laughed, and said, "Hee! It's done! I've passed!"]
Zhou Yu's fingers paused.
This writing style... is it vernacular Chinese?
Moreover, it's the kind of vernacular that has a strong Ming and Qing dynasty flavor, and is sophisticated and capable.
He continued reading.
As he spoke, he stumbled backward, his jaw clenched, and he lost consciousness.
The old lady panicked and poured water over it.
He scrambled to his feet, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly, "Hee! Good! I won!"
Laughing, he dashed out the door without a word, startling the messenger and the neighbors.
...
Zhou Yu continued reading.
His pupils contracted little by little without his noticing.
The imagery is so vivid...
Very strong.
But this isn't a description of a joyous occasion; it's clearly a description of madness.
An old scholar who spent half his life taking exams and being suppressed for the other half,
The loss of composure and madness that comes with sudden success.
With just a few words, it came to life on the paper.
The drowsy feeling I had just experienced was instantly dispelled by a chill.
Zhou Yu sat up straight.
He saw the usually fierce and menacing butcher, Hu.
That petty, vulgar man who always calls his son-in-law a "good-for-nothing,"
At this moment, he was holding up his greasy hands, and under the encouragement of the crowd,
We need to wake this newly appointed "master".
Butcher Hu walked up to him menacingly, said, "You deserve a beating!" and slapped him across the face.
This slap landed on Fan Jin's face, and it also struck Zhou Yu's heart.
absurd.
Extreme absurdity.
At a time when everyone was praising "passing the imperial examination" as the greatest joy in life...
This candidate actually told me about this happy event...
It turned into a farce, a record of utter disgrace.
Zhou Yu suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a sharp, piercing sound.
This drew the attention of the weary examiners around him.
He ignored everything and reached out to press the emergency call button next to the document control system.
Chen Jingzhi, who was drinking tea in the next room, frowned slightly when the emergency red light came on, put down his teacup and went over.
As soon as he reached the door, Zhou Yu immediately came to greet him:
"Director Chen!"
Chen Jingzhi looked at this usually composed doctoral student with some surprise:
"What's wrong?"
Zhou Yu grabbed Dean Chen's arm, pulled him to his seat, and pointed at the screen.
"Please take a look at this! I... I don't know how to comment on it!"
"This manuscript..."
I can't tell if it's a happy occasion, or...
What a farce!
...
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