Chapter 46: I lost my Student ID before the exam

Chapter 46

She was clearly in the wrong, yet still acted from a position of superiority.

Xu Mo's lips tightened as he remained silently acquiescent.

Seeing that Auntie was about to flare up in anger, Jiang Sheng rushed over from the dilapidated temple and grabbed Xu Mo's arm, whispering for him to restrain himself: "Second brother, why let yourself be provoked by such vulgar people? We're in this business to make money; as long as we can turn a profit, what do past grievances and grudges matter?"

Currently, they were unilaterally transporting vegetables from Yunshui to Xieyang, going there with empty carts and wasting resources.

If they could also bring back some of Xieyang's specialty vegetables to Yunshui, they could earn a bit more.

Jiang Sheng had just finished speaking when Xu Mo understood his point.

He suppressed his anger and responded as calmly as he could, "Fine, but at three jin per wen."

Things were different now than in the past. Before, Xu Mo had begged and pleaded to buy vegetables, so he paid two jin per wen. Now he had no shortage of vegetables to buy, and it was the villagers who wanted to exchange vegetables for cash, so he could force down the price.

The woman was still unwilling to concede and wanted to protest further.

Xu Mo turned away: "Auntie, if you don't want to sell, then forget it."

He didn't particularly want to buy either.

Seeing she had lost, the woman grumbled as she threw her vegetables onto the donkey cart.

The new year had just passed, and everyone's pockets were a bit tight. They would need money again in less than two months when it was time to harvest the rice and plant again. Vegetables would just rot if they couldn't eat them all, so they might as well exchange them for cash.

Pang Dashan ostentatiously took out the scale and placed it on the cart, weighing the vegetables.

Three heads of cabbage totalled six jin.

Jiang Sheng took out two wen and stuffed them into the woman's hand, smiling broadly. "Walk slowly, Auntie."

With this first transaction, the other women hurried over, jostling to cram their vegetables onto the cart. Some even ran back home to grab more produce.

But Xu Mo's donkey cart was already full. He looked to Jiang Sheng, "I'll leave the rest to you."

Jiang Sheng thumped his chest. "Don't worry, I'll keep good accounts." Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

Xu Mo and Pang Dashan delivered their cartloads of vegetables to the Yu Ran Inn.

After settling accounts, Xu Mo handed one hundred wen to Pang Dashan. "This is your share for the trip."

Pang Dashan held out both hands reverently to receive it.

After spending ten full years as a beggar, stealing, robbing, and accepting alms, this was the first time he had earned money through his own labor.

To Xu Mo, it was just one hundred wen, not even enough to fill half a cart of vegetables. But to Pang Dashan, it represented hope for the future, a way for his younger brothers to eat their fill and dress warmly.

"I'm going to buy some things." After leaving the Yu Ran Inn, Pang Dashan headed straight for the clothing store.

He originally had two younger brothers, and later took in three orphaned children. One of them, Chang Yan, had been adopted by Jiang Sheng, leaving two others. Four younger brothers in total.

Grey cotton jackets were fifteen wen each. After buying four, only forty wen remained in his hands.

But Pang Dashan was not worried at all. He ran to buy four candy apples and four pastries, leaving just ten copper coins in his palm.

Xu Mo smiled without comment beside him.

There was a time when he and his siblings were just the same, carefully calculating as they excitedly spent every cent, focusing on the essentials of food and clothing first and foremost.

Fortunately, they had all been diligent enough, and lucky enough, to get to where they were today.

The commoners sowed wheat, the stalks produced wheat grains, the grains fed the commoners, the commoners' waste was turned into fertilizer, returning nutrients to the wheat.

The cycle was thus.

Xu Mo deeply inhaled the fragrance of spring winds, then returned to the dilapidated temple, inspired and ready to write prolifically.

Jiang Sheng, as an illiterate, could only gaze in awe.

Soon, it was mid-February.

The county exam proceeded in earnest.

Fang Heng untied the old donkey early in the morning and hitched up the well-fed horse to the cart.

"Finish strong as a horse," he said, smacking the red-maned horse's rump.

Jiang Sheng pursed his lips, feeling he should also say something auspicious. After thinking hard, he managed to come up with, "Swift success like a horse."

Some auspicious phrase that was.

The brothers laughed uproariously.

Xu Mo patted Jiang Sheng's little head. "Don't worry, it will certainly go well."

The group boarded the donkey cart. Or rather, calling it a horse cart would be more accurate, despite the cart being attached to the horse's rear.

Jiang Sheng started checking that Xu Mo had all he needed for the exam.

The county exam, as the name suggested, was held at the county Imperial Examination Hall. Students from all over the county participated, arriving before dawn and remaining seated for a full day until released in the evening.

February weather - even bundled up, the icy winds cut to the bone. Remaining motionless in the frigid Examination Hall without fire, food, or hot water was even worse.

To ensure nothing was overlooked, Jiang Sheng had specifically gone to ask Manager Bai at the Yu Ran Inn. When he returned, he began preparations.

According to Manager Bai, after a major cheating scandal during the previous dynasty, examinees were only allowed to bring lattice-bottomed bamboo baskets into the exam halls, to prevent concealment of pre-written materials.

Even the bamboo brush handles in the ink, paper and inkstone had to be carved hollow, and hair accessories were strictly prohibited from entering. If it wasn't so cold during the exam, they probably would have made the students take the exam naked.

Jiang Sheng clicked his tongue as he prepared a hollow bamboo basket, brush, a pot of water, and two dry rations for Xu Mo.

There was also a chamber pot - once the candidates entered the exam hall, they were not allowed to use the toilet. If they needed to relieve themselves, they could only do so on the spot.

Finally, there was the ID certificate.

This thin piece of paper recorded Xu Mo's name, hometown, age, and physical characteristics. It was his only credential for entering the exam hall, and a means prepared by the Dayu Dynasty to prevent proxy test-taking.

Jiang Sheng checked the paper repeatedly, murmuring to himself that he could not lose it.

Needless to say, they raced there by fast horse.

On the way, Chang Yan, curious, took Xu Mo's ID certificate from Jiang Sheng to examine it briefly before returning it.

Jiang Sheng quickly stowed it back into the little bamboo basket, saying "No more looking, you must keep it safe, don't lose it no matter what."

But in this world, what you most fear is most likely to happen.

Right at the gates of the Imperial Examination Hall, Jiang Sheng was bumped into by someone.

When he got up, the ID certificate was gone from the basket.

Just outside the doors of the Imperial Examination Hall, right before the county exam, Xu Mo's critical admission ticket was lost!!!