Chapter 331： County examination

 Time flies by like a fleeting breath, and it’s soon the end of the twelfth lunar month.

Jiang Jie and Mr. Wu also returned from their travels, which made the Jiang family very happy.

“Ajie, tell your grandfather where you have been in the past two years.” Old Man Jiang asked cheerfully.

Jiang Jie: "My husband and I went to the East China Sea, then to South Vietnam, and also toured Shu."

“How did you get there?” Jiang Sanlang asked.

“First we followed the caravan, and then we traveled thousands of miles with the bodyguards.” Jiang Jie talked eloquently, looking very mature.

Jiang Sanlang smiled and handed over to Mr. Wu: "Thank you sir for your kindness. My son has really grown a lot after this trip."

Mr. Wu stroked his beard and smiled: "Children cannot study behind closed doors. Only by traveling across mountains and rivers can they understand the sufferings of the world. I have decided to let Jiang Jie take the county examination in February next year. If he passes, he will be able to take the provincial examination three years later."

Since he decided to teach him, he would create a peerless genius.

If you can win the exam at the age of eleven or twelve, it will be a rare opportunity in a century.

When the time comes, I want to see for myself, how dare those old guys in the capital look down on him?

On New Year's Eve, the Jiang family held four banquets.

The men of the family shared a table with Mr. Wu and Zhang Minzuo, and girls such as Ying Bao, Dani Erni, Hong Xiaoqiu Rong, and others were at a table.

Chunniang was at one table with her mother-in-law, eldest aunt Jiang Yunniang, and several sisters-in-law. The other table was full of children, including Jiang Quan, Zhang Yuying, Zhang Xiaolang, Jiang Jie, Jiang Wu, Yuanbao Huzi, etc.

Yingbao took out the wine and peach juice she brewed and distributed them to the four tables.

She originally wanted to take out a watermelon, but she didn't dare.

Those Fanbang watermelons in the cave have been cultivated and improved many times by her. They have grown from the size of a fist to the size of a basin. They are very sweet and delicious.

It’s a pity that no one grows this kind of melon here, otherwise she would definitely bring one out for everyone to try.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, the three Jiang Sanlang brothers went to change the door talisman, and the children all went outside to run around and play.

Lanterns hang at the door of every house, illuminating the night.

Jiang Sanlang also paid to hang lanterns on the village roads to make it easier for children to watch and play.

Jiang Jie and Jiang Wu brothers were still inseparable when they got together, and they still played wildly with the children in the village.

Since Jiang Jie will take the county exam in February, Yingbao has no time to play and spends every day thinking about preparing exam equipment for his younger brother.

To this end, she went to ask Li Xu for advice on what to put in the test basket.

As for the precautions in the examination room, Mr. Wu and Jiang Jie explained them.

After the fifth year of junior high school, Yingbao found someone to customize a test basket for her brother that a child could carry, and also tied a strap to the test basket.

Because my brother had to carry the exam basket by himself when he entered the examination room. If he couldn't carry it, he could carry it on his shoulder with a strap.

The examination basket contains pen, ink, paper, inkstones, books and papers, as well as some food and medicinal powder.

A kettle for drinking water is also essential, as well as an oilcloth for shelter, candles and wind lanterns for lighting.

Li Xu also said that you must bring a few long nails and a hammer, and use an oilcloth to cover the mouth of the trumpet at night, otherwise it will be too cold and you will not be able to sleep at all.

Upon hearing this, Yingbao made some pills for her brother, which were a little larger than soybeans and could treat gastrointestinal discomfort, colds, etc.

Because the county examination was held five times in a row, which lasted for more than ten days. Each time, I entered the exam room at dawn, and collected the papers and left the examination room the next morning.

There is a day between each exam. When you are still ugly, you enter the exam room the next day and come out the next day. After five exams, you can go home and wait for news.

If the candidates are not adequately prepared, they may suffer from frostbite and collapse.

The weather in February is still relatively cold. My brother is young and has to stay in the dormitory for one day and two nights for every exam, so he must not be able to bear it.

So a larger cotton cloak must be prepared for him, preferably one that can cover the entire body.

You have to bring him a hand warmer, otherwise his hands will freeze and he won't be able to write.

You must also prepare a mask, so that if you are drawn near the toilet, it will not be damaged by the smoke.

Yingbao thought about it while making a large bag of finger-sized snacks using Wudingzhi, red date flour and Poria cocos, which she left for her brother to eat when he was hungry.

  A small charcoal stove and a kettle for boiling water must also be prepared, as well as scissors and a signature for pulling wicks, as well as a bench.

Because my younger brother is short, his feet cannot reach the ground when he is sitting in the chair. Without a stool, he probably cannot reach it to write.

After getting everything ready one after another, it happened to be the first month of the year.

Jiang Jie followed Mr. Wu to the county town to meet with several candidates who had signed guarantees. He also had to visit the Linshan students who had signed guarantees for him. Mr. Wu took care of all these things by himself and did not let Jiang Sanlang and his wife worry.

Chunniang and her daughter also went to the county town and lived in their own house.

After Yingbao entered the county town, she didn't go to the medical office or even the specialty shop. She went alone to where the candidates gathered to find out what others were preparing for the exam.

As soon as the exam day came, Chun Niang and her daughter got up early and cooked food for Jiang Jie and Mr. Wu, and then sent Jiang Jie to the examination room.

At this time, it was very dark on the road. When we arrived outside the examination room, we saw that the lights were brightly lit and people were all here to **** the candidates into the examination room.

They are holding lanterns, or holding quilts and books, looking anxiously at the Longmen in the distance.

There are government officials guarding Longmenkou, checking the candidates' household registration and examination certificates one by one.

Jiang Jie carried the heavy test box on his back and followed the crowd inside. Because he was too short, he was quickly lost in the crowd.

Chunniang, her daughter, and Mr. Wu sat in the carriage and waited until all the candidates had entered the dragon gate and the gate was closed, and then drove the carriage home.

It was still dark, and Ying Bao climbed onto the kang to sleep again, but Chun Niang couldn't fall asleep, so she just sat on the kang and sewed clothes.

Mr. Wu said that when Jiang Jie is admitted as a scholar, he will have to wear a blue robe. He can no longer wear baby clothes as before, nor can he wear a short top and bottom trousers, which is extremely disrespectful.

So Chun Niang used a piece of home-dyed blue cotton to make a small cotton robe for her son. She also had to make a jacket for spring and autumn.

Mr. Wu also went to sleep and did not wake up until almost noon. After washing and eating, he left the yard alone with his hands behind his back and wandered outside the examination room to listen to the gossip on the street.

Hearing this made him frown.

Many people are spreading rumors that there is a monster in Dongchen Village of Chuanhe Town who makes a living by absorbing human energy.

This news spread widely, and some of them revealed the evildoer's name, which was called Jiang Yingbao.

Mr. Wu was very angry when he heard this. He pointed at someone on the spot and yelled: "What the **** are you! How dare you slander people at will? Let's go! Go to the government with me and let's have a good talk."

This man struggled hard and shouted loudly: "I am not the only one who said this, so why are you only trying to get through it with me?"

“Tell me, where did you get this rumor?” Mr. Wu grabbed the man by the collar and said, “If you dare to tell a lie, I will let you sit in jail!”