Chapter 331 County Examination
Time flies by like a flash, 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 during this trip."
Mr. Wu stroked his beard and smiled: "Children cannot study behind closed doors. Only by traveling all over the country 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 national examination at the age of eleven or twelve, it will be a rare event in a century.
When the time comes, I want to see if those old guys in the capital still dare to 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, Da Ni Er Ni, Hong Xiao Qiu Rong, and so on.
Chun Niang was at one table with her mother-in-law, eldest aunt Jiang Yunniang, and several sisters-in-law. The other table was filled with children, including Jiang Quan, Zhang Yuying, Zhang Xiaolang, Jiang Jie, Jiang Wu, Yuanbao Huzi, etc.
Ying Bao 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 didn't dare.
After she cultivated and improved the watermelons in the cave many times, 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 it out for everyone to try.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, the three Jiang Sanlang brothers went to change the door charms, 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 facilitate children to stay up and play.
Brothers Jiang Jie and Jiang Wu 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, Ying Bao has no time to play and spends every day thinking about preparing exam equipment for his younger brother.
For this reason, she also 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 attached a strap to the test basket.
Because my younger brother had to carry the examination 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 test 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.
When Yingbao heard this, she made some pills for her brother, which were 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 dormitory in the early morning, and collected the papers and left the examination room the next morning.
There is a day between each exam. If you are still ugly, you will 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 are likely to 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.
Therefore, a larger cotton cloak must be prepared for him, preferably one that can cover the entire body.
You also 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.
While thinking about it, Ying Bao made a large bag of finger-sized snacks using Wudingzhi, red dates, flour and Poria, 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 dormitory. Without a stool, he may not be able to reach to write.
When everything was 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.
Chun Niang 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 pitch dark on the road. When I arrived outside the examination room, I saw the lights were brightly lit and people were all here to escort the candidates into the examination room.
They held lanterns, or held quilts and books, and looked anxiously at the Longmen in the distance.
There are government officials guarding the Longmen Gate, checking the candidates' household registration and verification 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.
Chun Niang, her daughter and Mr. Wu sat in the carriage and waited until all the candidates had entered the gantry and the gantry was closed, and then drove the carriage home.
It was still dark, and Ying Bao climbed on 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 pants. It 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 didn't 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 streets.
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 essence.
This news spread widely, and some of them revealed the evildoer's name, Jiang Yingbao.
When Mr. Wu heard this, he was very angry. He pointed at someone on the spot and yelled: "What the hell 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."
The man struggled hard and shouted loudly: "I'm not the only one who said this, so why are you only trying to get along with me?"
"Then tell me, where did you hear this rumor?" Mr. Wu grabbed the man by the collar and said, "If you dare to tell a lie, I will let you go to jail!"