Chapter 13

"The Minor Heat assessment has ended, the content is 'Grain-Eating Bird Natural Disaster', and the results of this assessment depend on the damage to the farmland each petty official is responsible for."

"Those with less than one-tenth damage to Yuan Rice will be rated A."

"Those with less than two-tenths damage will be rated B."

"Those with less than half damage will be rated C."

"If the damage is more than half, there will be no score for this assessment, and they will be punished to replant, using cultivation techniques to accelerate growth; if they can make up for it, they can be supplemented with a C rating."

"The scores for the Minor Heat assessment have been posted for public notice, please check them yourself. Regardless of the results, you should be diligent and strive, and be humble and prudent."

After Chen Shijie finished speaking, the literary petty official of the flying boat waved his hand, and a yellow paper floated in the air, accurately sticking to the nine notice boards of the public field grass field.

The petty officials bowed to the flying boat, and after the Flowing Cloud Flying Boat drifted away, they gathered around with a roar.

"What? There are only thirty people on the A list, and only five people with A+?!"

"It's over, it's over, there are only two hundred and fourteen people on the list, doesn't this mean half of the petty officials are unqualified?"

"Brother in front, please help me see, is there my name, Liang Bai?"

"Yes, ninth on the C list, C+, congratulations Brother Liang."

"Sigh, only C list? I entered the B list last time..."

"The Minor Heat assessment is so difficult, what about the Autumn Evaluation later? There are only a few people who can be appointed as officials in the spring of next year, and we still have to make up for it! Let's go, let's go drink!"

"Hey, that's true, at worst, just don't do it!"

The Minor Heat assessment was much more difficult than the previous ones, so the area in front of the list could be said to be a bleak scene.

There were very few happy people, and they all felt they had done poorly.

Among them, a small part of the people didn't care.

Because only three or five people are appointed as officials each year, the difficulty of this assessment will only increase later, screening out those petty officials who are not diligent and have no aptitude.

If you are destined not to be, why worry? Just open up and lie flat, not even planning to make up for the exam.

What? You say you will be fired? Fire me, anyway, there is not much salary, the world is peaceful, if you don't be a petty official, can you still starve to death?

Of course, the vast majority of people still care, otherwise why would they choose this path in the beginning? Besides, they have worked hard for so long, the sunk cost is here, so of course they still have hope.

Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong were also squeezing forward desperately.

Soon, they squeezed out in a dejected manner.

They both got a C-, which was just barely passing.

Just out of the crowd, Chen Ziyu slapped his head: "Right, Qian Dong, how are Brother's results? Did you help look just now?"

Qian Dong raised his drooping head, somewhat hesitant: "I didn't see Big Brother's name on the C list just now, could it be..."

"What could it be, you mean Big Brother failed? Didn't even make the C list? Big Brother was so diligent before, if he didn't even make the C list, how uncomfortable would he be? No wonder he's nowhere to be seen, could it be that he wants to commit suicide?"

Qian Dong shook his head: "No, not to that extent; Big Brother is usually so free and easy, how could he... but sadness is probably unavoidable."

Chen Ziyu worried: "I'll go look at the list again, Qian Dong, you go find Big Brother's traces around, and we'll meet at the triangular field in a while."

A quarter-hour later, at the triangular field.

Qian Dong saw the dejected Chen Ziyu; seeing him like that, he thought something bad happened, why was his face even gloomier than just now?

"I haven't found Big Brother yet, what's wrong with you again?"

Chen Ziyu raised his head blankly: "Big Brother's name is not on the C list."

"If it's not there, it's not there, failing the list is nothing strange..."

Qian Dong said, and couldn't help but stop: "On the B list?"

Seeing Chen Ziyu not answering, Qian Dong's mouth gradually opened wide: "Could it be..."

"Yes, Big Brother is on the A list, and ranks A+. Tied with Wen Nanxing, Li Chengfeng, Zong Shichang, and Xiao Ze."

"……"

Qian Dong's expression also became the same as Chen Ziyu's.

Not far from the A list, Li Chengfeng was cooling off on a rock, surrounded by people.

Naturally, he didn't have to go look for himself, and he had enough confidence that he would be on the list.

What he enjoyed wasn't the moment the list was posted, but the flattery of the crowd at this time.

"Congratulations, Brother Li, once again on the A list, rated A+!"

"Brother Li is indeed talented, which A+ is this?"

"It's the sixth time!"

"In the spring of next year, I'm afraid he will be called Lord Li."

Li Chengfeng smiled and bowed to the surroundings: "Everyone, don't joke, what lord or not, we are all brothers. Besides, this A+ rating is not just for me; I am far inferior to Brother Zong... Brother Zong, Brother Zong! What are you looking at?"

The burly youth Zong Shichang beside him heard Li Chengfeng calling him and looked back with some curiosity: "I'm looking at the list; Brother Li, there are five people on this A+, except for you, me, Wen Nanxing, and Xiao Ze, this fifth person has never been heard of."

"Oh?" Li Chengfeng also stepped forward to take a look, and when he saw the strange name Zhao Xing, his brows furrowed: "Indeed, I haven't heard of it; I know most of the people in the seven courtyards of the agricultural office, where did this person pop out from."

"Could it be from the old agricultural official's command?" Zong Shichang said.

"No need to think too much, we'll know when we visit him another day." Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes.

At the same time, Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and others on the A list also noticed the name Zhao Xing.

The Office of Agriculture only has three or five quotas for appointing officials each year. Other lists are fine, but the people on this A list are all competitors.

If others get on, you can't get on, and they might become your direct superior; how can you not pay attention?

It's just that Zhao Xing was too low-key on weekdays and not eye-catching; when asking friends, almost no one had heard of this person, at most knowing he was a petty official under the old agricultural official, which made people even more curious.

Zhao Xing didn't know he had already been noticed by many petty officials; he didn't go to look at the list at all.

Because after Chen Shijie announced the rules, he immediately knew that he was bound to be on the A list; why squeeze into a sweat-smelling crowd on such a hot day? It's better to go home early to take a bath, change clothes, and eat.

If he went back late, maybe Madam Cai would hide the meat; she was a person who could really do this.

"This year's evaluation has been six times since Minor Heat; according to the convention, there are six more small exams following the solar terms."

"My previous five times, one B-, three C+, two C-. Quite mediocre."

"But it doesn't matter, rapid progress is also a kind of brilliance; this kind of small exam doesn't entirely look at grades, and good potential also has a chance to be recommended."

"If I can enter the A list in every small exam before the winter evaluation, I will definitely be seen by the superiors, and I don't know how much effort the old agricultural official can exert for me by then." Zhao Xing secretly thought.

"Old Agricultural Official Xue Wenzhong is a well-known good person; this person doesn't compete or fight, and is very clean, never accepting things from others. Assuming that I am about the same as others at the critical moment, it depends on whether the superior fights for me."

"Sizzle~" The smell of meat suddenly drilled into his nose, interrupting his train of thought; it turned out he had arrived home, and the smell of meat was drifting from the kitchen.

"Huh? Seems to be stewing ginseng and black-bone chicken soup... Hey, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right time!"