Chapter 285

So many things had happened, but in fact, only one night had passed.

On Du Ruo's side, the students and their companions had already successfully moved into the county hostel.

The so-called county hostel is the property purchased by each county in the prefectural city or even the capital.

The purpose is to provide a safe and comfortable place for candidates from their own county to stay when they come here.

Of course, it costs money.

And it's deathly expensive.

How expensive? One tael per person per night, and it doesn't even include food and tea.

This fee standard is on par with the presidential suites of her past life!

Du Ruo clicked her tongue secretly.

Studying in ancient times is truly difficult, harder than ascending to heaven; fortunately, her family's situation is better now, otherwise, they really couldn't afford it.

The others didn't care either, as they were all people who weren't short of money.

Except for Xiao Liangchen.

Xiao Liangchen's family background was ordinary; although they had a few acres of land and his parents were quite capable, they were, after all, farmers scratching a living from the soil, saving at most two taels of silver a year.

This was thanks to Xiao Liangchen being promising and his studies being outstanding enough that the academy specifically waived his tuition.

Otherwise, where would there be any money left?

Even so, compared to his classmates, Xiao Liangchen still couldn't help but feel embarrassed by his empty pockets.

He originally didn't want to stay in the county hostel and planned to find a cheaper inn, but after thinking it over, he gave up the idea.

For one, he was unfamiliar with the place, and if he stayed in such a mixed bag of a place, his personal safety might not be guaranteed; for another, the Imperial Examination absolutely does not allow lateness, and there is no one there to supervise or remind him; if he overslept, that would be a huge problem.

Xiao Liangchen could only puff up his cheeks to look fat.

Fortunately, his mother, Liu Shi, had some foresight and had prepared silver for him in advance.

"Just spend it if you need to, don't worry about money." Liu Shi's smugness at that time, Xiao Liangchen still remembers, "The gifts that Miss Jiang sent to the Xiao family before haven't all been sold yet; it's enough for you to use until you finish the provincial exam."

The reason Jiang Youyi sent so many valuable gifts to the Xiao family parents was because she liked Xiao Liangchen and wanted to marry him and become a Xiao family wife.

Unfortunately, money cannot buy love.

Xiao Liangchen was annoyed by her pestering and firmly rejected the marriage proposal.

But the Xiao family did not return the gifts, and Jiang Youyi did not come to ask for them; perhaps in the eyes of that eldest young lady, these things were not worth mentioning at all.

Xiao Liangchen had mentioned it several times, but Liu Shi wouldn't listen, and he couldn't do anything about it.

In Liu Shi's view, those things were what her family deserved; who told her son to be so capable?

That night, everyone slept very soundly.

It was just a bit dizzy, as if they were still drifting on that broken boat, swaying back and forth.

The next day after breakfast, the students, led by Master Yan, went to the examination hall to familiarize themselves with the environment.

Du Ruo naturally went along.

The examination hall was set up in the Prefectural School, not far from the county hostel, about a quarter of an hour's walk.

The Prefectural School covered a large area, a four-courtyard complex, and the entrance was quite spacious. Along the wall, large locust trees were planted, each as thick as half a person.

Master Yan pointed to one of them and exhorted, "Remember, when there are many people, if you accidentally get separated, come to this tree to meet up; don't run around. If you miss the entry time, you'll have come for nothing."

"Understood, Master." Everyone said in unison.

Master Yan had led the team for many years and was experienced; listening to him was never wrong.

It was called familiarizing with the examination hall, but in reality, they just wandered around the entrance of the Prefectural School a few times; they couldn't get inside.

By mid-morning, seeing that they had wandered enough, Master Yan announced that they were dismissed, "The exam is in three days; these few days, I and the other two teachers will stay in our rooms; if you have any questions about your studies, you can come to us at any time for clarification."

"Especially in mathematics, the chief examiner for this imperial exam is Lord Su Qingyao; Lord Su is skilled in mathematics, and it has often been involved in previous exam questions, so do not take it lightly."

Figuring out the preferences of the chief examiner is a necessary task before every imperial examination.

Many people even deliberately study the chief examiner's writing style and focus in order to cater to their preferences when answering questions to obtain a better ranking.

Xiushan Academy was naturally no exception.

These things had long been inquired about in advance and had been emphasized to the students before they came.

The students nodded repeatedly.

"There is no need to be overly nervous; keeping the strings too tight is not good for the exam; you can go out appropriately to relax your mood."

Speaking of this, Master Yan's expression suddenly became serious, "But remember, do not cause trouble, do not speak recklessly. The prefectural city is not like the county town; if you offend someone you shouldn't, it will be a failure in the exam at best, and a prison disaster at worst."

"Not just you, but also your family and attendants must be cautious in words and actions!"

"Is that clear?"

This is not alarmist talk, but a lesson written in blood.

In previous years, there was such an unlucky candidate whose relative who came with him had sticky fingers and stole a passerby's purse.

Who knew that the person was a local old scholar with quite a reputation, and he was immediately sent to the government office.

Now it's good, pulling out a radish brings out the pit.

That candidate originally had good knowledge and had high hopes of passing the Xiucai exam, but because he was implicated by his relative, the chief examiner determined that he also had poor character and didn't even let him pass the prefectural exam.

Afterward, he took the exam twice more and failed every time.

It wasn't until several years later when the chief examiner was promoted to another place and a new official took office that he was finally able to pass.

After hearing this horror story, the students tightened their skin, thinking about going back to properly warn the people they brought along, not to cause any trouble outside, lest they implicate themselves.

After the lecture, the group dispersed.

Most people returned to the county hostel, intending to cram before the exam.

A few others planned to stroll around the street; having finally come here, they were naturally curious about everything.

Du Ruo, Jiang Zhan, and Master Jiang also planned to go back.

If they wanted to stroll, they could wait until after the exam; there was no rush.

The three of them chatted as they walked, and Du Ruo remembered Master Yan's words and couldn't help but ask Jiang Zhan curiously, "By the way, Second Brother, how is your mathematics?"

Jiang Zhan thought for a moment, "Passable."

Passable, meaning it's okay?

Du Ruo nodded and turned to ask Master Jiang, "Third Uncle?"

Master Jiang looked straight ahead, his thin lips parted slightly, "Passable."

Du Ruo: "..."

Educated people are just so subtle.

Just as she wanted to ask in detail, a man and a woman carrying shoulder poles walked toward them, looking to be in their thirties or forties; judging by their attire, they seemed to be street vendors.

The man stared at Du Ruo and the others, and in a moment of carelessness, he bumped into the woman beside him.

The woman was already sweating profusely and was instantly enraged.

She threw the shoulder pole on the ground, reached out to grab the man's ear, and scolded loudly, "You old lecher, you can't take your eyes off a pretty woman when you see one; I think you don't need these eyes anymore, when we get back, I'll take the fire tongs and poke them blind!"

Du Ruo paused her steps.

Then she looked left and right; within ten meters, it seemed she was the only woman.

Pretty woman, could it be that she was the one being talked about?

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, you stinking woman, let go, let go! I wasn't looking at a woman, that woman looks like charcoal, pretty my foot..."

Du Ruo had black lines on her face.

Alright, confirmed, it was indeed her.

"Still daring to argue?" The woman seemed even angrier and twisted her hand hard, "I saw it clearly, you were so mesmerized by her that you couldn't even walk!"

The man clutched his ear and let out a pig-like scream, crying out in grievance, "You're farting! I wasn't looking at a woman, I was clearly looking at that handsome young man..."

*Pfft*, Du Ruo burst out laughing.

"It seems Second Brother is quite popular with men." She glanced at Jiang Zhan and teased.

(Sorry for the fewer updates; one of my eyes is inflamed, causing the nerves in half of my head to ache, throbbing, it's too uncomfortable.)