Chen Xi did not have the big goal of getting what grades he had to get in this annual exam and forced himself to do so. His idea was simple and practical. I am more plain and not asking for a first-class level. Just list me a second- and third-class level so that I can participate in this year's provincial examination.

According to the usual practice, in the general annual exam and subject examination, as long as the articles of candidates are not nonsense, they will not be listed as fourth or fifth grade, but will be listed as sixth grade and will be removed from fame. This is rarely heard of, because there are too many things to be involved in the fame of scholars. It was the year of the provincial examination. Even if Su Kui looked at anyone who was disliked, he would not have that time to target anyone.

After Chen Xi finished the exam, he went home with Shen Mingwen. As soon as he left the exam room, Shen Mingwen handed the exam basket to Chen Xi. This time he was even more direct and he was too lazy to find excuses.

On the way, Shen Mingwen didn't bother to discuss the content of the annual exam with Chen Xi, or felt that it was not easy to know where the question came from, let alone what good articles could be made.

"Nephew, do you have money on you?" When he arrived in front of a tavern, Shen Mingwen suddenly stopped, looked at him for a while, and asked sideways.

Chen Xi shook his head. Although he had ten taels of silver notes that Hui Niang gave him in his arms at this time, he could exchange silver in Ninghua's silver centres for emergencies, as well as some scattered silver and copper coins he had accumulated on weekdays. With this money, Chen Xi could eat and drink in Ninghua and be a prodigal son, but he would not honestly explain to Shen Mingwen at this time.

Shen Mingwen's little thoughts cannot be hidden from others. He clearly wanted to go in and drink to satisfy his cravings, and if possible, he would have a romantic relationship.

Shen Mingwen raised his face: "How can you not bring money when you go out?"

Chen Xi blinked: "Isn't it that uncle doesn't carry it with him..."

"How do we compare with me? In this way, we go in and have a drink, keep the accounts under the name of the Chamber of Commerce, and let the shop go to the Chamber of Commerce to ask for it?"

Shen Mingwen suddenly had an idea and said in a tempting tone, "Are you hungry too? Let's go in for dinner together. After eating, you will have more energy to study when you go back. Haha."

Chen Xi touched her stomach: "I ate two rice balls at noon, but I'm not hungry yet."

Shen Mingwen greedily sniffed the fragrance coming from the door of the winery, and looked at Chen Xi with a gaze: "You can eat some more when you are full. In this way, I will treat you to the guests, and I will treat you to the ginseng wing belly..."

Chen Xi looked at Shen Mingwen with surprise and thought to himself: "Uncle really treats me as a three-year-old child. He just said that he would keep the accounts in the name of the Chamber of Commerce. Now he said that you treat him... You can think of such a bad trick. If I don't know that you don't have money on you? He said that he was treating him, don't wait until he's halfway through the food, you slipped away on the toilet. In the end, I have to pay the bill!"

Chen Xi shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Uncle, grandmother asked us to go back after the exam. We can't delay the road for a moment."

"Your grandmother's words cannot be heard all, otherwise you will be locked up in the countryside loft sooner or later, and you will not be able to get off for three or five years. You don't know that there is a haunted on it, and it will be whistling at night..."

Chen Xi shook his head helplessly. Da Bo was very ill and no longer cared about Shen Mingwen's thoughts. He carried two test baskets and walked towards the Shen family's yard.

Shen Mingwen was very disappointed and finally touched his stomach. It was obvious that he had not eaten much at noon, and now he gained weight and his appetite has increased. In addition, it was rare to let go, so he probably began to think about whether to run away from home again.

But now his family is eating and drinking well, so he thought about it and decided to go home first and then talk about it when he is ready later.

When he got home, Li had already prepared a banquet, but the table was only prepared for Chen Xi and Shen Mingwen. It was a banquet, but there were only three vegetarian dishes, and he couldn't even see some meat. Chen Xi thought that vegetarian dishes were rice. After dinner, Shen Mingwen was about to apply for reunion with his wife for two days. Li took the ruler and said in a slightly threatening tone: "Son, it's time to go back to study. If you fail this provincial examination, you have to send you back to the countryside to study in the attic."

Before, Shen Mingwen was still scaring Chen Xi with Guan Loft, but this time Shen Mingwen got on the ground and immediately said with a bitter face: "Mom, didn't you say it? If you fail this provincial examination, you don't have to take another exam. Find a teaching career and be a teacher in the future?"

Li shook his head: "That was because the Shen family was not well-off in the past, and it was not easy to support you in school. Now the family has a little surplus. If you don't have strict requirements on you, when will the Shen family's Zhongxing be there? You want to stop taking the exam unless you... have one of you and Qilang can pass the exam."

When Wang heard this, he quickly said, "There is also Dalang."

Li sighed softly. It was obvious that Shen Yongzhuo was not yet a good match in her eyes. Shen Yongzhuo, who was even unable to become a scholar, could he expect him to pass the imperial examination?

After Shen Mingwen was personally escorted by Li to the small black room in the backyard and locked the door with his own hands, the old lady then walked to Chen Xi and said in a pity tone:

"Qilang, my grandmother told you about a marriage, she was a lady from a prominent family farmer in Guihua County. Her father was a juren and would go to Huguang to be the magistrate at the end of the year. Do you like the marriage arranged by my grandmother for you?"

Chen Xi was stunned for a moment. Didn’t he say he wouldn’t tell me about the marriage for the time being? Why did he change his mind again after only more than half a year?

"Grandmother, I'm still young..."

"It's not too young, it's already twelve, the banker's wife thirteen, in two years, you will get married. Then you will go home and live. I'll pack up the yard for you and study hard. If you have a child, my grandmother will help you take care of it."

Chen Xi thought to himself: "If I stayed in Ninghua, I would definitely be locked up like a livestock and would not be free." At that moment, Wu said: "Grandmother, Mrs. 6 had mentioned to my mother before that there was a family of masters who had served as high-ranking officials in the provincial capital. I heard that I was young and promising and wanted to betroth his granddaughter to me."

Li waved his hand: "Don't listen to her nonsense. She is just a businessman. Who would discuss such things with her? You have the ability and don't interact with her family in the future. Grandma is considering your future reputation. Even if she wants to recognize you as her adopted son in the future, don't think about it. What kind of virtue can she be a widow and be the adopted mother of a scholar?"

Chen Xixin said that the old lady turned against her faster than flirting with her, or because Hui Niang did not follow the previous agreement and passed the Shen family's house in the mansion to Chen Xi's name, which angered her. In fact, Zhou was afraid that the house would be taken away by the old lady immediately after she passed by Chen Xi's name, so she simply dragged the matter down.

Facts prove that Zhou's concerns are still very reasonable, because in the old lady's mind, she is the head of the family. As long as it is the property of the Shen family, whether it is the son, daughter-in-law or grandson, it must be controlled by her. In this society where filial piety and righteousness are the first, who dares to risk being accused of "unfilial piety" against Li?

Li said: "Tomorrow the dealer will send the lady here, make an appointment with you to meet, perform well, and leave a good impression on the dealer."

Chen Xi knew what was going on when she heard it. Now it is obviously the dealer who is making a name for himself. He has to first see Chen Xi’s appearance and verify Chen Xi’s talent. Only then will he decide whether to marry his daughter, because they are both young boys and girls. They are not afraid of being out of order when they meet.

Chen Xi probably had an idea in his mind and could not let the old lady change her mind, so he started from the dealer. If he was just a young man with a reputation, he had to learn talent but not talent, had to look like a person, and had no family background yet, why should the dealer like him and marry his daughter?

...

...

On the fifth day of the second month, the second day after the Ninghua County annual examination was over. It was still one day before the results were announced. This day was also a rare "gift" that Chen Xi received after returning to Ninghua. One day he could go out for a blind date.

Chen Xi has returned to Ninghua twice in the past two years, and he has to go on blind dates every time he comes back. He is already a little used to it. In the past, he mainly looked at portraits, but this time he gave him a real "official lady" to a garden meeting with him. The date was chosen in the backyard of a wealthy family named Lin in the city. The dealer and the Lin family are family friends, and the Lin family have also been a juren, and they are considered to be the more influential gentry in Ninghua. Li family wanted to establish a good relationship with the Lin family.

On this day, Chen Xi had a black square flat scarf with black saro on his head, wearing a jade-colored cloth wide-sleeved student's shirt and black soap boots. Unfortunately, this outfit was borrowed by Li specially from Chen Xi. He looked a little outfit after wearing it.

Chen Xi was led by Shen Mingjun to the back alley of the Lin family. After knocking on the door, someone opened the yard door. The Lin family’s butler came out to greet him and was both lukewarm and warm to Shen Mingjun and his son. The Lin family has a yard with its own pond and rockery pavilion, covering an area of ​​about one acre, which is naturally far inferior to the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, but it is also good in western Fujian.

In early spring, Chen Xi looked at Fengdu and ignored the temperature. She sat on the stone bench and was blown by the wind. She felt very cold. Shen Mingjun left first and asked Chen Xi to go back by himself after seeing the lady of the dealer.

Or maybe the road was delayed on the road, or it might be that it was deliberately making a move. Chen Xi waited for half an hour and was already shaking with cold, his nose began to run out, but no one came into the yard. Chen Xi thought to himself: "Is the daughters of powerful families so unpunctual?"

After waiting for another half an hour, Chen Xi was about to say goodbye, but he saw a girl in a thirteen or fourteen-year-old dress in thick winter clothes at the door. He walked over to the pavilion with a maid of the same age. Before he could get close, the girl shouted: "I have said I want to wear a jade hairpin, but you forgot to stay at home. How can I see people when I come out?"

Chen Xi thought to himself: "The little girl is not big, she knows how to dress up."

But when Chen Xi took a closer look at the appearance of the banker lady, he took a breath. He couldn't say that he was particularly ugly, he could only say that he was particularly ugly, with a small nose, a small eyes, a round face, or a "little beauty" in the aesthetic standards of the people of the world. However, Chen Xi looked like his facial features painted by a tadpole, which was pieced together on a big face. On the contrary, the little maid who was holding a seat cushion behind her was even more beautiful.

It's okay if she looks ugly, but she has a pretty temper. Seeing her scolding the maid, Chen Xi felt disgusted.

The master and servant walked into the pavilion, and the girl's eyes fell on Shen Xi. Chen Xi sat there and scratched her nostrils and took out something black from it. The lady of the dealer frowned immediately. Obviously, Chen Xi gave her the first impression.

"Are you Chen Xi?" The only desirable thing for this banker lady is her voice, or her childishness, and her voice is a bit graceful and crisp. Chen Xi closed her eyes and couldn't help but shake her head. Behind this voice was a beautiful girl, why are the facts very different?

When the banker saw Chen Xi not answering, he said impatiently: "Where are you asking you, deaf?"

Chen Xi opened his eyes and said, "It's not a deaf person, it's a mute person."

Originally, Chen Xi wanted to choke her, but unexpectedly the girl laughed "Puchi": "Does the mute still speak?"

Chen Xidao: "The mute has just been cured."

***************

ps: The sixth update!

There are some card texts written in this chapter. The emperor thought about it for a long time before he finished writing it. It is too late to update. Please forgive me! There should be another chapter later. Please support me. In any case, please give me the monthly ticket to "The No. 1 Scholar in the Poor Family"!
Chapter completed!