On August 5th, the day of the provincial examination is coming in a blink of an eye.
Early that morning, Ye Zhenzhen specially prepared the breakfast meal that symbolizes high school - osmanthus cake and rice dumplings. After Cui Weizhen finished eating, she checked the book box again to confirm that there were no omissions, and then she neatly arranged the family
, went to Gongyuan together.
I thought they had arrived early enough, but I didn't expect that there were many people earlier than them.
The carriage was blocked at the entrance of the alley. When I got off the carriage, I saw a crowd of people in front of me. The noise was endless. This scene was no less than the college entrance examination in later generations.
Of course, even the words of the candidates’ parents are similar to those of later generations.
"Son, if you want to live up to your expectations, you must pass the imperial examination and come back. It's all up to you to make our family proud and reshape our family." This is the school that hopes your son will become a dragon.
"Don't be stressed, relax. You are still young. If you fail the exam this time, there will be another time." This is the enlightened school.
Some young children even told their gray-haired old fathers, "Dad, you are already old enough to hear. Don't suffer this. If you have to stay in there for eight days, your body and bones may not be able to bear it."
"No! I will take the exam as long as I can. As long as I can still move, I have to pass the exam!"
…
There were gray-haired old men, middle-aged scribes, and quite a few teenagers among the candidates who took the exam. Everything in the examination room was condensed into one corner.
Aunt Cui and Ye Zhenzhen had great confidence in Cui Weizhen and did not want to put pressure on him at this time. They just told him, "You must take good care of yourself when you enter the examination room. If you feel uncomfortable, just be patient and get through it."
Just eight days will be enough.”
I'm afraid that his mysophobia can't stand the mess in the examination room.
Cui Weizhen nodded, "Don't worry, I understand the seriousness. I won't be here these days. Remember to lock the door tightly and ask Hong Zhiyuan to be more alert. Don't go out unless there is nothing wrong."
The family is old and weak, and only a young boy like Hong Zhiyuan is guarding the gate, which is more or less uneasy.
"You can take the exam with peace of mind and don't have to worry about our safety."
Ye Zhenzhen was afraid that he would miss her, so she quickly said, "I'll go to Man Tingfang later and hire Zhang San, who guarded the courtyard for us last time. Don't worry since he's watching over you."
Cui Weizhen then nodded with relief, said goodbye to his family, and started lining up to enter the venue.
There were many candidates queuing up, and it was a long queue. An hour later it was Cui Weizhen's turn.
There were yamen officers on duty at the entrance to the examination room. Not only did the candidates entering the venue have to be searched from beginning to end, but even the book boxes they carried were not spared. The sesame cakes, steamed buns and instant noodles prepared by Ye Zhenzhen were all crushed and inspected, and even candles were not included.
Let it go, for fear that there may be something caught in it.
Every candidate was treated like this. Although Cui Weizhen was dissatisfied, he didn't say anything. The candle was completely unusable after being crushed. He only hoped that the examination room was equipped with a stove, otherwise Zhen Zhen would not be able to eat the hot food that he had worked so hard to prepare.
.
After many rounds of searches, Cui Weizhen finally passed the border safely and then lined up to draw a room. When he walked to his own room according to the exam number, his face suddenly turned ugly.
The neighbors were already crying and howling. The examinee opposite Cui Weizhen's room was pale, looking like he was convulsed with nausea, and his eyes were starting to go straight.
"A bad number! Why another bad number! Why am I so unlucky? I get a bad number every time and I don't let others pass the exam!"
Similar complaints came one after another. Although other people were not as unlucky as the man opposite me, most of them were dejected, full of complaints, and had a "stinky" personality, which really affected their performance!
Some people are already clamoring for a room change.
"Candidates are prohibited from making noise!"
The officer guarding the corridor said coldly, "If anyone dares to disturb the examination room, he will be immediately disqualified from taking the exam and will not be allowed to take the exam again for three years!"
Everyone's voices suddenly stopped as if someone was strangling them. They had worked so hard to prepare for the exam, and they would never expect such a result.
So no matter how dissatisfied I felt, I chose to accept my fate.
Cui Weizhen also entered his cell.
The room was not very big. It was barely equipped with a bed board, a desk, a bench, a bucket, and other items. The length and width of the desk were very small. With Cui Weizhen's height, he could barely lie down on it, and even turning over in the middle of the night was difficult.
The only consolation is that there is a coal stove and clean water in the room, so you can cook hot food by yourself.
Cui Weizhen sprinkled insect repellent powder, wiped the tables, chairs, beds and stools with a wet towel, checked the eaves tiles to make sure there would be no leaks, and then spread the oilcloth prepared by Ye Zhenzhen on the bed.
You don’t have to worry about getting wet in the middle of the night.
After he laid out his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, it was already noon, and many candidates had begun to eat lunch. The man opposite him struggled to chew a piece of crushed buns, and would choke and roll his eyes from time to time. Fortunately, he had some water, so he didn't let him go.
It's hard to swallow too much.
Thinking about what would happen in the next few days, Cui Weizhen felt that it was better to fill his stomach first, otherwise he might not have the appetite to eat in the future.
So he boiled water with a coal stove, put in the crushed instant noodles, and then put in the butcher's shop and seasonings. Not long after, the alluring aroma came from the room, and the eyes of the man opposite him were all widened.
Already.
"Damn! Who is cooking something? Isn't it so immoral?"
"It smells so good. I suddenly felt that the steamed buns in my mouth were hard to swallow."
"This is still the first day. Think about it, it will take eight more days!"
…
All kinds of cries of attack came one after another, but everyone was in the room. Only the man opposite knew that the culprit was Cui Weizhen. Watching him pick up the fragrant noodles and start eating, he was drooling.
He looked at it eagerly, "Brother opposite, what kind of noodles are you eating? Can you share some?"
"Quiet! Candidates are not allowed to make noise!"
The selfless government officer once again interrupted the noise of the candidates. Even though the unknown candidate was very reserved when eating, under the temptation of the scent of the food, everyone's sense of smell and hearing thresholds dropped sharply, and they could vaguely hear each other.
The sound of eating noodles is accompanied by the fragrant taste...
Mom, my mouth is drooling!
Why does it still smell like beef with green onions!
The other people were far less impactful than the candidate opposite him. While chewing on the dry bread, he watched the man opposite him enjoy spicy food and swallowed a handful of bitter tears.
The food opposite is so rich.
Cui Weizhen, who was at the center of his resentment, remained unmoved and concentrated on eating instant noodles.
Although Ye Zhenzhen was very confident in her craftsmanship, she didn't expect the ordinary-looking noodles to be so delicious. Especially the seasonings she put in a small jar, including dried onions, diced beef and fat cubes, which were mixed into the noodles.
When cooked, it is fragrant and delicious, making people want to swallow it.
His depression about getting a bad number was successfully comforted by delicious food.
Sure enough, having a good wife at home is like having a treasure.
