W Chapter 69
by VolareChapter 69: Chapter 69 (Two-in-One)
Chapter 69: Chapter 69 (Two-in-One)
Remarry or not?
Good question.
Xu Youfang glared unhappily, “Which man in these ten miles and eight villages is worthy of my Ling Ge’er?”
Wang Chunxia’s lips twitched, her smile undiminished.
It’s true what they say about people from wealthy families having read books, they are different.
Turning the unwillingness to let someone remarry into extreme importance, feeling that other men are not worthy, is a first for her.
But she has to admit, the words sound good.
And Ling Xing is now beautiful, smart, and rich, so he can handle it.
If it were her, she wouldn’t want to let him remarry either.
It would be best if he could stay in the Zhu family forever.
But thinking about it, that’s impossible. Ling Xing is young and good-looking. Even if he doesn’t remarry now, he will definitely remarry in the future.
When that time comes, no matter how reluctant the Shen family is, it won’t matter. The law won’t allow it.
Wang Chunxia and several aunties understood Xu Youfang’s meaning and shut their mouths, no longer mentioning Ling Xing’s remarriage.
They are all waiting for the time, not believing that he can really stay a widower for Shen Hai for the rest of his life.
It’s not that he can’t, they have also heard of many devoted people who are really willing to stay single.
But those people either have children, or have really been together for many years.
Ling Xing and Shen Hai, at most, were together for three days.
What kind of feelings can they have?
Remarriage is only a matter of time.
Now that the Shen family’s life is getting better because of Ling Xing, it’s understandable that the Shen family doesn’t like to hear these words.
Wang Chunxia immediately smiled and turned to Shen Hui.
“My eldest daughter-in-law has a younger sister, and she looks really good.”
Xu Youfang reminded, “It’d better be a Ge’er.”
When men marry, their first choice is basically women, unless the family is poor and can’t afford a woman, then they’ll consider a Ge’er. There are also a small number who just like Ge’ers and don’t like women.
The Shen family now lives in brick houses with tiled roofs and isn’t short of money.
It seems to be the latter.
Wang Chunxia’s tone naturally changed, “The seventh child of my second daughter-in-law’s family is a Ge’er, and he’s also very handsome, with rosy lips and white teeth. He inherited the advantages of both his parents, and this year he’s sixteen. People are lining up to propose marriage.”
This isn’t Wang Chunxia boasting, it’s true.
She has seen Sun Xiaonian, and he really looks good. His family also dotes on him, wanting him to stay at home for two more years to enjoy life. That’s why he’s sixteen and still not engaged.
Otherwise, in the countryside, women and Ge’ers are matched up at fourteen or fifteen, and married at sixteen or seventeen.
“It’s just that he’s a little timid. Your second son looks intimidating. He might be scared out of his wits.”
Wang Chunxia didn’t speak falsely. Sun Xiaonian is good in every way, just timid. She had to make this clear in advance, so that the Shen family wouldn’t think she was deceiving them.
Xu Youfang didn’t care about this, “It’s okay. If you think a woman is really good, you can also introduce her. After the New Year, after Second Son takes the exam, the weather will be warmer, and he can go out.”
With Xu Youfang’s words, several aunties had candidates in their minds, and they left feeling refreshed.
They are all eager to facilitate this marriage.
Behind the door curtain of the west room, Ling Xing rubbed his numb legs and got up, limping to the bedside and sitting down, gently pounding his legs in a daze.
“Ge’er-husband?”
Shen Lai called out several times, and Ling Xing finally came back to his senses and raised his head, “What’s wrong, Little Five?”
“I’ve finished writing my characters.” Shen Lai handed the paper to Ling Xing to check. “Ge’er-husband, have you been preoccupied lately? You’re always spacing out.”
Ling Xing’s hand holding the paper paused, and Shen Hui’s appearance floated into his mind.
As if afraid of being discovered, Ling Xing quickly shook his head, feeling inexplicably flustered, “No, I haven’t.”
Shen Lai looked more and more like something was wrong. Seeing that Ling Xing didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t say anything.
Regarding the matter of finding a match for Shen Hui, Xu Youfang told everyone to keep it from Shen Hui for now, and wait until he finishes the imperial examination before telling him.
To avoid him being preoccupied with other matters, becoming distracted and harming his mind during the exam.
Ling Xing nodded along with the Shen family, looking preoccupied. Shen Lai saw it all.
In the evening, Shen Hui and Ling Yue returned home under the bright moon. Shen Lai uncharacteristically stayed in the kitchen to prepare hot water.
He moved to Ling Yue’s side and whispered to him, “Ah Yue, has Ge’er-husband said anything to you recently?”
Ling Yue wrung out the cloth towel, and the steaming towel covered his face, dispelling the cold. His face began to regain sensation.
He rubbed his face twice and shook his head. His voice was a little distorted under the towel, “No, what’s wrong?”
Shen Lai scratched his head, also feeling very strange. He has been with Ge’er-husband every day during this period, and there is indeed nothing special. Why would Ge’er-husband often be absent-minded for no reason?
He cares about Ling Xing, afraid that Ling Xing has something on his mind that he doesn’t say, and keeps it to himself, feeling sad.
Now hearing that Ling Yue also said no, he thought that maybe he was overthinking.
Afraid that Ling Yue would worry if he brought it up, he didn’t mention more.
“It’s nothing. By the way, Ah Yue, how do you feel about your studies lately? The exam is coming up, are you nervous?”
Ling Yue nodded honestly.
Naturally, he would be nervous.
Shen Lai started to enlighten Ling Yue again, saying that he was good at studying…
Shen Hui listened to the voices of the two children and looked in the direction of the west room while pouring water.
Worried, but unable to ask.
Although Shen Lai later changed the subject, Ling Yue was also worried about his brother, and asked Ling Xing if anything was wrong before going to bed.
Ling Xing knew that his constant spacing out and thinking about things had been treated as a big deal by the two children. While helplessly wanting to laugh, he also felt warm in his heart.
He touched Ling Yue’s head, “Brother is fine, don’t worry, Ah Yue.”
The Shen family had a prosperous New Year this year. In previous years, there wasn’t a single piece of meat on the table.
This year, it seemed like they were making up for all the meat they hadn’t eaten before. Not only were there fish and meat, but they also bought a lot of pastries.
For fish dishes alone, there was fried fish, stewed fish soup, and braised fish. There was pork and mutton, each with three different dishes.
The staple food was either noodles or white rice, as well as dumplings that Ling Xing packed with the Shen family.
It was cold, so they packed a lot and froze them directly.
When they didn’t want to cook, they could just boil them in water and eat them, and they tasted great.
Ling Xing finally ate the dumplings dipped in sesame oil that he had been missing. The sesame oil was very fragrant and mellow, completely different from the ones with additives.
It really left a lingering fragrance in his mouth, with endless aftertaste.
The filling of the dumplings was also meat. The Shen family was starting to feel overwhelmed by eating so much meat.
A dish of cabbage cooked with frozen tofu became a new favorite on the dining table.
Ling Xing, eating the frozen tofu soaked in soup, thought that no matter what, it was still best to have a moderate amount and mix things up.
Too much meat or too much vegetables wouldn’t do.
During the New Year’s holiday, staying at home and eating large amounts of meat for several days, it was time to get out and move around.
The Lantern Festival was considered the end of the New Year, and Ling Xing’s shop opened on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, still within the New Year period.
He didn’t rush to open, but took the prepared New Year’s gifts and sent them to Tu Hai, Xu Qi, Wu Dali, the bookstore owner, the painting supplies store owner, and the grain store owner.
These were all people who had helped him or had a lot of interaction with him last year.
They weren’t very valuable, but they were a token of his appreciation.
As for Magistrate Lin, he had sent two jars of pickled vegetables before the New Year. Magistrate Lin wouldn’t care about gold, silver, and jewelry, and he was probably tired of delicacies from land and sea.
Ling Xing had nothing else to send, so he sent pickled vegetables, not knowing if the magistrate liked them or not.
The people in town who received the New Year’s gifts were very happy.
Tu Hai even called him “good brother” one after another, laughing heartily, breaking his refined mask and revealing a hint of banditry inside.
Seeming to notice something, Tu Hai restrained himself in time, still holding a folding fan in the freezing cold, shivering while trying to maintain his elegant appearance.
Ling Xing couldn’t understand him, but still sent him a folding fan with a scholarly fan surface, catering to his taste.
It wasn’t good to open gifts in front of people, and Tu Hai only found out about the fan in the gift after Ling Xing left.
The characters on the fan surface were flowing and powerful, really beautiful.
He couldn’t put it down, and immediately abandoned the old for the new, replacing it with a new folding fan that better suited his temperament.
The bookstore owner was also very happy to receive the unexpected New Year’s gift. He gave Ling Xing a thick stack of paper, and also said a lot about the imperial examination.
He was forthcoming and knew everything about what to eat and use.
Originally, Ling Xing didn’t know much about the imperial examination, thinking of going to the county to inquire.
Now that the bookstore owner had told him, and in such detail and with such care, he was very grateful.
After sending the New Year’s gifts, it was already noon when he returned to the shop. Ling Xing made something to eat and officially opened for business.
There were quite a few people out during the New Year’s holiday, and Ling Xing quickly became busy.
…
The imperial examination regulations of Da Yu stipulated that candidates who passed the county examination and the prefectural examination were considered child students. After that, they were qualified to participate in the academy examination, and those who passed were considered scholars.
The county examination and the prefectural examination were held twice every three years. After the academy examination began, they were all held once every three years.
This year happened to be the year of the triennial examination. If there was a literary star, he could go all the way from child student to Jinshi.
The county examination and the prefectural examination were held in the county town and the prefectural city respectively.
After passing both, they had to go to the state city to take the academy examination.
The imperial examination times of each dynasty were different, depending on how the ruler arranged it.
The Yu Dynasty set the previous exams in early spring, which was a cold time. Ling Xing had no choice but to prepare knee pads for Ling Yue, otherwise his legs would not be able to withstand the cold.
Shen Hui knew about Ling Yue’s leg injury, and took out the leather he had collected before from the box.
It was fox fur, tanned very well, with soft and smooth fur.
He stuffed the leather to Ling Xing, “You can’t buy leather like this now. It will go bad if you don’t use it. It’s enough to make a pair of knee pads.”
Ling Xing knew that this was Shen Hui’s excuse to let him accept it. The leather was well protected, how could it go bad if he left it any longer?
Since it concerned Ling Yue, Ling Xing knew that this was the best choice, so he accepted it. He would pay attention to whether there was good leather on the market later and buy it for Shen Hui.
Ling Xing knew how to sew, but only for mending. He really didn’t know how to make knee pads. Before he could open his mouth, Xu Youfang came to find Ling Xing first.
She took the leather that Shen Hui had given and made knee pads for Ling Yue.
Ling Xing’s shop had only been open for two months, but he really earned a lot.
Just from what he earned himself, excluding Ling Yue’s medicine money, he already had seventy-six taels.
He had cleared the money he owed Shen Hui before the New Year, and he still had thirty-six taels in his hand. He planned to buy a better hand warmer and prepare other things that could be used in the examination hall.
The examination hall allowed candidates to bring their own charcoal fire, and those who forgot to bring it could ask the clerks in the examination hall to buy it.
After all, the emperor wanted to select talents, not to freeze people to death.
There was also hot water provided, but there were no quilts.
They weren’t allowed to bring them either, for fear that someone would bring things inside. Single-layer blankets were allowed. If the inspection showed that there were no problems, they could be draped over the body to keep out the cold.
According to what the bookstore owner said, for keeping warm, it was best to buy good charcoal without a lot of smoke, so that it wouldn’t be choking.
Charcoal basins also needed to be brought by themselves. If they didn’t bring them, they could buy them from the examination hall. The price was about the same as outside, only a dozen or so Wen more expensive.
This thing was heavy, and many candidates were unwilling to carry it to the exam.
Although those who could read would also be poor, they could grit their teeth and spend these dozen or so Wen, and save their energy to cope with the exam, which would be easier. Why not?
Ling Xing thought of the little radish head that was Ling Yue, and crossed out the heavy charcoal basin from the shopping list. He would just spend a dozen or so Wen more at the examination hall to buy one.
The fabric covering the outside of the hand warmer couldn’t be a sandwich, and couldn’t have patterns. It was best to be a solid color, with nothing on it.
The same went for clothes, insoles, and socks. All of them couldn’t have sandwiches or patterns.
The food was generally pancakes and pastries. Bring a small bowl, and the examination hall would provide hot water.
Fire starters and candles were provided by the examination hall, but the quantity was limited. Once they were used up, they were gone. Candidates weren’t allowed to bring their own privately.
Pen, ink, and inkstone had to be prepared by themselves. The paper was distributed uniformly by the examination hall, and the paper in the examination hall couldn’t be brought out.
Ling Xing went through a round in his mind, and went to town to buy things the next day.
He bought two of everything.
He had to say, taking the imperial examination really cost money. Buying everything cost eighteen taels.
If Magistrate Lin hadn’t sent good pens, ink, paper, and inkstones before, he would have had to prepare them again, which would have cost even more.
Ling Xing put Ling Yue’s share directly in the room.
He took Shen Hui’s share and knocked on Shen Hui’s door while the family was asleep.
Afraid of being discovered and causing unnecessary misunderstandings, Ling Xing’s voice was very low, “Second Son, it’s me.”
Hearing the voice, Shen Hui got up quickly and walked to the door.
“Ge’er-husband, what’s the matter?”
Ling Xing saw that Shen Hui’s clothes were messy, his chest was faintly visible, and his long hair was drooping, slightly curled, full of wildness.
He inexplicably felt a little hot and quietly shifted his gaze.
“I prepared things for Ah Yue to use for the imperial examination, and I prepared a share for you too.”
Shen Hui lowered his head and saw the small package in Ling Xing’s arms, and the corners of his lips curled up in a smile.
Noticing Ling Xing’s somewhat evasive gaze, he ground his teeth as if on purpose and repeated, “Ge’er-husband prepared it for me?”
Ling Xing nodded and stuffed the package forward, “Take it. By the way, don’t go to town with me from tomorrow. Stay at home and study hard.”
Shen Hui didn’t look at the package that had been transferred to his arms, but stared at Ling Xing’s face. In the darkness, his gaze carried an obvious aggressiveness.
“But I want to go with Ge’er-husband.”
Ling Xing frowned, “No, the exam is important. Stay at home and study hard.”
Shen Hui chuckled softly, his lowered voice as if carrying a hook, “Ge’er-husband is so fierce.”
Ling Xing touched his itchy ear, wondering what was wrong with him. How did Shen Hui’s very ordinary sentence sound so wrong?
He pretended to be calm and serious, nodding his head solemnly, “Yeah, it’s good that you know. I’m leaving.”
…
The date for the county examination was set for February 10th. In order to allow Ling Yue and Shen Hui to take the exam well, Ling Xing persuaded the Shen family to let the two go to the county two days in advance.
This was Ling Yue’s first time taking the exam, and he was still so young. Ling Xing decided to go with him.
Afraid that something would happen to Ling Xing, a Ge’er, Xu Youfang said she would accompany him, but in the end, she didn’t.
It was Xie Qingya who accompanied Ling Xing.
Xie Qingya understood the imperial examination process. Xu Youfang was afraid that she would make mistakes because she didn’t understand anything. Knowing that Xie Qingya understood these things and was also very willing to go with Ling Xing, she nodded in agreement.
Xie Qingya also told Ling Xing a lot about the imperial examination, which was similar to what the bookstore owner said, adding a lot of details.
Wang Juan, on the other hand, explained in detail to Shen Hui and Ling Yue.
He had participated in the imperial examination, and he talked about the things that would be encountered in the examination hall.
For example, don’t drink too much water, don’t eat too much, just don’t be so hungry that you faint, be careful with the candles, and put the paper away when eating.
He also told them to bring a sachet. Once they entered the examination room, they wouldn’t be allowed to go out, and they would eat, drink, and excrete in a small space.
The chamber pot was in the examination room, and the sachet was to hold under the nose to resist the stench.
The best way was to endure this day, and it wouldn’t be a problem to eat and drink less.
It was hard to endure for three consecutive days, and the sachet was essential.
But Wang Juan still reminded them to prepare as much as possible, because they couldn’t make the people around them not use the chamber pot.
The examination rooms were connected, and the smell spread quickly.
If they were unlucky and encountered someone with diarrhea, the smell would be even worse.
After listening to what Xie Qingya and Wang Juan said, Ling Xing added some things for Ling Yue and Shen Hui.
When the Shen family elders knew that Ling Xing was preparing things for Ling Yue, they prepared things for Shen Hui as well.
Shen Chengshan wanted to give Ling Xing money, but Shen Hui stopped him, saying that he could add it himself.
Xu Youfang ignored Shen Hui and directly took out the money and sent it to Ling Xing.
In addition to working and opening a shop, she couldn’t give Second Son any chance to interact with Ling Xing.
If it weren’t for Ling Yue going to the imperial examination together, and the brother wanting to send the younger brother, she wouldn’t have agreed to Ling Xing going to the county town.
Two days before the imperial examination, the four of Ling Xing rented a carriage together and rushed to the county town in advance.
There weren’t many people coming to take the imperial examination. After all, books hadn’t been completely opened, the difficulty of reading had increased, and the number of people reading would naturally decrease.
But after all, this was an opportunity to change their destiny, and there would always be enough people.
At least all the better inns in the county were full.
Fortunately, Xie Qingya came along. He knew someone in the county and went to this house to stay.
The person was called Liu Qingyu, and he was a Ge’er.
His home was in Osmanthus Alley, and there was a large osmanthus tree at the entrance of the alley.
Liu Qingyu was also a bitter person. He was nineteen this year and hadn’t married.
His parents had died in an accident six years ago. As the eldest brother, he was pulling three younger siblings, and his life was very difficult.
Also, because he couldn’t rest assured about his younger siblings, he hadn’t married. No one dared to marry him either. Marrying him meant marrying his whole family.
When Liu Qingyu’s parents were still alive, they had some savings. The courtyard was half brick and half mud, so that the children had a place to shelter from the wind and rain and could survive in this world.
Xie Qingya met him three years ago.
He happened to be in the county with Wang Juan, when he met Liu Qingyu’s aunt bringing people to snatch the house left by Liu Qingyu’s parents.
Liu Qingyu threatened to die at the time, putting a sickle to his neck, cutting it open, and roaring with red eyes that he would drag people down with him before he died.
This desperate energy suppressed the idea of those who wanted to take advantage of him.
They planned to occupy the house after Liu Qingyu married.
The people left, but Liu Qingyu also fell into a coma due to excessive bleeding. Xie Qingya bumped into Liu’s younger siblings asking for help, helped send the person to see the doctor, and paid the money.
Fortunately, it was in time, and the person was pulled back from the gate of hell.
Liu Qingyu was very happy to see his life-saving benefactor, Xie Qingya, and at the same time, he looked at Ling Xing and the others vigilantly.
Xie Qingya knew that he was living carefully, and vigilance was normal, so he introduced them in time, “Ling Xing is my good friend, this is his younger brother, Ling Yue, and this is his nephew, Shen Hui. They are all here to take the imperial examination. The better inns have no rooms, so I thought of your house.”
“We’ll pay according to the inn’s price. Can Brother Liu spare a room?”
This room was for Ling Yue and Shen Hui to live in. Xie Qingya and Ling Xing were thinking that if there was no place to live, they would go back and come again on the day of the exam.
After listening, Liu Qingyu put down his guard. This was his benefactor thinking of him, bringing people to live and letting him earn money.
He enthusiastically smiled, “Yes! I can spare two rooms. My family has many rooms.”
His parents left enough rooms when they built the house. After their death, his younger siblings were young, and they were afraid to sleep at night, so they all slept together.
Later, they grew up and separated, and now although they can’t sleep in the same bed, they can completely sleep on the floor in one room.
It would be better to spare two rooms. Ling Xing and the others followed Liu Qingyu into the courtyard.
Liu’s three younger siblings were all there. Liu Qingyu was the oldest, nineteen this year. The second child, Liu Qingye, was fifteen, and was also a Ge’er.
The third child, Liu Qingcao, was a man, nine years old this year. The youngest sister was called Liu Qingxue and was seven years old this year.
The little girl was only one year old when her parents died.
Among the four children, only the third child could establish a household, but he wasn’t old enough yet, he had to be ten years old.
No wonder relatives tried to take advantage of them and occupy the house.
If Liu Qingyu hadn’t held on with the determination to die, this house would not have been protected at all.
Liu Qingyu cleaned up his younger siblings very cleanly. The three children had lost their parents since childhood, and had seen a lot of ghosts and monsters, and they were all a little timid.
But they were very protective of Liu Qingyu, and since Liu Qingyu entered the yard, they had been surrounding him, making a protective posture.
Ling Xing could feel that they were terrified of Shen Hui.
Although Shen Hui didn’t do anything, he was too tall, didn’t have a smiling face, and had a fierce aura, which was indeed scary.
Even though they were afraid, Liu’s three children didn’t leave Liu Qingyu for half a step.
They were all scared by Liu Qingyu’s knife that year, afraid that their big brother would also leave them and never come back.
If it weren’t for seeing Xie Qingya there, Ling Xing wouldn’t have doubted that these three children would have directly driven them out.
Liu Qingyu also knew that his younger siblings didn’t know what was going on, and they would be afraid in their hearts, so he lowered his head and explained it to them.
Hearing that they were here to take the imperial examination and were paying money every day, the three children had less vigilance in their eyes and more enthusiasm.
Liu’s house was cleaned very cleanly.
Ling Xing and Xie Qingya lived in the room where Liu’s second child lived, and Ling Yue and Shen Hui slept in Liu’s third child’s room.
Ling Xing and Xie Qingya went out to buy ingredients and seasonings, borrowed Liu’s kitchen to cook, and gave some firewood money.
Liu Qingyu helped fetch a bucket of water. Seeing Ling Yue reading a book in the courtyard, he felt a sense of emotion in his heart.
This child is so young and already studying for the imperial examination, he’s really amazing.
Ling Yue read the book wholeheartedly. He wanted to pass this child student exam.
During the two days of living in Liu’s house, the Liu family was very quiet, and there was no running or jumping, for fear of disturbing the two scholars.
Ling Xing settled the room fee on a daily basis, giving twenty Wen more each day for their thoughtfulness.
Liu Qingyu needed this money to support his family, and he didn’t refuse it, sincerely saying thank you after receiving it.
He was even more attentive when treating Ling Xing and the others.
The examination hall was a distance from Liu’s house. On the day of the exam, the four arrived at the examination hall, and there was already a line.
The inspecting clerks had cold faces and rude movements.
The candidates dared to be angry but didn’t dare to speak out.
Ling Yue stood in the line like a little adult, attracting the attention of many people.
There was no other reason, he was too young.
A little kid actually came to take the imperial examination, it was really a waste of money.
It was necessary to pay money to participate in the exam, and the people in line only thought that he was a child from a wealthy family, spending money to experience it.
Ling Yue shielded himself from outside views and sounds, and silently recalled the knowledge in the books.
The child student exam was the simplest compared to other exams. It could be passed by memorizing, and it was all in the books. It didn’t require too much personal opinion.
It was just a stepping stone to the imperial examination.
But even the simplest exam, the obscure and difficult texts, blocked many people out.
There were many people who took the exam many times and couldn’t really enter the door of the imperial examination.
Ling Yue was very small. When it was his turn to check, the clerk was stunned.
There were many clerks around. Everyone felt novel when they saw him. Could such a small doll withstand it in the examination hall?
“Hello, this is my examination card.”
After registering for the imperial examination, an examination card would be issued. This was the proof of entering the examination hall.
The child’s voice was a little hoarse, his attitude was polite, and he looked good and pleasing, so the clerk who checked couldn’t help but relax his brows and lighten the movements of his hands.
Although his attitude towards Ling Yue wasn’t fierce, the inspection was still strict, otherwise something would happen, and he would lose his head.
Ling Xing prepared everything in strict accordance with the requirements and standards, without any transgression, which shortened Ling Yue’s inspection time a lot.
Behind Ling Yue was Shen Hui, and the clerk was also stunned.
Having checked so many imperial examinations, it was the first time he had encountered Shen Hui, who was so tall and strong.
This person shouldn’t be here for the civil exam, he should go for the military exam.
Shen Hui didn’t like to smile outside, and he had a natural cold face. No matter how good-looking and handsome his face was, no one dared to get close to appreciate it. They were frightened by his aura and stood as far away as possible.
A big guy of one meter and nine, standing anywhere was like a “mountain”, giving people a lot of pressure.
The inspecting clerk was no exception. He was simply checking under pressure.
The inspection before entering the examination room was not only to check the basket, but also to take off clothes and untie hair.
After carefully checking, the clerk glanced at Shen Hui, and seeing that he didn’t seem to have any emotional changes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
God knows how afraid he was that the other party would get anxious and impatient when he was checking, and give him a punch.
Shen Hui and Ling Yue’s examination numbers were far apart, not in the same area. After entering the examination hall, they disappeared.
The clerks in the examination hall saw that Ling Yue was young and liked him, so they kindly led the way and quickly found his seat.
Shen Hui had good eyesight and didn’t take any detours, and took his seat early.
The two were both lucky. The roof of the examination room didn’t leak, and there were no holes in the board.
The chamber pots they were assigned were also intact and not broken.
According to what Wang Juan said, some chamber pots had been used for a long time, and the examination hall wouldn’t replace them. The candidates who were assigned broken chamber pots had an even harder time.
The space was really small, only enough for one person to sit and half-lie down.
Ling Yue was small, so it was okay. He wouldn’t have such a heavy feeling of depression, but when he sat, he couldn’t reach the ground, so he could only stand to write.
Shen Hui was going to suffer. He was tall, and after he entered, it was difficult to move.
If he sat up straight, his hair bun would almost touch the top of the examination room. If his arms moved slightly, he would touch the walls on both sides. This feeling was very uncomfortable.
The clerks patrolling outside couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable for him. This was no different from being fixed in a prison car.
The dual torment of body and mind, could he do well in the exam?
The clerk shook his head and left, not saying anything.
The imperial examination, luck was also very important.
After all the candidates entered, the clerk waited for a while. When the time came, he knocked on a gong, “The county examination begins! All idlers retreat! Those who do not comply will be punished with fifty strokes!”
After shouting three times, the people sending the exam retreated, and then the gate of the examination hall was tightly closed.
Xie Qingya and Ling Xing didn’t wait near the examination hall, but went shopping.
It wasn’t right to say shopping, because Ling Xing had been looking at various medical clinics and pharmacies.
After looking at two medical clinics and three pharmacies, Xie Qingya couldn’t help asking, “Does Ling Xing want to buy medicine or see a doctor?”
Ling Xing shook his head, “I want to study medicine.”
It wasn’t that he was learning, it was for Shen Lai.
Since the incident with Doctor Sun, Shen Lai’s determination to study medicine hadn’t wavered.
He also studied the words in the medical books very seriously. Now he had recognized the medicinal materials taught by Ling Xing and Shen Hui, and he had read half of the medical books stuffed by Magistrate Lin’s family.
Ling Xing confirmed that Shen Lai really wanted to study medicine, so he wanted to find a way to make it happen.
Xie Qingya thought that Ling Xing wanted to learn, and was a little surprised, “Aren’t you making food anymore?”
Ling Xing knew that he had misunderstood, and explained, “It’s not me, it’s Little Five.”
He told Xie Qingya about the incident of Doctor Sun coming to Shen’s house, and Xie Qingya also sighed.
“Doctor Sun’s attitude is actually the attitude of most doctors. It’s difficult for Little Five to study medicine.”
How could Ling Xing not know?
When he was in town, he had already inquired secretly, and no one accepted Ge’ers.
Thinking that there might be an opportunity in the county, he came to see this time.
But the previous two medical clinics and three pharmacies were all men.
The two wandered around for a morning without a clue. Ling Xing invited Xie Qingya to a big meal at the restaurant.
Xie Qingya wasn’t doing business and accompanied him for two days, so he had to thank him well.
Xie Qingya was happy to have good food, and he wasn’t polite with Ling Xing. The two had a hearty meal, sweeping away the morning’s melancholy.
In the afternoon, Ling Xing and Xie Qingya strolled around the jewelry shop. They were dressed plainly, and no clerk greeted them when they entered the shop, but the clerk’s eyes were fixed on them.
Afraid that they would steal things.
Ling Xing didn’t care, and walked around before leaving.
Xie Qingya didn’t care even more. Let them look, it wouldn’t be a piece of meat.
He just didn’t understand why Ling Xing suddenly looked at the jewelry shop.
This wasn’t something that couldn’t be said. Seeing that Xie Qingya was curious, Ling Xing said directly.
“Mother’s velvet flowers can expand the business.”
Before, he didn’t want to expand, and Xu Youfang also wanted to take it slowly. Now she felt that she could go further, so she asked Ling Xing to see if there was a market in the county for putting the velvet flowers in.
Xie Qingya knew about velvet flowers. Ling Xing had sent him several sets.
They were all particularly beautiful. He would close the door at night and put them on for Wang Juan to see, and Wang Juan liked them very much.
“Ling Xing, your shop will definitely get better and better according to the current trend. Shen Gui is following you to do the pickled vegetable business, and it’s also expanding this year. Your mother is also expanding the velvet flowers. If Little Five reallybyes a master to study medicine, and Shen Er and Ah Yue have fame, your family will develop for a few years, and you’ll be dominating one side!”
Xie Qingya was surprised by the end of what he said. The fact was true.
Money, power, fame, and fortune were all there.
And Magistrate Lin was a bit friendly with Ling Xing.
Ling Xing didn’t think that far, “It’s not that it hasn’t developed much yet, and Second Son and Ah Yue haven’t achieved fame yet.”
“Even so, we won’t dominate one side. We’ll just live our lives well.”
Xie Qingya nodded in agreement.
That’s right, Ling Xing couldn’t do things that would dominate one side and do evil.
He spent a while in the county in the afternoon, and it was considered a harvest.
Ling Xing saw several people wearing velvet flowers.
They were more gorgeous than what Xu Youfang