In February, the spring cold was severe, and it was still bitingly cold in the morning and evening.
Xu Yinyin and her family came to live in the house in Jiangyang County yesterday just to take the exam. Xu Chunshan, who was already very busy, took time out to come back.
This is a big event for the whole family, comparable to the "college entrance examination". No, my stinky son took the college entrance examination twice in his previous life, and he was never so excited and nervous.
Others were even more so, especially Old Man Xu and Mrs. Xu, who tossed and turned for half the night without falling asleep.
I guess Xu Yinyin is the only one who is calmer. Anyway, if you fail this year, you can still take the exam next year. Xu Dajun is only fourteen this year, so he is still young.
It's not yet dawn, the five-shift clapper has just been struck, and everyone in the Xu family has gotten up. Xu Dajun wore several single clothes, three layers inside and three outside. The cold wind from outside was blowing in, and he was still so cold that he shivered.
son.
Mrs. Xu didn't know the details, but she felt sorry for her grandson and said, "Why don't you wear a cotton-padded jacket? It's very cold today!" It would not be worthwhile if you fall ill before the exam.
Old man Xu glanced at her hurriedly and said: "You know what? In this scientific examination, no matter whether it is windy or snowy, you are not allowed to wear clothes with layers. You can only wear single clothes. Even if you wear them, you have to shout when you enter.
You took it off."
Mrs. Xu listened, but she didn't ask who made the rules and why. She didn't know, so don't talk nonsense. She just turned around and found a thick cotton-padded jacket and asked Xu Dajun to wrap it up, "Wear it first."
Well, let’s just take it off as soon as we enter the house.”
I heard that I have to line up at the door to wait to enter the examination room. At this time, it can be a little less cold.
Xu Dajun immediately wrapped himself in a cotton-padded jacket, then drank a bowl of soft minced meat porridge under the "stars holding the moon", and drank hot water to rinse his mouth.
Then he went out.
The house Xu Yinyin had spent some effort to buy was right behind the county government office. Turning an alley and walking out, you would reach the county government office street. It was very close.
Mo Tai and Hu Pingye were leading the way with lanterns. It was still dark on the street and they couldn't see anything.
After turning out of the alley, I saw that the streets were crowded with people, all heading towards the county government office. They were all going to take exams and those who were submitting for exams. It was so crowded that you couldn't even see who was who. You could only see
Lanterns floating one by one.
Soon, we arrived at the "Dragon Gate" on the north side of the county government office. The big lights of the government office were shining here, and it was so bright that people could see clearly.
There were too many people, so I was worried that it would be difficult to find someone. So Mr. Fang and his servants put up a sign with big characters for Fang's School, so that you could see it at a glance when you got there.
Xu Dajun and others quickly moved closer. Fang Congyun and Fang Tongan were the only ones standing next to Mr. Fang, and the others had not arrived yet.
Xu Dajun greeted Mr. Fang first, and Mr. Fang also greeted Mr. Xu and the others. Fang Congyun also came up to greet Mr. Xu, Xu Chunshan and the others.
After saying hello, the two parties stood together, waiting for the door to open and enter.
There are too many people and there is no room for you to walk around, so even if you see someone you know, you just wave your hand and nod to say hello.
Mr. Fang chatted with Old Man Xu and Xu Chunshan, and Xu Dajun also talked to Fang Tongan to relieve the tension of waiting for the exam.
Fang Congyun happened to be standing not far from Xu Yinyin, and it was not obvious to move two steps without leaving any trace. Only Mrs. Xu and Zhang Xiulan were staring at him. He held up his hands and smiled, and saw the two elders also smiling at him. He stopped laughing.
He turned his head to one side and then looked at Xu Yinyin who was wearing a curtain.
Xu Yinyin spoke before him, "Come on."
Fang Congyun knew the meaning of cheering from Xu Dajun. He smiled slightly, nodded and said: "I will go all out."
One after another, Dong Shuangqi and others also arrived. Before dawn, the "gantry" had already opened, and all candidates had to queue up and go through the "souzi" search before entering the examination room to wait for the exam.
Those who take the exam cannot go in, and can only watch them go in from outside.
The body search in the county examination is not that harsh. "Souzi" confirmed that the candidate's appearance and characteristics were correct and there was no substitute test. It only checked that there were no problems with the test basket, and then touched the whole body one by one to make sure there was no entrainment, and then it was released.
When it comes to the later provincial examination, it will be a 360-degree body search with no blind spots, even the anus will not be missed.
So at the beginning, Xu Dajun said, if Xu Yinyin disguised herself as a man to take part in the imperial examination, she would not be able to pass the test, and the whole family would suffer.
If the examination was not so strict and there would be no naked examination, Xu Dajun really wanted Xu Yinyin to give it a try and see how far she could get.
But now, I can't see it anymore, but the time has come to prove him.
This year he really worked hard and worked hard. He didn't play any games and didn't mess around, but his liver didn't suffer too much. He did a lot of papers according to the county examination papers. He memorized the papers to the point where his brain was exhausted.
I was so stressed that I almost started to recite it subconsciously after hearing the beginning.
He also wanted to see what kind of answer he could hand in under such intensity.
Xu Dajun picked up the test papers, entered the examination room with everyone, and then waited for the roll call to confirm and receive the test papers.
After receiving the test paper, his ticket, which is the admission ticket, is affixed to it. There is a seat number on it. Find your seat and sit down facing the seat number.
Different from the subsequent examinations, the county examination was held in the lobby of the county government office, and the side halls on both sides were used. The examiner, the county magistrate, sat in the mirror above, under the hanging plaque.
Will patrol back and forth in the field.
At sunrise, the government official walked past silently holding a sign, and then he could start answering the questions.
Xu Dajun has already polished his ink and has almost finished reviewing the questions, so he just needs to answer them now.
In the first round of the county examination, two eight-legged essays were written based on propositions from four books, and one test poem in five characters and six rhymes.
Answering questions requires a neat paper surface and neat handwriting. No matter how confident you are, you will not dare to write directly on the paper when you come up. You must draft it carefully to ensure that it is foolproof. This is a scientific examination, not a child's play.
Xu Dajun roughly thought about the direction of answering the question in his mind, determined his intention, and immediately started writing on the draft paper.
The day inside has just begun, and the day outside has just begun.
The difference is that the people inside who are immersed in answering questions wish that this day would pass more slowly and not feel the passage of time, while the people outside feel that the wait for this day is too long.
It was difficult to wait outside the county government office, so the Xu family returned to their house first and planned to wait slowly outside the county government office after lunch.
Xu Chunshan has been staying in Zhujiazhuang almost since the start of the new year. The walls have been built. He and Uncle Zhang are busy preparing the seedbeds. The entire Yiyang Prefecture's pepper seedlings are relying on him this year. This is not a mistake.
He couldn't leave, so he simply stayed there.
Today is also his son's county exam, so he just came back. After today, he will go back to Zhujiazhuang tomorrow. The county exam will take more than half a month, and he can't afford to delay.
It was rare for Xu Yinyin to see him, so she immediately told him about growing potatoes.