After staying in the Gongyuan for nine days, you have to prepare a lot of food, not to mention many utensils such as kerosene lamps, bowls and chopsticks. It's really hard to have no one to help carry them.
This sounds pretty good, but if you were to try it out, it would be cold in February, so you would need to bring more things, such as clay pots, charcoal, and thick clothes, all of which are essential.
However, Lin Yuanqiu brought a lot of things with him this time. No, some of them were bought on the street early this morning.
The first is the number curtain, which was originally on the list of items that candidates should prepare.
It's just that this thing is mostly used during exams. After all, it's still very cold in February. With it blocking the wind, it will always be warmer.
And now, it is the hottest time in August. If we hang a curtain at the door of the dormitory, it will definitely not be comfortable to be stuffed inside.
Furthermore, you have to bring a hammer and iron nails with you for the registration curtain, which is very inconvenient.
Therefore, in the Qiuwei examination, there were very few candidates who prepared for this.
But Lin Yuanqiu was different. For him, the stench was much more unbearable than the stuffiness and heat.
Therefore, regardless of whether this method worked or not, he wanted to give it a try.
No matter how troublesome it is to carry a hammer and nails, it is better than being dizzy due to the stench and failing the exam.
To be honest, if he failed the exam because he was not good at school, then Lin Yuanqiu would have nothing to say. But if he missed out on the list due to such non-force majeure factors, he would feel aggrieved no matter how much he thought about it.
Because of this thought, when Lin Yuanqiu bought the number curtain, he specifically chose the one that could block the entire door of the number room.
Considering that it would be stuffy in the dormitory, Lin Yuanqiu bought some mint tablets. Holding one in his mouth would definitely provide a lot of relief.
As for the medicine to prevent heat stroke, there is no need to buy it. The second brother-in-law owns a medical shop at home, so he prepared a lot of it this time. There was also the plum wine brought by the eldest sister. Lin Yuanqiu brought it again this time, hoping that it would not be broken by the inspection officers again.
Lin Sanzhu had no opinion on his son's purchase of curtains and hammers. In his opinion, his son has passed the provincial examination and must know more than his father.
Therefore, it is better to participate less in opinions when it comes to examinations.
Zhou Zixu and Zhou Xing also came downstairs together, and the four of them were waiting in the lobby.
At a quarter of the hour, the waiter opened the door of the inn, and everyone in the lobby rushed to the street outside the door.
It is no exaggeration to say that they are rushing in. There are forty-seven large and small inns on Wenjin Street. At this moment, all the candidates are going in the same direction, and it looks very spectacular.
Worried that their son would be squeezed in, Lin Sanzhu and Zhou Xing walked on both sides, protecting the two children in the middle.
Lin Sanzhu kept reminding him as he walked, "Remember to finish the osmanthus cake and mung bean cake that dad bought for you first. It's too hot today and it will break easily if left for a long time. Also, be careful when nailing the registration curtain so as not to injure it." It’s up to you.”
There were no stools to put your feet on in the examination room, so you had to stand on your toes when hammering nails into the door.
Lin Sanzhu was a little worried that his dog would not be able to hold the hammer firmly when he stepped on his feet and exerted force.
But when he looked at the son next to him who was almost as tall as him, he felt that he had thought too much. With his height, there was no reason why he couldn't reach the door frame.
Lin Yuanqiu also knew that his father was worried about him, so he nodded and said, "Don't worry, Dad, my son will be more careful."
Zhou Xing was more worried than Lin Sanzhu. His Xu'er had never cooked before, and he didn't know if he would be hungry.
Zhou Zixu didn't take it seriously, "Dad, what are you worried about? You can eat the fried rice by soaking it in boiling water. Brother Lin has taught his son how to make it several times in the past two days, and he has never failed."
This time Zhou not only made bacon rabbit but also dried small fish for Lin Yuanqiu.
The method of making dried fish is the same as that of rabbit meat, so it tastes very delicious.
When Lin Yuanqiu and Zhou Zixu were cooking fried rice yesterday, they specially grabbed a handful of dried fish and put it in. After it was boiled, the fragrant smell of fish suddenly filled the room. In the end, the two greedy cats ate the rice and dried fish in the copper pot with one spoonful at a time.
Lin Yuanqiu had previously distributed some rabbit meat and dried fish for Zhou Zixu, plus fried rice, so Zhou Zixu had no worries about cooking in the examination room.
Following the crowd, the four of them quickly arrived at Gongyuan. Going further, those who took the exam were not allowed.
When you hear other test takers saying that you must take the exam well, everyone in your family is counting on you. Lin Sanzhu didn't know what to say for a moment. After thinking about it, he said, "Yuan Qiu, you have to take care of yourself these days and don't be burdened. We are still young anyway, so there is no rush."
Lin Yuanqiu nodded, indicating that he understood.
The same goes for Zhou Xing. When he was at home, his father repeatedly told him not to put pressure on Xu'er.
So at this moment, he just patted Zhou Zixu on the shoulder and said, "Daddy will come to pick you up when you leave the Gongyuan."
The dragon gate was opening at Haishi, and candidates lined up to enter the venue one after another.
Then came the inspection.
As before, three yamen officers were paired with one candidate. Two of the yamen officers searched the test basket and the other one was responsible for the body search.
In fact, as long as you cooperate well, the speed is quite fast, but if the candidate is shy, it will take some time.
A few candidates are embarrassed about stripping naked in public, so they will be hesitant.
But the inspection officer won't have the patience to waste time with you. He will definitely urge you to move faster. The yamen servant's loud voice naturally attracted the attention of many people, so the candidate who was already embarrassed was holding on to his belt and refused to let go.
There was no other way. He was a scholar anyway, and the yamen servant couldn't do it himself, so he could only let him stand aside and "adjust" his mentality.
Lin Yuanqiu's turn was next. He didn't waste any time. After passing the examination basket in his hand, he first took off his clothes and headscarf according to the inspection officer's request, and then was "dragged away".
The so-called "being driven away by hair" is to untie the bun, let the hair spread, and then walk quickly in small steps.
The purpose of this is to prevent candidates from hiding cheat sheets in their hair.
After leaving the inspection office, Lin Yuanqiu followed the lead guard to the dormitory. As he walked farther and farther west along the row of "fields", the word "sure enough" popped into Lin Yuanqiu's heart.
As he expected, there was only a wall between the toilet and his dormitory.
It's a complete stinker.
Lin Yuanqiu saw that when the soldier who led him left, he seemed to have sympathetic eyes in his eyes.
As long as it's done, Lin Yuanqiu doesn't bother to think about it anymore.
However, hoping for a chance, he took the candle and went to the next door first, wondering if some kind person would suddenly come up with the idea of adding a wooden lid to the dung bucket.
Unfortunately, there was no such thing. Lin Yuanqiu saw seven or eight dung buckets facing the sky lined up against the wall.
Thinking of what they would look like a few days later, Lin Yuanqiu was excited and hurriedly returned to his dormitory, then took out a hammer and nails from the examination basket and began to hang up the curtains.
At this time, Lin Yuanqiu's inner hope is: not to be absolutely effective, but to be slightly effective.
In order not to affect the answer sheet, when buying the curtain, Lin Yuanqiu specially chose a lighter-colored fabric, so that even if the entire dormitory door was blocked, the light would not be delayed.
After hanging the curtains, Lin Yuanqiu wiped the dust off the two partitions with a rag, then sprinkled anti-insect powder in the corners, then blew out the candles and lay down on the wooden board to sleep.
The first test of the provincial examination will begin in three or four hours, so I need to get some rest.
…
Soon the first question paper was handed out, and Lin Yuanqiu moved the inkstone on which he had polished the ink to the side to avoid accidentally soiling the paper.
After filling in his name and place of origin, Lin Yuanqiu looked at the test paper. This test mainly tested the meaning of scriptures and poetry, followed by law and arithmetic.
However, Lin Yuanqiu was pleasantly surprised to find that compared to the last time, where classics and meanings took up the majority of the questions, this time there were obviously more poetry and prose questions, as many as six. This made Lin Yuanqiu very excited. The poems and poems were so good. He liked writing poems the most.
After checking all the more than twenty test papers, Lin Yuanqiu didn't waste any time. He dipped his pen in ink and started writing questions on the draft paper.
He had to seize the time to answer the questions before the stench "attacked" him.
The first question is a poem titled "Yong Mei", which requires seven-character quatrains.
Lin Yuanqiu remembered that the poem about praising plum blossoms was tested in the last provincial examination, and it was also required to be composed of seven-character quatrains.
In fact, a poem about plum blossoms like this may seem ordinary, but it is not easy to write it wonderfully.
Lin Yuanqiu even thought to himself that the reason why the examiners put this question at the top of the first page was to see the candidates' literary talent at a glance.
Plum, red plum, Lin Yuanqiu suddenly remembered the few red plum trees he saw on his mountain a few years ago, standing proudly in the cold wind.
It was planted by Sango for Third Sister-in-law, because Third Sister-in-law also has plum trees planted in her natal family, and because Third Sister-in-law likes plum blossoms very much.
I never expected that the third brother, who was obsessed with grasshoppers and firecrackers when he was a child, would actually be so romantic when he grew up.
And the fourth brother, after the marriage was arranged, he actually started to learn to write letters. As for who he was writing to, it must be the future fourth sister-in-law.
No, Lin Yuanqiu slapped himself on the head. He was currently taking the provincial examination. How could his mind wander?
After withdrawing his thoughts, Lin Yuanqiu began to think about it. After a while, a poem about plum blossoms appeared on the paper.
Then I revised and polished it, paying attention to the rhyme. When I felt satisfied, I copied it onto the answer sheet: How can I live in this body with peaches and plums? Qiong Ke is proud of her cold and sparse pistils, and the frost flowers sing in the moonlight and whistle in the wind of Confucianism.
Perhaps it was because the first poem went very smoothly. Lin Yuanqiu was not stumped by the next few scriptures. They were all chapters and verses from the Four Books and Five Classics. As long as someone is familiar with them, there will be no pressure. What's more, Every time Wang Jiaoyu lectures, Lin Yuanqiu takes notes while listening. Later, when you review, you can take out your notes and compare them, which will naturally deepen your memory.
On the first day, in order not to waste time, Lin Yuanqiu ate snacks to satisfy his hunger. Because he knew that tomorrow, there would definitely be a smell coming out of the toilet next door.
Sure enough, after three meals, on the next morning, a steady stream of candidates went into the hut next door to relieve themselves.
Without any time to think, Lin Yuanqiu took out the kerosene stove and started boiling water. After preparing all the water for the day and extinguishing the kerosene stove, he closed the curtain.
I don't know if it was a psychological effect or if it really had an effect. Anyway, by noon, Lin Yuanqiu was not affected much. Although there was not a slight odor at all, the level was still within the range that he could tolerate.
The only drawback was that the door was blocked by a curtain, and the sun was at its strongest at noon, so it was very hot in the dormitory right now.
Lin Yuanqiu stretched out his hand and felt his back and chest covered with sweat. Thinking that it was blocked by the curtain and no one else could see it, he simply stood up and took off his shirt and pants, leaving only a pair of underwear on his body. It was finally not so hot now, and he thought about the test basket. Lin Yuanqiu found out one of the mint slices in the bag and put it into his mouth. It was refreshing and cool.
Taking advantage of the fact that he felt refreshed and refreshed, Lin Yuanqiu resumed his legal questions.
He didn't take any chances. Although everything was fine at the moment, Lin Yuanqiu didn't know what would happen tomorrow. What he could do now was to seize the time to complete the exam questions while the situation was good, and also ensure that he could answer the questions. quality.
Obviously Lin Yuanqiu's consideration was correct.
Because on the third day, no matter how hard the curtains were, the unpleasant odor still came in uncontrollably, filling every inch of the dormitory.
Fortunately, Lin Yuanqiu only had two arithmetic questions left on the answer sheet for the first session.
So don’t waste all your efforts. No matter how strong or unpleasant the smell is, you must concentrate on reviewing the questions carefully and ensure that the first exam ends well.
Besides, isn't it just a pile of organic fertilizer? It's as if no one has seen it before.
Thinking of this, Lin Yuanqiu simply opened the curtain. Since the stench was unavoidable, there was no need to block the air circulation.
Maybe it was because of the "broken jar". Next, Lin Yuanqiu really didn't focus on the seven or eight buckets of "organic fertilizer" next door. Instead, he calmly picked up his pen and dipped in ink and began to answer the questions on the draft paper. Start with arithmetic problems.
The first question is about people pooling their money together to buy an item. If each person contributes eight coins, there will be three coins left. If each person contributes seven coins, there will be four coins left. What are the number of people and the price of the item?
This kind of question is not difficult for Lin Yuanqiu, who comes from the 21st century. As long as he finds the equivalence relationship accurately and lists a system of linear equations of two variables, he can easily solve the answer.
In the end, Lin Yuanqiu calculated that there were seven people in total, and the price of the item was fifty-three yuan.
By the time the last arithmetic problem was solved, it was already noon.
Lin Yuanqiu definitely couldn't eat this lunch, so he didn't hesitate. Instead, he took out all the question papers from the test basket and started checking them one by one.
Today is the last day of the first session. When it comes to Unity hour, he will hand in the paper. Although he had carefully checked the answer sheet in the test basket yesterday, it does not prevent him from reading it again.
Just like the last rural examination, after everyone taught the test papers in Youshi, some guards came to take away the dung buckets and clean them.
