Because of his slit eyes, Li Yisheng had suffered immensely. He loved studying and had dreamed since childhood of taking the imperial exams, one day going to the capital, wearing a red flower and parading on horseback through the streets. But his family had practiced medicine for generations, and due to his father's forceful pressure, he could only helplessly study medicine.
Yet the small flame of studying for the exams was not extinguished. Until he was ten, he sneaked out from home, wanting to take the county exam. The result...
One word 'miserable' wasn't enough to cover it.
He couldn't even enter the exam hall gate. Only then did Li Yisheng give up hope. After that, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to medicine and learned quite quickly. But he got off to a bad start. The first time he was giving an old lady acupuncture, the old lady frowned and asked him: "Doctor, do you not need to open your eyes to give acupuncture? ...... Oh dear, with eyes like that, can you even see? Don't tell me you'll hit the wrong acupoint! That can kill people. Forget it, forget it, I'd better find another doctor."
Seeing him dejected, Fang Zichen felt a rare twinge of sympathy. After some thought, he comforted him: "Don't be discouraged, and absolutely don't lose your spirit. Good-looking appearance is all the same, but an interesting soul is one in a million. Actually, being too handsome comes with many troubles. One day, someone will discover your inner beauty. When that time comes, there will be plenty of beautiful women and gers for you to choose from."
Li Yisheng was comforted: "Really?"
"Of course." Fang Zichen patted his chest: "You've just met me, so you might not know yet, but I'm actually an honest and trustworthy person who doesn't tell lies, kind-hearted, with sterling character."
They roughed it for the night in the temple. Early the next morning, Fang Zichen got up.
Although he was serious about lying in bed, when there were important matters to attend to, he was quite reliable.
Li Yisheng went with him. Friendship between men, from acquaintance to familiarity, is a matter of a cigarette or a drink. It heats up quickly. Coupled with their outgoing personalities, in just one night, Li Yisheng and Fang Zichen were like sworn brothers.
There were several dozen towns under Yuanzhou Prefecture, and Fu'an Town was just one of them. The scholars coming to take the exam, plus their accompanying family members, numbered over a thousand.
Inns were extremely tight. Fang Zichen ran to several, only to be told each time that the rooms were full.
Fang Zichen frowned: What should I do now?
He couldn't sleep on the streets for these next few nights, using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed!
Someone like him, if he fell asleep deeply, might get someone trying to take advantage! Zhao Ger wasn't here; he, a good man, had to preserve his chastity for him.
He should have listened to Zhao Ger's words. Being a year older and having eaten a bit more salt, what he said was really damn accurate.
Not only were the inns full, but the streets were also packed with people, crowded and bustling.
Some candidates came with two or three family members accompanying them. Young masters from wealthy families had whole groups of servants. Thousands of people flooding into the prefectural city, newly arrived, inevitably went shopping, buying some food and 'local specialties'. With more people, the number of vendors setting up stalls to do business also increased.
Everyone wanted to take advantage of these few days to make a good profit.
There were no seats in the restaurants. Fang Zichen and Li Yisheng bought two steamed buns and squatted by the roadside to eat.
After 'dining on the wind and sleeping in the open' yesterday, their clothes were slightly disheveled. Having run around looking for an inn all morning, they were now ravenous and wolfed down the buns.
Just as Fang Zichen finished one and was halfway through his second bun, a clinking sound rang out, and a copper coin suddenly landed on the ground.
Fang Zichen: "......"
He looked up and found a young woman standing opposite him who hadn't been there before. When the woman saw his face clearly, her eyes widened, and her face turned bright red. She covered her face with her handkerchief: "Young master..."
A feeling of stifled anger shot up. Fang Zichen felt she had mistaken him for a beggar. But this young lady's eyesight was really not good.
And also...
Only one copper coin??
What can one copper coin do?
Can't even buy one bun.
Couldn't she have given two? So damn stingy.
He picked up the copper coin, pulled Li Yisheng, and left.
Li Yisheng watched, dumbfounded. He felt like laughing, but seeing Fang Zichen's long face, he didn't dare laugh out loud.
He tentatively suggested: "Why not stay at my place?"
Fang Zichen stopped walking: "Huh?"
"My family has a medical hall here. The courtyard in the back can accommodate people," Li Yisheng said.
Fang Zichen's face grew even longer: "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
Li Yisheng: "Didn't you say last night that you were an iron-boned man who wouldn't accept handouts?"
Fang Zichen blinked. A man must know when to yield and when to stand firm: "That was said yesterday. The me of yesterday wouldn't accept handouts, but the me of today is different."
Li Yisheng: "......"
So utterly shameless.
The backyard of Jishi Medical Hall was quite large, far from the front courtyard, and quite quiet.
Li Yisheng was the young master of Jishi Medical Hall. Seeing him bring someone, a servant immediately came to help.
After getting settled, and seeing that Li Yisheng was busy, Fang Zichen thought to himself that since he had a rare opportunity to come here, he might as well go out for a stroll.
Having been in this world for several months, going back and forth only in the small area of Fu'an Town, it was time to see the outside world.
Just as he reached the door, Li Yisheng asked where he was going.
Fang Zichen replied: "Going out to wander around casually!"
"Won't you read for a while?" Li Yisheng asked, puzzled. For this exam, his cousin had also come to take it, coincidentally staying in the room next to Fang Zichen. Earlier, he went to say hello, and his cousin was holding a book, burying his head in hard study. His third uncle and aunt had put business aside, the whole family mobilized to accompany him for the exam. The commotion was so big it made even him feel nervous.
"No need! I finished reading what I needed to long ago. Last-minute cramming is wrong." Fang Zichen held his hands behind his back, glanced at Li Yisheng who was breaking out in a cold sweat, and said in a patronizing tone: "You look very nervous? You're not taking the exam, so why are you nervous? That's not good. No matter when, no matter what happens, we must remain calm. Ai... you're such a grown man, how can you not understand such a simple thing."
Li Yisheng: "......"
Blood rushed straight to his head, it felt like smoke was about to come out of his seven orifices. Li Yisheng took a deep breath to calm himself, pointed at the door: "......Get out!!"
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