Chapter 120
Yuanzhou was bustling and lively, the streets were noisy and crowded. On both sides of the street stood numerous tea houses, inns, pawnshops, workshops, and wine shops.
In the open spaces, many small vendors had set up large umbrellas. Shop signs and banners fluttered in the wind. There were people carrying loads on shoulder poles hurrying on their way, others delivering goods in ox-carts, and carriages arriving with a continuous clatter. Most of the pedestrians wore luxurious, brocade clothes, appearing prosperous and wealthy. It was a level of bustling prosperity that Fu'an Town could not compare to.
If this place was a heaven for the rich, then Xiaohe Village was a hell for the poor.
Fang Zichen wandered for a while, then his gaze was suddenly caught by an old man.
The old man was squatting by the street. In a bamboo cage in front of him were several puppy dogs, likely born not long ago. They were still very small, lying still with their eyes closed the entire time.
Guaizai liked dogs the most.
Last time, Fang Zichen had molded one for him out of clay, and since then, the child carried it everywhere, even holding it while sleeping. At night, he would tell Fang Zichen, "Father, the little doggie needs to be tucked under the blanket too."
Fang Zichen had long wanted to buy a real one for him, but there were none for sale in the town. All the villages under Fu'an Town's jurisdiction were extremely poor. People didn't have enough to eat, so how could they keep dogs? Besides, dogs weren't like pigs, without rice bran, one could still feed them some vegetable leaves. Now that he had finally come across some, Fang Zichen immediately rushed over.
"Uncle, how much for these dogs? I'd like to buy one."
The old man's family had kept the mother dog for many years and had grown attached to her. However, the dog had two litters a year, with several puppies each time. The family couldn't keep so many, so the old man thought of selling a few. It wasn't really to make money, but rather to find good homes for the puppies.
The old man raised his hand: "Fifty copper coins!"
The price of a few jin of meat was acceptable.
The old man pointed at the cage: "Young master, there are four here. Which one would you like to pick?"
Fang Zichen squatted down for a closer look. Sensing a stranger suddenly approaching, a puppy twitched its black, shiny nose, opened its eyes to glance at him, then closed them again, as if it couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him.
Fang Zichen found this novel and wanted to reach out and touch one. Just as his hand entered the cage, suddenly, a soft, furry puppy paw rested on the back of his hand.
That puppy was fluffy and round, like a little ball. Its eyes were moist, dark, and bright. Its back and belly had black fur, which wasn't visible while it was lying down, but now that it stood up, its limbs were covered in white fur, making it quite special.
It lifted its head and whimpered softly at Fang Zichen. Seeing that Fang Zichen didn't withdraw his hand, it cautiously stretched out its tongue and gave a lick.
Fang Zichen's heart skipped a beat. The sensation was warm and slightly itchy; he couldn't quite describe the feeling.
It felt like fate. If two people were destined to meet, a thousand miles could not keep them apart; if they lacked that destiny, they could pass by each other and never connect.
Fang Zichen stroked it, and the little puppy nuzzled against his palm. "I want this one."
The old man smiled: "Alright, I'll get it out for you."
Without a cage to carry it in, and seeing the puppy was well-behaved and not moving around restlessly, Fang Zichen specifically bought a small basket for it to lie in and thoughtfully covered it with a handkerchief.
Turning left, he entered Anhe Street. Here, there were fewer pedestrians, mostly cloth shops, bookstores, and tea houses.
Fang Zichen wandered around until he suddenly stopped outside a bookstore.
A shop clerk inside was doing inventory, facing the door with his head slightly lowered. His figure looked extremely familiar.
Fang Zichen called out tentatively: "Xiao Jiji?"
The other person looked up. Seeing Fang Zichen, he was momentarily slightly startled, then his eyebrows raised, and he smiled: "Brother Fang, what are you doing here?"
"It really is you?" Fang Zichen entered the door: "What are you doing here? Did you jump from one feeding trough to another; fig. to change jobs or switch?"
[跳槽 (tiào cáo): lit. to jump from one feeding trough to another; fig. to change jobs or switch employers.]
Gu Daji only partially understood, but after spending a long time together, he could grasp the general meaning: "No, I didn't."
The bookstore in Yuanzhou and the small bookstore in Fu'an Town actually had the same owner behind them. Gu Daji had been transferred back to Yuanzhou around the time of Fang Zichen's county exam.
Fang Zichen nodded, understanding.
This was equivalent to a sales assistant from a branch location being transferred back to headquarters due to good performance.
In ancient times, papermaking techniques were underdeveloped, so writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were expensive. A few sheets of paper cost nearly as much as a jin of pork. When Fang Zichen first bought two books, the investment pained him for over half a month.
The owner of the Qinghe Bookstore was benevolent. There was an empty room inside the bookstore where impoverished scholars could read for free. When Fang Zichen heard this news, he felt pained for another half a month. After that, whenever he had free time, he would bury himself in the bookstore.
After coming and going, he became familiar with Gu Daji.
Gu Daji was a native of Fu'an Town. Having come to Yuanzhou, he looked around but found no relatives or friends. Now, seeing Fang Zichen, it was a case of fellow villagers meet, their eyes well up with tears.
After chatting for a bit, Fang Zichen went back to looking at books.
In Da Xia, the content of the Tongsheng exam mostly included Eight-Legged Essays, poetry, policy discourses, and so on. This "and so on" covered a lot. Sometimes it was current affairs, sometimes citing examples. For instance, Xizhou in Da Xia had suffered from drought for many years, causing the people to become displaced and restless, with bandits running rampant. Then they would ask for your views and proposed solutions. The tested content was still quite extensive.
Furthermore, the Tongsheng exam wasn't something one could take level by level immediately after passing the previous one. The lowest level of the Tongsheng exam was the County Exam, held once a year.
Scholars who passed could proceed to the next step, the Prefectural Exam, also held once a year, usually in the fourth month of the lunar calendar.
This year it had been moved up, all concentrated in the tenth month, which was very rushed.
After passing the Prefectural Exam, one could participate in the Academy Exam. The Academy Exam was a higher level. Due to its higher level, it wasn't held as frequently, taking place once every two years.
Under smooth circumstances, it would still take a year to pass and become a Xiucai. If things didn't go smoothly, some people took many years. No dynasty placed age restrictions on exam candidates, one could take them as long as one wished.
The Academy Exam happened to be scheduled for the second month of next year, only about four months away.
According to Zhao Ger's original thought, he had wanted Fang Zichen to wait for the exam after the next one.
That he had managed to pass the County Exam was already beyond Zhao Ger's expectations.
The Academy Exam was different from the County Exam.
Most scholars, after passing the Prefectural Exam and becoming a Tongsheng, would first spend two or three years consolidating their knowledge. Those who took the next exam the following year were mostly doing so to gain experience.
Fang Zichen had placed first in the County Exam, and his reputation was now too great. He wanted to continue and take the next exams directly, without any buffer period. That was almost no different from trying to reach heaven in a single step. Zhao Ger felt he was being somewhat reckless. If he really went and failed, he would undoubtedly face ridicule and scorn.
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