Chapter 154
So what if Ma Wen earns a few hundred coins a month? Scholar Wang is a Tongsheng, in the future he will take the Xiucai exam, the Juren exam, and become a high official.
Previously, the village chief would do anything to avoid Old Man Lin when he saw him. But now, with Fang Zichen, he could finally straighten his back.
Zhao Ger did not go to see the results posted today, he was at home making chili sauce.
After selling the chili sauce, he had originally planned to drag Fang Zichen along to make the trip. But when they reached the entrance of the magistrate's office and saw the village chief and Uncle Liu, Fang Zichen pulled him back again.
He didn't see the point in going himself; as long as someone checked the results, that was good enough. He had no desire to stand around for hours waiting.
He'd rather spend that time at home being all lovey-dovey with Zhao Ger!
Besides, what if someone saw him standing for hours under the scorching sun without collapsing, and it reached Yang Mutao and Shopkeeper Yang's ears?
What would they think? If he had the stamina for that, why did he have no energy to come to work?
Last time when Shopkeeper Yang came to see him and he asked for leave, he had claimed he was so weak he was dizzy and his legs were trembling, and he wouldn't recover for half a month.
Having your own words come back to slap you in the face is never good.
He didn't want to go, and Zhao Ger didn't want to go back either.
Fang Zichen clutched his head, a performance worthy of an award-winning actor. "Zhao Ger," he moaned, "I'm so dizzy... I feel awful, just awful. We need to get home, now!"
Seeing his unsteady steps, Zhao Ger immediately became anxious: "Why did you suddenly get dizzy? Did you overexert yourself?"
Fang Zichen hurriedly agreed: "Yes, yes, yes, so let's go home quickly!"
Zhao Ger looked at him carefully, and after a long moment, said softly: "Then I'll go back and simmer some chicken soup for you later, okay?"
The chicken soup he made was perfectly suited to Fang Zichen's taste. In the past, Fang Zichen had eaten all kinds of chicken, and tonic soups until he was sick of them. But perhaps Zhao Ger put some kind of love potion in his chicken soup, because Fang Zichen absolutely loved it.
"Okay! I want to drink two bowls, no, three bowls!"
Zhao Ger laughed and pinched his arm: "Tricking me again."
If he is really that tired, how can he have an appetite for chicken soup?!
And three bowls at that.
The sun was also quite strong now. While not as intense as the summer heat, it was still baking. After just a short while of selling chili sauce, Fang Zichen's face had flushed a deep red, like blood-red jade against polished marble.
Zhao Ger couldn't bear it. He looked towards the magistrate's office and let out a long sigh: "Then let's go back."
...
When the village chief arrived, Fang Zichen was sitting in the yard chopping chili peppers, while Zhao Ger was peeling garlic nearby.
Having made chili sauce for several days now, Fang Zichen felt a bit overwhelmed. When he closed his eyes at night, all his dreams were, damn it, about chopping chili peppers. When he rested, his hand, like it had Parkinson's, would unconsciously repeat the chopping motion.
"Fang boy..."
The village chief ran in from outside, sweating profusely. Uncle Liu's leg wasn't fully healed yet, so he was still on the way.
The excitement and joy on his face were unmistakable. Zhao Ger stood up abruptly and, amidst a wave of dizziness, said: "... Did my husband pass?"
"He passed, he passed." The village chief was truly overjoyed, his voice loud and high: "And he got first place too."
First place again??
Zhao Ger was about to jump for joy.
Guaizai rushed out from the backyard, still clutching a handful of vegetable leaves: "What? My father got first place again ah?"
The village chief bent down and patted his head: "Yes."
"Yo..." Guaizai jumped up and down: "Then Guaizai must kill a chicken for father as a reward first." After saying this, he pattered back to the backyard.
Fang Zichen remained unmoved, still chopping chili peppers.
Zhao Ger and the village chief looked at each other for a moment: "Husband, aren't you happy?"
Fang Zichen glanced up at them, calm and composed: "There's nothing to be happy about? It was all expected. Wasn't I first last time too! You've already experienced it once, why aren't you used to it yet?"
Village Chief: "..."
How could it be the same?
Last time, the county exam was just the people of Fu'an Town competing for the red list. But the prefectural exam was different!
So many people.
The village chief had never been outside, but he had heard about it. The students from those academies were full of knowledge and talent. Some wealthy young masters had even started their education with tutors since childhood.
Fang Zichen, an overseas person, self-studied for just a few months and stepped right over their heads to take that first place. Wasn't that impressive?
That Scholar Wang from Xiaorong Village passed the county exam last time, but failed this prefectural exam.
He had taken the exam no less than ten times, often passing the county exam but failing the prefectural one.
The sight of Old Man Lin's ashen face just now had given him great pleasure.
The village chief didn't understand, thinking only that overseas must be different from their Daxia.
In the modern era, besides languages, math, sciences, and physics, Fang Zichen's interests were broad; he read many miscellaneous books too, with some exposure to the Analects, Book of Songs, and ancient poetry. While others studied hard for decades, so had he.
He had always been a top performer back in his school days. Just because he was in a new place didn't mean he'd suddenly forgotten how to come in first.
Moreover, the county and prefectural exams really weren't that difficult. The truly difficult one was the provincial exam.
Otherwise, Yuanzhou should be filled with Juren masters.
After passing the prefectural exam, Fang Zichen was now a genuine Tongsheng, no longer just a mud-legged peasant without status like the rest of them.
The village chief sat down beside him, patted his shoulder, and first praised him a couple of times: "Fang boy, you've really made something of yourself. Our Xiaohe Village is proud of you. Although you've taken first place, you must not become arrogant or complacent. You should still be diligent. I've heard that the Imperial Examination is even more difficult. Some people take it their whole lives and still never pass..."
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