Chapter 10

Xiao Liulang entered the examination hall, and Gu Jiao left with her basket on her back.

She was going to the market to sell the wild mushrooms and dried wood ear mushrooms in her basket, and to do a few other things.

Tianxiang Academy was renowned far and wide, and many people came to take the exams, both locals and those from other regions like Xiao Liulang.

Each examinee held a recommendation letter from their village, county, or prefecture school and entered the corresponding examination hall.

Due to the different levels, Xiao Liulang and Gu Dashun were assigned to different examination halls.

Xiao Liulang was in the last row.

The steps of Tianxiang Academy were very high, and those who came to study were at least scholars. It was not easy to pass the scholar examination these days, and it was already quite remarkable for someone like Gu Dashun to pass before the age of twenty.

Xiao Liulang was only seventeen, the youngest among all the examinees.

He was also the most handsome.

Unfortunately, he was a cripple.

The other examinees gave him strange looks, but it did not last long as they soon began to focus on their exam papers.

In the morning, they took the poetry and prose exam, and in the afternoon, the classics and principles exam.

Most of the examinees who came here were well-versed in literature, and writing poetry and prose was not difficult for them. The challenge was the classics and principles exam in the afternoon.

The questions for the classics and principles exam were all taken from the original texts of the Four Books and Five Classics, and the examinees had to strictly use the eight-part essay format.

The eight-part essay consisted of eight parts: the introduction, the承接 (承接), the opening, the entry, the beginning section, the middle section, the latter section, and the conclusion. Metaphors were not allowed, and the tone had to be that of a sage. The annotations could only come from the Cheng-Zhu school of thought, placing significant restrictions on the examinees.

Moreover, the questions this time were particularly difficult, and by the end of the day, the examinees' faces were almost green.

When Xiao Liulang came out, his classmate had already been waiting outside the examination hall for half an hour.

"Liulang! Over here!" He waved at Xiao Liulang.

Xiao Liulang walked over with his cane.

The classmate said, "I just heard a lot of people complaining about the tricky questions in the classics and principles exam. Sigh, it's your bad luck. The questions this time were set by the dean himself. If you hadn't had that accident and taken the exam with me, it wouldn't have been so hard... It's all that wicked woman's fault!"

Xiao Liulang glanced at him and frowned.

The classmate continued, "By the way, she hasn't bullied you these past few days, has she? I was so worried you wouldn't be able to come today."

Indeed... he almost didn't make it.

Xiao Liulang paused.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked up and gazed ahead.

The exam had just ended, and the street in front of the academy was bustling with people.

A slender figure, carrying a small basket, stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking somewhat absent-minded.

People walked by her, casting various glances at her face, but she paid no attention, neither angry, annoyed, embarrassed, nor flustered.

Soon, the classmate also saw Gu Jiao and frowned. "Ah! Why is she here? Is she here to cause trouble? Tell me, did you run away from home today?"

Actually, Xiao Liulang wasn't sure if Gu Jiao was there for him, but he knew she was waiting for someone...

With more examinees coming out, Gu Jiao finally noticed.

She turned her head and, in the crowd, immediately saw the exceptionally handsome young man.

She smiled slightly and walked over to Xiao Liulang.

"The exam is over," she said.

"Uh-huh," Xiao Liulang nodded. "Did you wait long?"

"Not really," Gu Jiao said, fiddling with her ear.

"Didn't you go to the market? Why didn't you go home?" Xiao Liulang had seen the dried wood ear mushrooms and wild mushrooms in her basket and knew she would go to the market. But the market usually closed by noon.

"I had something to do nearby," Gu Jiao said.

"What could you possibly have to do?" The classmate rolled his eyes.

However, Gu Jiao's words reminded him.

He had finished class early today and went to the clinic, where he found that Doctor Zhang had returned and had even saved a man who was almost dead.

"Are you sure it was Doctor Zhang?" Xiao Liulang was slightly surprised.

During the last medical dispute, Doctor Zhang had suffered some minor injuries. He wasn't the one who had caused the death of the murderer's family, but he was still implicated. He had vowed never to return.

The classmate was certain. "Of course! I saw the man being carried in, covered in blood, his neck twisted, and no sign of life. Who else but Doctor Zhang from the capital could save him?"

Gu Jiao silently watched the ants on the ground and said nothing.

The classmate continued, "If Doctor Zhang can save someone like that, he can definitely cure your leg. Don't worry about it; I'll find out when Doctor Zhang is available."

"When are you going?" Gu Jiao suddenly asked.

The classmate looked at her disdainfully. "Why should I tell you?"

Gu Jiao: "..."

They had dinner in town, and the classmate insisted on taking Xiao Liulang to try the spring noodles near the academy, saying they had a hometown flavor.

After dinner, Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao took a donkey cart back to the village. This time, Xiao Liulang had requested one with a cabin.

Night had fully fallen, and there were no oil lamps in the cabin, but the bright moonlight seeped in.

Gu Jiao sat opposite Xiao Liulang, stretching out her long legs and pointing her toes.

She had bought new shoes.

They weren't the embroidered shoes worn by wealthy young ladies but simple, low-cost cloth shoes with a plain black surface. They looked surprisingly good on her.

She played with her shoes in a very innocent manner, her eyes sparkling like stars.

The donkey cart stopped at the village entrance.

After getting off, Gu Jiao followed Xiao Liulang at a distance.

The story of Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang's falling out with Gu Dashun had spread throughout the village. Xue Ningshen had been waiting at the door and saw the two of them walking back one after the other from the darkness.

Was it not just her eyes playing tricks on her last time?

Had these two really become close?

"Gu Fool!"

A voice broke the silence, and Xue Ningshen turned and went back inside.

Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao stopped at their door and turned to see a young man running towards them. It was Gu Ershun from the second branch of the Gu family.

Gu Ershun and Gu Xiaoshun were both born to Liu Shi, but compared to his younger brother, Gu Ershun was always closer to his cousin, Gu Dashun.

Gu Jiao glanced at him indifferently and then turned away, unlocking the door and entering the house with Xiao Liulang.

Gu Ershun strode over, placed his hands on his hips, and stood at the door, furious. "Gu Fool, you've really gone too far, daring to treat your elder brother like that! Do you know you almost delayed his exam? And you made him lose face in front of the whole village!"

Not listening, not listening, it's just a toad chanting.

Gu Jiao stepped over the threshold and was about to close the door.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Gu Ershun became even angrier, stepped into the house, and held the door frame. "Do you dare? Grandfather sent me to find you! Go and kowtow to your elder brother and apologize! Or I'll beat you to death!"

Gu Jiao impatiently fiddled with her ear.

Annoying.

"Did you hear me? You won't get away with this today..."

He was halfway through his sentence.

Gu Jiao lifted her foot and kicked him out!