Chapter 375: 196 Provincial Exam (Combined Second Revision)
It snowed at night, and by morning, the ground was sheeted with a layer of ice, slippery to the touch.
Gu Jiao was prepared for this and had spread the sand she had saved a few days earlier along the walkway and the courtyard.
When she opened the gate to spread the sand further down the alley, she found that the neighbourhood had already taken care of it. There was sand, coal ashes, and straw mats everywhere.
As Gu Jiao wondered who did it, a neighbour opened their door and said, laughing, “Is Xiao Liulang off to take the exam?”
“Aunt Lu.” Gu Jiao greeted, recognizing her grandmother’s mahjong buddy who had visited their house a few times.
Gu Jiao understood. Each household in the neighbourhood had laid their choice of materials on the alleyway. This was why it was so colourful.
She had always thought that they were isolated, but apparently her grandmother had integrated them into the neighbourhood without her knowing.
Gu Jiao expressed her gratitude.
Afterwards, a few other neighbours opened their doors and expressed well-wishes for Xiao Liulang’s exam success.
Gu Jiao thanked each of them.
Her gratitude was genuine, these weren’t Xiao Liulang’s family members and they were under no obligation to do this for him.
Their kindness was not out of duty, but out of affection.
Of course, some of the credit goes to her grandmother too.
If her grandmother hasn’t been kind to them and told them about Xiao Liulang’s exams, they would probably not have known that such a character existed in the alley.
There were lanterns hung beneath each household’s awning, brightly illuminating the alley as if it were the New Year.
Gu Jiao curved her lips into a smile.
She loved Capital City.
Xiao Liulang was awake too, and they had a simple breakfast.
Knowing they had to leave early today, they had Xia Jingkong sleep in grandmother’s room last night.
The horse carriage was already waiting, but it was not the old butler’s carriage. It was from the Marquis Residence of Xuanping.
Liao Quan, the manager from the Marquis Residence, greeted Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao with a bow and a smile, saying: “Young master, young madam, please get in.”
Not far away, Liu Quan stood sulking next to another horse carriage. He arrived one step too late, and his carriage was hijacked by his namesake!
Both had the same surname, but they were not relatives.
The horseshoes and wheels of the Xuanping carriage were anti-skid, capable of making dashing charges in snow and ice, so travelling on these slippery paths was not a problem.
Xiao Liulang didn’t refuse.
He first let the carriage pick up Lin Chengye and Fen Lin from their mansion, and then set off for the Imperial College.
While many carriages slipped on the road, the carriage from the Marquis Residence of Xuanping advanced steadily, unaffected by the road condition, and arrived at the examination site.
They were the first to arrive, presumably due to others being delayed by the road conditions.
Gu Jiao pulled down the curtain and sighed, “Fortunately, today is only the entrance day.”
Gu Jiao had checked everything at home before leaving. Now, she was checking his bundle for the second time.
Xiao Liulang was going to spend three days and two nights in the exam room. They were not allowed to bring any heating devices so Gu Jiao had to plan his food and clothing for the duration carefully.
Gu Jiao packed one canister of dried chili for each of them, in case they got too cold. They could chew some of it. After all, the exam room was small and movement was limited.
In winter, you don’t have to worry about mosquitoes, but you do have to beware of the cold. Gu Jiao also packed some cold medicine for each one. It wouldn’t make them drowsy.
And also some ointment for frostbite.
The seating arrangements for the Provincial Exam were not determined by their scores, but drawn on the spot.
When it was time, the three of them went to draw lots together.
The Imperial College in Capital City was far larger than other provincial ones. With four exam sites aligned North, South, East, and West, the three guys happened to draw lots for each of the three different exam sites, this was some kind of luck!
Xiao Liulang was allocated room number five in the East Exam Site.
The size of the examination room was the same as in other places, but the walls were cleaner. Inside, there was still just two wooden planks, one acting as a table and the other as a bench. When it was time to sleep, the two pieces of wood were put together to be a bed.
The bedding was provided by the Imperial College.
After all, it was detrimental if the examinees were frozen out in the cold.
The exam was supervised by the Ministry of Rites and the papers were set and marked by the Hanlin Academy.
Yesterday, the examiners from Hanlin Academy had already entered the inner hall of the Imperial College. Just like during the previous exams, they could only leave after all the exam scripts have been checked.
Xiao Liulang and his two friends entered the Imperial College not too long ago, and the rest of the examinees began to arrive one after another. Du Ruohan wasn’t slow either. He was the twentieth to arrive.
Gu Jiao also gave him a small packet of medicine.
Du Ruohan thanked her politely, but didn’t take it seriously. He was in excellent health, how could he fall sick?
After giving Du Ruohan the medicine, Gu Jiao didn’t see the need to stay any longer.