Reborn with a Space: Building a Fortune Amidst Famine

Chapter 1707: Chapter 1707: Imperial Examination

As for Meng Po, she didn’t even have a moment of free time; only when she was bored would she read a book.

After a few days, Zhang Sheng and his wife came over to prepare exam supplies for the two masters. The academy exam is held in winter, and it’s truly a torment.

These past two days Meng Po had been learning from Zhang Sheng’s wife how to cook porridge—not for just one day, but ten days, and during those ten days they still had to eat.

Right now this was what Meng Po resented the most, but there was nothing she could do.

Qi Wen had no problem with cooking porridge, so she watched from the side, gloating as Meng Po flustered around.

Water, coal, and stoves were supplied there; they had to bring their own pots and grain.

Qi Wen just asked them to prepare pickles and rice. It’s only ten days, what’s so hard to get through?

In the end, Zhang Sheng’s wife still prepared thirty eggs; they couldn’t afford to have their nutrition fall behind.

The two of them carried their things and stood at the gate to be inspected.

First, each person entered a small room, stripped naked, and underwent inspection.

Qi Wen thought to herself, since it’s this strict, how could there be stories of men disguising themselves as women and becoming Champion Scholar? Pure nonsense.

When she came out and saw the inspection of their belongings, she stared speechlessly at the invigilator as he actually checked every single egg. Could they possibly cheat on eggs? She was utterly speechless. He turned their water cups over and over, examining them several times; she thought, you really don’t have to go this far.

The quilts and seat cushions were checked even more thoroughly, every inch was palpated. She saw them even ripping open some quilts at the side—this was just too violent.

The external inspection took nearly half an hour; they finally entered their own exam cells, and Qi Wen felt like this was a prison.

With the barred door blocking them in, just looking at it made her feel cold. Taking the exam really wasn’t easy.

After Qi Wen went in, she tidied up the place a bit; the invigilator outside kept staring at her.

She arranged her belongings and lit the stove; to her, that truly wasn’t a problem.

But Meng Po couldn’t manage it. Tidying was fine, arranging her things was fine, but when it came to lighting the stove, she choked so badly the invigilator beside them glared wide-eyed.

Once the water boiled, Qi Wen poured it into a bamboo tube, sealed it tightly, and hugged it to her chest—this way she would feel much more comfortable. When her hand froze stiff from writing, she could also warm it up again.

They were only given one hour to organize themselves; then the first session of the exam began.

After handing in their papers, they started preparing to cook. The eggs were already boiled; now it was time to make porridge.

While she was eating, she suddenly smelled a burnt odor and sighed inwardly: are scholars really good-for-nothing in every respect? How do you even burn porridge?

At night it was actually fairly humane—they hung straw mats outside, so the suffering lessened a bit.

After these ten days of exam were over, aside from everything else, what Qi Wen found hardest to accept was the toilet situation; there was no way to have any privacy, and she was truly speechless. Thinking that she still had to sit for the provincial and metropolitan exams, she felt life was not worth living.

When she came out and saw the more than one hundred examinees, she felt that she was probably the most energetic one of them all.

Looking at Meng Po’s state, she laughed unkindly.

Meng Po rolled her eyes. After the two of them walked out of the examination compound, they saw the Zhang Family father and son waiting outside.

"Look, that one’s gone mad."

"Normal. His mental fortitude is too poor."

"Look how good my mental fortitude is."

"Yes, you’re very capable."

They had just sat down in the carriage when the academy head’s Attendant Student called out to them, telling them to see the academy head the next day.

"Is he going to estimate our scores?"

"What do you mean, estimate scores?"

"It means he’ll have us write out our answers from memory, and the academy head will see whether we stand a chance of passing."

"Oh, I see. The academy head really is a good person. I’ll go to the City God Temple tonight to pass word on to Old Bai and the others, and later we’ll make proper arrangements for the academy head."

Qi Wen covered her mouth, laughing. "You’re abusing your connections for personal gain."

"Nonsense. Someone like the academy head surely has few sins on his record; he just has the authority, so we help him out a little."

They spoke in low voices. The Zhang Family couldn’t hear them.

When they got home, dumplings were already prepared—these were what Qi Wen had taught Zhang Sheng’s wife to make.

Eating steaming dumplings with braised meat on the side, they felt that this was how life should be.

They quickly took a hot bath, and Qi Wen slept especially soundly.

The next morning she felt full of energy. This time, when the two of them went to see the academy head, they did not go empty-handed but brought the good wine Zhang Sheng had bought and some of the family’s braised meat.

Ten examinees had come to the academy this time; they were all writing out their answers from memory.

Qi Wen and Meng Po had already written theirs out that morning and now came in to hand them to the academy head.

"You two are quite prompt."

"We have some confidence and would like to ask the academy head to take a look."

The first paper he looked at was Meng Po’s. The academy head kept nodding.

Then he looked at Qi Wen’s, his face full of pleased expression.

The other examinees were all somewhat distracted when the two came in. Seeing the academy head’s expression, they knew the two of them had done very well.

"It’s fine. I don’t see any problem."

Meng Po grinned. "Thank you, Academy Head. We’ve already prepared good wine and good dishes."

Not wanting to upset the other examinees, the two of them said a brief farewell and left.

"Let’s go buy groceries. Tonight, when the academy head comes to our place for dinner, the table has to be sumptuous."

Qi Wen had no objection. The two bought a lot of things and went home for the Zhang Family couple to prepare. Meng Po took Zhang Dong out again for a stroll.

Qi Wen was puzzled. It was so cold outside, what was there to see? Those people going back and forth, those things—it was always the same.

Qi Wen also felt it was pointless. She didn’t feel like reading, so she just watched Zhang Sheng’s wife cook.

She suddenly remembered the lion’s head meatballs her mother used to make and started directing Zhang Sheng to chop the meat, telling his wife how to prepare them. When the big meatballs were dropped into the wok to fry, the smell filled the whole courtyard.

At noon she had Zhang Sheng’s wife steam them. Meng Po alone polished off two. "You have this kind of skill too?"

"My mother used to make them for us."

"Your mother really is impressive. I’m jealous of you—you’re a blessed child. Now I can see why that one chose to be reborn in your mother’s womb."

Qi Wen just smiled without replying. The happiness of a family is something you know yourself.

That evening the academy head came over and was full of praise for the meatballs as well.

"I’ll be taking them back tomorrow. There’s still one month before the results are posted; when the time comes I’ll send someone over. What about you two?"

"Academy Head, we’ll stay here and wait for the results."

"All right then." He didn’t give them any special instructions. The two brothers had very different temperaments, but both of them could make it to the end.

Meng Po, ever nosy, asked, "Academy Head, what about the other examinees from our academy? Do any of them have a shot?"

"Two of them have a shot."

"That’s not bad. Our academy’s reputation will get out now."

The academy head smiled and nodded. Just those two brothers alone would be enough. He’d shown their answers to some friends that afternoon, and they’d all been full of praise.

After seeing the academy head off, Meng Po started wandering around and really did go, that night, to pass word on to Old Bai. Of course, Qi Wen knew they would certainly get things done. Judging from the academy head’s face, living another ten or twenty years shouldn’t be a problem.

There were many people waiting for the results here; the teahouses were full of examinees. Qi Wen went there every day to listen to them shoot the breeze.