The Farm Life Of a "Fool"

Chapter 69

THE AUTUMN TEST

In the whole morning, Xu Ran and Du Xin only went to the clinic and didn't read any books. Lin Hua and Zhao Chen, however, didn't even go out at all. As it was too hot in the afternoon, they said that they would wait until it was getting dark to go out and have a look. By the way, they would also go to see the place where they were to take the test, otherwise they wouldn't know where they would have their test.

After a long nap, Xu Ran awoke in the afternoon. Outside, he noticed that the sky was crimson. Tomorrow appeared to be another beautiful day! When Du Xin awoke, no one knew. He was focusing on his reading at the time. Xu Ran did not bother him. He went downstairs to ask for water to wash his face from the waiter.

Lin Hua and Zhao Chen were chatting downstairs in the lobby. A plate of peanuts, a beef dish, and a pot of wine sat in front of them. Their carter, on the other hand, was not there. Xu Ran, on the other hand, did not see him.

Xu Ran went up to them, sat down by Lin Hua's side, picked up a piece of beef, stuffed it into his mouth and then asked, "Weren't you sleeping? Did you just sit here for the whole afternoon?

Lin Hua shook his head and replied, "We didn't get up until noon today. Can we go on to sleep in the afternoon? Do you think we are pigs?"

Xu Ran exuded an air of ' You guys, don't suppose I don't know what you did last night!' while replying, "Then you guys didn't go out today?"

Lin Hua requested a cup from the waiter and poured some wine for Xu Ran "It's so hot outside that if we go out at this time, we'll almost certainly get sunburned. We still need to go out at night. It's beneficial for us to sit and chat in this manner." 

Zhao Chen nodded in agreement.

Xu Ran pursed his lips, "Alright, let's get some food first. We'll go around after eating. It should be very lively tonight. After all, there are a lot of candidates for the test."

"Okay, go and call Du Xin downstairs then!"

"Alright," Xu Ran stuffed another piece of beef into his mouth and went upstairs to call Du Xin.

The carter appeared out of nowhere and ate with them when supper was ready. There was no sense of hierarchy among them. They reasoned that if more people ate together, they would be able to consume more food.

After dinner, the group started to case the test premises.

The examination was to be held at Yue Lin Academy, Qingzhou County's largest academy. Many Zhuangyuan (the title given to the scholar who received the highest score on the highest level of the Imperial examination) were said to have appeared in this academy, and some people had even sent their sons from far away.

Xu Ran entered the academy to take a look around. The academy was beautifully constructed. It was not only big, but it also looked great. It must have taken a lot of time and money to build, and it now serves as a tourist attraction in Qingzhou County.

The academy began a holiday a few days ago due to the autumn exam. Students did not show up for classes until after the autumn exam was completed. Xu Ran became impatient to reach the academy's students. His expectations were similar to those of modern people who hoped to see outstanding students from Tsinghua University or Peking University.

After circling around the academy, they were pleased and left for somewhere else to enjoy themselves.

Qingzhou County had a very lively night as well. The lighting was bright, and the sound of touting was as loud as it was throughout the day. Many people came out to enjoy the cooler air because of the hot weather. As a result, the streets were bustling with activity.