The Zhou family has experienced a lot of things this year, but they have all turned the danger into a disaster and passed one by one. The workshop that updated the fastest to make vermicelli and fans ushered in the last wave of income a year ago under the busyness of brother-in-law Ho Zhe and father Zhou Tie. In this way, at the end of the year, the Zhou family had an income of more than two hundred taels of silver.

Zhou Zhi knows very well that opening such a small workshop is not a long-term solution, and if you want the Zhou family to become completely rich, you need to find a bigger way to make money. But at the moment, he has not completely figured out and found a better way, so at present, he can only let the small workshop continue to maintain, ensure that the family has some income, and the comfortable life can continue to live.

After Zhou Zhi returned from Lu Xingchuan's house, he began to read and write behind closed doors. Because the county exam was only two eight-strand questions, Zhou Zhi simply concentrated on writing a small topic article.

The so-called small questions refer to the questions that are simply excerpted from the four books. The scope of the question is much smaller, and besides, Qingdu County is a small and remote county in the north, and there are not many readers, not to mention, and the level of composition is not very high.

Judging from the news that Che Lang came back from the county seat, if next year's county examination is really admitted on the basis of real talent, as long as the Confucian children who take the exam solve the questions accurately and can write articles smoothly, they will generally be in the first place. But because Zhou Zhi wanted to be the first to take the case in the county examination, although he can now memorize the four books backwards, and many small questions in the four books can also be recited smoothly, he still doesn't dare to relax a little.

Concentrating on reading and writing every day and thinking about how to solve problems seems to be a very boring thing, but Zhou Zhi thinks that this is just a kind of sharpening for himself and a good way to cultivate his temperament.

The family happily finished the New Year, and ushered in the tenth year of the Ming Dynasty and the year of Ding Si.

Because Chen Guangyao, the magistrate of the county, paid close attention to the social studies of the county schools, after the twentieth day of the first month of the new year, the social studies in various places began one after another. Although the social school in Baiyue Village opened later, it also started on the 25th day of the first month, and on the 26th of the first month, the social school received a notice from the county government, and the Qingdu County trial was set for the 10th day of the second month. All candidates need to register at the county school before the fifth day of February.

To register, you will need to fill in the name of the candidate. Age, place of origin, and biographies of parents and grandparents. It is necessary to ensure that the family is a clean white family, not a prostitute, a nobleman, a subordinate, a soap, a slave, etc., can take the test.

There is also an extremely important requirement here, that is, the Confucian child who takes the exam must also find a guarantor. The guarantor has made specific requirements, and must be a third-class or above talent in the annual examination.

The guarantor must ensure that the family of the Confucian child who took the exam is not impersonated, impersonated, or falsified, and that there has been no funeral in the family within three years.

There is no way, the requirements for the imperial examination at this time are very cumbersome.

In fact, according to the regulations of the government at that time, the guarantor should be a talent from the county school, and he must also be a first-class student. But Qingdu County is relatively special, there are not so many first-class students, if it is also in accordance with this regulation, it is estimated that the threshold of those students will be squeezed out, and in the end, there will be many Confucian children who cannot take the exam because they can't find a guarantor.

From this point of view, Chen Guangyao, the magistrate of the county, is still very considerate of the Confucian children.

Zhou Zhi naturally did not worry about finding a guarantor. Fan Jin, Wei Haogu, Che Lang, Feng Mao, Qiu Haolan can be.

Before Zhou Zhi could look for them, Fan Jin from Gaochang Town had already stepped on the door, and Mao recommended himself to be Zhou Zhi's guarantor, which made Zhou Zhi very moved.

It was not only Fan Jin, but then Che Lang and others also came to Zhou Zhi's house, and they also wanted to be Zhou Zhi's guarantor, but when they saw Fan Jin taking the lead, they were very annoyed and shook their heads regretfully.

Fan Jin said with a smile, "To be a guarantor for the Confucian children is to charge a guarantee of one or two silver, hehe!" Could it be that in order to be able to vouch for Brother Zhou Zhixian, we have to give him money upside down? ”

Che Lang said, "It's not impossible to post it upside down, as long as Brother Fan agrees, I'll scramble to see who gives Brother Zhou Zhixian more money, and whoever will be the guarantor of Brother Zhou Zhixian." ”

The crowd couldn't help but laugh.

These people were in a good mood today, and when they got together, they obviously started teasing each other again.

Che Lang then asked everyone, "Yue Shuzhen is also going to take the county exam, I wonder which of you he has found as a guarantor?" ”

Everyone shook their heads.

Fan Jin said, "According to the old man, Yue Shuzhen has already cut off contact with us, as if he heard that all the matters he referred to were arranged by the county Cheng Yang Tong, maybe he had already found someone in the county to vouch for him."

Hum! He wants to be the first to take the test, but I, Fan Jin, want to see what kind of ability he has to beat Brother Zhou Zhixian. ”

He was already dissatisfied with Yue Shuzhen, and he took the opportunity to vent at this time.

Feng Mao then said, "What do you say he did?" It's good that he doesn't look for me, if he really looks for me as a guarantor, I'm really going to be embarrassed for him! Forget it, let's not talk about him today, the tenth day of February is the county exam, and the twelfth will be released, so let's wait and see who will be the head of the case this year.

I'm waiting here today, but I'm missing Brother Xingchuan, hehe! Brother Zhou Zhixian, take out your family's good wine and food, and the brothers will get drunk and rest. ”

In fact, where is Feng Mao saying this, Zhou Zhi has already told his mother Zhou He that he will make a good feast on the table today and treat everyone well.

Daddy Zhou Tie knew that these were friends who had died with Zhou Zhi, and they were all Xiucai, and his son made friends with such a scholar, which was the honor of the Zhou family, so he took Qi Yanwu to the town early to buy meat, vegetables and wine.

Everyone drank and got drunk at Zhou's house, and returned in the evening.

On the second day of the second month of February, the dragon raised its head.

Zhou Zhi took Fan Jin and took a carriage to Qingdu County to register for the exam on this day.

It was nearly noon, the carriage stopped outside the gate of the county school, and Zhou Zhi and Fan Jin got out of the carriage and walked towards the county school.

Last year, Zhou Zhi studied here for a month under the guidance of the old teacher Qu Renbin, and he was very familiar with this place. Fan Jin studied here earlier, and he was even more familiar, and the two came to the gate of the county school with a smile.

Although the literary style of Qingdu County is not prosperous, today is a good day, and many Confucian children choose to sign up today, so there is a long queue at the gate of the county school, and Zhou Zhi and Fan Jin are at the back.

The procedure for registering for the exam can be complicated, and it takes about half a stick of incense to register for one. I don't know why the efficiency of this official in charge of registration is so low.

Fan Jin was anxious, and he became impatient after waiting, and said, "What's wrong with this year?" Do you have to wait in line until the Year of the Monkey to sign up? It's inexplicable! ”

A tall Confucian boy in front of him turned around and said, "Brother, don't be anxious, this year's registration review is very strict, but this is a good thing for us like scholars!" ”

When Zhou Zhi heard this, he couldn't help but secretly think, it seems that the county teacher really wants to correct the unhealthy trend of the exam in this county examination. Okay, so I am more confident, and I am afraid that I will not learn with real talent and hire indiscriminately.

While he was thinking about it, a carriage suddenly stopped at the gate of the county school, and a ten-year-old, medium-sized, fair-faced young man jumped from the carriage. There was also a scarf and shirt standing next to the man.

Apparently the young man had also come to register for the exam.

He frowned and looked at the long line in front of him, and suddenly strode and pulled Na Xiucai to squeeze up.

"Oh, this brother, don't you know how to come first and then come? Why are you cutting in line like that? Fan Jin asked coldly.

"Cutting in line? What line to insert? People like you should be waiting outside, and I, Yang Jinshan, still need to wait? The young man said angrily.