The township examination is held once every three years, and is held by the Gongyuan of the northern and southern states and counties in the year of Fengzi, Mao, Wu, and You, also called the township and the township, which is set in the autumn and August, so it is also called the autumn examination, and only the students who have passed the examination can take the examination.

There are three township examinations, which are held on August 9, 12 and 15, and the Tribute Courtyard is located in Ningyang City, and all students must live in the Tribute Courtyard during the examination period, and they are not allowed to enter and leave at will until the end of the township examination.

Hua Changting took the township examination twice that year, but he failed to make the list, so he attached great importance to Qin Shuyu's examination this time.

Yin Shi got up to freshen up, Qin Shuyu changed into a green robe, although it was a little old, it was much better than what he usually wore, this is the green clothes that Hua Changting wore when he was young.

But as soon as he put it on, Qin Shuyu took off his long shirt and still put it back on his usual short shirt, he was afraid that the dew on the road into the city would get his clothes wet.

Hua Wai brought up a pot of chicken soup and three bowls of rice, the only old hen in the family that laid eggs had been killed, Hua Changting said that a good thing should be a good intention, and the three of them pushed a chicken to pour rice with soup and eat nothing.

The bag was deflated, and inside was Qin Shuyu's change of clothes for the next few days, as well as some copper, which Hua Changting had borrowed from elsewhere.

When the three of them left the house, it was the darkest time, and there was an oil lamp on the side of the road that shone faintly.

"Youwen? Mountains? What are you doing here so early? Qin Shuyu found that behind the oil lamp were his buddies who had played with him since childhood.

Youwen made a gesture towards Hua Changting, raised the oil lamp above his head, and turned to shine on the road: "There are still everyone." ”

Only then did I find out that my peers who were reading and writing together were there, as well as uncles and aunts in the village.

Hua Changting approached, bowed to the crowd in the dark, bowed down and said: "Thanks to the villagers, I don't have a small success in Shuyu, I went to Ningyang City today to take the township test, and the relatives came to see him off early in the morning. ”

"Mr. doesn't have to be like this, the villagers are not seeing them off, they are going to Ningyang City to sell peaches together, just in time for the Shuyu Township test, let's go together!" Youwen's old father also approached and said, and everyone whispered.

Hua Changting didn't say much, nodded, the people in the village are simple, kind and enthusiastic embarrassed to admit that the village teenagers are rushing to take the exam is a big deal, everyone is very concerned, afraid that everyone's enthusiasm will add pressure to the Hua family, and insist that they want to go to the city to sell peaches, now that the early rice has been harvested, the field is not busy, how can there be time to put down the farm work to pick peaches to sell?

Ningyang City opened the city gate every day, the Hua family led a group of villagers to hurry up, Yu Chen only entered the city at a moment, there was not much time, Hua Changting thanked everyone and took Qin Shuyu and Hua Cry to the tribute courtyard.

At three o'clock in the morning, the Gongyuan began to proofread the identity and issue cards to enter.

Qin Shuyu entered the Tribute Courtyard on time, Hua Changting watched his figure disappear into the gate, holding his breath, uneasy and a little relieved, after years of hard study, just for this moment, Shuyu's knowledge is not shallow, will God give him a fame?

"Dad, let's go, my brother won't come out until the fifteenth day of the exam, let's go home!" Hua Cry looked at the father beside him and looked at the gate of the Gongyuan that had been closed and was silent for a long time, they had no place to spend the night in Ningyang City, and they planned to go home and wait for news.

Hua Changting nodded, turned around and took a step without saying a word.

Passing by a mansion, Hua Changting stopped slightly, glanced at the jade steps of the Zhumen, and continued to walk forward.

......

In the blink of an eye, it is August 15, it is the reunion festival of the moon and night of the year, and today is also the last exam of the township examination, Hua Weeping took a few catties of rice early in the morning and ground it into rice noodles, added some honey, and made it into a round rice cake the size of a child's fist, sweet, soft, very delicious, only when the moon and the evening festival can you not feel distressed about the food to eat this, waiting for the sun to go down, Qin Shuyu should come back, he can eat twenty in one go.

"Yin'er, you eat two rice cakes, and put the rest in a bamboo basket and hang it in the house, your brother won't be able to return today." After the private school of the Moon Festival, it is rare for Hua Changting to be idle at home.

"Dad, my brother finished the exam today, why don't you go back?" Hua Wai wiped her sweat and stopped burning the fire and asked.

"The list will be released in three days, he is more anxious than anyone else, and he will not come back until he lives in the tribute courtyard until the list is released, and we will pick him up in two days."

"Yes, Dad." Today's reunion, thinking that the family can happily eat rice cakes, it turns out that it will take three days to release the list.

But it's okay, if Qin Shuyu is filial piety, the official master will definitely come to congratulate, and the mess at home must be cleaned up decently, and he can't lose face.

Hua Wai was busy cleaning up the yard excitedly, Hua Changting was as usual, but there was a trace of solemnity between his eyebrows, looking forward to this moment, he had been looking forward to it for many years.

The neighbors have been visiting the door frequently these days, saying that they are passing by the way, but they all "handily" brought eggs, rice and sweet potatoes, put them down and left, Hua Weeping every time they are unwilling to accept and chase out of the door, they don't take it back, they all say that they are extra at home.

How can a poor family have more food? Hua Wai gratefully sent every uncle and aunt who "passed by", they felt that on the day of Qin Shuyu's release, the official mansion came to the Hua family and had nothing to entertain.

Two days have passed, today is seventeen, Hua Changting has stood in the courtyard for a long time in the evening, and tonight the third watch will get up and go to Ningyang City, catch up with the Gongyuan in the morning, Hua Changting is afraid that it will be difficult to sleep.

The full moon slowly lengthened the figure, and Hua Cried urged him to rest a few times, Hua Changting always nodded, and continued to stand and look at the night.

Hua Weeping got up to cook, quickly boiled the pot of porridge and brought it in, Hua Changting had already finished washing and sat at the dining table, it seemed that he hadn't slept all night.

The father and daughter drank the porridge indiscriminately and then cleaned up and went out.

On this time, there were no more neighbors waiting to enter the city together, and they all thought that soon the government would come to the village, so they just had to wait.

When Hua Changting rushed to the Tribute Courtyard in Ningyang City with Hua Cry, the gate of the Tribute Courtyard was already crowded, and he couldn't get in front of the Gui Bang at all, let alone see the name on it clearly.

Hua Wai pulled her father's robe and looked left and right in the crowd, looking for Qin Shuyu's figure.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! A courtyard official stood on the stone steps and rang the gong in his hand: "Go back, go back, don't squeeze, you can see sooner or later, squeeze what!" ”

Only then did the crowd pan back, leaving a gap in the front of the list. Hua Cry took advantage of the crowd to move, not retreating, but drilling forward in the crowd, and her thin figure came in handy.

Hua Changting felt that the robe behind him was loose, only to know that the child had gone to the front, and was anxious to find it, in case she was stepped on and hit.

Finally got in front of her, Hua Wei carefully looked at the names of the twenty-five people on the list, carefully identified them one by one, for fear of missing half of them, and read carefully in his mouth: "Xie Yuan: Ye Hanlin, Yayuan: Guo Zejun, Jingkui: Wenbo, Mo Junxun, Li Aoyue, ......"

Until she finished reading the twenty-fifth, she didn't see Qin Shuyu's name, Hua Wei felt that she must have missed it, and she really didn't see it very clearly when she was squeezed around, and read it back one by one from the beginning: "Yakui: Wind Xu Lai......"