C3

"Xu Qingzhi, our hometown exam is about to begin. Do you think I will pass?" Xu Zhen did not ask if Xu Qing was confident in him. In Xu Zhen's impression, there seemed to be nothing that Xu Qingzhi did not understand.

Upon hearing Xu Shi's question, Xu Qingzhi remembered that it was already May. There were still three months until the end of the autumn. Over the past few years, the lives of the people were peaceful and peaceful. No large-scale battles had been conducted with the Wu Country's tacit understanding. Both sides only continuously probed about the border. Only a small band of the Northern Tartars occasionally made their way to the border. As a result, the imperial court had been resting with the people in recent years, doing their utmost to rejuvenate the imperial examination system.

The scholars of Chu had to first take part in the local examinations, which were held in the provincial capital. Those who passed the examinations would be called High Scholars. The High Scholar, in accordance with his own directions of development, could choose to join a liberal arts or martial arts academy for a year of study, or could return to his hometown and apply for a position in the village. After that, the scholars from various places all headed to the capital to participate in the Grand Examination. After passing the Grand Examination, they would become scholars, and after passing the Grand Examination, they would be able to obtain the official position. If one was lucky enough to pass the final Hall Competition, they would be able to rank equal according to their results, and be able to rank in the top three. They would be known as the "top scholar", "eye of the board", and "flower scout".

Of course, the rules of the Hall Competition were very high. People like Xu Zhen did not want to go to the capital and only thought that they could pass the country level exam and return to the village to give their parents some face.

"Don't worry, it won't be a problem."

Xu Qinghui very casually replied to Xu Shiji, but this definite answer caused Xu Shiji to feel unsure. Xu Zhen did not look small, his skin was dark, but he was definitely a cheerful person. Or rather, it could be said that he was used to everything, but with Xu Qingzhi a year older than him, he was able to quickly forget about the nervousness brought about by the upcoming country level competition. He turned his gaze towards the surface of the water after the heavy rain, his eyes shining.

"Xu Qingzhi, let's hurry home and take out our nets to fish."

As he spoke, he pulled Xu Qingzhi along and ran. It was a pity that Xu Qingzhi had grown up weak. After only running a few steps, he had already coughed to death. Xu Zhen was so frightened that he hurriedly turned around and slapped his forehead. This guy was so excited that he forgot about Xu Qingzhi. Thinking of this, Xu Zhen felt a little sad. Others might not know, but Xu Shiji knew very well that Xu Qingzhi's dream since he was a child was to be a noble guest of the martial arts world, to learn martial arts, or to be a general who fought on the battlefield. However, these two things were things that Xu Qingzhi's body could not handle.

"No worries, just go slowly."

Xu Qing gave a wry smile and waved his hand, indicating that Xu Zhen only cared about you.

His own body knew that Xu Qingzhi's only perception of his illness was that it was not painful nor itchy, just that his physical strength was too poor. Don't even mention wanting to do the battle on the battlefield, he couldn't even grasp the basics of his martial arts. This was precisely what troubled Xu Qingzhi the most. Some people's dreams had already died before they had even begun. He had considered this strange illness of his more than once. According to the couple who had picked him up, that winter had been the coldest they had ever experienced in their lives. It was impossible to imagine how a child still in its infancy had survived that cold, snowy night. Xu Qinzhi was very grateful to the Xu couple. To him, there were only two things in this world that could cause him to sacrifice his own life to protect them. One was his moral integrity, two was his family.

Xu Qingzhi did not blame his biological father or mother for much. It was likely that he had already known at that time that he was gravely ill, and perhaps he truly did not have the strength to bear the blame. In his entire life, Xu Qingzhi had never thought of searching for them. Compared to searching for his answer, in Xu Qing's eyes, it was even more important to cook a meal for Xu Dazhi and his wife.

The academy was at the west end of the town. Every time they went up and down the school, they would have to pass through the entire town and walk for over an hour. The town had just experienced a new rain, and the air was fresh and natural. The short houses looked beautiful after being washed by the heavy rain, and the armor of the guards on duty at the city gate tower had also become brighter. This was the loveliness of the town. It was small and steady. Walking out of the academy and crossing the only river that flowed through the town, he saw the conspicuous sign of "Grandma Wang's Tofu". Every time Xu Qingzhi passed by, he would always bring a bowl of beans home. Of course, taking a look at Grandma Wang's granddaughter was also one of the reasons why Xu Qingzhi and Xu Zhen had always walked this path. Right, just a little.

Grandma Wang looked at the two teenagers at the entrance who were staring at her precious granddaughter. She turned around and looked at An Ran's granddaughter who was quietly wiping the small square table in the shop. With a wry smile, he used the spatula to hit Xu Zhen. That's right, Xu Qing's body was weak, but this black brat was strong. Even if he hit him twice, it didn't matter.

Every time this happened, Xu Shiji would always forget about Xu Qinghui running for his life, yelling and shouting at the same time as he ran. This was all that was good about Xu Qingzhi. Even though he was normally sickly and had a pretty boy face, when it came to not being embarrassed at all, Xu Zhen was truly inferior to him.

"Nanny Wang, your bean curd is becoming more and more delicious. If I don't eat a mouthful of Nanny Wang's bean curd every day, I feel uncomfortable all over. Heh, as I see it, if I eat Nanny Wang's bean curd all my life, my illness will be cured." Oh, Grandma Wang, the more beautiful your bean curd is, the more beautiful it is. When are you going to find a wife? Look at our house … "Hey hey hey, grandma Wang, please don't hit me. I'll take my leave now."

He then jumped up and beckoned to the small tofu flower that was currently wiping the small square table. With this, he had ruined Xu Qingzhi, but luckily for Little Dou Hua, she finally saw him jump out of the corner of her eyes. With a flick of his ponytail, a pair of elegant features appeared in front of Xu Qingzhi. Xu Qing tried his best to stop his coughing. He opened his mouth and said, "You — very — very — floating — bright" word by word, but there was not a single sound.

Xu Qinzhi saw that the small bean flower's face was red all the way to the ears. He knew that the small bean flower must have understood. He pointed his finger into the distance and mouthed word by word to tell Little Bean that he was leaving.

Grandma Wang looked at Xu Qingzhi who was slowly walking away. She knew that the black brat was waiting for her at the entrance of the restaurant. He then looked at his granddaughter and sighed. They were all pitiful children.

"I say, Xu Qingzhi, why are you so shameless?"

"Hei Zi, first of all, this is called magnanimity. It's not like you're shameless. It must be known that the gentleman is open and honest, while the little man is sad and helpless. All things in the world have beauty and ugliness to differentiate them, and there is no need to hide or fear in the pursuit of beauty. Everyone has the heart to love beauty, that's why they are called people.

Xu Zhen did not understand Xu Qing's nagging. In fact, Xu Zhen probably understood in his heart that Xu Qing was cursing at him, but this sort of taunting made Xu Shikong feel somewhat confused. Instead, he felt that it was reasonable, so he quietly noted down these words in his heart. The truth proved that Xu Zhen's ability to remember only existed in that hot-blooded and passionate story of the battlefield. If he could truly remember the words of Xu Qing ridiculing him, then in the future, when Xu Qing was in a dilemma with that girl, he would be able to use his own methods to deal with her.

It was easy to fall in love with a beautiful girl when she was young, and there was always a lot of love to talk to her about. However, one day, he met someone that he not only liked, but found out that even saying a few flashy words would make him look dirty, like a green lotus in front of a buddha, unable to touch the dirt of the mortal world. Like is not eager to show, but the silence that hesitates to speak.