The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 77 The County Examination Begins

Jia Baoyu came back from a visit to Lixiangyuan today, sometimes happy and sometimes sad, and sighed for a while.When Xiren saw this, he knew that this man's dementia had occurred again, and asked with a smile, "Why are you sighing while you're doing well?"

Jia Baoyu said: "When Sister Lin came, I was astonished as a man of heaven. Unexpectedly, now there is another Sister Bao, who is not inferior. It can be seen that there are many beautiful women in the world. I have never seen them."

Qingwen chuckled and said, "All the good girls in the world should line up for you to meet the second master."

Qingwen is one of Jia Baoyu's big maids. She is about twelve or thirteen years old.

Qingwen's appearance is not inferior to that of a lady, but it is a pity that she is a lowly person, but her personality is too flamboyant, and it is inevitable to attract people's envy. In the end, she has a big face, an irresponsible master, and can only end in tragedy and hatred in the end.

At this time, Jia Baoyu shook his head and said: "I didn't mean that, I just sighed. Sister Bao is beautiful, but she is a bit cold-tempered, unlike Sister Lin, who is easy to get close to."

Xiren laughed and said: "Miss Bao is dignified, this is what a lady should look like, and Miss Bao is easy-going, open-minded in dealing with others, and she is really a first-class person."

Jia Baoyu smiled and said, "She is good, but I still prefer to be stubborn with Sister Lin."

Xiren didn't talk to her after hearing the words. She never liked Lin Daiyu's arrogance and self-importance. If she was asked to choose between Daiyu and Baochai to be the mistress, she would choose the latter without hesitation, because the latter was easier for her to get along with and better at housekeeping.

"By the way, I saw a girl named Xiangling at Sister Bao's. It is said that Cousin Xue got into a life lawsuit because of her. She is indeed very beautiful, and she is also a beautiful woman." Jia Baoyu sighed: "It's a pity that he meets people who are not nice. People like Cousin Xue really humiliate others."

Qingwen sneered slightly when she heard the words: "If the second master likes it, I can get her here, or I can exchange it with my maidservant."

Jia Baoyu blushed and said, "I was never such a person."

At this time, the eldest maid, Sheyue, walked in from the front, and put several ice creams on a plate, and some shiny ice cubes were spread on it, and the cold air rose, forming a layer of white mist, which was really beautiful.

When Qingwen saw it, she hurriedly asked, "Where did you get this rare thing?"

Sheyue laughed and said, "Master Huan asked Xiao Que'er to send it. He said it was a new ice cream on the market, so I bought some ice cream for everyone to try. I heard that the price is not cheap. It costs twenty yuan a piece."

Qingwen said in amazement: "Look, this one is exquisite, long-sleeved and good at dancing."

When Jia Baoyu heard that Jia Huan sent someone, he immediately fell silent.

"Second Master, taste it quickly, this thing is starting to melt." Sheyue brought the ice cream to Jia Baoyu, who said lightly, "It's so delicious when it's cold, it's bad for your stomach if you eat it carefully."

Qingwen said with a smile: "Second Lord won't eat it, but the servant girl will eat it. The servant girl is not afraid of spoiling her stomach." After she finished speaking, she took a bite and lightly took a bite, then her eyes lit up and she said, "It tastes like oranges. It tastes good. It will be pleasant to eat one after falling into the ambush. It's delicious!"

"Is there anything delicious?" Musk Moon also took one to taste.

Girls of this age love to eat snacks, and Musk Moon is no exception. After tasting it, they are full of praise.

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but tasted one, and immediately couldn't stop, and said quickly: "The taste seems to be okay, send it to Sister Lin to taste."

Xiren laughed and said, "Third Master Huan has even thought of this, how can there be less Miss Lin's side, Second Master doesn't have to worry about this."

Jia Baoyu had no choice but to give up when he heard the words. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Sheyue, did Xiaoqueer tell you where you bought this ice cream?"

Musk Moon replied: "It seems to be something in Nanju Xianfang... Ice Riding Forest."

Jia Baoyu nodded and said: "Well, tomorrow I will buy some for the old lady and the wife to taste, and I will also send some over to the East Mansion."

…………

Xue Baochai was still dignified and elegant when eating ice cream, unlike Xue Pan who devoured it voraciously and finished a piece of ice cream in just a few mouthfuls.

Xue Pan licked his lips eagerly, picked up the last piece of ice cream in the ice basin and continued to chew. Aunt Xue couldn't help but scolded: "Don't eat too much, it hurts the spleen and stomach carefully."

Xue Pan said nonchalantly: "It's okay, I'm young and my stomach is full. Hey, this thing tastes really good. Brother Huan is young, but he's a good man, and he knows how to send us some new things. I haven't seen it in Jinling. The capital really deserves to be the capital. It seems that I need to go out and see."

Aunt Xue heard the words and said: "Speaking of this Brother Huan is really strange. I heard that he was very naughty in the past, but since he was kicked by a donkey last year, he seems to be a different person. Not only is he a very different person and work, but he is also good at calligraphy and painting. No, he is going to take the county test soon. They say that he has been taught by the gods!"

Xue Baochai said thoughtfully: "As the saying goes, one's experience will lead to one's wisdom. This cousin Huan may become enlightened after being injured. This is probably the so-called blessing in disguise."

"That's not it!" Aunt Xue sighed: "It's the cousin Baoyu who was born by your aunt. He was born with auspicious auspiciousness. He thought he would be very successful in the future, but now it seems that he is not as good as Brother Huan."

Xue Baochai said: "It's too early to say this now, after all, you are still young, who can tell what will happen in the future."

Aunt Xue nodded approvingly, then glanced at her son Xue Pan, who was ugly, and said with a bit of hatred for his lack of steel: "You know how to eat, your cousin is only eight years old and he is about to die. When will you make progress? I don't want you to be a scholar, but you can take the exam as a child."

Xue Pan widened his eyes and said, "Mother, you still don't know how much your son weighs? It's not material for studying at all, so why bother asking for it? What's more, I have inherited a fortune of millions. If I don't work for the rest of my life, I will have no worries about food and clothing. Why bother? Cousin Huan is different. He's just a bastard. Naturally, he has to go all out to get fame, otherwise how can he turn over?"

Aunt Xue was so angry with her son that she could not speak. Xue Baochai was both angry and funny. Although Xue Pan's words were muddled, there was some truth in them. Jia Huan was a concubine, and it was impossible for him to inherit the family business.

Aunt Xue snorted angrily and said, "Even if you inherit millions of dollars in your family, you still have to be able to keep it, don't you? Who knows how many wealthy families in this world will end up sitting on nothing."

Xue Pan raised his chest and said, "Mother, you don't look down on people. Dad has been away for a few years. Now that the family business is in the hands of the child, has it ever been lost?"

Xue Baochai frowned and said: "Brother, if you have time, why don't you check the accounts in Beijing carefully, why are you here to argue with mother?"

"The bill must be investigated, but at least the injury must be healed first, otherwise the nose is swollen and the face is bruised. It will damage the reputation of the Xue family." Xue Pan felt good about himself, and threw away the leftover ice cream sticks.

Obviously, the reason why Jia Huan gave everyone ice cream was firstly as a favor and secondly as an advertisement. Now it seems that this advertisement was very successful. Whether it is Jia Baoyu or a prodigal like Xue Pan, they are all potential big families.

……

In a blink of an eye, it was the twelfth of March, and today was the first day of the county examination. Ping'er woke up Jia Huan on the fourth watch. After Mi Luo washed up intensively, he ate breakfast and left the house with his examination basket.

Qian Huai led the way with a lantern in front, and Ping'er sent Jia Huan out of the corner gate all the way, and then said a few words softly, and then watched Jia Huan's back go away expectantly.

At this time, the sky was not yet bright, the light from the lanterns was dim, and the late spring wind was blowing head-on, making it cool.Jia Huan took a deep breath of the pre-dawn cool air, suddenly felt sleepless, his whole body was refreshed, and his mood also improved.

Originally, the county examination in the previous dynasty was usually held in February, but the capital is located in the north, and February is still relatively cold, so this dynasty postponed the time of the county examination to March. This time is neither cold nor hot, and candidates can feel more comfortable after the exam, and they are not so easy to catch a cold.

Let’s say that Jia Huan rushed to the ethnology first, and his master Jia Dairu was already waiting there. Although his eyes were bloodshot, his hair and beard were still combed meticulously. He looked energetic, like a general preparing to go out before the battle.

"Everyone is here, let's go!" Jia Dairu gave an order, and took Jia Huan and Jia Jie and other five people straight to the county Confucianism Office.

The county examination in the Great Jin Dynasty was held once a year, and the examination location was generally selected in the Confucianism Department, and the county magistrate was in charge of the examination.

Let’s say that when Jia Huan arrived at the Confucianism Department in Wanping County, there were already many candidates waiting outside the venue. There was a long queue, it seemed that there were four to five hundred people, and there were more and more people, making it impossible to get through.

As soon as Jia Dairu arrived outside the examination room, he felt as if he had been pumped. He seemed more excited than Jia Huan and the others.

At this moment, the examinee team finally started to move forward, and the gate in front had obviously opened the gate to enter the arena. After waiting for about half an hour, it was finally Jia Huan's turn. A middle-aged man in a seventh-rank official uniform held the roster in his hand and shouted: "Jia Huan!"

Jia Huan hurried forward to salute: "The student is here!"

This middle-aged man is the county magistrate of Wanping County and the chief examiner of this county examination. He looked Jia Huan up and down, a strange color flashed in his eyes, and said: "Jia Huan, ancestral home of XX family in Jinling, eight years old, height..."

After verifying that the age, physical characteristics, etc. were correct, another searcher searched the body. After the guarantor signed up for the guarantee, Jia Huan entered the venue smoothly and received a seat number plate.

(End of this chapter)