Chapter 144: My dear child, please pick up my shoes and give them to me!
"An, don't be nervous. It doesn't matter if you don't do well in the exam. It will be the same if we wait another three years. Having your big brother in our family is enough. Don't put too much pressure on yourself!"
At the entrance of the county examination hall, Feng Qing'an listened helplessly to the man in silk and satin, who looked rich and noble, grabbing her and muttering to herself.
Feng Qing'an naturally did not show any nervousness on his face, but he could clearly feel the hands of the man in front of him were shaking.
Although the wealth and prosperity of the past three years have changed the man a lot, he was still inevitably nervous when he personally sent his son to the entrance of the imperial examination hall.
No one dared to laugh at such an embarrassing situation, because Feng Shouli did not come alone. He brought with him a dozen tall and strong farmhands and followers to take his youngest son to the exam.
When the eldest son took the imperial examination, he was just a peasant working in the fields. He had neither the ability nor the time, so the eldest son had to go alone. By the time the second son came, he was already capable and naturally would not sit there idle.
This excessive thoughtfulness actually made Feng Qing'an feel a little helpless, but fortunately his father's thoughtfulness and care only lasted until the county examination, and it was too late for him to take part in the prefectural examination.
However, Feng Qing'an discovered with some subtlety that his father actually hoped that he would fail in the county examination, which was different from other people.
However, he could fail, but he would never fail in a mere county exam. This is a boy's exam, which focuses on the basics. Basically, if he studies a little harder, he can pass. There is no such thing as failing to realize his talent.
If he couldn't even pass the examination to become a Tongsheng, he would be a complete loser. If he failed in the county examination, it would be a joke. It would not be a big deal for him alone, but it would probably implicate his brother.
Feng Qing'an could see now that at the county examination gate, the other candidates who came to take the imperial examination frequently cast their eyes at him, not only because of the entourage brought by his father, but more importantly because of him.
A child who could still be called a pigeon, although his body was much taller and stronger than his peers, his childish appearance still revealed his extremely young age.
But in just a moment, Feng Qing'an's identity spread outside the gate of the county examination hall. It was a small county town and it was impossible to keep secrets, so Feng Qing'an had become the focus of the crowd.
As the younger brother of the last session's number one scholar who won six prizes in a row, this identity is enough to make everyone take him seriously, even though he is so young.
However, Feng Qing'an didn't care much about these gazes. He just waited quietly. When the door of the examination room opened, Feng Qing'an was naturally given way by everyone and became the first candidate to enter the examination room.
Personal belongings brought into the examination room had to undergo strict inspection, but the yamen runners obviously knew Feng Qing'an's identity and only went through the motions symbolically without searching his belongings too much, obviously believing that it was impossible for him to cheat in the imperial examination.
After entering the examination room, Feng Qing'an saw Mr. Zhang who had sponsored him for the imperial examination, and then he saw the county magistrate who came to speak. He could clearly feel that the county magistrate valued him very much and his attitude was obviously different.
But Feng Qing'an simply dealt with it, then sat in his seat and prepared to answer questions, because even if he was a county lord, his essence was no different from those who went to his house.
The examination process was unremarkable, but it took a long time. There were four county examinations, and each one lasted from morning to night, with two days in between, mainly for the examiners to mark the examination papers and then announce the results. Only those who passed the previous one could take part in the next one, so it was not easy to complete all four examinations.
Although the time arrangement of the county examination is quite humane, such a long time interval is undoubtedly a test and torture for the candidates' minds. Not everyone can be like Feng Qing'an, with the mentality of watching the fun, gaining knowledge, and going through the motions.
There are thousands of students in Yongning County, but no one knows how many of them hope to change their lives through the imperial examination. Feng Qingan can see every time the results are announced. Some people laugh, some cry bitterly, and all kinds of people's expressions are recorded under the list.
As for Feng Qing'an, even if he did not put his mind on books, with the influence of his elder brother and the ability of photographic memory he had acquired after practice, the county examinations were naturally no problem for him, and he was the top candidate in every exam.
He himself was not surprised by the announcement of the results, but his father Feng Shouli was ecstatic as if he had passed the exam himself. From the first announcement of the results, he held a banquet in the restaurant he ran, and did not charge any fees to the merchants to celebrate.
As expected, Feng Qing'an's achievements caused a sensation in this small county town.
Three years ago, there was a young man who was almost the same age as him but was ignored by everyone. He firmly held the top spot and won the following exams one after another, winning six prizes in a row.
It is hard for outsiders not to compare these two brothers. Feng Qing'an had just participated in the imperial examination, but some people had already called him the top scholar. There were even gambling houses that used this as a gimmick to attract people to place bets.
After the county examination, there were many frustrated people crying, but in the county inn, the students who passed the exam were celebrating, drinking poetry and poetry while they were young, letting themselves go, reciting poems and singing, really unrestrained.
Feng Qing'an, who returned to the restaurant run by his father, was naturally the focus of the crowd. Many people came to congratulate him and wanted to make friends with him.
Feng Qing'an smiled at first, but after dealing with it for a day, he felt bored. Early the next morning, he left the restaurant and walked alone in Yongning County.
"It's finally quiet!"
Being the center of attention certainly feels good, but if it lasts for a long time, one will eventually feel uncomfortable. The peace and tranquility at this moment makes Feng Qing'an feel more comfortable.
Unconsciously, Feng Qing'an walked to a river in the county and stopped. On the other side of the river, there were young girls and wives washing clothes and rice. Although their faces were ordinary, the laughter and playfulness of these ordinary women had a pleasing and lively atmosphere that made people feel the beauty of the world.
"Look, the handsome young man on the other side is peeking at us!"
"How can you say I'm peeking? Aren't I looking at you blatantly?"
The customs of the Jin Dynasty were not very open, and there were still various restrictions between men and women, including ladies from wealthy families and girls from ordinary families, but ordinary people did not have so many rules. Nowadays, with so many girls and wives on the shore, they were not afraid of gossip.
Immediately, a group of young wives pointed at Feng Qingan, and some of the brave ones even shouted at him.
"Young Master, what are you looking at? Are you attracted to one of our sisters?"
"Young Master, don't look around randomly. Those are all married. Why don't you look at my sister-in-law? She's still single at 28, has pretty features, and is good at washing and cooking!"
There was even a woman who tried to matchmake with Feng Qing'an on the spot, recommending her sister-in-law, but the girl next to her blushed and started playing around with her sister-in-law, making the other women and girls laugh.
"Sister Liu, you can tell at a glance that she is a scholar who is taking the imperial examination. You are not worthy of her."
"How could that be? Look at how young this young man is. I'm afraid he came here with the adults!"
"Hey, young man, are you the student who came to take the county exam a few days ago? Did you pass?"
A woman asked Feng Qingan across the river.
"I was lucky enough to be on the list and become the first in the case!"
Feng Qing'an answered with a smile. If he were an ordinary young man, he would have run away in the face of the teasing of the women, but at this moment, he was calm and composed, with a face as bright as a spring breeze.
"Oh, the first on the list, isn't this the No. 1 scholar from Yongning County?"
A woman screamed in surprise. Feng Qing'an had never expected that even the women of ordinary people had heard of his fame. Although the imperial examination was a big deal, it only affected the participants. For other people, they could just do what they were supposed to do and it would have no impact at all.
"I'm not even a student, so I can't be considered the top scholar!"
Feng Qingan explained.
"But I heard from my family that the brother of the first place winner in this county this year was the first place winner in the 28th year of Yongkang!"
The other side of the river, which had been bustling with activity, became quiet almost instantly. Many women and girls looked at each other, and in just a moment, the river bank, which had been bustling just a moment ago, became silent. There was no one left, except for the young man on the other side with a helpless look on his face.
"You're not allowed to talk too much!"
Feng Qing'an kissed himself lightly, and the worldly atmosphere that he had just felt was gone in the blink of an eye.
He himself may not care, but he dare not care about the people facing him. The moment his brother passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer, his family was no longer an ordinary family and there was a gap between them and ordinary families.
"well!"
Feng Qing'an sighed and prepared to leave. His interest in touring the city was gone.
But at this moment,
Snap!
A pair of patched cloth shoes with a faint sour smell fell not far from Feng Qingan's feet, and then he heard an old voice that sounded commanding.
"My son, pick up my shoes and give them to me!"
Feng Qing'an looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw an old man in coarse linen clothes standing on a stone bridge not far away, looking down at him with an arrogance on his face that would never be seen in a poor family.
"Young man, why don't you quickly take my shoes and give them to me?"
Seeing Feng Qingan looking at him, the seemingly poor old man immediately scolded.
Feng Qing'an lowered his head to look at the tattered cloth shoes on the soles of his feet, which were faintly sticky with dirt and seemed to be emitting a foul smell. He then looked to the left and right, and saw that all the passers-by ignored the shoes, and no one even looked in this direction.
"You kid, stop looking at me. I'm talking about you. I see that you are a scholar, but you have read the teachings of the sages into your stomach. How dare you turn a deaf ear to the request of the elders?"
The old man's noisy voice sounded again. Feng Qing'an raised his head and looked at him steadily. Suddenly he smiled and walked to the broken boots. When the old man was about to show a smile of approval on his face, he lifted his right leg back, then dropped it, kicked it up, and kicked the broken boots dozens of feet away.
“…”
Seeing this completely unexpected scene, the old man's hand that had just been stroking his beard froze, his eyes slightly widened, but the next moment he reacted, his rosy face flushed, he blew his beard and glared, and shouted angrily,
"Little boy, what are you doing?"
But Feng Qing'an ignored the scolding and turned a deaf ear to it. He walked towards the direction where he kicked the shoe away. After walking a hundred steps, he kicked the broken boots away dozens of feet again.
Seeing Feng Qing'an's behavior which was like playing Cuju, the old man in coarse linen clothes raised his hand tremblingly and pointed at Feng Qing'an who was walking farther and farther away. He was so angry that he didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Hahaha, Mr. Golden Ape, your Cloud-Climbing Shoes were kicked away by that brat, why don't you go get them back?"
A mocking voice came from beside the old man. The old man's flushed face suddenly darkened and he glared at the fortune-telling Taoist priest who was walking towards him with a long banner in his hand.
"Is this old man's excitement enjoyable to watch?"
"Hahaha, this is so funny . Next time I meet Cang Yunzi and the others, I will tell them about this funny thing and make fun of you for the rest of your life!"
The fortune-telling Taoist priest was laughing so hard on the stone bridge that he was bent over and over again, with no manners at all. However, the passers-by walking on the stone bridge acted as if the Taoist priest did not exist, and no one even cast a glance at him.
"You are a young boy, ignorant and blind!"
Seeing the Taoist fortune teller he was familiar with laughing at him like that, the old man was so angry that he cursed. What had just happened was something he had never expected.
Such a simple test, anyone with a little bit of intelligence could see that as long as they calmed down a little and helped him put on his boots, he would have the opportunity.
God took pity on him, so he prepared two volumes of Taoist scriptures. However, the boy turned around and kicked the boots he threw away. Not only did he kick them away, he also walked over and continued to kick them. This was simply too much.
"Hahaha, Mr. Golden Ape, how can you blame Mr. Feng for this? It's obviously you who are disrespectful to the elders and bossing people around. How can a young man like you be so arrogant?"
The fortune-teller Taoist priest stood up straight, wiped the tears from his eyes, said a few words, and then began to sway back and forth again. He had not expected the current situation, which was truly an eye-opener for him.
"I just wanted to give him a try. I never thought he would be so unteachable. He looks great on the outside, but he's actually rotten inside. He has no ability to judge people, and no tolerance for others. He will definitely achieve nothing in the future !"
Mr. Kizaru was still cursing, he was really angry.
"Kizaru-sama, this is a fallacy. I see that this young man has probably figured out your origins, so he responded in this way. It's just a response to your rudeness!"
The fortune-telling Taoist priest did not agree with Huang Yuangong's opinion, but his words revealed his admiration for the young man.
"Even if I was rude first, I am also the elder. Why didn't he obey my wishes? Did the Confucian sage books he read teach to kick away the shoes of the elderly?"
Kizaru was not convinced. If the young man was foolish and ignorant and failed to recognize the real person in front of him, it would be fine. But if he saw through him and still did this, wasn't it obvious that he looked down on him?
That makes me even more angry!
