Started as a thatched house and ended up as a female figure

The examination rooms are densely packed like a honeycomb, with rows and lines stretching as far as the eye can see. These are the legendary "haoshe" that makes people shudder.

The cell was extremely low and narrow, with adobe walls on three sides and only one side open to the aisle. It had no door, only a half-high fence blocking the way.

Each room is about three feet wide and four feet deep. It is difficult to even lie down, let alone stretch out. People who are slightly taller can hardly stand upright.

There is nothing in the number room, and the candidates need to set up the two number plates by themselves.

One piece is placed on the brick support of the two side walls and serves as a table, and the other piece is placed on the brick support slightly lower below and serves as a stool.

When sleeping at night, the lower number plate needs to be pulled up and placed side by side with the upper number plate, barely forming a "bed" half a foot off the ground. It is difficult to turn over in such a narrow space.

At this moment, most of the rooms already had owners, and all kinds of noises were mixed.

The sound of the test basket colliding with the number plate, the murmur of reciting scriptures, the long sighs...

The air was filled with the smell of sweat, dry food, and dust...mixing into a suffocating "examination room atmosphere".

Following the markings on the exam guide, Cheng Wan finally found his "home" in a corner of the third row - No. 7 Hongzi.

Cheng Wan carefully crawled in, and the space was as cramped as expected.

Cheng Wan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then rolled up his sleeves and started to work.

First, set up the two heavy wooden boards in the pattern of a table above and stools below, then take out a piece of cotton cloth to wipe the table and stools clean, and finally take out the cut oilcloth "door curtain" and hang it at the entrance.

After the basic framework was built, Cheng Wan began to take things out one by one.

Pens, ink, paperweights and inkstones were placed on the table.

Food, ginger soup packets and a cowhide bag filled with water were placed next to the stool.

She carefully placed the heavy "Peace" hand warmer in a slightly dry corner under the table, within easy reach.

This simple shelter would be her battlefield for the next three days and two nights.

Everything was ready. Cheng Wan had just sat down when he heard the rhythmic sound of gongs, "Dang! Dang! Dang!" At the same time, the patrol officers' loud announcement rang out: "Supervising officers, patrol the area! Everyone, get out of the way!"

The Imperial Examination Hall, which was noisy and bustling just a moment ago, suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

All the candidates quickly lowered their bodies, sat upright on their stools, and faced their respective low tables, motionless and silent as if frozen in time.

Cheng Wan also obediently "studied" the wood grain on the table.

The sound of the gong stopped, and the majestic footsteps of the patrol officer came closer and closer, and finally stopped at the entrance of Hongzihao Lane where Cheng Wan was.

Cheng Wan lowered his head, and the rhythm of his heartbeat did not change.

She is sitting here by her own ability, so there is nothing to panic about.

The heavy and orderly footsteps gradually faded away until they disappeared. The patrol officer struck the gong again and announced "Avoid the release!" Then the frozen air in the examination hall seemed to thaw and began to flow again.

Cheng Wan moved his wrist and looked around the small space.

No. 7, Hongzi, is not in the best location, but it is not a "stinky number" next to a toilet or a "fire number" near a stove.

Three mottled adobe walls block most of the sight but cannot block out the sound.

The suppressed coughing from the cell next door, and even the heavy breathing due to tension that came from nowhere, all clearly penetrated my ears.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a crisp sound came from the front, accompanied by a short exclamation and the inspector's stern shout: "What are you panicking about! Pick it up! If you do it again, it will be considered misconduct!"

Apparently one of the candidates was too nervous and knocked over the ink cartridge or water jar.

This little episode was like a stone thrown into a quiet lake, causing a ripple-like disturbance, but was then swallowed up by the greater silence.

Cheng Wan's heart also lifted, and his hands subconsciously protected his pen and ink.

Most of the day was spent in this kind of tension and repeated silence.

The candidates were making their own preparations for the exam, and Cheng Wan was also immersed in the knowledge in his mind.

As the sun was setting, a servant carrying a wicker basket staggered down the corridor, stopping in front of each row of cells and shouting, "Give out charcoal! Give out candles!"

The candidates who did not bring charcoal and candles took out the copper coins they had prepared and handed them over, and received in return a small bundle of thin, ordinary quality charcoal and three red candles.

Charcoal fire is the only source of heat for keeping warm and boiling water and cooking at night, and candles are the key to staying up all night.

Cheng Wan naturally didn't need to buy it on the spot.

Her family prepared all the necessary items for her.

The sky gradually darkened, and the twilight swallowed up the last bit of natural light in the small cell.

The entire tribute hall was gradually lit up by the flickering candlelight.

The faint, flickering lights dotted in the ocean of cells that looked like a giant chessboard created an eerie and desolate magnificence.

Cheng Wan lit a candle and carefully fixed it in a small groove specially carved out on the edge of the table.

Mosquitoes came towards the light, buzzing around the candles, occasionally hitting Cheng Wan's face and hands.

"hiss……"

There was a sudden tingling sensation at my ankle, followed by several more.

Cheng Wan lowered his head and lifted up his trouser legs to see that they were red and swollen lumps left by a few mosquitoes, which were particularly glaring in the dim light.

Cheng Wan scratched his ankle and ate his meal faster.

In fact, Cheng Wan was not very hungry, but she needed to eat to maintain her strength and good physical condition.

It's late at night and the dew is heavy.

Cheng Wan was lying on the number board, covered with a brocade quilt sewn by Wang herself, and holding a "peace" hand warmer in his hand.

There was silence all around, except for the faint and indistinct footsteps of the patrol officer in the distance, which came and went regularly, like a clepsydra recording the passage of time.

There were a few suppressed coughs or mumblings coming from the distant cell, and soon it returned to silence.

Cheng Wan closed his eyes and forced himself to fall asleep to save his strength for the first battle tomorrow.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past.

Cheng Wan opened her eyes and frowned. She felt an unusual chill.

"boom!"

There was a thunderous explosion.

Then cold raindrops came down from the sky with the cold wind.

"It's raining! It's raining!"

"Protect your pen and ink!"

"Be careful not to let the charcoal and candles get wet from the rain!"

......

The originally quiet Gongyuan suddenly became noisy.

The most undesirable situation happened.

Cheng Wan stood up quickly the moment the thunder sounded.

She carefully checked her oilcloth "door curtain" and pressed down the bottom of the "door curtain" with the stones she brought in.

That’s right, under Gu Yan’s guidance, Wang and others even put two stones in Cheng Wan’s examination basket.

At that time, I was thinking, what if it could be useful?

Anyway, Cheng Wan is very strong.

No, it really came in handy...

The dark night sky seemed to be like a floodgate switch opened. Almost in an instant, dense, bean-sized raindrops poured down, hitting the leaves, roofs, and bluestone slabs, making a deafening "crackling" sound.

The whole world was instantly shrouded in a thick, dense rain curtain, and everything in sight was hazy.

The strong wind and cold rain lashed the earth wantonly.

In the Cheng Mansion, candles were lit again in several courtyards.

"Awan is still inside! It's raining so hard..."

Old Mrs. Lin and others looked at the rain outside, and they all felt worried about Cheng Wan in the Imperial Examination Hall.

Gu Yan's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, piercing through the violent rain curtain, staring at the direction of the Imperial Examination Hall, his hands clenched into fists in his sleeves, and veins on the back of his hands bulged.