The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Watching County Magistrate Shen leave, Sun Shan breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, I don’t have to worry about poetry all day long.

Oh, it's true, County Magistrate Shen is already old, but he is still like an 18-year-old, obsessed with garlic poems and sour lyrics all day long.

If it is done well, it can be forgiven, but the biggest problem is that if it is really done well, Sun Shan will not be able to appreciate it.

Steward Wang walked in and said, "Master, the New Year's gift to Magistrate Shen has been delivered. Magistrate Shen was very happy to see that you gave him a Duan inkstone."

Sun Shan nodded: "As long as you like it."

If you like to recite poems and paint, you are sure to like writing. If you give an inkstone as a gift, the recipient is sure to like it.

Then he asked, "Did Magistrate Shen give me a return gift?"

Butler Wang shook his head: "No."

He added, "I've inquired about it. Not only did Magistrate Shen not send any to the master, but even the prefect didn't send any."

When Sun Shan heard this, he was speechless.

Well, it’s really hard for Governor Liu to have such a bad magistrate.

From this we can also see that Prefect Liu is indeed broad-minded.

It's really hard for such a tough guy to endure for so long.

Magistrate Shen was not originally on Sun Shan's gift list, but after being pestered by him, he became entangled in etiquette.

So many people have given gifts, so one more won’t make a difference.

Fortunately, this time the Duan inkstone was given to me by Feizi Xiucai, so I don’t have to spend money to buy it, and I don’t feel bad about giving it away.

Sun Shan thought for a moment and said, "If someone gives me some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, I'll keep them. I won't sell them off. Maybe they'll be useful in the future."

Steward Wang immediately understood Sun Shan's intention and said, "Master, I understand."

Most of the master's personal interactions were between officials, and they were all literati, so there would be no mistakes in giving pens, ink, paper, and inkstone as gifts.

The master kept these gifts so that he could give them to his colleagues in the future without having to spend money to buy them.

Sun Shan came to Chenzhou Prefecture and gave a lot of gifts.

He was so heartbroken that he couldn't sleep, but fortunately the Jing family gave him a gift the next day.

Sun Shan quietly looked at the pile of gifts. Rich people are rich people, and they are generous when they spend money.

I really want to fight with such a noble family, so that I can make up for all the losses and even have a surplus.

Jing Yang was again in charge of delivering the gifts. Upon seeing Sun Shan, he said respectfully, "Sir Sun, I heard you were returning to Yuanlu County tomorrow, so I came to visit you and say farewell in advance."

Sun Shan smiled and said, "I've been in Chenzhou for a long time. It's time to go back."

Jing Yang nodded and said solemnly, "Last time, Master Sun reviewed my essay, and I benefited a lot from it. Thank you for your guidance."

Sun Shan waved his hand pretentiously. "Don't be polite. I like serious readers the most, and I also like to read articles to readers. This way, not only can they improve, but I can improve as well. If you read more articles, you will see many unique viewpoints."

Sun Shan randomly picked out one or two well-written articles that he admired.

He said approvingly: "These two points are particularly refreshing. After reading them, I have gained a lot of insights."

I admire you so much that I never thought such a bad article of mine could have its shining points.

His eyes twinkled as he looked at Sun Shan and said, "Sir, this is really good. Are you lying to me?"

He first grew up with praises, and then Sun Shan chopped him down with a knife, tearing the five horses into pieces, and he lost all confidence.

Who would have thought that after going through so many twists and turns that there seemed to be no way out, there would be another village ahead. Today, Sun Shan gave me hope again.

This made Jingyang feel that he could still be saved.

Sun Shan was never stingy in praising his students. If they were good, they were good; if they were bad, they were bad. He had a clear distinction between love and hate.

Seeing Jingyang's merits, he naturally said sincerely: "Master Jing, you must have confidence in yourself. You are smart and can definitely face difficulties and then be brave. I believe that as long as you study hard, you will definitely pass the high school entrance examination in the future."

When Jing Yang heard this, he said with great joy, "My old lady said the same thing. The previous teacher didn't teach me well. Find me a new teacher."

After a pause, he continued, "Master Sun, can I ask you for advice on my studies again in the future?"

Yuanlu is really far from Chenzhou Prefecture, so people don’t ask for advice very often.

Sun Shan nodded. "Okay. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime. I'm always welcome."

Even if he was not welcome, Sun Shan would welcome it when he saw the pile of gifts.

Just like Father Wang and Brother Wang, who gave Sun Shan gifts from time to time, and even though Xing Yazi was very upset, he chose to forgive him.

Seeing that Sun Shan spoke so sincerely, Jingyang thought that he really liked to have good people as his teachers.

He said happily, "Thank you, Lord Sun."

Then he pulled out an article, blushing, and said shyly, "Sir Sun, I rewrote this article based on your comments. Could you take a look at it for me?"

In the past few days, my admiration for Master has been shattered. I have been in seclusion for self-reflection, repeatedly reading the articles reviewed by Sun Shan. The more I read, the more I feel that I have read in vain, and I also vaguely feel that there is something wrong with Master.

After being heartbroken for a long time, he rewrote the essay according to Sun Shan's comments, hoping to prove that he could still read.

This time I volunteered to give Sun Shan a gift, and also wanted Sun Shan to see the level of my writing.

Sun Shan paused for a moment, then took the article he admired.

I hadn't asked him to rewrite it before, but I didn't expect him to be so self-conscious.

Apart from anything else, his ability to learn proactively is far superior to that of many scholars.

Sun Shan didn't rush to read the article. Instead, he solemnly and earnestly praised Jing: "Master Jing, I'm telling you the truth. I'm very pleased with your initiative as a student. The path to the imperial examination lacks perseverance and initiative. Master Jing, I hope you can maintain this initiative. You will definitely achieve great things in the future."

After a pause, he pointed at Wang Jiaxing who was eavesdropping not far away and said, "Your cousin is not as self-conscious as you when studying. Keep it up. I have high hopes for you."

Jingyang was deeply moved by Sun Shan's sincere words.

He nodded seriously and said, "Thank you for your praise, sir. I will study hard and live up to your expectations."

Sun Shan didn't have much expectation for admiration, but he liked Yazi the most when he studied hard.

So I will say a few more words with all my heart, hoping that Yazi will be encouraged and work harder.

Alas, Sun Shan drew so many "pancakes", especially for the kids in Sunjia Village.

But at the moment, the gains should not be much.

Oh, it gives me a headache just thinking about this problem.

Except for myself who is a flying dragon, the rest of the people in Sunjia Village are all ground dragons. How sad.

It seems that the location of the tombs of the ancestors of the Sun family is not very good. Both Sun Banxian and Yang Suanming are mediocre Feng Shui masters with no real skills.

Sun Shan read the article he admired carefully and found that this guy had a very high level of comprehension, as he could draw inferences about other situations from one instance.

Although the language of this article is still gorgeous, it has become much more substantial.

Sun Shan was delighted: "Good, good, good, well written."

Children from well-educated families learn things quickly. They've been exposed to it since childhood, and it's no joke.

If Jingyang could find a teacher to guide him well, Sun Shan was very sure that he would be better than Wang Jiaxing in the future.