The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

"Alright, go and call Ziqing and Ziyun in," Master Li said to Zhuge Yunshu.

Looking at his two disheveled disciples, Master Li sighed helplessly, "Studying is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. Today you have slacked off, but you don't know that countless other students are working hard behind the scenes. I hope you can always keep your original intentions and know what your initial purpose for studying was."

"Your disciples will remember your teachings." The two senior brothers blushed and respectfully stepped forward to bow.

"Alright, come with me!"

After saying that, he led Zhuge Yunshu, Ziqing, and Ziyun into the Class A school.

“Five days from now, the Yunshui Town Official School will hold a clan-based literary gathering. Your Class A students should be familiar with this. Those who wish to participate can register now,” Master Li said directly.

Upon hearing Master Li's words, all the disciples in Class A below lowered their heads, adopting an indifferent attitude, and went about their own business.

I didn't have much hope to begin with, but seeing this result, it would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed.

“You don’t even dare to compete for the three spots between clan schools, let alone in the future…” Master Li looked at the dozen or so disciples in Class A, who were the hope of Zhuge Village Clan School.

If other tribal schools knew about their situation, they would probably laugh their heads off.

The disciples below looked at the angry Master Li, somewhat puzzled.

In previous years, weren't the top three students from each clan school directly assigned to participate? Why are they asking for their opinions today?

At this moment, a disciple of about sixteen years old stood up and said, “Master, everyone’s achievements are obvious to all. In previous years, the top three students participated. We will not go and embarrass the clan school.”

"That's right. Even the best disciples from the clan school didn't achieve satisfactory results, let alone the rest of us."

"For the sake of our clan's reputation, we absolutely must not participate in this literary gathering."

"..."

The disciples below the hall discussed it animatedly, and the more they talked, the more convinced they became that their idea was correct.

"That's all I have to say. Think it over carefully. Registrations made today are valid." With that, he turned and left.

Zhuge Yunshu and his two senior brothers hurriedly chased after them.

Master Li sat in his study, calming himself down. Seeing his three most valued disciples follow him, his mood improved considerably.

"Knowing that you will be ridiculed for participating in the clan school literary gathering, why do you still participate?"

Senior Brother Ziqing smiled and said, "I'm not hoping for any ranking. I just want to gain experience and see where I fall short of those talented students so I can catch up in time."

“My thoughts are much simpler: participating in the clan's literary gathering will allow me to make many outstanding friends,” Senior Brother Ziyun said with a smile.

Zhuge Yunshu thought for a moment and then answered truthfully: "The reason I participated is because I wanted to be among the top three in the clan school literary gathering and have a place in the town school."

Of course, there's also money, a statement Zhuge Yunshu didn't say aloud.

Master Li: "..."

Ziqing and Ziyun: "..."

What inspires such high aspirations in one's own disciple/junior sister?

“Yun Shu! I know you’re smart, but if you want to get into the top three, early childhood education books won’t be enough. Besides, last year we added mathematics as a subject, and my abilities are limited, so I can only teach you some basic mathematics.” Master Li sighed helplessly.

Zhuge Yunshu thought it was something else, but when he heard it was mathematics, his eyes lit up: "Master, no matter what the final result is, I will do my best."

She couldn't guarantee anything else, but when it came to mathematics, she was absolutely fine.

"Think it through. The clan school literary gathering is coming soon. I will be teaching you individually for the next few days. The homework will be twice as much as before, so be prepared to work hard."

After saying that, he took out the math books he had prepared and gave them a crash course.

After school, Zhuge Yunshu went home and told everyone about his participation in the clan's literary gathering, which immediately excited the Zhuge family.

Especially her mother, Madam Lin, whose smile never stopped: "Dahua, I'll make you a new dress in the next few days, I guarantee you'll stand out at the clan school literary gathering."

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

She could never keep up with her mother's train of thought. Shouldn't she show off her grades if she wanted to?

“Yes, yes, we still have a piece of red fabric left at home, let’s make this.” Grandma Chen said excitedly.

"Grandma, Mother, there's no need for that. Everyone will be wearing the clan school robes on the day of the literary gathering." Zhuge Yunshu imagined herself in a red dress among a group of drab students and felt an uncontrollable chill.

"Let's do it the way Da Hua says." With a single command from Grandpa Zhuge, Grandma Chen's idea was immediately dispelled.

Zhuge Yunshu had just entered the Serving the Country and the People system when he heard a series of tasks issued by the system:

"Ding! You have gained the appreciation of a teacher in the town's academy. You are rewarded with 300 points."

"Ding! You have been ranked among the top three in the Clan Academy Literary Competition. You will be awarded 500 points."

"Ding! You've become the center of attention thanks to your knowledge. You've been rewarded with 500 points."

Zhuge Yunshu was speechless with surprise at the system's generosity.

"What's there to get excited about? The more difficult the mission, the more points you'll get as a reward." The system looked at Zhuge Yunshu's unambitious appearance and said speechlessly.

"So what if I'm excited? Did I eat your rice?" Zhuge Yunshu retorted.

After saying that, he ignored the system and continued copying the Analects. Once he finished, Zhuge Yunshu left the system and studied by lamplight at his desk in his room.

There's nothing we can do; she's already cultivated a persona of hard work.

It wasn't until late at night that Zhuge Yunshu returned to the system to practice her calligraphy.

These past few days, Zhuge Yunshu and his two senior brothers have been studying with their teacher.

Although it was extremely busy, it was very fulfilling.

But to her utter surprise, she was defeated by the abacus.

Zhuge Yunshu was envious as he watched his two senior brothers' hands fly across the abacus.

She carefully recalled the steps taught by Master Li, and her hands moved as smoothly as when she first learned to use a computer, with the two-finger typing being the most comfortable.

"Forget it, as long as the final answer is correct, that's fine. I'd rather review a few more books than learn how to use an abacus," Zhuge Yunshu thought to himself.

So he found a secluded corner in the clan school, sat on a stone bench, and began to recall the books he had read before, reciting them aloud.

A few disciples who happened to be passing by and watching the commotion wanted to say hello, but when they realized that their junior sister seemed unable to hear what was happening outside, they left awkwardly.

“Isn’t this your cousin, Da Hua?” A student from Class B asked Zhuge Yunli.

Zhuge Yunli looked at his cousin, Da Hua, who was sitting on a rock reciting her lessons, and whispered to his classmate, "Let's walk quietly and not disturb her. She's entered a state of sudden enlightenment while reading."

"What? He's just obsessed with reading and has become a bookworm," the man retorted.

"Tch, what do you know? Do you know about the clan school literary competition? My cousin is going to represent the clan school in the town school's literary competition, and she's studying hard to get good results," Zhuge Yunli explained.

"Wow, your cousin is amazing! Let's go quickly! Don't disturb her." After saying that, she pulled Zhuge Yunli away.

Thus, without Zhuge Yunshu's knowledge, her good cousin spread the word throughout the entire clan school that she wanted to achieve good results in the clan school literary gathering.

She also became quite famous in the clan school.