The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

It's dinnertime now, and the road to Ya Shi Ju is bustling with people, but the lines between men and women are clearly defined, with each group forming its own small community.

However, Class 2 of Xiaotian was different; a group of male students followed closely behind two female students.

Such a grand display inevitably attracted criticism and gossip from a group of people.

"Hey!"

Zhuge Yunshu's heel was stepped on again. If it weren't for Senior Sister Yi's quick action, she would have fallen flat on her face.

"I'm sorry, Junior Sister Yun Shu, we didn't mean it," Zhang Hao explained as he was pushed forward by the other senior brothers.

"Senior brothers, if there's anything you want to say, just say it. We're all classmates, there's no need to act like this." Zhuge Yunshu looked at the senior brothers behind her, who seemed hesitant to speak, and she was worried for them.

"Um, well, Junior Sister Yun Shu, I'd like to invite you and Junior Sister Wang to dine on the second floor of Ya Shi Ju." Zhang Hao scratched his head and said apologetically.

Upon hearing this, the other senior brothers glared at Zhang Hao with dissatisfaction. It was Lu Jin'an who stepped forward, looking shy, and said, "Junior sister, we also want to invite you and Junior Sister Wang to have dinner on the second floor of Ya Shi Ju."

It's not like it's a joyous occasion, so what's wrong with my senior brothers? They're blushing and shy, which is really strange.

Zhuge Yunshu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought to himself, "Could it be that my senior brothers have something on their minds regarding Senior Sister Yi?"

I've heard that people in ancient times matured early, reaching marriageable age at sixteen or seventeen. So, wouldn't eleven or twelve be the awkward stage when people start thinking about falling in love?

Zhuge Yunshu looked at the expressionless Senior Sister Yi and found her more and more beautiful.

Then look at my senior brothers, um, no, their looks are too lacking, not one of them is a match.

Meanwhile, Wang Yi was also wary of his fellow disciples behind him, thinking to himself, "They're not being nice to us for no reason; they're definitely up to no good."

Then, looking at the awkward senior and junior brothers behind me, could it be...?

Wang Yi was filled with disbelief. How old was Junior Sister Yun Shu? What a beast!

Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, Zhuge Yunshu beat him to it.

"Thank you, senior brothers, but no need. You're not a good match. You should give up on this idea as soon as possible!"

Zhuge Yunshu had already seen through her senior brothers' little schemes. They admired Senior Sister Yi and were afraid that she would reject them, so they wanted to start with the people around them.

You must have seen this kind of trick far too many times in your past life.

"Think about the ambitions you've mentioned today. While you're still young, you should prioritize your studies."

First love is wonderful, but at this stage, studying should be the priority!

Hearing Zhuge Yunshu's words, everyone present was completely confused.

Of course, Wang Yi was not among the group.

She looked at Zhuge Yunshu with a gratified expression and continued, "Junior Sister Yunshu is right, you two are really not suitable. Right now, you should focus on your studies and consider other things later."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and exclaimed: "Senior sister/junior sister, you are so beautiful/so smart, but you are easy to be coveted."

Zhang Hao: "..."

He wondered what Yun Shu and Wang Shimei were talking about; he suspected they weren't on the same page.

Lu Jin'an: "..."

Are "junior sister" and "senior sister" meaning they're refusing? But something just feels off.

The other students in Class 2: "..."

What's inappropriate? Dissuade them from this idea. The main point is to encourage them to study hard. Why can't they understand?

"Junior sister, senior sister, we were being presumptuous. We knew everyone was busy with their studies, yet we still went to bother you. We are truly sorry," the honest Lu Jin'an said apologetically, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

The others also apologized, saying that they hadn't considered things carefully.

Zhuge Yunshu and Wang Yi also realized that something was wrong.

They may have made a huge blunder.

Just as the two were trying to salvage their image, Zhang Hao, who had anticipated this, beat them to it.

"Junior Sister Yun Shu, Junior Sister Wang, you two don't actually think we like you, do you!" Then he looked them up and down, "Tsk tsk, just a bunch of young girls, and they're quite narcissistic."

The moment the words left her lips, silence fell within a two-meter radius of them, and an awkward atmosphere filled the air.

"What?"

"what?"

Zhuge Yunshu and Wang Yi both looked puzzled at the same time, expressing their doubts with question marks.

Afterwards, they secretly glanced at each other and both saw guilt in each other's eyes.

With the noble mindset that as long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed, Zhuge Yunshu raised her head and looked at Zhang Hao with a sad expression: "Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Sister Yi and I treat you senior brothers like our own brothers, so we like you very much. Don't you like us?"

After saying that, she secretly pinched her thigh, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Seeing this, the senior brothers all looked at Zhang Hao with accusatory eyes, "Don't listen to your nonsense, Senior Brother Zhang. You are our junior sisters, just like our own sisters. How could we not like you?"

"Senior Brother Zhang, please read fewer storybooks in the future, lest you corrupt your junior sisters."

"The junior sisters are still young, so don't say these things to them in the future."

"..."

Zhang Hao: "..."

Could it be that he was overthinking things? But thinking about it carefully, Junior Sister Wang is a bookworm, and Junior Sister Yun Shu is only eight years old. How could she know as much as he does from reading storybooks?

"Senior Brother Zhang, what were you trying to say just now? I don't think I heard you quite clearly." Zhuge Yunshu quickly changed the subject.

“There are still many things we don’t understand in today’s class, so we would like to ask you for help, especially with ‘The Great Learning,’ which is much more obscure and difficult to understand than the primers for children,” Zhang Hao said apologetically.

After all, they have so much homework today, and they still want to take up the junior girls' study time. Any student would probably refuse!

Upon hearing this, the other senior brothers also chimed in, "Junior sister, just pretend you didn't hear what you said before. Let's hurry to Ya Shi Ju for dinner. I bet Junior Brother Lin has already reserved a table."

Wang Yi: "..."

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

After all that, it turned out I was just trying to ask for your knowledge, so why am I blushing? I've caused them to misunderstand.

"Host, do you think everyone is as shameless as you? In the minds of scholars in this era, disturbing someone's studies is more unforgivable than robbing them of their money."

"The reason they've lowered themselves to beg you is probably to prepare for tomorrow's examination by Master Wang, or perhaps they're simply ambitious and love reading."

So that's how it is. She just wanted to ask a question, why was she being so hesitant?

Considering the system's explanation, she decided to forgive it for saying it was shameless!

"Senior brothers, after we finish eating, let's go to the library to study for an hour."

"Also, we are classmates, under the same teacher. As I said before, we are like family. If you need anything in the future, just ask. If my junior sister can help, I will definitely do my best," Zhuge Yunshu assured her.

Upon hearing Zhuge Yunshu's words, everyone was first taken aback, and then their faces were filled with emotion.

The subtle thoughts among scholars are obvious to everyone, and they are all secretly working hard to surpass each other.

No one else would help them like my junior sister did, without reservation.

That's why they all secretly vowed that no matter what they achieved in the future, they would do their best to help their junior sister when she encountered difficulties, as long as it didn't cross their bottom line.