The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Time flies, and it's already the end of June.

After being busy for half a month, Zhuge Village gradually came to a standstill from the busy farm work.

At the east end of the village, the courtyard of Zhuge Fengshou's house was unusually busy. Grandma Chen was running around directing her sons and daughters-in-law, but no one complained; instead, their faces were full of smiles.

For no other reason than that the Zhuge family is going to eat meat today.

Grandma Chen decided to slaughter the old hen that hadn't laid eggs for over a month.

She claimed that everyone had been too tired lately, so she was killing a chicken to nourish the whole family. But everyone knew the real reason was that her beloved youngest son was coming home tonight. Even so, for the Zhuge family, who hadn't eaten meat in a long time, the reason didn't matter as long as there was meat to eat.

The happiest of all were the children of the Zhuge family. Every time their uncle came home, he would bring them lots of delicious food, such as pastries and candies from restaurants. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Yunshu was sleeping in his room, or more accurately, studying within the "Serving the Country and the People" system.

Looking at the seven ancient children's primers on his desk—the Hundred Family Surnames, the Thousand Character Classic, the Three Character Classic, the Primer for Children, the Thousand Family Poems, the Standards for Being a Good Student and Child, and the Primer of Prosody—he couldn't help but sigh, "Ah! Finally finished." Who said these seven books were short and simple, and suggested they give them a try?

"Congratulations, host, you have mastered the contents of ancient primers. You are rewarded with 10 points and 4 intelligence points. Your current progress is comparable to that of a three- or four-year-old child in a family with a long tradition of scholarship and etiquette. Keep up the good work! Keep it up!"

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

Was she too stupid, or were children in ancient times too clever?

However, it must be said that scholars in ancient times were too pedantic.

Zhuge Yunshu added these values ​​together, and her current information column now reads:

Name: Zhuge Yunshu / Zhuge Dahua

Gender: Female

Appearance: Dark-skinned and skinny (what a waste of a good foundation).

IQ score: 112/200

Talent Values: 30/100

Laziness rating: 60/100

Points: 30

Skill: Calligraphy (0/100)

Random tasks:

1. Completed studying ancient early childhood education books before the clan school exam (already completed).

2. Obtained a place in the ethnic studies examination (incomplete)

3. Become the top scorer in the entrance exam (incomplete)

4. Gained the appreciation of the clan school master (incomplete)

Zhuge Yunshu looked at his information column and found that his laziness value had decreased, which puzzled him.

"System, laziness can be lowered?"

"Of course you can. After more than ten days of learning, haven't you noticed that you've become more diligent?"

Zhuge Yunshu: "...It seems so!"

However, she was a little annoyed to see that her progress in calligraphy was still zero. Her hand would shake whenever she picked up a brush, and the characters she wrote would smudge and become unbearable to look at. Her calligraphy teacher even scolded her, saying, "You are a piece of rotten wood that cannot be carved."

Can you blame her? Although her IQ and talent have increased, it's normal for a modern person who is used to writing with a pen to feel uncomfortable when suddenly using a calligraphy brush.

If she had known this would happen, she would have started learning calligraphy from the day she activated the Serving the Country and the People system.

"System, could you change the paper used in calligraphy class to a better quality one? That paper bleeds too easily," Zhuge Yunshu suggested.

"No, this is configured according to the era in which the host is living."

Ok!

After Zhuge Yunshu selected a calligraphy course, the space changed; instead of a desk, a lesson plan was added.

The lesson plan had the four large characters "Calligraphy School" written on it.

At this moment, an old man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, appeared in front of her. "What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and get done," the old man said angrily.

Zhuge Yunshu obediently sat still, otherwise he would be slapped on the hand. Although there were no marks, it really hurt.

“Last time I was too hasty. Today, let’s start with the basics of calligraphy.” The old man composed himself and said to Zhuge Yunshu.

"First, let's learn how to hold the pen and the proper writing posture. Look at my hand; mainly use all five fingers to hold the pen, using pressing, pushing, hooking, and bracing techniques to keep it steady. Each finger has its own function... Remember three things when writing: head upright, body straight, and feet... What I've said isn't entirely absolute. Some exceptionally talented individuals don't care about these details at all. Alright, that's all I have to say. Now, practice diligently!" After saying this, the old man disappeared from the Serving the Nation and the People system.

"Host, practicing calligraphy requires long-term persistence. Although you are not naturally gifted, you must believe that hard work can make up for any shortcomings. Keep it up!"

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

The system has been working like it's on steroids lately!

"Dahua, Dahua, come out quickly! Your uncle is back, time to eat!" Zhuge Yunshu, who was still diligently practicing calligraphy, was interrupted by Lin's shout and had to stop studying.

"I know, mother!"

Zhuge Yunshu quickly tidied himself up and headed towards the main hall.

As soon as I entered, I saw that everyone was already seated around the long table. Next to Grandpa Zhuge sat a handsome young man with fair skin, dressed in a long robe. This was his uncle, Zhuge Laigui.

At this moment, everyone was enthusiastically asking their uncle about his experiences outside. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Zhuge Yunshu sat down next to his parents.

"Lai Gui, did Manager Lin grant you a few days off?" Grandpa asked with concern.

“I have explained the situation at home to Manager Lin and asked for three days off.”

"That's enough. Back then, you only went to the clan school to audit classes for a few days before you passed the exam. Erzhu, Shuanzi, Gou Dan, you must learn from your uncle." Grandpa instructed.

The three cousins ​​nodded in agreement without hesitation. In their minds, studying was a very important thing, as evidenced by how well their uncle was treated at home.

After saying all this, Grandma Chen began to distribute the food.

Today's lunch was especially lavish, with four dishes and a soup, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. We only get this kind of treatment during holidays.

This also shows the younger brother's status in the family.

Just as the family was enjoying their meal, her father, Zhuge Laifu, made a surprising statement: "My son wants Dahua to participate in the clan school exam this time."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room stopped eating and looked at him.

Zhuge Yunshu was so surprised that he didn't react for a moment.

Zhuge Laifu looked at everyone, puzzled, and said, "Why are you looking at me? I'm serious. I've been thinking about this for the past few days. I only have one daughter, Dahua, and I'm counting on her for the future. Should we be deprived of our third branch's quota just because she's a girl?"

Grandma Chen's good mood vanished.

He glared at his troublesome third son and said, "What's the use of a girl going to school? She'll get married in a few years. Do you expect her to support her brothers?"

Zhuge Yunshu immediately said, "Grandma, I don't plan to get married. I've decided to find a husband for myself in the future. Don't worry, I will definitely earn a lot of money for the family, just like my uncle."

What she really wanted to say was that she would never get married, but she was afraid her family would think she was crazy.

The whole family stared at her in shock, with Zhuge Laigui even more incredulous. His third brother's daughter, Dahua, was so young, yet she was already thinking so much; clearly, the adults had told her to say that.

Zhuge Laifu said happily, "Mother, did you see that? Dahua sacrificed so much for our whole family."

At this moment, Madam Lin also chimed in softly, "Most importantly, our Da Hua is clearly better at studying than her uncle and her cousins."

Hearing Lin's words, the family was so angry that their hearts ached.

Zhuge Yunshu felt that her mother was not there to help, but rather to drag her and her father down. Every time she opened her mouth, she offended the whole family.

At this moment, Grandpa Zhuge glanced at Zhuge Yunshu and asked, "Dahua, do you want to go to the clan school?"

"I think that if I go to the clan school, I can earn a lot of money for the family like my uncle, so that the family can eat meat every day. Besides, studying isn't difficult. I still remember what the clan school teacher taught." As soon as Zhuge Yunshu finished speaking, even though her parents kicked her, they clearly didn't believe her.

Indeed, without a system dedicated to serving the country and its people, she wouldn't dare say such a thing even if she had ten times the courage.

Grandpa Zhuge didn't believe it at all; he guessed that it was his third son and his wife who taught Da Hua to say that.

"What does the clan school teacher teach about Da Hua?" Although the old man didn't believe it, he couldn't expose him directly.

"At birth, people are inherently good. Their natures are similar, but their habits make them different. If they are not taught, their natures will change. The way to teach is to focus on one thing at a time... The Analects has twenty chapters. His disciples recorded his good words. Mencius has only seven chapters."

Zhuge Yunshu stopped reciting this part, and said embarrassedly, "Grandpa, I only heard this part. The clan school teacher calls this the Three Character Classic."

The Zhuge family: "..."

The first to react was his uncle, Zhuge Laigui, who asked, "Dahua, do you often attend classes outside the clan school?"

"No! My eldest cousin only took me there a few times, and that was because the chicken grass there was good." This was also true; Zhuge Yunshu had also pulled this fragment out of the depths of her memory.

"Da Ya, is it true?" Zhuge Laigui asked excitedly.

Da Ya was stunned for a moment, "...It seems...yes." It had been too long, and she didn't remember it very clearly.