The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Zhuge Yunshu was woken up by the system. He was supposed to get up early to learn from his uncle; he couldn't be late on the first day.

By then, the adults in the family had gradually gotten up. My eldest aunt and second aunt were preparing breakfast for the family in the kitchen. My cousins ​​were cleaning the yard and chicken coop, while the men in the yard were chopping wood and carrying water, each doing their own thing.

Second Aunt looked at Zhuge Dahua standing outside the third room's door and teased, "Dahua, why are you up so early today?"

"I'm going to study with my uncle today, so I need to get up early to prepare." After saying that, she walked towards her uncle's west wing.

“It seems that Da Hua really likes reading, unlike your second and third cousins, who are still fast asleep in the house.” Aunt Zhang became angrier as she spoke, and suddenly shouted, “Er Zhu, Shuan Zi, get up now, or I’ll beat you two lazybones to death.”

Zhuge Yunshu ignored his second aunt's loud voice and went straight to his uncle Zhuge Laigui's residence.

The door was already half open. Pushing it open, a faint scent of books wafted into the room. Looking up, one could see a few books scattered on a simple bookshelf. Upon closer inspection, one could see that Uncle Zhuge Laigui was sitting at a worn-out wooden table, reading a book.

There were four small stools next to him, presumably prepared for them.

"Uncle," Zhuge Yunshu greeted.

The younger uncle nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Soon after, his three cousins ​​arrived. Once everyone was there, his uncle, Zhuge Laigui, instructed his three nephews and one niece to sit on small stools.

"The clan school exam is actually an assessment of the children's academic talent. Based on the exam results, they are divided into two classes, A and B. The top five are placed in class A, and the bottom fifteen are placed in class B. It is said that the top five will receive an extra reward this year."

After Zhuge Laigui finished speaking, he looked at his nephews and nieces, "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

Zhuge Yunshu quickly raised his hand to indicate, "Uncle, do we need to prepare our own writing materials, such as brushes, ink, paper, and books, for studying?"

"No, all the learning materials will be provided by the clan school. However, you must take good care of the books, as they will be returned to the clan school after graduation."

"Can students in Class B be promoted to Class A?" the third cousin asked.

"Yes, there is one assessment opportunity every year. If you are not promoted to Class A within three years, you will be expelled from the clan school."

"Uncle, were you expelled after studying in Class B for three years without getting into Class A?" the fourth cousin asked, his voice piercing.

Zhuge Laigui: "...Yes."

"How many years can you study in Class A?" my second cousin asked.

"If they haven't passed the exam for the town's official school after six years, they will be expelled from the clan school as well."

"What's the difference between the town's official school and the clan school?" Zhuge Yunshu asked, puzzled.

“The village clan school was a kind of early childhood education school, which was recognized by the government. If you wanted to go further and take the exams for the title of Tongsheng or Xiucai, you had to go to the town school.”

"Can't we skip the town school and directly take the exams for the title of Tongsheng or Xiucai?" Zhuge Yunshu asked.

"No, only those with the town school's identity certificate can participate in the most basic examinations for children and scholars. Those of us who didn't pass the town school exams can't even get in touch with the Four Books and Five Classics."

"Isn't there a bookstore in town? If you can't attend the town school and can't see those books, you can buy them at the bookstore!"

"All bookstores are owned by the government, and there are different levels for going to a bookstore to read or buy books. Everyone can buy books for enlightenment, but if you want to read books like the Four Books and Five Classics, you need to prove your status as a town school official."

“If one person in the family attends a town school, the whole family can read related books, and they can be bought and sold privately at high prices, but this is not in accordance with national laws.”

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

This country's control over knowledge was almost abnormal, and it could be said that the status of scholars in this era was extremely high.

It is easy to imagine how difficult it was to pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar in a backward rural area.

"So, it's true that there are very few farm boys with the same talent for studying as your second grandfather," Uncle Zhuge Laigui remarked.

Zhuge Yunshu thought to himself, "Luckily, I don't need to take the imperial examination. I can just work as an accountant in town like my uncle in the future."

"hehe!"

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

For some reason, she always felt that this system, which was supposed to serve the country and its people, was brewing some big surprise. Oh well, what's done is done!

"Uncle, Grandma asked me to call you over for dinner," came the voice of my eldest cousin from outside the door.

"Alright, let's go eat first. After we finish eating, we'll officially begin our studies," said Uncle Zhuge Laigui.

Since there wasn't much work left in the fields, after dinner, Grandpa Zhuge led her eldest uncle, second uncle, and father to continue looking for work in the fields. Her mother, Lin, taught her cousins ​​needlework, while her grandmother, Old Chen, led her eldest aunt, Su, and second aunt, Zhang, in weaving cloth.

The cloth woven by farmers is mainly hemp cloth. Its advantages are wear resistance and good breathability, while its disadvantages are stiffness and roughness. It is mainly worn by the family members, but can also be sold to cloth shops in town to earn some money.

Now, all they have left in their family is the long gown worn by their younger brother, Zhuge Laigui. There's no other way; the people frequenting the town's restaurants are all powerful and influential, and one must be mindful of their personal image in relation to the restaurant's reputation!

After finishing his meal, Zhuge Yunshu continued to study with his three cousins, following his uncle to his room.

As soon as they entered the room, Uncle Zhuge Laigui said, "The entrance exams for the clan school may vary each year, so for families like ours, luck plays a big part in getting into the clan school. In the next few days, learn as much as you can. Now, we'll start by learning the Three Character Classic."

"I'll say a line, and you repeat after me. 'At birth, human nature is inherently good...'"

As she read, Zhuge Yunshu noticed that her cousins ​​were about to fall asleep. She also realized that her uncle wasn't very good at teaching, so she interrupted, "Uncle, what do all these sentences mean? If they don't understand the meaning, they'll have a hard time remembering them."

Three cousins: Picking their fingers~

"Ah! That's how my former teacher taught me," said Uncle Zhuge Laigui, looking quite bewildered.

The class he was in was the worst in the clan school. The teacher's task was to teach them to recognize all the characters in the book within three years.

The reason he was able to become the restaurant's accountant was partly due to his literacy, good looks, and luck.

Zhuge Yunshu sighed helplessly as he looked at his uncle's bewildered expression.

She thought to herself that she could only give her cousins ​​extra tutoring when she had some free time. The teachers in the system space were very lively and interesting, which would probably increase their interest even more.

But what excuse could we use?

Even if she has a good memory, it's impossible for her to be so gifted that she can directly understand the meaning of sentences!

Zhuge Yunshu slapped his forehead, realizing he had been misled by his uncle. His class was the worst in the clan school, only teaching literacy.

However, students in other classes are being nurtured as promising talents.

Yes, just do it.

The excuse was still eavesdropping.

She refused to believe that her illiterate relatives could go to the clan school to verify the authenticity of the document.

My uncle, Zhuge Laigui, taught me one-third of the Three Character Classic that afternoon, and asked me to recite it by surprise the next morning.

Zhuge Yunshu took advantage of the time after dinner to find his cousins, saying, "Second cousin, third cousin, fourth cousin, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

The fourth cousin said, "No need, Da Hua. I'm too tired after studying all day. I'm going to sleep." Then he ran off.

My second cousin also looked troubled, stammered, and went back without saying a word.

Now only her and her third cousin are left. "Dahua, I'm not very smart, there are many things I don't know. Won't this be too much of a burden for you?"

"No, I know all of these. It's okay, we're all family, we should help each other." Zhuge Yunshu said firmly.

She was a pre-selected candidate by her family, and there was no competition between her and her three cousins.

Even with competition, she believed that with the system's help, she could still win.

Moreover, a place in the academy is equivalent to a restaurant accountant. If she and her third cousin are both selected, then... the Zhuge family will have three accountants... earning at least thirty taels of silver a year.

Ahhh! My hands are trembling, my heart is pounding!

She had to work hard so she could have money and eat meat every day!

The system looked at its useless host and couldn't stop crying inside.

How could it be so miserable, being tied to such an unambitious person?

……

Zhuge Yunli (Shuanzi) had no idea what his cousin, Dahua, was thinking. At that moment, he was looking at her with a touched expression.

As time went on, Zhuge Yunshu discovered that her third cousin was good at shorthand, but he forgot easily, somewhat like her in her previous life.

So she told her third cousin every allusion applicable to the era as a story, and then guided him to understand the meaning of the sentences at appropriate points.

It wasn't until Zhuge Laifu urged her to go to sleep that she reluctantly let her third cousin go.

Wow, this is money!

……

As the saying goes, time flies when you're interested in something.

During the day, Zhuge Yunshu would read the books collected by his uncle or practice calligraphy, and at night he would give his third cousin extra lessons. In this way, his uncle Zhuge Laigui's vacation finally came to an end.

The second and third cousins ​​were ultimately chosen to take the clan school exam. The fourth cousin was smart, but he was playful and was eliminated.

Before leaving, Uncle Zhuge Laigui said to the family with emotion, "Dahua has a high talent for studying. If we nurture her well, she may be able to pass the exam for the town's official school."

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

She strongly suspected that her uncle was doing it on purpose, because she had said that her dream was to be a bookkeeper in town like him.

Looking at the eager eyes of her family, she felt incredibly flustered.