Women Wearing Men: The Growth Path of the Bastards of the Aristocratic Family

Chapter 149
Gu Yunji had never seen Gu Ming'an again since the wishful event ended, and whenever someone asked him, Gu's parents would only say that he was ill and he had to stay in his room to recuperate, and no one was allowed to visit him.

Although everyone in the school had some doubts about the truth about Ruyi's loss, seeing that Gu Ming'an stayed behind closed doors and Cheng Yan continued to come back to class in a good manner, they guessed about seven or eight points in their hearts. never happened.

Without Gu Ming'an to disturb and find faults, Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan's school life became particularly comfortable. They went to class and studied step by step every day, prepared for exams and studied, and lived a fulfilling life.

Time flies, and it is the beginning of August in the blink of an eye, and the rural examination will start soon.

The township examination, also known as Qiuwei, is a large-scale examination held by the local government at the prefecture level. Whether it is in terms of paper questions or passing probability, it is much sadder than the county examination.Under normal circumstances, a total of [-] candidates were admitted for the Songjiang Prefecture Examination, but there were as many as a thousand scholars who came to take the examination, and the admission rate was less than one-tenth. It is not an exaggeration to say that thousands of troops cross the single-plank bridge.

It is so difficult to pass, but there are still tens of thousands of people who are tireless about it, and refuse to give up from black hair to white beard, mainly because the rewards brought by the exam are too great.

To be a scholar in the examination can only be said to have successfully stepped into the ranks of intellectuals, but to be a scholar in the examination is to truly leap into the ruling class.

With the fame of Juren, one is qualified to be an official. If you don’t want to continue to take the imperial examination, you can choose to be an alternate official directly. If you are lucky, you only need to wait a few years to get an official position such as magistrate.

No matter how small the official position is, it is different from the "lord" of ordinary people. Ordinary people will kowtow to salute when they meet, and their status is not the same as before Zhongju.

It is a fatal temptation for any scholar to become a master overnight. In order to make up for the travel expenses for the exam, it is not uncommon to sell the iron out of the pot.After pouring so much effort into it, it would be good if it hits, but if it doesn't hit, it will be a devastating blow.

Every time after the results of the township examination are released, there are many scholars who are overjoyed, mad and vomiting blood.As the saying goes, everyone laughs at Fan Jin, everyone is Fan Jin.

Gu Kaizhen and Gu Yunxiao have a deep understanding of this feeling. Seeing that the provincial examination is approaching, although Gu Yunji is not by their side, they are still concerned about it. They often write letters to greet and comfort him, for fear that he will be under too much pressure.

He was also worried that he was far away from his father and brother and "lived under the fence", and was not well taken care of by the Gu family in Fucheng. From time to time, he would bring him some food and supplements to prevent him from suffering from exhaustion during the exam.

Even Xu Chengyu's father and daughter, who are far away in the capital, sent letters to tell him how to adjust his state to relieve stress. Xu Shuhua even wrote a full four pages. On the surface, he was talking about his daily life. It's all about him, so he shouldn't have too much psychological burden.

In contrast, Cheng Yan's side seemed much deserted.He didn't take the initiative to go back to visit his relatives, and his family didn't send any letters or things to him. Except for the letter sent back by Su Qi to the two of them a few days ago, it seemed that no one cared about his recent situation.

Gu Yunji guessed that it might be because Cheng Yan's family was poor, and his family members were not well literate, and they were too tired to visit him in person, even if they wanted to care, there was no way.In order to prevent him from getting lost alone, Gu Yunji waited for half a day to be free, and dragged him out of Gu's mansion to go shopping and relax.

As the township examination was approaching, scholars from the entire Songjiang Prefecture gathered in the Fucheng. The streets and alleys were crowded with people, and hawkers shouted one after another. Although it was not a festival, it was a bit more lively than ordinary festivals.

It was rare to get out of the sea of ​​books and questions, Gu Yunji cherished this rare leisure time, put aside any provincial examinations and imperial examinations, emptied his mind, and played with Cheng Yan to his heart's content.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Gu Yunji suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar face at the corner of the street, so he led Cheng Yan forward: "It's you? What a coincidence."

The man was stunned, and looked at the two of them strangely for several times before he said with some uncertainty, "...Gu Yunji? And...Cheng Yan?"

Cheng Yan smiled: "Yes. Long time no see, Jiang Kangshi."

Gu Yunji raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, his eyes wandered between the two: "You know each other?"

Cheng Yan said: "Don't forget that I used to study in Huating County School, and Jiang Kangshi and I were both in Class C, so we naturally knew each other."

Jiang Kangshi rubbed his hands together, and smiled awkwardly: "When Cheng Yan was in the county school, the master often praised him for his good homework. Later, we heard that he was admitted to Luxi Academy, and we never saw each other again. , I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

In just two or three years, Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan seemed to be two different people, not only the difference in height and appearance, but also the temperament they exuded.Their faces are like crowns of jade, their bodies are dashing and upright, their speech and demeanor are dignified, and their whole body reveals confidence and calmness.

Three years ago, one was a timid little bastard, and the other was a poor boy who was bullied by others. At this moment, the two stood side by side, as if they had been completely reborn. They were so different from Jiang Kangshi's impression that they were so different. For a moment, he didn't dare to recognize each other.

When talking about the days at the county school, Gu Yunji was also filled with emotion: "I didn't expect time to pass so fast, two or three years passed in a flash, and it feels like the days of attending classes at the county school were still yesterday."

When old friends met, they naturally had a lot to say. The three of them talked about their experiences in the past few years, and they had been talking for a long time before they knew it.

Enrolling in Luxi Academy; meeting His Majesty today; funfair competitions; resettling refugees...everything was unimaginable for Jiang Kangshi. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly unconsciously.

The classmates who used to sit in the same school have experienced so many things and grown so much in just a few years.In comparison, Jiang Kangshi's "brilliant achievements" of maintaining his status as Class A for two years are really a bit out of reach.

The more we talked, the more Jiang Kangshi felt the gap between himself and the two was obvious, as if they were people from two worlds.At the end of the chat, he didn't talk much, just rubbed his hands cautiously, showing a naive smile from time to time.

Sensing Jiang Kangshi's emotional changes, Gu Yunji sighed silently, but didn't show it on his face, chatted casually for a few more words, and then broke up with him.

Looking at Jiang Kangshi's back as he left, Gu Yunji felt disappointed.

The generous and hearty young man in my memory now looks awkward and respectful in front of me, no longer the familiarity and intimacy of the past, as if he and him are strangers I just met.

Time has changed Gu Yunji and Jiang Kangshi. The two embarked on a completely different path of growth long before the other party noticed.After that, every time the two took a step forward, they took a step further away from each other. After so many years, between friends who used to talk about everything, there is only strangers left.

The world is changeable, and true love is hard to prolong. The so-called "eternal friends" may be just a good wish, and it is unknown when it will be shattered.

Thinking of this, Gu Yunji subconsciously looked at the young man beside him: Will Cheng Yan, like Jiang Kangshi, drift away from himself after a certain point in time when neither of them noticed?
(End of this chapter)