I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 587 Three Happiness
"Judging by deeds, not by heart, no one is perfect in the world"

The magistrate read the essay again and said, "This viewpoint is not entirely novel, but this one sentence is well-stated. The essay is well-structured and will be considered an excellent candidate for the boy's examination."

The inspector, seeing this, could not help but nod his head and said, "Indeed, this boy is excellent except for his poor handwriting. I think he deserves the first place."

The Dean of the Academy of Literature laughed and said, "What a pity, we can't even see the name now, so we don't know who it is."

The names on the test papers were covered until all the rankings were determined. Although it was agreed that this person would be the top candidate, the three of them did not dare to check the papers rashly and risk being punished. They just ranked the other 49 test papers.

The inspector placed his own second, which was acceptable. However, the dean of the Academy of Literature ranked his own nineteenth, saying, "This boy's poetic talent is acceptable, but his ink interpretation and discussion are mediocre. To be in the top twenty is a truly remarkable achievement for an excellent poet. Otherwise, it would be a pity if the boy could have won the top three in three poems."

The county magistrate said, "That's enough. Things shouldn't be perfect, and we should be content. Is this the way to settle the rankings?"

The three of them looked at each other and nodded. It was almost evening at this time, and then they wrote the red list in their own hands, selecting fifty boys for the test, and the last one was Dong Yan.

Then the magistrate called a yamen runner and said, "Go and post the notice."

The inspector sighed slightly and shook his head.

Before dawn that day, Li Ming was awakened by Dong Jie, who looked nervous.

"Dad, what's the matter?" Li Ming rubbed his eyes and asked knowingly.

Dong Jie shook his head and said, "Thanks to you for being so kind. At your age, can you sleep well?"

"Anyway, I can't sleep. Today is the day the results are announced, and I, the ugly daughter-in-law, will have to meet my parents-in-law. Aren't you worried at all?"

Li Ming shook his head and said, "Why worry? I can't change the result after the test is handed in. We can just wait at home. If we pass, someone will come to announce the good news."

Dong Jie looked at Li Ming's tender face and spoke calmly, and couldn't help laughing. Then he shook his head and said, "Yes, no wonder your father has been an old student all his life, not as good as my son."

After Li Ming finished speaking, he covered his head and fell asleep again. Seeing this, Dong Jie kept shaking his head, wondering if he had seen the child wrongly.

Walking out of the door, the sky was just beginning to turn light. He suddenly raised his head and saw Wu Yue standing at the gate looking at him. Dong Jie's heart moved again and he opened his mouth, but his mouth was dry.

On the contrary, Wu Yue said generously: "It would be great if Xiaoyong could pass the examination and become a Tongsheng."

Dong Jie sighed quickly, "His academic performance is certainly not bad, but the Tongsheng exam is very dependent on luck, and there are many factors that influence it. He refuses to tell me how he did, so how can I be assured?"

Wu Yue shook her head and said, "Master Dong still trusts Xiao Yong, otherwise he wouldn't be waiting at the door so early in the morning for news."

"I know I can't wait. There are rules for announcing good news. We start with the first place, and only the top 20 in the morning, and the bottom 30 in the afternoon. It's said that someone should have arrived at the door of the first place candidate's house by now. I heard that there is a person named Xu Gongwang who has a great chance. Tsk, tsk, the Xu family is different."

Dong Jie showed a hint of envy on his face, and looked at his clothes that had become a little white from washing and sighed again.

Wu Yue walked up to him and said, "The Dong family is not bad either."

While the two were talking, the village chief and Dong Yan also came over. Wu Yue took a few steps back when she saw this. The village chief smiled. The matter between Wu Yue and Dong Jie was an open secret in the village. Everyone knew it. The two of them were just acting out of affection but keeping to the courtesy. Although they were close, they did not break the window paper after all, so there was nothing to say.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, and then the village chief said, "Our village hasn't had a single student for seven years."

The last student was the second son of the village chief. He is now studying outside and has gained nothing else. However, as long as someone in the village goes to take the exam, the village chief will stand at the village entrance on the day the results are announced.

At least there was only one person, and that was Dong Yan, so Dong Yan took the exam every year, and the village chief waited every year.

Dong Jie said, "Dong Qing is a smart kid. He passed the exam to become a scholar last year. He's the hope of our Dongjia Village. Back then, he even made it into the top ten in the boy's exam."

"No, no, don't say that in front of him, to prevent him from becoming proud and complacent." The village chief had a serious expression, but the pride in his eyes could not be wiped away no matter what.

When Dong Yan heard the word "Dong Qing", he lowered his head again, but the village chief and Dong Jie didn't notice it. Only Wu Yue saw it and walked up to pat Dong Yan on the shoulder gently.

The village chief and Dong Jie were talking when a gong sounded in the distance. Hearing the sound, the village chief exclaimed in surprise, "It was just the beginning of the morning sun, and this was top-tier weather!"

Could it be that Dongjia Village has produced one of the top three?!
Dong Jie clenched his fists nervously, his knuckles turning white.

The next moment, the faint sound of people neighing and horses shouting could be heard, and everyone shouted loudly: "Congratulations on getting into high school! Congratulations on getting into high school!"

Dong Jie and the village chief looked at each other, their hearts trembling. No one wanted to speak first, but just looked at the approaching people, but they were extremely nervous.

Amid the sounds of gongs, drums, firecrackers and shouts, everyone in Dongjia Village, young and old, was awakened. Actually, as farmers, it was almost time for them to get up, but for them it was just an ordinary day.

But when they heard the word "high school", they all knew that a student had emerged in the village, and they all left their homes.

The people who brought the good news did not walk fast, and Dongjia Village was not very big, so people from every household, young and old, came over and congratulated the two.

Village chief Dong Jie and Dong Yan were naturally in complicated moods. In this weird atmosphere, the person who brought the good news finally arrived at the village entrance.

He dismounted and bowed to the crowd, saying, "Who is the village chief?"

The village chief quickly stepped forward and said, "I am, I am."

The man laughed heartily and said, "Village chief is so lucky! Dongjia Village has a top criminal case!"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, and the village chief even gasped. His eyes wandered between Dong Jie and Dong Yan before he said, "I don't know. Is it?"

The man simply smiled and said, "The first place in this boy's exam is none other than Fang Yun from Dongjia Village! But I wonder where Master Fang is now? I've got the good news for him!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned. For a moment, dozens of people at the village entrance were quiet, without a sound.

The village chief was stunned for a long while, then he forced a smile and said, "So it's the boy from the Fang family. I've always thought he was extraordinary. He really passed the examination and ranked first. This is really a great event for our Dongjia Village!"

In fact, anyone could see that the village chief was not as happy as he said, just from his expression. But he was the head of a village after all, so he calmed down after a while, then looked around and found that Fang Yun was not at the village entrance, so he said to the person who brought the good news: "I'm afraid the first place winner didn't expect it. Come, I'll take you there." The man saw that the village chief's face had turned better. Although he didn't know the inside story, he just thought that Dongjia Village was full of people, but an outsider took first place. The village chief must have felt uncomfortable, but he recovered in a short time and felt a little impressed.

At this time, a crisp voice sounded behind everyone.

"No, I'm coming!"

Everyone turned around and saw Fang Yun holding his sister and standing behind them. At this moment, everyone in Dongjia Village knew that he had passed the examination and became a student, and his status was very different. They immediately stepped back and consciously made way for him.

If it were an ordinary person, he would have been ecstatic. The person who brought the good news often did this and had seen many people behave in a ridiculous manner after graduating from high school. However, Fang Yun remained calm and composed. He was indeed quite dignified, he thought to himself.

"I'm afraid this young man will achieve great things in the future."

Fang Yun's sister was covering her mouth with her hands, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

Fang Yun then said softly, "Don't worry, sister. The hard times are over."

"Yes, I always believed in you, but I didn't expect this day to come so soon and so suddenly." Sister Fang Yun said sobbingly.

Everyone understood. After all, this was Dongjia Village. They, surnamed Fang, moved here a few years ago. If they hadn't had a hard time living in other places, they wouldn't have left their hometown.

In the past few years, the two siblings have depended on each other, and everyone has seen how they live. At this moment, Fang Jiani's reaction is considered normal, while Fang Yun's attitude is very different from that of ordinary people.

Seeing this, Dong Jie couldn't help but sigh and said, "No wonder he won the first place in the case, he is really outstanding."

Thinking of his own worries and ecstasy back then, Dong Jie felt sad, but then he remembered that his son was still young, and he didn't feel that lost.

Then the person who announced the good news said with a smile: "Please give us some money to share in the good news, young master."

At this time, the village chief took the lead and took out a purse from his arms. Without even looking at how much was in it, he poured it all into his hand and handed it to Fang Yun.

He was the head of Dongjia Village, and he knew the situation of every family very well. The Fang siblings had no land, and Fang Yun was a hard-working student who could only earn a few dollars by selling couplets during the New Year. The two of them lived in poverty, so how could they have any money to spend?

So he said, "Mr. Fang is from Dongjia Village. I want to congratulate you. Take them all."

Fang Yun showed a hint of gratitude in his eyes, and then he gave the money to the person who brought the good news. After that, many villagers went back home. It was not that they would disperse after watching the excitement, but that they all went to prepare gifts. No matter what, it was a great joy to pass the examination. As the village chief said, congratulations!
Soon, someone came with eggs, two pieces of meat, flour and other miscellaneous things. Some also sealed some copper coins and gave them all to Fang Yun.

At this moment, Fang Yun seemed to have grown up several years suddenly. He received everyone at his home. His sister also stopped crying and was busy running around. However, there were not enough cups, chopsticks and bowls, so she had to borrow some from the neighbors before pouring water and tea for everyone.

The man who brought the good news took the money but did not leave. Instead, he said, "Mr. Village Chief, I have more congratulations to offer today!"

The village chief was a little surprised, then he said, "Could it be that he has both been selected as a student and ranked first in the examination? This is a double blessing?"

Having said that, there was a hint of impatience in the village chief's words, because this kind of thing usually happens in wealthy families, and they take the ranking into account in order to get good luck, so as to have a double happiness. In this way, the person who announces the good news will get the money twice, which is a double benefit.

But it is only for the wealthy families, who do not care about this small amount of money and instead find it interesting. But for the small families in Dongjia Village, it is a burden and they are a little scared.

The man who announced the good news said, "The good news you're announcing isn't about Mr. Fang, but about Mr. Dong Yong from your village. Mr. Dong has also passed the imperial examination, so why shouldn't we announce another piece of good news?"

"boom!"

With a crisp sound, the teacup in Dong Jie's hand fell to the ground and shattered. He seemed to have turned into a stone statue and could not speak for a long time.

The village chief's mood became increasingly complicated. He only sighed at the silent Dong Yan, then smiled and said, "Happy event, happy event, of course it is a happy event. Why don't you call Dong Yong over quickly?"

He gently pushed Dong Yan, who responded with a "yes" and then walked away.

The village chief asked again, "What's Dong Yong's ranking?"

The person announcing the good news said, "Jiyuan County is number nineteen."

"Nineteen. Nineteen," Dong Jie murmured, seeming to laugh and cry. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying, "My son has won the exam, my son has won the exam!"

The person who brought the good news then realized that this person was Dong Yong's father, and he quickly stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, young master! Congratulations, young master, you have passed the imperial examination and have a bright future ahead of you."

Dong Jie felt like he had returned from heaven to earth after Wu Yue pushed him. He took out money with a smile on his face, scattering handfuls of copper coins and saying, "My son has been taken care of by everyone in the past. Let's all share in the good news!"

Other people in Dongjia Village also expressed their congratulations. After all, compared to Fang Yun, Dong Yong was a family member. They all had the surname Dong, so they were still a family. Although Dong Yong's ranking was lower than Fang Yun, the people in Dongjia Village were even happier.

Only the village chief always forced a smile. Everyone could see the disappointment in his heart, but it was human nature and no one blamed him.

Fang Yun was slightly moved when he heard that Li Ming had also been admitted, and then nodded and said, "Brother Yong has been smart and studious since he was young, so it's not surprising that he can get into high school."

Then the person who announced the good news bowed again and said, "Village Chief, there is one more good news!"

The village chief was startled, his voice trembling and dry.

"What else is there to be happy about?"

"Congratulations to Mr. Dong Yan from Dongjia Village for passing the imperial examination and ranking 50th in Yuanji County!"

The voice of the person announcing the good news floated back and forth in Dongjia Village, and the village chief became the next Dong Jie, even more exaggerated.

At this moment, Dong Yan also pulled Li Ming to the court. He did not cry after hearing these words, but tears fell silently down his cheeks.

Li Ming rubbed his eyes and said, "Hey, doesn't that mean everyone in Dongjia Village has passed the high school entrance exam this time?"

PS：感谢幻想AND梦想、醉里清风、爱上光明、大大黑、赛克亚希、黎明之魔嘉刃的魔刀千刃、书友20230310353285、书友20210918131009748、仰望星空1997、书友20220818145045364、修风3几位书友的月票支持，非常感谢。

(End of this chapter)