Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 115 New Clothes
In the end, prudence overcame curiosity, and Chen Xuan did not secretly follow to see what was going on. He just pretended not to know.

Moreover, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be discovered by Leng Bing if he followed her. You have to know that Leng Bing has practiced martial arts for many years and has good martial arts skills. Although he has never seen Leng Bing take action, Chen Xuan knows that her martial arts skills are better than Geng Hong and others. Not counting those few servants who are rarely seen in normal times, Leng Bing is one of the strongest guards in the Gao family.

This was not just Chen Xuan's random guess, but was personally acknowledged by Geng Hong and others.

I heard that she was not practicing ordinary skills, but had learned a superior martial art. Although she was in the acquired realm, she was definitely a master in the martial arts world.

She was not quite sure what the word "master" meant, as it was usually used to describe a warrior at the innate realm.

As for where she got the superior martial arts, it has something to do with Gao Jingming's sister. Gao Jingming once mentioned that Leng Bing was sent by his sister.

Although he was not specifically there to protect Gao Jingming, it was almost the same. No matter where he went in recent years, Leng Bing's figure was always there, and Geng Hong and others were often transferred to other positions.

Chen Xuan slept peacefully without making any "malicious" speculations about others. As for guessing that the other party was going to meet her lover, he could just think about it in his heart, but he couldn't say anything carelessly. The reputation of a girl here was no joke. If he made up a rumor and reported her to the authorities, he would be beaten with a stick.

But it was also true that Leng Bing sneaked out in the middle of the night, so Chen Xuan couldn't help but observe her occasionally afterwards.

She usually still has that serious and cold look, as if nothing is wrong, which makes people difficult to understand.

But Chen Xuan still noticed some clues. Occasionally, Leng Bing would stare blankly in a certain direction, and a smile would unconsciously appear on his cold face, but it would soon disappear.

This discovery made Chen Xuan's heart sigh. That look clearly showed that she was in love. It was estimated that Leng Bing had fallen in love.

It's normal for men and women to love each other, and she is not young anymore, but what kind of man can catch her eye?
It would be a lie to say that Chen Xuan wasn't curious. There was no one prettier than her among the Gao family guards. Many single men admired her but she was not interested.

Although he was curious, Chen Xuan would not follow others to satisfy his curiosity.

As time goes by, the weather gets colder and the pressure of studying becomes heavier.

Suddenly, Chen Xuan discovered that Leng Bing, who usually wore no makeup, had started to put on makeup, which made her already beautiful even more beautiful. It was definitely because she had fallen in love. Women dress up to please themselves.

The Gao family guards have been discussing for a long time who can capture this icy beauty. Now it seems that they have no hope. I wonder how many people will be sad and drunk. After all, there are more than one or two people who admire Leng Bing.

However, Leng Bing is very good at keeping secrets. I have never heard her mention the issue of marriage. I don’t know if she hasn’t made up her mind yet, or if her relationship is still in the stage of warming up and exploring...

Ever since his internal strength has improved, especially in recent years, the influence of cold and heat on Chen Xuan has gradually weakened. When winter comes and the temperature drops, he doesn't feel cold at all even if he wears only a single layer of clothing.

No wonder many heroes in the martial arts world wear simple green clothes. Dressing like a bear is not cool and handsome enough.

That day, Chen Xuan and his companions finished their homework in Mr. Yushan's courtyard when Mr. Yushan suddenly spoke up, "Ming'er, I've heard that next year all the counties under Jingting Commandery will hold imperial examinations to recruit talented students. There will be a Tongsheng Imperial Examination. What are your plans?"

The news was revealed and Gao Jingming's opinion was asked instead of making the decision directly. The decision was entirely up to Gao Jingming himself, without any force or pressure.

Yang County was under the jurisdiction of Jingting County.

Gao Jingming, who had already had this idea, said: "Master, since there will be an imperial examination next year, I plan to try it."

"Well, since you have the idea, then just go ahead and do it. I will try my best to assist you. Just focus on preparing for the exam. But you need to spend more time on studying from now on," Mr. Yushan nodded.

Gao Jingming said seriously: "Disciple understands, I will try my best not to disappoint Master."

He didn't ask Chen Xuan, not because it was unnecessary. After all, Chen Xuan was a member of the Gao family, and it would be overstepping his authority if he made the decision.

"Then I will start making arrangements, and you just need to focus on your studies," said Mr. Yushan with a smile.

You can't just go and take the imperial examination. There will be a series of procedures, such as registering in advance. The government will find out in advance whether the applicant has a clean family background, and someone will also be needed to act as a guarantor.

In short, Chen Xuan and others don’t need to worry about this kind of thing. It’s just a small problem, but the process still needs to be followed.

Although Mr. Yushan did not ask Chen Xuan, he handled the imperial examination procedures for both of them. Of course, it was not just the two of them. He would also help with the procedures for any students in the school who wanted to take part in the next imperial examination. Anyway, there was no need for him to run around in person.

Chen Xuan and his colleagues spent the entire winter under high-pressure learning environment. Only during the last few days of the year did Gao Jingming have to take time out to return to his ancestral home. Ancestor worship is a matter of filial piety, and he naturally could not miss it without a compelling reason.

In a blink of an eye, it has been almost four years since Chen Xuan came to this world. He has changed a lot. I don’t know if it is because of his martial arts training or because Gao Jingming has a good diet, but at a bone age of nine years old, he is already over 1.5 meters tall, almost catching up with Gao Jingming.

This is certainly not the limit, there is still a lot of room for growth. After all, he is only nine years old. Otherwise, with a height of more than 1.5 meters, Chen Xuan will be depressed and bang his head against the wall. If that happens, he will have to use a small stool to do things with his wife with long legs. It will be impossible to live...

He has changed a lot, but the peach tree that has been planted for several years still looks "dying". After several years, it is only a little over one foot tall, and the plant is as thick as a thumb. It is still planted in a flowerpot and is clearly a simple bonsai.

It doesn't bloom, but its leaves are evergreen all year round.

Everything has its cycle. Although this peach tree is a little special, every year old leaves wither and new buds grow. Normal peach trees can grow to one or two meters tall and bear fruit in two or three years. Chen Xuan is helpless with this one. He can't expect it to bloom and bear fruit and let him enjoy the taste of home for the time being.

As long as it is still alive, nothing else matters.

Another spring came. Originally, Chen Xuan and his classmates did not need to go to school anymore after graduating from Class A. However, with the imperial examination coming up, everyone was under a lot of pressure, so they naturally returned to school and tried their best to stay with the teacher and learn more.

This is one of the few times that classmates spend time together during their elementary school years. Once they pass the imperial examination, they will go their separate ways. Some will go to bigger places to pursue further studies and higher fame, some will give up the idea of ​​studying and go home to live an ordinary life, and some will be unwilling to give up and return to school to continue their struggle in order to fight again.

Originally, Chen Xuan thought that he would always remain calm, but when the time came, he became nervous. He was definitely influenced by others.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of February and the date for the imperial examination had been set. The school issued a notice to all students preparing for the exam, which was on March 3rd.

It is a good day, spring is in full bloom, it is the time when everything flourishes. It is a good omen for students to test what they have learned after years of study.

A few days before the exam, Mr. Yushan asked Chen Xuan and others to put down their books and do whatever they wanted, so that they could adjust their nervousness before the exam.

After all, you have learned everything you need to learn. There is not much point in cramming at the last minute. Instead, it will make you nervous and lose your composure.

Then the two returned to Gao's house with a relaxed attitude.

Although every parent wants their children to be successful, after they returned, the Gao family never mentioned anything about their children's studies, creating a relaxed environment for them.

However, as the eldest son of the Gao family and the future successor, Gao Jingming would definitely pay attention to such a major event.

Mr. Gao wrote to ask Gao Jingming how he was doing recently and whether there was anything he wanted. He asked him to bring it back next time he returned home. He did not mention anything about the imperial examination.

Miss Gao wrote a letter from afar, saying that when she had time, she would ask Gao Jingming to come over to play and see his little nephew. Little Jinlin is now four years old and is at his most naughty.

Putting down the letter, Gao Jingming looked at Chen Xuan and shook his head, saying, "Xuan, I wasn't nervous at first. Master has taught me so much, and I was quite confident. But look at what's happened at home. Dad and sister have both written to me. The less they mention the imperial examination, the more they care about it. I'm starting to get a little nervous."

"They have good intentions, young master, don't worry about it," Chen Xuan comforted with a smile.

Gao Jingming sighed and said, "That being said, if I fail the next exam, I will feel sorry for them."

Now twelve years old, he has begun to be sensible and no longer the heartless little brat. Chen Xuan occasionally looks at him with an inexplicable father mentality. After all, they have been together for several years and watched him grow up little by little.

"Master, don't you have confidence in yourself?"

Chen Xuan's words restored Gao Jingming's confidence. He said confidently, "That's true. Not to mention the teacher's personal guidance over the past year, even the teaching quality in Yang County can't compare to Yushan Academy. So I am still very confident about this imperial examination."

That's true. It's like they are taking the same exam as students from key schools and rural schools. It's a bit bullying if you take it too seriously.

But there is no way. The imperial examination is like a single-plank bridge. You need to fight for it. The bridge is only so wide. If you don’t fight for it, others will cross it.

Two days before the imperial examination, Chen Xuan went to the Gao family's account office alone to withdraw five taels of silver. This was his salary, which had been kept in the Gao family for several years and could be withdrawn at will. It was a part of the money that he could dispose of freely.

Of course, he didn't use the money to spend recklessly, but planned to buy himself a set of clothes.

He couldn't go to the examination hall wearing Gao Jiafa's servant's suit, so he had to dress decently. For this reason, Chen Xuan spent four taels and five silver coins on a set of blue long gown. After putting it on, he opened the ordinary folding fan that he usually used as a decoration but was actually a weapon. He looked quite elegant, but his height was a little lacking.

However, what made him speechless was that the clothes he bought with more than four taels of silver were made of fabrics not as good as the servant suits given by the Gao family. The ones given to him by the Gao family were made of high-quality silk brocade, but the styles were not very good.

The fact is that as Gao Jingming's servant, Chen Xuan does not have to wear servant's clothes all the time. He can have his own style. Other servants and maids do not have this treatment. Wearing Gao's clothes makes it easier for outsiders to distinguish his identity.

But Chen Xuan usually doesn't have such requirements, so he doesn't care so much.

Now, in order to prepare for the imperial examination, he made an exception and spent a lot of money, more than four taels of silver, which was more than one month's salary.

Clothing comes first among food, housing and transportation. It is really not cheap to wear something decent. If you want to buy some coarse linen clothes, it is a different story.

As long as Gao Jingming doesn't fail this time, his study career at Yushan Academy will be over. There is no other way. No matter whether Chen Xuan can make the list this time, as long as Gao Jingming makes the list, he will never be able to go back to Yushan Academy to study as a companion student.

Spending your own money and wearing new clothes is a way of welcoming a new life.

After all, once Gao Jingming is on the list, he will have to go to a more advanced institution for further studies, and he will probably have very little time to return to the Gao family. It is naturally impossible for a family like his to stay at home and study hard. Only with the guidance of a famous teacher can he make rapid progress.

Growing up means traveling far...

(End of this chapter)