A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

On the third day of the provincial examination, when Chen Wanxing woke up in the morning, there was still a sliver of the sun on the horizon. She opened the window, looked out, and thought it was alright, so she didn't think much of it.

Who knew that in the afternoon, the weather suddenly changed. A cold wind rushed in, followed by a light drizzle that pounded on the stone slabs in the yard, making the whole yard wet.

Chen Wanxing stood under the porch for a while. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, showing no sign of stopping. The sky was as dark as dusk. A cold wind, carrying raindrops, rushed towards the porch. She took a step back, but was still splashed in the face by raindrops swept by the wind, making her shiver.

The saying "each autumn rain brings a chill" is absolutely true.

She stood there, staring blankly at the curtain of rain, when suddenly her heart clenched.

She knew exactly what the examination cells in the examination hall looked like: cramped, narrow, and drafty. The candidates were crammed into those tiny spaces, where they were confined for nine days straight.

The weather was fine a couple of days ago, but now that it's raining, how cold must it be in those cells?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Amber came out of the house and saw her standing on the porch in a daze, so she walked over and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Wanxing snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing."

Amber glanced at her, but didn't ask any more questions. She simply followed her gaze to the curtain of rain outside and sighed, "This rain really couldn't have come at the right time."

Yes, it's really bad timing.

Chen Wanxing stood there, staring at the rain in a daze. Two years ago, when they were still in the Marquis's mansion, the eldest young master also encountered bad weather when he took the imperial examination.

The day before the exam was fine, but halfway through the exam, the temperature suddenly dropped, and it was windy and rainy, just like now.

When the eldest young master came out, his face was deathly pale, and he was unsteady on his feet. His forehead was burning hot. He forced himself to get into the carriage, went back home and lay down. He was sick for almost half a month.

At that time, everyone in the mansion was in a frenzy, calling doctors, getting medicine, and brewing medicine, causing a great deal of trouble.

But the scariest thing wasn't that. The weather was bad that year, and many candidates fell ill. Suddenly, there weren't enough doctors in the capital, and pharmacies were out of stock of herbs for treating colds.

Having money is useless; if you can't buy it, you can't buy it.

Later, it was through the madam's connections that another doctor was brought in from outside, and only then was the young master's fever gradually brought down. For those two weeks, the entire Marquis's mansion was on tenterhooks.

Standing under the corridor, Chen Wanxing recalled these past events, and that feeling of unease returned.

If the capital is like this, how much better can Kaifeng be? They are not in a marquis's mansion, they don't have such a large family fortune or such a large network of connections. If they really lack doctors or medicine, what can they do?

If Wang Yanning also develops a fever after finishing his exams, where will she go to find a doctor for him? Where will she go to get him medicine?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, she felt unsteady on her feet.

She turned and went inside, changed out of her outer garment, put on a thicker jacket, and took out some silver from the cabinet, putting it in a cloth bag.

Just as she finished tying the cloth bag, the curtain was lifted, and Amber followed her in. Watching her bustling around, she looked somewhat bewildered: "What are you doing?"

Chen Wanxing looked up: "Have Yunzhu go to the pharmacy."

Amber paused for a moment, then immediately understood. Her expression changed, and she didn't say anything more, but simply called out, "Yunzhu!"

Yunzhu ran in as soon as she heard the call, a few raindrops still clinging to her hair. Chen Wanxing handed her the bag of silver and carefully instructed her on what medicine to buy.

She clearly stated how much of each medicine—for treating colds, reducing fever, and stopping coughs—was needed. Yunzhu listened and nodded, taking the information to heart. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Chen Wanxing called her back.

"etc."

Yunzhu turned around.

Chen Wanxing thought for a moment and then said, "Buy more, Young Master Lin and Young Master Zhou are among them, just in case they need them."

Yunzhu responded and left for real. The rain was pouring outside. She opened her umbrella and ran into the rain, her footsteps quickly fading into the distance.

The autumn rain gradually weakened, and time flew by. Nine days passed, neither long nor short, and Chen Wanxing counted the days as they went by.

On the morning of the ninth day, Chen Wanxing got up earlier than usual. It was still dark outside, with not a ray of light through the window paper. She lay there, turned over, and then turned over again, before finally lifting the covers and getting out of bed.

She groped her way into her clothes in the dark, and when she opened the door, a gust of cold wind hit her face, making her shiver.

The courtyard was quiet, with only a dim light coming from the kitchen. She walked over and saw that Granny Li and Yunzhu were already busy at work. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the water in the pot was bubbling and steaming.

"Young lady, you're up so early?" Granny Li turned to look at her. "Wait a little longer, the porridge will be ready soon. Eat it before you go out."

Chen Wanxing nodded and squatted down by the stove to warm herself by the fire. The flickering firelight cast intermittent light and shadow on her face.

She was thinking about Wang Yanning, and the medicine that Yunzhu had bought earlier was placed in the most conspicuous place in the cabinet, packaged neatly.

She didn't know if she would need these medicines, and it was best if she didn't.

The porridge was ready, and she hurriedly drank a bowl before taking Yunzhu out.

When we arrived at the street in front of the examination hall, it was already packed with people. The excitement from nine days ago was still there, but the atmosphere this time was completely different.

No one joked or exchanged pleasantries; everyone's eyes were fixed on the tightly closed door, waiting for it to open.

Mr. and Mrs. Lin also arrived, standing at the front of the crowd. Mrs. Lin held a handkerchief in her hand, her eyes fixed on the direction of the examination hall.

The Zhou family's servants were also there, standing to the side with Mr. and Mrs. Lin, their faces showing some anxiety, occasionally standing on tiptoe to look ahead.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, a muffled sound suddenly came from inside, and then the door slowly opened.

The crowd surged forward, shouts erupting everywhere—some calling out their son's name, others calling out for their master—it was chaos. Chen Wanxing squeezed forward a few steps, standing on tiptoe and straining to see inside, but there were too many people, and she couldn't see anything.

"Wanxing!" Lin Wei tugged at her sleeve from the side, her voice trembling. "Look over there."