We said we would experience life, fairy, how did you become real?

Just then, a shadow fell over the girl's face.

Bai Ruxue looked up and saw an oil-paper umbrella.

"Here, it's hot, don't get heatstroke." Xiao Mo handed the umbrella to the girl.

"You're being kind."

Bai Ruxue happily took the umbrella, rested it on her shoulder, and gently twirled the handle like a child.

On the back of an ox, a girl sits sideways holding an umbrella, while a boy straddles her, reading a book.

The sounds of birds and insects mingled together in the mountains.

A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling Xiao Mo's hair.

The girl took a deep sniff, her eyes narrowing comfortably, the wind carrying the scent of earth and him.

Summer doesn't seem so bad after all.

late autumn.

As the weather gradually cools down, the leaves on the trees become increasingly withered and yellow.

Many of the medicinal herbs in the mountains have also withered and died.

Sitting on the rock on his only way up the mountain, the girl rested her chin on her fair palm, looking somewhat melancholy.

Compared to summer, Bai Ruxue found herself disliking autumn even more.

Because in autumn, he rarely went up the mountain to herd cattle or collect medicinal herbs.

Although he would come to visit me every few days, he wasn't as frequent as before.

I gaze and gaze, I gaze and gaze.

The girl would sit on this rock every day and look out, from sunrise to sunset.

Before we knew it, it was already evening.

In another half hour, the sun will set.

Just when the girl thought he wouldn't come again today, a familiar figure appeared on that path.

The girl's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Xiao Mo!" The girl ran over happily. "Why are you up the mountain so late today?"

"I happened to have some free time today, so I came over to check on things. I was thinking that if I ran into you, I'd tell you something. I didn't expect you to still be on the mountain," Xiao Mo said with a smile.

"I...I'm going down the mountain soon too," the girl's eyes darted around. "What do you want to tell me?"

“The village chief said that I have studied well over the past few years and should be able to pass the children’s examination. I have already registered and will take the exam next spring. The village chief told me to prepare well and try to get a good ranking. Winter is coming soon, so I probably won’t be coming back.”

"Oh dear." Bai Ruxue lowered her head, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I won't be able to teach you to read for a while."

"It's alright, it's alright," the girl quickly waved her hand. "Then you'll definitely come back next spring, right?"

"Mm." Xiao Mo nodded.

"Then let's pinky swear." The girl extended her slender little finger.

Xiao Mo also extended his finger.

"Hang yourself with a hook, and it won't change for a hundred years."

The girl hooked her two fingers together, wiggled them, and her light, cheerful voice echoed through the mountains and forests.

"Xiao Mo, I'll be waiting for you here next spring. You mustn't lie to me, okay?"

The girl raised her beautiful eyes and looked at Xiao Mo with reluctance.

"What if I lied to you?" Xiao Mo joked.

"Don't lie to me."

The girl pouted.

Because... I really will keep waiting.

Chapter 28 Someone is waiting for Brother Xiao

It's winter.

The weather is getting colder and colder.

Every morning when Xiao Mo got up, he could see that the branches of the trees outside were covered with a thin layer of frost.

Xiao Mo has been reading every day for some time now.

I read from day to night, and after taking a nap, I get up and continue reading.

Xiao Mo felt that he had never worked this hard for the college entrance examination in his previous life.

As for the expenses of daily life and writing implements.

Xiao Mo had saved some silver, which was barely enough for his needs.

The village chief would also deliver some food every day, saving Xiao Mo time and money on cooking.

That morning, Xiao Mo woke up early and felt that it was much colder than before.

After getting dressed, I went outside to wash up.

As soon as he opened the door, Xiao Mo saw that the outside world was covered in silver, with large snowflakes falling slowly from the sky. A cold wind blew by, and Xiao Mo couldn't help but shiver.

"Brother Xiao, I've brought you your food."

A little girl's voice came from outside the courtyard.

The chubby little girl ran over, carrying a food box.

"Little Oriole, thank you."

Xiao Mo took the food box and patted her head.

The little girl who delivered the food was Wang Ying, the village chief's second daughter.

The village chief originally wanted his eldest daughter, Wang Yan, to deliver food to Xiao Mo.

But four years have passed, and Wang Yan has grown from a nine-year-old girl into a young woman in her prime, and her figure has gradually matured.

To avoid suspicion, Aunt Chen asked Wang Ying, who was only three years old, to deliver the food.

Anyway, everyone in the village knows each other, and the two houses are not far apart, so there won't be any danger.

However, three years ago, Xiao Mo was quite surprised when he learned that Aunt Chen was pregnant again. The village chief was really vigorous for his age.

Xiao Mo handed a steamed bun to Wang Ying. The chubby Wang Ying accepted the big bun from her older brother without hesitation. The two of them sat on the rock, one big and one small, and began to eat it bite by bite.

"Brother Xiao, I've noticed that when you eat, you keep looking at that mountain. Is there anything on that mountain?" Wang Ying asked curiously, raising her round head.

“On that mountain,” Xiao Mo raised his head, gazing at the distant Cangshan Mountain covered in thick white snow, “there is someone waiting for Brother Xiao.”

"Sister, have some more."

"Xiaoqing, I can't eat anymore."

"Have another one!"

"I've already eaten so many rats."

"Sister, have some more."

"I really can't eat anymore."

Inside the cave, Xiaoqing carried two dead rats to her sister.

The two snakes, one white and one green, had round, bulging bellies and looked much fatter.

Ordinary snakes have already begun hibernation.

However, when the snake race awakens its intelligence and embarks on the path of cultivation, its hibernation time will be shortened; the higher the cultivation level, the shorter the hibernation period.

Even so, Xiaoqing started feeling sleepy three days ago.

But Xiaoqing is worried about her older sister and is trying not to sleep.

"Xiaoqing, go to sleep. I'm really fine." Xiaobai said, seeing her younger sister, Snakehead, getting sleepy.

Xiaoqing shook her head vigorously: "But sister, how can I not worry about you? No snake sheds its skin in winter!"

At this moment, Bai Ruxue's clear vertical pupils were as if covered by frosted glass, and the edges of the white scales on her abdomen curled up, like the cracks in a dried-up riverbed.

Fine cracks appeared on the scales at the tip of its snout, resembling cracked pottery. The secreted transparent mucus covered its entire body, giving it an oily, waxy sheen.

"It's alright, my sister is a snake that can transform into human form, unlike ordinary snakes."

"But sister."

"There are no 'buts', hurry up and go to sleep, or your sister will get angry," Xiaobai said, pretending to be angry.

"I don't."

"Bang!"

When Xiaoqing stubbornly refused to sleep, Xiaobai secretly curled up a stone with its tail and then, taking advantage of its sister's inattention, tapped it from behind.

Xiaoqing's eyes darted around, and then she collapsed with a "thud".

"Xiao Qing, see you in spring."

Little White touched Little Green's head with the tip of its tail, then lay down next to its sister, its head facing out of the cave.

What is he doing now?

He's probably still studying.

Looking at the heavy snow outside the cave, Xiaobai's thoughts gradually drifted away, and drowsiness gradually crept in.

"It's been so long since I've seen him."

Will he forget me?

Little White curled up into a ball.

"After I shed my skin, will I be able to grow up?"

"It might work?"

What kind of expression will he have when he sees what I look like now that I've grown up?

Am I as tall as him?

As drowsiness grew stronger, the little white snake's last thought snapped like a kite with a broken string; she completely lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

Inside the cave, two snakes were huddled together.

The heavy snow outside the cave was blowing through the mountains and forests.

After an unknown amount of time, the wind and snow gradually subsided.

Until the sky clears.

Spring begins.

On this day, Xiao Mo was going to Qingshan County to take the exam.

The country where Xiao Mo lived was called the State of Qi.

The imperial examinations for children in Xiaomoqi were different from those in ancient China.

In the State of Qi, the children's examinations were held every year, with three rounds of examinations every month, but all three rounds of examinations were conducted in one place.

This is also to reduce the burden on test takers, so they don't have to travel back and forth between the county seat and the prefectural capital.

Passing the first two rounds of examinations makes one a student of the lowest level (童生).

Those who pass all three rounds of examinations are called Xiucai (a scholar who has passed all three levels of the imperial examinations).

If you don't pass the county-level exam, you can take it again the following year, and you don't need to take the first two rounds.

Passing the imperial examination at the county level (秀才) was equivalent to having a certain social status.

Scholars in the State of Qi could not kneel before officials, were exempt from corvée labor and torture, and could open private schools and write documents for others, but they could not be exempted from land taxes.