Chapter 307: Chapter 125: Prefectural Examination (3)

Everyone had their own plans. They knew they needed to rest well and conserve their energy to better face the exam. And so, after dinner, they carefully put away their exam papers, blew out their candles, and prepared to sleep.

However, in the adjacent cell, the bedboards of the top scholar from Guyuan County were soaked, his quilt was damp, and a light rain was still dripping down onto his bunk.

He was doomed to get no rest tonight, and he couldn’t stand the thought of others sleeping peacefully.

And so, the disruptive antics from the afternoon were repeated in full force that night.

This time, grumbling curses could be heard from the surrounding cells, and some even signaled the nearby constables to do something about the man.

But the man was sharp; as soon as a constable came, he became quieter than a mouse. The moment the constable left, he would become even more brazen, resuming his old tricks.

Amidst the chorus of angry voices, Zhao Jing unhurriedly took out a fire starter and lit the candle in the wall nook.

By the candle’s faint glow, he fumbled around under his quilt, then quickly, ruthlessly, and precisely snatched something.

It was a centipede, as large as half an adult’s palm. It wriggled its antennae, trying to escape, but could not break free from Zhao Jing’s grip no matter how it struggled.

But Zhao Jing didn’t crush the little creature. He walked to the outer edge of the wall separating his cell from the top scholar of Guyuan County’s and released it.

He blew out the candle again and listened quietly for any sound from the next cell. The time it took to burn one incense stick passed, then two, then three, and finally, a scream echoed throughout the entire examination grounds.

In the end, the top scholar from Guyuan County was sternly warned by the constables and ended up huddled in a corner, crying.

"Something crawled on me! It bit me, and it hurts like hell! Seriously, I’m not lying to you! Aaaah, it crawled into my pants!"

Then, aghast, he started undoing his pants, kicking off his shoes, and pulling off his socks...

"A disgrace to the scholarly class."

"His reputation is in tatters."

"Utterly improper."

The top scholar from Guyuan County eventually fainted in his examination cell.

The constables went in to check his breathing and saw that he had only fainted from fright and was otherwise perfectly fine. They then picked up the centipede that was about to make its escape from beside his foot. The men snickered. ’To think this esteemed scholar was taken down by a tiny centipede.’ Laughing, they left the cell.

The night grew deeper. The pitter-patter of the rain finally lulled the restless Zhao Jing to sleep. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

In his dreams, Zhao Jing saw the one he longed for day and night. They held each other in a passionate embrace as he greedily breathed in her every scent.

「Many miles away in Qingshui County.」

It began to rain that afternoon, stranding Chen Wanqing in the county seat after she came to make a delivery.

Worried that traveling in the rain would make them sick, Chen Wanqing and Dashan decided to stay in the county seat overnight.

Chen Wanqing was staying in the rear courtyard that day. In the middle of the night, she was startled awake by a nightmare.

She dreamed that Jing’s examination cell was leaking, preventing him from resting properly. He caught a chill from the draft and came down with a fever. The next day, he was too drowsy to open his eyes, and the constables forcefully collected his unfinished exam paper.

The nightmare was so terrifying that Chen Wanqing was jolted awake and couldn’t fall back asleep for the rest of the night.

The next morning, the rain was still falling steadily. Hearing a stir from the front courtyard, Chen Wanqing got out of bed.

When she walked into the kitchen, she saw her father enthusiastically pressing fried dough sticks into Dashan’s hands, while her mother was holding an oiled-paper umbrella, about to head to the rear courtyard to get her.

Seeing her come over looking listless, with dark circles under her eyes, Xu Suying’s heart ached for her.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t you rest well last night? Was the quilt too damp, or are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Chen Wanqing didn’t want to worry her parents, so she didn’t mention the nightmare. She just said vaguely, "I was probably just too tired. Even when I was lying down to rest, my whole body ached."

Xu Suying could tell her daughter wasn’t telling the truth, but she wasn’t prepared to press the issue right then.

She pushed a bowl of century egg and lean pork congee and a meat bun toward her daughter, telling her to "eat up."

After breakfast, Chen Song had to go to the government office for his duties. Dashan, unable to sit still, decided to brave the drizzling rain and go to a teahouse to listen to storytellers.

In the small county’s teahouses, you could get a pot of tea brewed from tea dust for one cent. Ordering a pot like that meant you could pass the whole day in the teahouse.

Dashan had never indulged like this before, but with Chen Song at the government office, it would be awkward for him to stay behind alone. So, he decided to be extravagant for once and play the part of a big spender who throws money around like dirt.

After Dashan had ambled off, Xu Suying pulled her daughter into the main hall.

"Are you missing Jing? Tell me the truth. I won’t laugh at you."