Chapter 1: Fighting in Brother’s Stead
Li Xiaonan, wearing her older brother Li Xuedong’s plain white coarse cloth short jacket and coarse cloth cotton-padded trousers, with her hair tied in a tight little bun on top of her head, her neck slender and exposed as she slightly lowered her head, appeared exceptionally delicate and frail.
Carrying the examination basket, she walked up to Mr. Gao. Li Xiaonan held her breath, raised her head, and saw the collar of Mr. Gao’s indigo thin cotton long gown. She dared not look any higher.
Mr. Gao, around forty years old, possessed a refined scholarly demeanor and a gentle gaze. He looked at Li Xuedong, who appeared timid, and patted him with a hint of pity. “Don’t be nervous. Alright, the three of you may enter. Remember, don’t panic. Just act as you do in school, focus your minds. Go.”
Mr. Gao gave a few instructions, stood with his hands behind his back, and watched the three enter.
This was the first round of the Imperial Examination for Children for this subject, the first session of the County Examination.
Li Xiaonan was taking this Imperial Examination for Children on behalf of her older brother, Li Xuedong.
This examination was related to the survival of their five siblings.
Li Xiaonan walked at the end of the group of five, mimicking the candidates in front of her. She placed her examination basket before the clerk, spread her arms, and turned around. The clerk, without even looking up, waved her through.
Li Xiaonan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, pursed her lips, and suppressed a smile.
The first hurdle was passed!
The large courtyard of the County School served as the examination venue, with about a hundred examination tables.
As the candidates found their seats, it was just dawn. The clerks, with solemn expressions, placed the examination papers on the tables one by one.
Li Xiaonan broke the lacquer seal and first looked at the Investigation of Things questions.
One was a counting problem, the simplest kind of “how many heads and how many legs,” one was about easy calculation, and one was physics, all extremely simple.
This Investigation of Things examination paper made Li Xiaonan clench her fists in heartache.
She could not answer this paper!
Her brother, Li Xuedong, had not studied Investigation of Things, and she also didn’t know what methods were used in this world to solve problems like “how many heads and how many legs,” nor did she know how to explain the physics question.
Science was her greatest advantage, and now, she had to give it up with a heavy heart.
Li Xiaonan then looked at the poetry examination. It was a common rhyme, and Li Xiaonan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Among the subjects to be tested in the Imperial Examination for Children, her least confident area was this five-character, six-rhyme poem; writing poetry was truly too difficult.
Li Xiaonan finally looked at the two Current Affairs Essays. The Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean each had one question. The questions were not obscure and were relatively easy to answer.
Everything was going more smoothly than she had anticipated. Li Xiaonan felt a little more at ease, lowered her eyes, and devoutly thanked the God of Examinations.
The two Current Affairs Essay questions were the easiest to write, and Li Xiaonan already had a general outline. She then put aside the Current Affairs Essay questions and, focusing on the required rhyme, racked her brains to find rhyming words for the poem.
Given ample time, she preferred to tackle the difficult tasks first.
The examination time was a full day, and the amount of content for this examination was too little for her, making the time feel too long.
She had to manage her time well, not finishing too early or too late. She aimed to submit her paper in the middle period and ideally achieve a score above average.
Blending in with the middle was the safest option.
County Magistrate Huang, who had taken office just last year and was around fifty years old, was slightly thin. His official robe had been washed until it was faded. He paced down from the steps of the main hall and slowly walked among the more than a hundred tables, observing.
Li Xiaonan, while racking her brain for rhymes, listened to the sounds around her. Hearing footsteps, she poured some water into the inkstone and began to slowly grind ink.
She needed to concentrate, not look up, and not attract attention.
The hem of County Magistrate Huang’s old official robe passed by Li Xiaonan, and after a short while, it passed by again from the other side, then passed by again.
Li Xiaonan picked up her brush and began to write the Current Affairs Essay on the draft paper.
Once the ink was ground, it had to be used, otherwise it would dry out.
Li Xiaonan wrote slowly and meticulously, stroke by stroke.
The examination time was so ample that it allowed her to write her draft with utmost care.
After finishing one Current Affairs Essay, a scent of mutton wafted from behind her.
Li Xiaonan subconsciously glanced at the sun’s shadow. What time was it already? Were they eating already?
A scent of braised fish wafted from the front, followed by braised pork. Ah, braised pork should be eaten hot.
The candidate to Li Xiaonan’s left bent down and took out a small food box from his examination basket. To her right, the sound of bowls and chopsticks could be heard, and a chorus of chewing sounds filled the air.
She had to follow the crowd in everything and not attract attention.
Then, it was time to eat.
The rice and chicken legs, wrapped in cotton hand warmers, were still warm and very fragrant.
Li Xiaonan was full after eating a little more than half a bowl. Her appetite was not large, and her Eldest Sister always doted on her, giving her too much.
After wrapping them up and putting them back in the examination basket, Li Xiaonan ground some more ink and continued writing the second Current Affairs Essay.
After slowly and meticulously writing the two essays, some candidates had already submitted their papers.
Li Xiaonan began to transcribe the two essays. After transcribing one, six or seven people had already submitted their papers.
Li Xiaonan began to transcribe the second Current Affairs Essay.
County Magistrate Huang paced to Li Xiaonan’s side, tilted his head, and looked at the transcribed essay. After a moment, he finished reading, stroked his white beard, nodded slightly, and moved on.
Li Xiaonan finally finished transcribing the poem she had painstakingly pieced together. Half of the examination desks were already empty.
Li Xiaonan tidied her examination basket, holding her examination paper and draft paper. With a submissive and timid demeanor, she submitted her paper and left the County School gate, blending in with four or five other candidates.
Her Eldest Sister, Li Jinzhu, rushed to meet Li Xiaonan.
Mr. Gao, with his hands in his sleeves, paced over and leaned in, asking with concern, “How was the examination?”
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Nán: Pronounced the same as Nan, meaning a little girl in southern dialects. A “guai nán” (good little girl) can be directly replaced with “good baby.” “A certain family’s xiǎo nán” refers to a certain family’s youngest daughter.
Li Xiaonan was not given a name by her parents. Since she was the youngest, she was simply the Li family’s little girl, Li Xiaonan.
