Jialan: Crossing the Red Chamber

"Probably got it outside, I didn't pay attention to falling on the bed."

Caiwen smiled and said: "This incense is very fresh, and I just took it with me for the exam today." Ting Ling snatched it up and sniffed it under his nose, and said happily: "It's so good, it's more refreshing than the mint fragrance from Ribao girl the other day. I can't guess what it smells like."

Before Jia Lan left, he took it and sniffed it. The fragrance was cold and cold. As soon as it entered his nose, he couldn't help but tremble all over, feeling very energetic.Jia Lan felt that it was very similar to Shui Rong's fragrance, but it was stronger than it, so he guessed that it might be left by Shui Rong.

He said: "Then hang it on the belt and take it with you during the exam."

Cai Wen and Ting Ling responded, and Li Wan hurried in from the outside and said, "Stop chatting, pack up quickly, and go to the front yard to say hello, if you slow down, it will be too late."

As soon as Jia Lan heard this, she dared not speak any more, so she quickly changed her clothes, checked the contents of the kaolan, and went to see Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang.

Because it was still early and Jia's mother hadn't gotten up yet, she ordered Jia Lan to go to the inner room. The old lady took Jia Lan's hand and said: "My son, you are so young and it's your first time to play. If something goes wrong Don’t worry about it.” After speaking, he sighed and said: “You are so big, how can you spend so many days away from me, even if you are not in front of my eyes, you are surrounded by maids and servants, why have you ever slept alone all night. Going into the examination room today, I feel lonely and desolate, I need to take care of myself. I finished my essay earlier and came back quickly after I found my family, so that your mother can rest assured."

One sentence made Li Wan wipe his eyes and tears.

Jia's mother pulled Li Wan over and said, "Don't worry about Zhu'er's daughter-in-law. Don't you know what Lan'er has learned, don't you know? It's good to pass this time, but there will be a next time. Lan'er is filial and filial. Work hard, and you will be blessed in the future."

Jia Lan knelt on the ground to see the two feeling emotional and sad, and hurriedly said: "The old lady, my mother has raised me for a lifetime, and I have nothing to repay. Only once I entered the venue did I make a fuss, and one of them will come out. Then It will be a good time for you to rejoice."

Li Wan wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, he just touched Jia Lan's head and sighed.

Yuanyang looked sad from the side, and saw that the sky outside was gradually getting brighter, so he said: "It's almost time, the old lady don't have to tell me. Brother Lang beat Xiao Congmin, we don't have to worry, just wait for his good news It's gone." He ordered someone to help Jia Lan up.

Jia Lan stood up, bowed to her, and said with a smile, "Then I will accept my sister's good words."

After leaving Jiamu's courtyard, he went to Mrs. Wang's place again.

Mrs. Wang and Jia's mother said the same thing, only a few instructions, and then sent Jia Lan to the examination room with the experienced person in charge of the family.

There were many people standing shoulder to shoulder outside the tribute courtyard. The big servant protected Jia Lan and sent him outside the checkpoint outside the tribute courtyard, waiting in line for the search officer to search.

It was still dark, Jia Lan stood behind and watched the search officer carry a lantern to search the test baskets of the candidates one by one, his slender fingers messed up the things in the blue, and he was still chanting words, which scared the test takers like chaff trembling.

Jia Lan thought to himself, being so frightened, even if he didn't cheat, it seemed like he had done something wrong.

When it was Jia Lan's turn, the investigator opened the examination basket layer by layer, and took out the four treasures of the study one by one for inspection.Jia Lan frowned when he saw the man sniffing and sniffing the Caiwen pastry.

At this moment, Li Li's shout sounded behind him.Jia Lan looked back and saw Li Li standing at the back, with both hands outstretched, bouncing up and down to greet him.Jia Lanha laughed and waved at him.

The candidates in front of Li Li were all taller than him, so he poked his head restlessly, curled his lips on tiptoe, and wanted to jump in line to Jia Lan.Seeing his dishonesty, Li Liang, who was accompanying him, finally couldn't bear to come out from the crowd of onlookers, and gave him a slap in the face.

Li Li was honest.

Jia Lan was rocking back and forth laughing in front of him. The investigator took a peek at Li Liang, put Jia Lan's things in the test basket respectfully and arranged them one by one, and then said loudly, "Let go."

Candidates who were allowed to pass stood at the gate of the Tribute Court waiting for the door to open. By the way, they felt relieved to watch others being searched.Several people were found to have cheat sheets hidden in their clothes and food, and were driven out of the examination room by the search officers.

When they arrived at Li Li, the investigator just flipped the test basket casually and let him go.

As soon as he heard the release, Li Li first turned his head and smiled at Li Liang, then ran to Jia Lan's side with the test basket in his hand.

Jia Lan smiled and kicked him: "You're not nervous at all." All the candidates around were restrained and well-mannered, and only Jia Lan and Li Li were so relaxed.

After checking all the candidates, the gate of the Tribute Academy was opened, and two rows of colorful flags surrounded the examiners and rushed out.After the invigilator gave some lectures on the rules, he ordered the candidates to enter the arena.

Jia Lan walked into the tribute courtyard and found the numbered room with his name written on it.It was a small wooden house, three feet wide and six feet long, with a wooden board erected for sitting and writing, and the wooden board can be pulled down to be used as a bed.

Regardless of whether it was during his lifetime or later, it was considered to be the most humble house Jalan has ever lived in.The thought of staying there for eight days gave him a headache.

Sitting on the wooden board, Jia Lan saw Li Li walking straight forward and disappeared after a while, thinking that this seemed a bit far away, so she put down the four treasures of the study and opened the examination paper to read.

Eight days is not easy at all, let alone in the tense examination room.

On the first night, a candidate surnamed Li suddenly burst into tears and laughed. He strangled himself and was about to be strangled to death. The officer tied him with a rope.And because once the gate of the Gongyuan was closed, it was not allowed to open before the time, so the number officer ordered someone to fetch a pole more than two feet high, and picked the candidate surnamed Li out of the examination room.

On the third day, when taking the Five Classics test, the man in the room opposite Jia Lan fell ill, foaming at the mouth and paralyzed on the ground, his whole body convulsing like a sieve.Jia Lan was terrified when he saw it, and hurriedly called the officer.The number officer looked at the man, and seemed to see nothing strange, not alarmed, he only comforted Jia Lan a few words, and ordered the man to be picked out of the examination room.

Until now, Jia Lanfang really felt the importance and cruelty of this exam.

On the sixth day, the weather was suddenly cold, and it began to rain again in the middle of the night.When Jia Lan woke up, he felt a stuffy nose and itchy throat, and his head was a little dizzy.After he sneezed twice, he dug out the bottom layer of the test basket, took out a thin shirt and put it on his body.After putting it on, he immediately felt warmer on his body. He gathered up his skirt and was about to cover the exam basket, but he happened to see a sachet embroidered with dark patterns lying quietly at the bottom of the basket.

He picked it up and saw that it was the sachet left by the water solution on the morning of the exam. It was supposed to be hung on the body, but then he forgot it in a hurry, and unexpectedly Caiwen was crushed to the bottom of the basket.

He lowered his head and sniffed lightly, a unique fragrance went straight into his nose and throat, and instantly spread throughout his body.Jia Lan shuddered violently, and then regained consciousness a little bit.

Jia Lan saw that the sachet was very effective, so he put it on the wooden board and started to make examination papers.

On the eighth day, it was the [-]th day of the eighth month. According to traditional calculations, this day was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the examiners and candidates had to go home for the holiday.An examiner announced early in the morning that the field will be cleaned at sunset on this day, and candles cannot be continued.

At noon, after the rain, Jia Lan looked at the bright sunshine outside the eaves, and his mood suddenly became calm.In his two lives, roughly, there were more than 30 years, and 20 of them were almost all studying hard under the cold window.These 20 years of hard work and anxiety seem to be all for such an exam.It doesn't matter if the world is pedantic or stubborn, but some things can't be changed after 100 or 200 years.

There are thousands of people's ideals, but in the final analysis there is only one, and that is to make their lives better and the lives of those around them better.Jia Lan never doubted his determination, he did his best, but that was just one idea.

Now the significance of this test is to test whether his determination is really as strong as he thought.

Thinking of this, Jia Lan felt more and more calm as water, and her writing was flowing.

When Jia Lan left the examination room, it was just the setting sun.The bright red color, reflected on Jalan's water-blue clothes, reveals a bright and noble purple.

He put his hands on his forehead, looked at the sunset, and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that a threshold had finally passed.

Ming Qing and Jia Yong waited for a few big servants to greet them with yelling, some took the test basket, some supported Jia Lan, and some greeted him warmly.

Jia Lan nodded and smiled again and again, and responded with a few words.

Ming Qing said: "Brother Lang, you have come out, we are all waiting outside in a hurry."

Jia Yong also said: "Yes, sir, the old ladies and wives are also very anxious at home. The master sent a letter two days ago to ask about the situation."

Jia Lan waved his hand and said, "Well, I know, don't block the door, let's go home."

Seeing his sallow complexion and lack of energy, Mingqing knew that he must have suffered from the wind and cold and hurt his body, so he quickly supported him and said, "Hurry up, drive here."

Jia Lan was waiting for the carriage, and in a blink of an eye, he saw Li Liang smiling at him standing in front of a sedan chair not far away.Jia Lan smiled, walked over to salute, and said, "Master Li."

Li Liang returned a salute and said, "Xiao Li hasn't come out yet, I'll wait for a while."

Jia Lan replied: "The examination room is cleared at sunset. It's getting late, so it should be soon."

Li Liang smiled and said, "I hope so." He asked a few more questions about the exam, and Jia Lan answered them one by one with a smile.

Li Liang glanced at his waist, and asked again: "What fragrance is hanging on Lan'er's waist, it smells elegant?"

Jia Lan took off the sachet and said, "It should be Tanxiang."

Li Liang looked at it carefully, then handed it back to him and said: "This thing is very precious, Lan Er better not show it to the outside."

Jia Lan flipped through the sachet and said strangely: "Is it very precious?" However, there are few items belonging to Master Shui that are not precious.He nodded and put it in his arms, seeing his carriage