Chapter 95: Reading 3/3

He also learned that Li Qingzhi had been taken away to do hard labor and hadn’t touched a book for five years. Last summer, Li Qingzhi even borrowed the “Three Character Classic” from Yao Zhenfu to read.

This person could definitely be described as ignorant. No wonder his writing was so superficial!

As for the words written by Li Qingzhi…

Hong Hui never really thought about Li Qingzhi using his left hand to write; he just felt that Li Qingzhi’s arm being broken in the first place might have been fake.

This person’s arm clearly wasn’t broken, yet he pretended it was, which was really despicable!

But while Hong Hui looked down on Li Qingzhi, he still hoped Li Qingzhi would achieve good results in the county exam. By then, not only would Li Qingzhi be unlucky, but Magistrate Gou would also be in big trouble!

Li Qingzhi didn’t know what others were thinking. He brewed a large pot of sea buckthorn tea for Li Xiucai and continued to ask him various questions.

Li Xiucai: “…”

For the entire morning, wherever Li Xiucai went, Li Qingzhi followed. He listened attentively when Li Xiucai taught, and once Li Xiucai finished, he continued asking questions.

It wasn’t until noon that Li Qingzhi left Li Xiucai and escorted the three children home.

He would continue studying in the afternoon, but as for these three children, studying for half a day was about enough.

After having lunch at home, Li Qingzhi briefly touched Jin Xiaoye’s hand while nobody was around, then went back to the school with renewed vigor to study.

For the next few days, this was how he spent his time.

At first, Li Xiucai thought Li Qingzhi was a very good student, and he was even particularly happy about it. But after a few days passed, he found it a bit overwhelming.

Li Qingzhi learned things too quickly!

Initially, the questions Li Qingzhi asked were relatively simple, but now they are becoming more complex.

What’s more, Li Qingzhi had read many books and could recite them all fluently… If he made a mistake while answering, Li Qingzhi would even point it out.

This was ultimately not so pleasant… Li Xiucai took a big gulp of the sea buckthorn tea and found it a bit bitter, feeling bitter in his heart too.

What made him even more uncomfortable was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The school was closed that day, but Li Qingzhi came to his house… Li Qingzhi, who had never eaten at his house before, ended up staying and eating there for the whole day!

Li Xiucai was starting to feel a bit afraid of Li Qingzhi! But amidst the fear, he also felt a bit excited.

Li Qingzhi’s speed in learning things was so fast… Li Xiucai realized that if nothing unexpected happened, Li Qingzhi would have an extremely smooth journey in the imperial examination system!

In the future, Li Qingzhi might not necessarily become the top scholar, after all, that depended on the preferences of the examiners and the emperor. But with Li Qingzhi’s abilities, passing the provincial examination would not be a problem.

If the people who studied with him could pass the imperial examination, then his school… Li Xiucai took a deep breath and continued to explain to Li Qingzhi.

Actually, even without mentioning that, considering Li Qingzhi’s gesture of giving him five taels of silver on Lantern Festival, he would still do his best.

He had many sons and grandsons. Every time he thought about how these grandchildren would all need to study and get married, it gave him a headache.

On Lantern Festival, Li Qingzhi spent the whole day studying with Li Xiucai. Then, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the county government posted a notice saying that the county exam would be held next month.

County exams usually take place in the second lunar month. Although everyone already knew about it beforehand, when the notice was posted, the people in Li Xiucai’s school were still excited.

That noon, Li Qingzhi went home for lunch as usual.

Although he didn’t need to escort the three children home, he liked going home, talking to his family for a few moments, and seeing Jin Xiaoye working. It refreshed him, and he could then dive back into his intense studies with renewed vigor!

The notice was posted in the morning, and Zhu Xunmiao and Xu Qifei learned about it at noon. When Li Qingzhi leisurely walked back to the school after lunch, Zhu Xunmiao immediately greeted him: “Mr. Li, the time for the county exam has been confirmed. It will be on the sixteenth of next month!”

Xu Qifei also said, “Time flies, it’s only a month away!” “A month is not short. With your solid foundation, passing the county exam will definitely be no problem,” Li Qingzhi said with a smile.

Passing the county exam was still quite easy. Every year, there were twenty to thirty people who passed in Chongcheng County, and this was consistent every year!

In the countryside, passing the county exam was a big deal, but in the county town, there were hundreds of people who had passed the county exam. Many shopkeepers in the county town had passed it on.

Basically, anyone who studied seriously could pass the county exam. Zhu Xunmiao and Xu Qifei were not lacking in knowledge, and most of those older than them had already passed… Among this year’s thirty people, they were bound to be included.

Zhu Xunmiao also felt confident that he would pass the county exam and said, “Mr. Li, you must be the top scorer this time.”

Li Qingzhi had an extraordinary memory. Not only did he memorize the Four Books and Five Classics thoroughly, but he also memorized all the materials his father painstakingly collected for him.

And then there was Li Qingzhi’s handwriting.

After the Magistrate of Gou County read his father’s autobiography and returned it to his father, Li Qingzhi, when reading it, was deeply shaken.

Li Qingzhi’s current handwriting was truly excellent, and the speed of his progress left him far behind.

Sometimes, he felt that Li Qingzhi was not just a genius but the star of literature in the heavens!

If such a Li Qingzhi couldn’t be the top scorer, then it would be unjust!

Li Qingzhi smiled and said, “That’s not necessarily true.” He was actually quite confident and felt that he had no problem.

After all, he was someone with a golden finger, and he had already established a good relationship with Magistrate Gou.

But there were others around, so he had to be modest.

During this time, Zhu Xunmiao often praised Li Qingzhi in the school, saying how good Li Qingzhi’s knowledge was, and Li Xiucai had also publicly praised Li Qingzhi. Moreover, everyone in the school liked the stories Li Qingzhi wrote…

Most people in the school, like Zhu Xunmiao, believed that Li Qingzhi could be the top scorer.

It was only Fang Zijian who furrowed his brows.

Although Li Qingzhi could write stories, his knowledge was very poor. Why should he be the top scorer?

Based solely on his storytelling, he heaped praise upon Magistrate Gou?

If Li Qingzhi really got the top score because of that, then it would be too unfair!

Fang Zijian felt annoyed for a while, then calmed down and continued to study.

Not only did he want to pass the county exam, but he also wanted to pass the provincial exam in one go!

Fang Zijian buried himself in his studies, so he didn’t notice Zhu Xunmiao and the others discussing knowledge with Li Qingzhi.

It was this discussion… Those students who were close to Zhu Xunmiao found Li Qingzhi’s knowledge to be extremely broad.

Li Qingzhi knew too much! No wonder Zhu Xunmiao thought he could be the top scorer!