Chapter 94

In November, Shen Cui finally finished sewing Mei Ruochu a decent outer garment.

It was still jet black, with crooked stitches and indistinct embroidery. Even the lengths of the two sleeves were not quite consistent.

To anyone’s eye, it looked like good fabric ruined by shoddy workmanship.

But Mei Ruochu didn’t mind. If Shen Cui made it for him, he would wear it.

The process of making an outer garment was much more complex than making a belt, so it could add 10 points to Mei Ruochu’s luck.

The only downside was that outer garments needed to be changed and washed frequently, and he had to take them off at night. So, it would take two months to permanently add those 10 points of luck to his attributes.

However, the nights were Mei Ruochu’s and Mu Er Pang’s alone time. With Mu Er Pang around, Mei Ruochu’s luck didn’t cause any misfortune. So, the slight reduction in his luck wasn’t a big deal.

With his three belts being replaced, adding a stable 15 points every month, once he finished wearing all the belts Shen Cui had made, he would surely reach the pass line.

Shen Cui temporarily ignored him and focused her attention on Wei Xi.

Last winter, Wei Xi had already recovered from his cough and hadn’t relapsed this year. However, people with weak constitutions were prone to minor illnesses in the winter.

As a precaution, Shen Cui bought some tonics to help him recover.

But now his constitution was close to 70, which surpassed that of an ordinary person. So, the effectiveness of the medicine was gradually diminishing, and it couldn’t raise his stats, only preventing him from getting sick.

By December, when Shen Cui noticed that he hadn’t even caught a cold, she relaxed and turned her attention to cooking, aiming to improve Wei Xi’s and Wei Shu’s short-term memory for their upcoming examinations.

Mei Ruochu, who already had an exceptional memory, could eat or not eat as he pleased.

She focused on Wei Shu and Wei Xi because they ate more and digested slower, thus prolonging the effects of the medicine.

Last year, after the Laba Festival, Wei Shu and Wei Xi had already returned home at this time. This year, with Wei Shu taking the county exam in February and Wei Xi taking the provincial exam in April, it wasn’t suitable for them to travel. So, they had sent letters back to the capital earlier, discussing with their parents about staying for the New Year.

The elders of the Wei family had known that Wei Shu had gone to Cuiwei Academy earlier. With the brothers together and their belief in Cuiwei Academy being a “feng shui treasure land,” they were not worried at all.

In their reply, they attached some extra silver notes, asking them to buy some food for the New Year.

Before the New Year, Shen Cui’s cooking skills also smoothly reached level 2, and various home-cooked dishes appeared in the recommended recipe list.

Similarly, the points required for ingredients also increased.

When it came to studying before the exams, the most obvious effect was on short-term memory. Shen Cui chose to make “Stir-fried Cabbage with Eggs,” which also enhanced short-term memory.

Because she had leveled up, the dishes she cooked no longer made people lose their appetite. However, stir-frying cabbage until it was watery and breaking the eggs into crumbs would definitely not be considered delicious.

But this dish was actually quite popular at the dinner table—Wei Shu and the others could see Shen Cui’s visible improvement, and they were not dissatisfied.

Mei Ruochu would occasionally taste a few bites. Since it was a product of the system, he didn’t have to worry about biting into gravel or encountering mysterious bones. Why be picky?

During the New Year period, which was a crucial time for studying, Shen Cui still had to act as a time-enhancing switch and couldn’t stray from her duties.

So, she appointed Mrs. Zhou to handle the purchase of New Year goods and gifts.

Last year, Shen Cui had given silver to the Zheng family directly. Later, Mrs. Zheng wanted to return the favor in private, but Shen Cui refused, so Mrs. Zheng exchanged the silver for eggs and vegetables and sent them over.

Therefore, this year, instead of giving silver, Shen Cui bought some useful items for the elders.

Mrs. Zhou had grown accustomed to her role over the past year, so Shen Cui trusted her completely.

Although money had been tight last year, this year, despite having Mei Ruochu, the burden had lightened considerably because Wei Shu was also regularly at the academy. The Wei family had doubled their living expenses, so the overall financial burden had eased.

Shen Cui gave Mrs. Zhou ten taels of silver—actually, ten taels were definitely more than enough, but she was worried that if she gave too little, Mrs. Zhou would secretly dip into her own savings.

Even though her workload had lightened considerably compared to before, it was still hard-earned money.

Mrs. Zhou took the money and went to buy things—food, necessities, and clothes. She bought quite a lot of things and even made a bill for Shen Cui to check.

Before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve. The entire academy had a reunion dinner, but apart from that, there were no entertainment activities.

They continued their daily routine of studying.

On the first day of the new year, as usual, Shen Cui took Mu Er Pang and Mrs. Zhou to the city to pay New Year’s visits and had lunch there.

Mrs. Zheng knew that the affairs of the academy were important, so she told Shen Cui that it was fine not to return on the second day of the new year.

After all, on the second day, there would only be her and Old Master Shen at home. As long as the two elders didn’t mention it to anyone, no one would criticize Shen Cui for being disrespectful.

Shen Cui stayed at home with peace of mind and waited for the new year to pass, then it would be time to sign up for the county exam.

When Wei Shu participated, it was handled by Qingzhu Academy, but this time, as the students of their own academy were going to participate for the first time, it was naturally Shen Cui, the head of the academy, who would handle it.

To sign up for the county exam, candidates first needed to be residents of the county, and they also needed to form a group of five and have a licentiate serve as a guarantor.

It wasn’t difficult to find a licentiate to serve as a guarantor—the county had licentiates specifically for this purpose, and Lao Buyu also had friends in this area. As long as enough silver was provided, it could be arranged.

The challenging part was finding the group of five—schools like Qingzhu Academy didn’t have to worry about this because they had enough students participating daily to fulfill this requirement.

However, for smaller academies like Chuiwei, where only Wei Xi was participating, it was a bit tricky.

Because if one person cheated, the other four would also be implicated. Who would dare to serve as a guarantor for a stranger? And Chuiwei, at the moment, was still relatively unknown and lacked that credibility.

Although, with a little money, it was possible to have the county registration clerk help find people to form the group.

The amount of silver was insignificant to the Wei family, but the issue remained—who would guarantee the other four people, as strangers couldn’t be trusted? Wei Xi would definitely not cheat, but who would assure the other four?

Mei Ruochu, who usually didn’t speak much, expressed his opinion at this moment: “For such matters, it’s crucial to know the details. When I participated in the county exam in my early years, no one from our academy was willing to guarantee me, so our headmaster found someone from outside. However, we encountered a person who, during his revision, heard a method that involved copying unfamiliar content onto his body, claiming it would help the information integrate into his mind and prevent forgetting. As a result, he didn’t wash properly before the exam… Fortunately, when he was searched, it was discovered, and it was determined he didn’t do it intentionally. However, he was banned from taking exams for three years, and the rest of us were all expelled.”

His casual remark about being expelled left everyone speechless. Although Wei Xi definitely wouldn’t be as unlucky as Mei Ruochu, the risk couldn’t be taken lightly.

At this point, Wei Shu still retained his status as a student of Qingzhu Academy, which showed its advantages.

He went directly to Qingzhu to inquire about the number of participants this year—it turned out to be four people!

With the number confirmed, Lao Buyu, as the representative of the academy, went to discuss with Ling Qingming.

Initially, Qingzhu was planning to find another person, thinking it would be straightforward.

However, Ling Qingming was holding a grudge because of what happened with Wei Shu. He found it difficult to discuss the matter: “Indeed, five people are needed for the guarantee, but when other academies in the city learn of this, they’ll also try to arrange their students to guarantee for us. Although you’re my junior brother, there’s an order to things.”

This was purely nonsense—every year, it was only after the New Year that Qingzhu decided who would participate.

Outsiders wouldn’t know in advance, so it was impossible for anyone to get the information before Chuiwei did.

“Why should we trust strangers instead of selecting students from our own academy? Besides, that child is Wei Shu’s younger brother, so there couldn’t be anyone more trustworthy.” Lao Buyu knew Ling Qingming was just making excuses, so he immediately asked, “Let’s speak plainly, senior brother. What do you suggest?”

Since Ling Qingming couldn’t possibly backtrack and ask Wei Shu to return to Qingzhu, as it contradicted what he had said before, he valued his reputation and wouldn’t be so inconsistent.

After pondering for a while, Ling Qingming couldn’t think of any good exchange conditions at the moment. After all, what could he gain from a makeshift academy like Chuiwei?

But if he didn’t agree, Lao Buyu wouldn’t leave.

Lao Buyu would just smile and say, “There’s nothing urgent for me to go back for anyway. Since the Lunar New Year hasn’t ended yet, let’s spend some time together, senior brothers.”

In terms of thick skin, Ling Qingming was no match for Lao Buyu.

Lao Buyu stuck to him all day until Ling Qingming had no choice but to relent and agree to the guarantee. However, he added, “You owe me a favor for this.”

Lao Buyu didn’t hesitate to agree, “Consider it owed.”

He figured that if things got complicated later on, he could continue owing favors. A little debt wouldn’t weigh him down.

After completing the registration process, Wei Xi received his admission ticket, which was essentially the equivalent of a modern-day examination permit. However, this admission ticket contained more detailed information, including his height, physique, appearance, presence of facial hair, and birthmarks. This way, even if Wei Xi bore a strong resemblance to Wei Shu, it would be impossible for Wei Shu to take the exam on his behalf. It was one of the anti-cheating measures of this era.

In February, Shen Cui took a few young men to the examination site.

Mei Ruochu initially didn’t want to go, fearing that his unlucky disposition would bring trouble to Wei Xi. However, everyone insisted, saying he was overthinking it, especially since his streak of bad luck had been decreasing recently. It was obvious that his luck had turned!

So, Mei Ruochu went along as well.

Because Shen Cui had already taken Mu Erpang and Wei Xi to the exam site last year and had heard about Wei Shu’s post-exam experiences and insights, everyone was mentally prepared this time, and the atmosphere was much lighter than the solemnity of last year.

Wei Xi arrived at Examination Hall, after going through a series of procedures such as singing the guarantee, recognizing the guarantee, and being searched, he glanced in the direction of his family’s carriage, knowing that Shen Cui and the others were there, which further reassured him before entering the examination hall.

After he entered, the carriage of the Wei family didn’t leave either.

The young men brought books to read, while Shen Cui observed Wei Xi’s actions on the semi-transparent screen in front of her—

Since the academy had been upgraded, she could see Wei Xi’s chibi character even outside the examination hall, observing him being led into the examination room and sitting at his desk.

Until the exam papers were distributed and Wei Xi buried himself in writing, his mood value even increased slightly, showing no signs of nervousness anymore. Everything seemed to be smooth sailing.

Suddenly, a system prompt popped up. Before Shen Cui could read it carefully, there was a muffled groan outside the carriage. She pulled back the curtain and saw Mei Ruochu, who had gone to buy breakfast nearby, falling heavily beside the carriage.

The horse was startled and raised its hooves high.

Fortunately, the Wei family’s coachman was experienced and managed to control the horse by tightening the reins, preventing it from trampling Mei Ruochu with its hooves.

Mei Ruochu rolled on the ground and quickly got up, patting his chest and exclaiming about how lucky he was!

This incident happened in the blink of an eye, and Shen Cui’s heart jumped into her throat in fear.

At that moment, she finally saw the content of the system prompt that had popped up earlier: “[System Prompt: Luck value of the 4th cultivation target decreased by 20.]”

Shen Cui: !!! Luck value can be decreased even during the exam journey???

Lao Buyu would just smile and say, “There’s nothing urgent for me to go back for anyway. Since the Lunar New Year hasn’t ended yet, let’s spend some time together, senior brothers.”

In terms of thick skin, Ling Qingming was no match for Lao Buyu.

Lao Buyu stuck to him all day until Ling Qingming had no choice but to relent and agree to the guarantee. However, he added, “You owe me a favor for this.”

Lao Buyu didn’t hesitate to agree, “Consider it owed.”

He figured that if things got complicated later on, he could continue owing favors. A little debt wouldn’t weigh him down.

After completing the registration process, Wei Xi received his admission ticket, which was essentially the equivalent of a modern-day examination permit. However, this admission ticket contained more detailed information, including his height, physique, appearance, presence of facial hair, and birthmarks. This way, even if Wei Xi bore a strong resemblance to Wei Shu, it would be impossible for Wei Shu to take the exam on his behalf. It was one of the anti-cheating measures of this era.

In February, Shen Cui took a few young men to the examination site.

Mei Ruochu initially didn’t want to go, fearing that his unlucky disposition would bring trouble to Wei Xi. However, everyone insisted, saying he was overthinking it, especially since his streak of bad luck had been decreasing recently. It was obvious that his luck had turned!

So, Mei Ruochu went along as well.

Because Shen Cui had already taken Mu Erpang and Wei Xi to the exam site last year and had heard about Wei Shu’s post-exam experiences and insights, everyone was mentally prepared this time, and the atmosphere was much lighter than the solemnity of last year.