Jiang Sheng realized for the first time what it meant to have misfortune pick on the unfortunate, to have the roof leak during continuous rain, and to have bad luck strike just as she went to drink cold water.
She was just bumped when getting off the carriage, so why did her ID go missing?
Not just her, but her several brothers were also confused.
There were crowds everywhere at the gates of the Imperial Examination Hall, examinees and families sending them off, packed tightly together. They couldn't even find who had bumped into them.
Jiang Sheng was about to cry.
Her round eyes suddenly turned red, then layer upon layer of crystalline liquid welled up, enveloping her eyeballs until her eyelids could no longer contain them, and tears spilled out.
Jiang Sheng was a lively girl who had tasted the warmth and coldness of human relationships since she was young and begging. She understood long ago that tears were useless.
She didn't cry when beaten, didn't cry when scolded, didn't cry when hungry or hurt.
But at this moment, because of guilt, her tears rolled down her cheeks.
Xu Mo was extremely distressed and gently comforted her, "Don't be upset. At worst we'll skip the first exam, it's alright. Even if you can't pass this year, there's still the exam next year."
Jiang Sheng didn't speak. She felt too awful. Why was it always like this? The more she worried, the more likely it was to happen. The more she feared, the more certain it was to come.
If she had been more careful, if she had held the package tightly, maybe the token wouldn't have been lost.
"Jiang Sheng," Zheng Ruqian also felt terrible. "Let's go look, the paper must have been deliberately stolen by someone."
Who would deliberately steal Xu Mo's ID?
It could only be the county magistrate couple who held a grudge against them.
"I'm going to the county government," Fang Heng grabbed his whip and was about to leave.
Xu Mo and Zheng Ruqian hurried to stop him, "Without evidence, even if we make a scene at the county government, how will it help? After all, it was our carelessness."
Alright, they would learn to be smarter after this lesson.
"Let's go, we're heading back," Xu Mo was reluctant to stay any longer.
Without the admission ticket, what was the point of lingering at the gates of the Imperial Examination Hall?
Jiang Sheng lowered her head without speaking, still shedding silent tears.
The several brothers boarded the mule cart together, but Chang Yan didn't move.
"Little Five," Zheng Ruqian called him, "let's go back."
Chang Yan still didn't move.
Wearing the most ordinary gray cotton jacket, he stood straight amidst the crowd and softly said after a long pause, "Since we're already here, why not take a look around just in case there are any rules."
Zheng Ruqian felt the fifth brother was a bit cold-blooded. His sister was crying so hard, yet he wasn't hurrying to leave.
Xu Mo was even more hesitant. They had already come this far, it was really unwilling to just leave like this.
But what could they do if they stayed? Without the ID, even if they found it, it would be too late.
Because the gates of the Imperial Examination Hall had opened.
Thousands of examinees bid farewell to their families and headed towards the hall, full of youthful spirit. They were determined to succeed, marching valiantly onwards.
These boys, some no more than ten, others thirty or forty years old, were rushing towards their battlefield.
While Xu Mo, who should have been one of them, could only watch the tail end of the endless stream of examinees.
Before Jiang Sheng, Zheng Ruqian, Fang Heng and Wen Zhiyun could react, the gates of the hall closed.
Chang Yan clapped his hands, keeping his merit and name hidden.
"Fifth brother!" Jiang Sheng choked out between tears, "What did you just do? How did big brother get in?"
"That's right, little Five, how did big brother suddenly sneak in?" Zheng Ruqian was puzzled. "Could he have used some illusion technique?"
Chang Yan shook his head. "Neither."
Only real ID could allow entry into the hall. There was no faking that.
"But it was clearly stolen just now." Jiang Sheng stared with wide eyes.
She suddenly recalled that after fifth brother saw the ID, he had put it in the package and it hadn't been taken out since.
So who could prove that the one stolen just now was the real ID?
Zheng Ruqian and the two younger brothers exchanged glances, all dumbfounded.
Like Jiang Sheng, they had been vigilant about losing their belongings, but never considered someone would openly snatch them.
Much less had they thought to prepare a fake ID beforehand.
This trick of stealing the dragon's pearl to replace it with a phoenix egg had taught them a lesson.
"Actually, thinking in reverse makes it obvious. If we were the enemy, what should we do to ensure success in one strike?" Chang Yan explained calmly.
Not making a move usually meant they were gathering strength.
And Xu Mo's county exam was the crucial moment.
Chang Yan had simply been cautiously prepared, and didn't know what expression the magistrate of Xieyang County would show upon seeing the blank paper.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket," Jiang Sheng was very clever and immediately understood the moral. "To do things unexpectedly is the only way to disrupt the enemy's plans."
Chang Yan nodded with a smile.
Jiang Sheng's tears welled up again, but this time not from guilt but excitement.
How wonderful, big brother could take the exam!
And this was all thanks to fifth brother's efforts.
"Fifth brother, you're amazing!" The little girl shouted and threw her arms around Chang Yan, firmly kissing him on the cheek.
She had only done so in excitement.
But her brothers stared wide-eyed.
"Jiang Sheng," Zheng Ruqian yelled, "You haven't even kissed me yet, how could you kiss little Five?"
"Or me," Fang Heng couldn't bear to look.
"Or me," Wen Zhiyun meekly raised his hand.
Jiang Sheng awkwardly scratched her head. "I got a little too excited, don't take it to heart fifth brother."
Chang Yan's expression was as usual, even a bit coldly giving an "mm" in response.
But looking closely, one would notice that the ears on both sides of his cheeks were rosy, just like a perfectly ripened honey peach.
Jiang Sheng had a simple heart.
With the guilt dispersed, she regained her usual cheerfulness and started pondering what to eat for lunch.
Today was the first day of the county exam, also called the formal exam.
To receive Xu Mo as soon as possible, the siblings decided to wait at the gates of the hall. This meant they would be eating out for lunch.
Jiang Sheng had been looking forward to it since sunrise, repeatedly considering before finally deciding on wonton noodles for lunch.
There was a small stand not far from the hall, five coins for a bowl, so five bowls cost only twenty-five coins.
When paying, Jiang Sheng was taken aback.
In the past, spending twenty-five coins on a meal was unimaginable to her. When had the descriptor for twenty-five coins changed to "only"?
It was after meeting her brothers.
Although life was extremely difficult in the beginning, working together earnestly made their days better and better.
If Xu Mo passed and became a child student, then passed the imperial exam to become a scholar, their whole family would ascend to heaven.
The more Jiang Sheng thought about it, the more wonderful it seemed. She even drank up the last drop of wonton soup.
Chang Yan thought she was still hungry and kindly gave her most of his portion.
Jiang Sheng ate it all obliviously.
Finally when the sky darkened, the gates of the hall opened and exhausted examinees poured out.
Jiang Sheng blinked her big eyes trying to spot Xu Mo.
One, another, still not him.
No, not him, still not.
When the examinees thinned from a dense crowd to scattered drips, Xu Mo still hadn't emerged.
Jiang Sheng's heart tightened again.
