Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 298 Sick Exam_1

Chapter 298: Chapter 298 Sick Exam_1

Time flew by, and there were no reports of war from the Northeastern borders, while intermittent news of the great battle in the Northwest reached them. Zhulan fretted over her three nephews, but as the provincial examination approached, her attention shifted entirely to Zhou Shuren.

The Zhou family was on edge, and even though the sons had great faith in their father, their hearts were in their throats until the results came out. The grandchildren stopped their play, and the Zhou household was unusually quiet each day.

Zhulan couldn’t help but feel anxious; she believed that Zhou Shuren would definitely pass, but the closer it got, the more she feared an accident. Before the provincial examination, the educational administrations in each province would conduct a preliminary test, and only those with excellent results were allowed to participate.

Zhou Shuren passed smoothly with, cough cough, second place—the top scorer was Wu Ming.

The provincial examination had a dedicated examination hall, located southeast of each prefecture city. The venue was the examination hall, consisting of three sessions, spanning three days each, requiring candidates to enter a day before each session.

Candidates spent all three days within the small cubicle-like rooms of the examination hall. Zhulan learned from Zhou Shuren that the examination cubicles were so tiny that two planks were joined together to serve as a bed and, when separated, became a desk and a chair.

Ancient people were quite ingenious; both planks were designed to be flexible and convertible.

Zhulan and Lady Li spent much effort on the meals, hoping to ensure that Zhou Shuren could eat a bit better.

After all, it was good that in the Northeast the temperatures in August were neither cold nor too hot, which could make the examinations more comfortable, unlike in the South, where it’s somewhat pitiful—Guangdong and other places are still very hot in August!

Sitting in a cramped cubicle for three days during hot weather was quite uncomfortable and could severely affect the exam takers’ mood.

The day before the examination, the Zhou family ate their meals in complete silence. Inside, Zhulan knew perfectly well that each branch of the family was afraid of being the one to disturb Zhou Shuren and take the blame!

Zhou Shuren, on the other hand, was the least nervous. He ate and drank as usual, sleeping soundly that night.

The next morning, after breakfast, Zhou Shuren was to go to the examination hall to enter ahead of time. Zhulan checked his belongings twice to confirm nothing was left behind, then personally accompanied him to the hall.

Arriving outside the hall, the entrance was already lined with a long queue of candidates, and there were even more carriages at the gate, making passage impossible. While Zhou’s second eldest watched the carriage, Zhulan and Zhou’s eldest escorted Zhou Shuren to join the line.

After Zhou Shuren was in line, Zhulan and the eldest didn’t leave, waiting until he had entered before departing.

The inspection at the entrance of the hall was extremely strict—examining not just belongings, but also the person. There were two tents by the gate, specifically for checking the candidates’ clothes, where candidates were required to undress for inspection, not as a humiliation, but solely to prevent cheating.

After waiting an hour, Zhou Shuren finally entered the examination area—the inspection was very thorough indeed, even their hair was checked. Zhou Shuren, who was not adept at grooming his hair, had it all in a mess, which made Zhulan grimace.

The eldest Zhou brother was also at a loss for words. He truly hadn’t expected his father to not know how to comb his hair when even he, clumsy as he was, could do it. Seeing their father enter the hall, the eldest felt reassured, "Mother, let’s go home!"

Zhulan took one more look at the hall before agreeing, "Yes, let’s go."

The next visit would be three days later. The provincial examination was divided into three sessions, three days each. Those in poor health truly struggled to endure it, but thankfully, Zhou Shuren’s physical condition was well-maintained.

Seeing his mother and elder brother return home, Zhou’s second eldest felt relieved knowing his father had successfully entered the examination hall.

On their way back, Zhulan crossed paths with the returning Lady Li from the Wu family and signaled for Zhou’s second eldest to stop the carriage, "Aunt, Uncle, why not ride with us on the way back?"

Lady Li waved her hand, "Your uncle and I are very anxious inside; walking back slowly will help calm us down. You go ahead!"

Zhulan replied, "Then I’ll go first."

"Alright then, be on your way!"

On the way home, there were truly many carriages, unable to match the speed they had on the way there. Upon arriving home and letting everyone know that he had entered the examination hall successfully, the anxious held their breath could finally relax.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren thoroughly scolded their children and their spouses, and afterward, no one dared to ask Zhulan any questions, even going so far as to steer clear of her, afraid of potentially bearing the brunt of her bad mood.

Three days passed quickly, and the first session of the examination ended. This time Zhulan and both her sons went early to wait by the gate.

As soon as the main gate opened, the entrance to the examination hall was packed with people, all of whom were families from Pingzhou City or relatives accompanying examinees.

Zhou Shuren was easy to recognize; he was the one with the disheveled hair, got it right. Some people felt dizzy as soon as they went out, a sign of weakness, but Zhou Shuren strode out looking quite spirited.

Zhulan felt relieved and curled the corner of her mouth, "Get on the carriage, I’ll comb your hair."

Zhou Shuren coughed, "Hmm."

He had tried combing his hair himself, and his current state was the best he could manage.

Zhou’s second elder son quickly took the case from his father’s hand, "Dad, let me help you onto the carriage."

Zhou Shuren, "Hmm."

Don’t think he didn’t notice Zhou’s second son’s twitching mouth. The first-time outing with his in-laws, he had their help, and at home, Zhulan was there to comb his hair. The children in the house really had no idea he couldn’t comb his hair. Now they all knew.

Once back in the carriage, they couldn’t move for a while as the carriages behind were blocked. Zhulan’s family had brought only one carriage, while some large households had several!

As Zhulan combed Zhou Shuren’s hair, she asked, "How have you been resting these past few days?"

Zhou Shuren, "Aside from the space being a bit cramped, the rest was acceptable."

Thanks to his two long journeys, at least he didn’t have to worry about security in the examination hall; he had indeed rested well at night.

Zhulan knew Zhou Shuren wasn’t lying to her. It was apparent from his energy. After fixing his hair, she said, "The hot water is ready at home, you should take a good bath when we get back."

After nodding, Zhou Shuren said, "I hope the weather remains as fine as it is now for the remaining two sessions."

Zhulan hoped so too. These days were not hot, and there was occasionally a gentle breeze. Most importantly, the sky was cloudless. The worst thing for exams was rain. It couldn’t be interrupted if it rained. Though there were places to shelter, the humidity could affect one’s mood, not to mention it wouldn’t bode well for a night’s rest. The biggest concern was catching cold and falling ill.

The carriage waited for a while before the road cleared. By the time they got home, it was two hours later; Zhou Shuren was the first to take a bath.

Lady Li had prepared a big table full of dishes. Zhulan specifically asked her eldest to buy and slaughter a sheep, just to nourish Zhou Shuren’s health.

After bathing and eating, Zhou Shuren went to lie down and rest.

The Zhou family continued to tread lightly, afraid to make any noise.

Zhulan meanwhile, washed the clothes Zhou Shuren had changed out of, and once they were clean, she prepared his clothes for the next examination session.

The entire Zhou family was dedicated to serving Zhou Shuren, right up until the last session ended.

When the final session concluded, some collapsed with sickness, others wept bitterly at the exit of the examination hall; all manner of scenes unfolded.

Even with his good spirits, Zhou Shuren felt a sense of relief after completing the exams. Once Zhulan finished combing his hair, he went to sleep.

Zhou Shuren’s sleep was a long one, almost a full day. Zhulan had the eldest son bathe Zhou Shuren and change his clothes.

After a full rest, Zhou Shuren just had to wait for the results.

Even though the exams were over, the Zhou household maintained a quiet atmosphere. Zhou Shuren remained composed and even felt well enough to meet up with Zhao Bo.

Zhulan’s attention was always on Zhou Shuren. It wasn’t until Wu Ning visited that she learned Wu Ming had persisted through illness to complete the exams. The Wu family was anxious about the results, so Wu Ning didn’t come over these past few days and stayed home to take care of Wu Ming.

When Zhou Shuren returned, Zhulan shared with him, "Wu Ming took the exams while ill; do you think you might have outperformed him?"