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Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Speaking of which, Yang Qionghua has always had some small problems. To put it nicely, it means being curious, and to say it badly means to love gossip. Therefore, when she heard this, she seemed to be scratched at the tip of her heart. She really wished she could pull Zhen Tingyun and ask the matter clearly. It's a pity that she and Zhen Tingyun have just met for the first time now, and they have a deep conversation. Seeing that Zhen Tingyun doesn't mean to say much, she can only hold back her curiosity like a cat's scratching and stop asking.
He just blinked at the other party, covered his lips and smiled, and asked, "It's getting late, do you want to go to lunch together?"
Zhen Tingyun shook his head: "I promised Mrs. Chu that she would take me to the dining hall when she came back."
Hearing this, Yang Qionghua didn't force it, just shrugged and said with a smile, "In that case, I'll go first."
Zhen Tingyun nodded and watched the other party leave.
Unexpectedly, Yang Qionghua walked to the door and turned around again, smiled at her, and said in a clear voice: "Mrs. Chu has never accepted a disciple before, nor has she recommended anyone, you can make an exception for her, there must be something special... ...I guess you can pass the entrance examination for women's schools this time. So, we should be classmates in the future, so I won't say more if we meet again~"
While speaking, her jade-white hand rested beside the door, and the back of her hand reflected light, as white as winter snow. The five fingers are slightly folded, the joints are distinct, and the fingers are as thin and delicate as the newly peeled bamboo shoots.
The nails are slightly raised, pink and translucent, with a fine light like a pearl.
In fact, Zhen Tingyun was a little unsure about this entrance exam, but when she heard Yang Qionghua say this, she was strangely calm, raised her eyebrows and raised her lips, and smiled back: "Then borrow Yang Qionghua's words. The girl is blessed."
At the same time, Zhen Tingyun secretly said: This girl Yang has such beautiful hands, she must be very good at playing the piano.
********
Zhen Tingyun waited for nearly a quarter of an hour in the examination room, and Madam Chu arrived late.
For this reason, Mrs. Chu also explained to her additionally: "I also need to be in charge of patrolling the examination room today, and I had a little trouble, but it was a delay." After speaking, she asked Zhen Tingyun, "How did the examination go? "
Zhen Tingyun thought for a while, then said conservatively: "I think it's okay." Most of the common sense questions have been answered, the arithmetic questions should be no big problem, and the strategy questions are also well written... Logically, at least it can be obtained. A pass.
Mrs. Chu didn't ask any further, and said, "How about the two classmates in the same exam room as you?"
Zhen Tingyun thought about it for a while, and then said: "I only met once and exchanged names. I really can't say what I want to say."
Mrs. Chu nodded, and then she told Zhen Tingyun about the situation of the Kyoto Women's School, and told her some anecdotes about the Kyoto Women's School. The two walked to the dining hall while talking.
The cafeteria of the Kyoto Women's School is not small, but there are so many female students taking the entrance examination for the women's school today that in the past, the cafeteria is crowded with people.
Fortunately, in addition to a few people in charge of the security of the dining hall, there were also some female students from Kyoto Girls' School who voluntarily signed up to come to the school to maintain order. Although there were more female students taking the exam, it would not be called chaos if someone maintained order.
Of course, the most important thing is: in the afternoon, there will be four exams of Liyueyuyu. Considering that there are female students in the cafeteria, most of the female students are still very restrained, and they always maintain their ladylike appearance. Deportment, for fear of being singled out for being rude. Wouldn't it be a big loss if the score for the ceremony was lowered due to this?
Because of this, even if there are a lot of people in the dining hall, there are no cluttered voices in the dining hall, and even the sound of cups colliding is very soft.
Everything was in good order, and the female students lined up to take meals, quietly and politely.
Zhen Tingyun didn't have to go to crowd people, and she didn't have to queue. She was led in directly by Mrs. Chu, and followed Mrs. Chu to sit in the seats reserved for the school's female gentlemen.
As soon as Zhen Tingyun took his seat, he felt that many people's eyes followed him, which could be said to be like a light on his back. She rarely received such attention, her shoulders were slightly stiff, but her face was still calm, she only looked up at Madam Chu, and tentatively said: "I am just a teacher, Zhou Qingyun and Yang Qionghua, they don't come to the dining hall to eat. Is it? Or is it already finished?"
Mrs. Chu was frowning at the Aodou in the meal, and her tone of voice was still calm: "You guys who take the test through referrals are definitely different from others. It is different, and it is naturally particularly eye-catching. They probably wanted to keep a low profile, so they didn't come."
Zhen Tingyun was reaching for the chopsticks. When she heard this, her hand holding the chopsticks froze for a while—they wanted to keep a low profile, and I wanted to keep a low profile too! Why do you want to be Mr., and you brought me here without saying a word?
Although Zhen Tingyun didn't speak, Mrs. Chu could already see what she didn't say. She slowly picked out the green beans in the meal one by one, put them on the small plate next to them, and said casually, "If you are really capable and confident, why should you care about those people's attention? It is mediocre to not be envied by others. , Some people look at you, some people say you, you are not an unliterate mediocrity."
Zhen Tingyun also turned around after hearing this. Seeing that Mrs. Chu was still picking green beans, she quickly adjusted her attitude and said, "Sir, you don't eat green beans? Or, I'll pick it for you?"
"No, you are my student, not my servant." Mrs. Chu refused outright. She seemed gentle and amiable, and she didn't speak in a hurry. A person who is assertive, soft on the outside and cold on the inside. Just listen to her indifferently, "Also, I like to choose by myself."
Zhen Tingyun: "..."
It seems that Mr. and Mr. are also different. If Yuan Hui were replaced, he would definitely enjoy her service very much. On the other hand, Mrs. Chu, who was gentle and amiable before her apprenticeship, would find her soft on the outside and firm on the inside.
Therefore, although Mrs. Chu is very good and she likes it very much, she is still inferior to Yuan Hui in terms of closeness.
In other words, Mrs. Chu is what it looks like to be a husband, but she and Yuan Hui are not like teachers and students, but more like friends?
Zhen Tingyun had never gone through these things before. He didn't understand these things, and it was the first time that he had such a comparison, which inevitably gave rise to doubts.
Fortunately, exams are still important now, and she didn't think too much about these things, and quickly finished the meal quietly.
While picking out green beans, Mrs. Chu pointed out some details of Zhen Tingyun's meal, and said, "Junior Qi nourishes the body, a person's temperament and posture are cultivated step by step. Although you have a weak foundation. These are not uninstructable, just learn them little by little.”
Zhen Tingyun nodded quickly and thanked Mrs. Chu for her teaching.
After the two of them had eaten, Mrs. Chu led Zhen Tingyun to return the tableware, first poured out the unfinished leftovers, and then put the empty large bowls, small bowls, small plates, large Dishes, etc. are placed separately, so that the servants are also very convenient to clean.
Zhen Tingyun looked at the big bucket of leftovers and couldn't help but say, "This is actually quite good for feeding pigs." When they were in the countryside before, she and Mrs. Zhen had also raised pigs, so they naturally knew something. Although the pig grass is often cut to feed the pigs, if the pig grass is only fed, the pigs will definitely not gain weight. I often have to feed the pigs some leftovers or something, so that the pigs will grow strong and have a lot of meat.
After hearing this, Mrs. Chu glanced at Zhen Tingyun again, and said with a smile: "Yes, our female school has indeed raised a few pigs. By the end of the year, these pigs will almost be fattened. The female students have excellent grades and can share some, the better ones are the pork knuckles, and the ones that are almost the same are the pigs in the water, of course, there are also a piece of pork or pig ears."
Zhen Tingyun: "..." I have never heard of this.
Seeing Zhen Tingyun's stunned appearance, Mrs. Chu couldn't help laughing, and took the initiative to explain: "Don't say it, this is not bad - after dealing with the leftovers in the dining hall, she can also ask the students to take them back to Jiadao. Food. Speaking of which, a girl who can carry her elbow back is very eye-catching when she goes out."
Zhen Tingyun: Yes, slender and weak girl, she went out with a fresh pork knuckle in her hand, her little face was probably smaller than an elbow, and she would be smothered by the smell of pork knuckle when she walked. fainted, how could it not be eye-catching?
I have to say that the painting style of the Kyoto Women's School is completely different from what Zhen Tingyun imagined - even if it is her private school in a small rural area, the awards for outstanding students at the end of the year are all given to silver books, and there is no direct reward. pork. Because many scholars feel that reading is a very precious thing that cannot be tainted at all, and naturally they don't care about such mundane things as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, and even don't want to mention things like pork and pigs.
However, when Zhen Tingyun thought about the scene Mrs. Chu said, she somehow felt quite happy, she couldn't help laughing, and whispered to Mrs. Chu, "Maybe, I will be able to carry a pig's elbow back this year. Woolen cloth."
Mrs. Chu raised her eyebrows to look at her, and there seemed to be encouragement in her eyes: "I still need to work hard."
After all, pigs only have four legs, and good things like pork knuckles are still in short supply.
*********
After coming out of the dining hall, Zhen Tingyun thought that there was no other place to go, so he went straight to the first exam room and waited for the exam in the afternoon.
As a result, as soon as she entered the examination room, she found that Yang Qionghua and Zhou Qingyun were already waiting inside.
Zhou Qingyun still looked as cold and glamorous as in the morning. She was sitting upright, looking down at the book, even when she heard footsteps, she didn't glance at Zhen Tingyun, and still looked at her book quietly.
However, Yang Qionghua quietly waved to Zhen Tingyun, motioned her to go over, and then grabbed Zhen Tingyun and whispered: "Don't watch her ignore you, she must be very concerned about you."
When Zhen Tingyun heard this, he couldn't help but look up at Yang Qionghua.
"She has admired Mrs. Chu for a long time, and she wanted to take Mrs. Chu as her teacher for a long time. As a result, Mrs. Chu always said that accepting an apprentice depends on fate. My head is another famous teacher..." Yang Qionghua explained for Zhou Qingyun, and sighed with helpless expression, "Who knows, Madam Chu doesn't look down on her, she is not willing to accept her as a disciple, but at this juncture, she accepts you as a disciple. …”
Actually, there are no secrets in this capital. Since Zhen Tingyun voluntarily reported his name in the morning, both Yang Qionghua and Zhou Qingyun could find out Zhen Tingyun's origin when he looked back.
Zhou Qingjun was originally very angry. He heard that Zhen Tingyun was the youngest daughter that Zhen Jiacai picked up from the countryside, so he was even more angry: I begged a lot, but Mrs. Chu just didn't want to accept me as a disciple, so she turned around and accepted it. Country girl? Could it be that she couldn't compare to a country girl? Even if Mrs. Chu kept saying that it was about fate, he couldn't be so blind, right?
All can say is, fate is amazing.
Zhen Tingyun really didn't expect it to be like this. He wanted to laugh a little, but he held back and quietly raised his eyes to look at Zhou Qingyun.
I don't know if it was her illusion, Zhou Qingyun's face was cold, and her ears seemed to be a little red-maybe she heard Yang Qionghua and Zhen Tingyun's words, not necessarily.
Zhen Tingyun nodded unconsciously, thinking that Zhou Qingyun seemed to be quite interesting.
Yang Qionghua is a love of gossip, and because besides her, there are only Zhen Tingyun and Zhou Qingyun in the examination room, but Zhou Qingyun is still a silent person, so he had to pull Zhen Tingyun, who only knew him, to talk about a lot of gossip.
Although Zhen Tingyun has been in Beijing for a few months, he has been studying at home since he came to Beijing, and he has never heard of those gossip stories. At this time, listening to Yang Qionghua's slow talk, he also listened with great interest. On the contrary, her nervousness and anxiety about the exam was reduced.
It wasn't until the bell rang that the three present became quiet again.
Not long after, she saw the female teacher who had just met in the morning walk in from the door, looked around, and saw everyone was there, she just nodded with satisfaction, and said, "The exam in the afternoon is Liyue Yushe, and there will be a special test. The teacher gives the questions and evaluates the comments. By the way, do the three of you have to choose a talent instead of Yu or Shooting?"
She added: "If you replace it with other talents, you can only get B at the highest."
All three present shook their heads, which meant that they wanted to test Yushe.
The female teacher couldn't help but raised her eyebrows, nodded slightly, and said with a smile, "It's heart-wrenching. I'll say, although there are fewer people, it can still be seen..."
As she said that, she led Zhen Tingyun and others to the examination room of Kao Li.
The four subjects of ritual, music, and imperial shooting are assessed separately, and of course, some talents must be selected instead of imperial shooting or shooting. These all need to be assessed by special teachers. Due to the large number of people, the women's school has already arranged the order according to the examination room. For example, the first examination room goes to the examination ceremony, then the music, then the imperial examination, and finally the shooting; the second examination room is the first examination, and then...... In short , So disrupting the order, separate assessments, it doesn't look very chaotic. Of course, although this sorting of assessments is beneficial for sharing the flow of people, thereby saving time and reducing the burden on teachers, it also has some unspeakable disadvantages to some extent. After running around the horse or pulling the bow several times, they are sweating and panting from exhaustion. At this time, they will be pulled to assess the ceremony and music, and they will be somewhat tired or uncomfortable, which may also lead to their performance. Abnormal...
However, there is no way to do this. After all, even the numbered rooms for the imperial examinations outside have upper, middle and lower classes. The upper class is spacious and bright and does not leak rain. The lower class either leaks and needs an umbrella during the exam; It's near the hut, it's hot, and when the smell is heavy, it can stun the big man... can only say that things like exams are often relatively fair, not absolutely fair.
Zhen Tingyun thought about whether there were some or not. As he walked along with the female teacher, he could see signs standing at the door of many rooms with many words written on them: incense making, dancing, medical skills, poetry, dill flowers... In short , There are not many people in these partial examination rooms that are used to replace the two subjects of Yushe, but the two subjects of ritual and music occupy several large examination rooms, and there are teachers in each examination room who are responsible for the assessment.
The female teacher brought Zhen Tingyun, Yang Qionghua and others into the examination room of the examination ceremony, and then withdrew after a few words.
I saw that the examination room was open and bright, with many mahogany shelves on the left and right, on which were displayed utensils and utensils related to etiquette, such as Yu Ruyi and tea sets. There is nothing in the middle except a long case, which is obviously specially set aside for candidates.
Sitting above the examination room is a middle-aged teacher with a dark face and a serious expression. She was looking down at the roster in her hand, and she didn't look up when she saw people coming, she just said habitually: "Come one by one, first select the test questions in order, and then test your etiquette in order."
Speaking of this, the middle-aged teacher just looked up at the three of them and asked, "Which one of you will draw the questions first?"
The three girls paused for a moment.
Zhen Tingyun is most worried about this one: she grew up in the countryside with Mrs. Zhen since she was a child, and she used to go out with people to run around and make trouble when she was a child. It was not until she read and learned characters that she gradually learned some truths, and then she became a little more disciplined. , know how to pretend to be in front of people... Therefore, Zhen Tingyun's etiquette is all blind and messy, and it is really incomparable to those daughters who have been taught by nanny since childhood. It can be called a black eye.
Therefore, Zhen Tingyun can only hope that he has better luck and draw a simple question. Therefore, she was very serious about the question selection, and she was very nervous and nervous, so she naturally didn't want to be the first to take the test.
Right now, when Zhen Tingyun was hesitating when he heard a question from the middle-aged teacher, Zhou Qingyun, who was beside him, spoke abruptly, "I'll go first."
Zhou Qingyun had his own arrogance, after raising his eyes to glance at Zhen Tingyun and Yang Qionghua, he bowed to the middle-aged teacher above, and then went forward to draw questions.
Seeing this, the middle-aged teacher was obviously very satisfied with her daring attitude, and her eyes were full of praise. It is estimated that as long as Zhou Qingyun's performance is not checked, she will give a good score.
Yang Qionghua obviously regretted that he hesitated for a while, but was robbed by Zhou Qingyun. However, Yang Qionghua is obviously also a smart person, knowing that the first one is always more eye-catching, and the second and third are nothing to grab, so she simply pushed the boat and said to Zhen Tingyun: "In that case, wait for Sister Zhou to draw. After the question is over, Sister Zhen, you can go up first."
Yang Qionghua obviously intended to sell well, but Zhen Tingyun was really bitter and couldn't tell: "..." Actually, I want to draw the last question more.
However, although the cut knife is a bit scary, it is a knife to raise your head, and a knife to shrink your head. It might be better to stretch your neck earlier.
Zhen Tingyun still didn't refuse. After Zhou Qingyun drew the questions, she also stepped forward to draw the questions at the suggestion of the female teacher.
This so-called lottery is a bit like a lottery in a temple - there are many bamboo sticks in a bamboo tube that you can hold in one hand. Once you draw one, you can determine your exam questions based on the numbers engraved on the bamboo sticks.
Because Mrs. Zhen was very fond of this superstitious activity of burning incense and asking for fortune in temples, Zhen Tingyun also went there several times. So, when she saw the bamboo tube full of bamboo skewers, she habitually picked it up, and then subconsciously shook her palm, and saw a bamboo skewer inside was shaken out by her...
Zhen Tingyun: "...!!!!" No, no, no, I'm drawing questions, not lotteries!
However, this lottery has already been shaken... Oh no, this question has already been drawn out, and Zhen Tingyun had to put a serious face, pretending to calmly put down the bamboo tube in his hand, and then put the one that she shook out. Picked up the bamboo stick and looked at it.
I saw that eighteen was written in cinnabar at the end of the bamboo stick.
Zhen Tingyun quietly looked at the prompt on the side: ... Eighteen refers to the etiquette of the tea ceremony!
At this moment, Zhen Tingyun suddenly understood Mrs. Zhen's superstitious behavior.
Although this kind of luck is illusory and unreliable, it does not necessarily exist. Maybe there is something in the dark. Even if she was really unlucky these days, she met a mother like Pei who could send her daughter's certificate before the exam, but she was transferred today. First, she met Mrs. Chu in time, successfully apprenticed, and caught up with women's school enrollment. In the exam, she even picked the question she was most confident about—tea ceremony etiquette, which she had studied with Yuan Hui in a serious manner.
Although, she often suspected that Yuan Hui wanted to drink some tea that could be eaten under the guise of teaching her the tea ceremony. However, Yuan Hui had used dim sum and taught her hand-to-hand, so Zhen Tingyun's self-consciousness about tea art must still be able to meet people. If you are lucky, maybe you can get an A or B.
Thinking of this, Zhen Tingyun's heart was relieved, and his expression was even more calm, so he straightened his back and walked off the stage with ease.
So, it was Yang Qionghua's turn next. She probably thought that Zhen Tingyun's drawing of lots was really interesting, so she followed suit. As a result, when she reached out and picked up the bamboo stick, the originally sweet peach face immediately turned into a bitter bitter melon face - it seemed that her topic was not very good.
Yang Qionghua grimaced, and Zhen Tingyun wanted a few words of friendship and comfort, but the middle-aged teacher at the top saw that all three of them had taken the question, so he coughed and said directly: "Okay, there's more to come later. Many candidates, you can directly take an exam."
Zhou Qingjun was clearly in the chest, and when he heard the words, he stepped forward. She obviously knew the test etiquette very well. First, she bowed her head and bowed to the middle-aged teacher who was sitting on it. Then she took out the bamboo stick with the test question number written on it, and handed it to the middle-aged teacher with both hands. It's the twenty-seventh question, hospitality."
The middle-aged teacher took the bamboo stick, looked at it carefully, then nodded, and began to ask questions based on "the etiquette of hospitality", such as what should be paid attention to when hosting a banquet at home; how to arrange seating for guests; ...
These questions may not have fixed answers, and the points are mainly based on the candidates' answers.
Zhou Qingyun really has something to be proud of. No matter what the middle-aged teacher asks, she can always answer it with reason and evidence, and she will be polite.
The middle-aged teacher admired her very much. Seeing her answering like this, he couldn't help but nod his head. He took a pen and made a note on Zhou Qingyun's roster, and even said to her: "You are the number one I rated today. A class."
Women's school assessment, the grading level is: A, B, C, D.
A is excellent, B is average, C is qualified; D is unqualified.
And the number of Class A places in the hands of each instructor is limited, and people always have an illusion: the next one may be better? Therefore, in order not to run out of A-class places in hand when meeting better students, teachers are generally stingy and give A-class places.
Because of this, Zhou Qingyun's first armor is really good.
Zhou Qingyun also smiled slightly and returned a salute: "Mr. Xie for your advice."
Then, Zhou Qingyun stepped back lightly, and waited respectfully to the side, waiting for Zhen Tingyun who was behind to go to answer the question-since she knew Zhen Tingyun's identity, she had always been curious: why? Madam Chu would accept such a disciple?
So, let her stand here and take a good look: What skills does Madam Chu's newly recruited apprentice have?
The author has something to say: Small Theater:
The final exam of the Kyoto girls' semester is over.
Zhen·Outstanding Student·Tingyun: I originally wanted to go back with pig knuckle, but it turned into a big pig trotter!