The fourth day of December is the day when the results are released.

Zhang Wenhai sent a literate servant at home to guard the county government office early in the morning. As soon as the notice was posted, he could come back and report it. There was no need for Chu Ci to go there in person and get sweaty from the crowd.

At exactly 10 o'clock in the morning, the gate of the county government opened. Two government servants carrying knives at their waists came out holding a piece of red paper and posted it on the wall.

Letter: Jiayou’s forty-two year winter test results were released. The servants of the Zhang family looked down and saw that Chu Ci of Changxi Village was in the first place!

He was so happy that he turned around and ran towards the Zhang family mansion. If he went back and reported the news later, he would definitely get a lot of rewards.

After reading the rankings, the other scholars were not in a hurry to leave, because the test papers for the top three in each exam would be posted for everyone to watch.

"What a great article. The topic is simple and the idea is far-reaching. It turns out you can still write like this!" Everyone gathered under Chu Ci's article, and their eyes were filled with admiration.

There were several scholars who looked gloomy after reading this. They were all students from the county school, and the person standing in the c position was Qi Xu Qi Dayuan, who had been the peacemaker last time.

"Brother Dayuan, this guy named Chu actually took first place. Now he is in the limelight."

"Yes, look at how arrogant he was last time. He actually made He Jin, Zhu Jie and Brother Dayuan suffer. They were so red-faced and so smart-talking that they didn't pass the exam last time. Fortunately, he didn't pass the exam last time.

Lift people, otherwise they will become even more rampant." Zhang Ze thought he was speaking ill of Chu Ci, but Qi Xu had a cold look in his eyes after hearing his words.

Xu Fang quietly poked Zhang Ze and asked him to look at Qi Xu's face. Zhang Ze looked back and felt a little embarrassed: "Brother Dayuan, I'm not saying that you are not as good as the guy named Chu. Don't get me wrong."

The coldness in Qi Xu's eyes dissipated, and an indifferent smile appeared on his face: "It doesn't matter, I'm not as good as others, of course I recognize it. It's just that Brother Chu has a strong temper and can't tolerate any sand in his eyes. After he returns to school next year

, I’m afraid life will be difficult for you and me.”

The scholars present were a little unhappy. Since ancient times, there has never been a first in literature or a second in martial arts. When you always have a role model around you, life must be very sad.

This man surnamed Chu was just a scholar at the age of fourteen. What is there to praise? He was just lucky enough to be accepted by Master Qin.

Master Qin is the youngest scholar among the county school teachers. He has learned a lot, and many students in the county school hope to become his disciples. However, Master Qin only lectures and never accepts disciples. Everyone can only look at him and sigh.

But who could have expected that the following year, Master Qin would find a disciple from an unpopular private school like Qishan Academy and persuade the mountain chief to let him enroll for free.

Out of curiosity, they went to see Chu Ci and found that the clothes and shoes he wore were all patched and patched, and he ate only the tiniest vegetables. He didn't even have any of the popular gadgets at the moment.

I despise him. Moreover, Chu Ci has a weird and withdrawn personality. He doesn't even make a joke all day long, he only holds a book and reads.

However, the gentlemen at the county school all said that he was a good young man. Once someone was lazy and made a mistake, Chu Ci would be compared with them. This back and forth helped Chu Ci to be filled with hatred and became the target of public criticism.

After Chu Ci was admitted as a scholar at the age of fourteen, the teachers in the county school went crazy. They forced them to study hard every day. The homework was several times as much as before. They really wanted to turn everyone into a nerd Chu Ci!

The period of time when Chu Ci was recuperating at home due to his imprisonment was also the most relaxing period of time they had experienced in the county. Thinking of his coming back next year, everyone felt that their eyes were bleak, and they all recalled the fear of being tortured by the master.

.

It would be fine if Chu Ci didn't come back to study.

I don’t know who suddenly came up with this idea and announced it. After everyone looked at each other, they lowered their heads and sighed. Who can stop Chu Ci and tell him not to come back?

"I heard that Brother Chu has a cousin who studies at Longchang Academy. If he is offered a place in the county school, there is no guarantee that he will not persuade Brother Chu." Qi Xu seemed to have an idea inadvertently.

"This...isn't this too damaging?" Zhang Ze blurted out.

"It's just a joke. Brother Zhang, why should you take it seriously?" Qi Xu said with a smile. His face seemed to be calm, and the words he just said were really just a joke.

Zhang Ze laughed loudly: "Brother Da Yuan, you are so interesting."

Xu Fang silently held his forehead, this idiot...

As for Chu Ci, when the servant who announced the good news came back, Zhang Wenhai was indeed a little happier than Chu Ci. He threw a silver dime to the servant and turned around to congratulate Chu Ci.

"Congratulations, brother Chu won the first place in the annual test this time. He is really talented! I admire you very much!"

Fang Jinyang also said: "Congratulations to Brother Chu."

Chu Ci humbly said that this was all luck and not worth mentioning.

Zhang Wenhai did not agree: "Brother Chu, you are obviously smart, why should you say it is luck? Brother Chu invites you to a good place tonight, let's celebrate."

Chu Ci's mind immediately flashed a scene of "a new song that is stunning, a drunken dance with squinting eyes". He shuddered, and then tried hard to get them out of his mind.

"This...it's not necessary." His expression was a little subtle.

Fang Jinyang smiled clearly: "Brother Chu, don't be afraid, that is indeed a good place. No matter how courageous Wen Hai is, he would not dare to go to that kind of place."

Chu Ci was relieved and smiled at Fang Jinyang.

Zhang Wenhai, the second monk, was confused: "What are you talking about? Why should we go? Do we want to go?"

"Go, go, it's rare for Brother Zhang to treat you, so why not go?" Chu Ci agreed with a smile.

It was night, a few people packed their bags, walked out of the Zhang family mansion, and walked towards Liuye Lane.

There is a tavern there, and every Thursday night, a storyteller will come on stage to tell stories. What he tells is not an ordinary storybook, but some current affairs in the capital or other places that no one knows.

For scholars like them, it is very important to understand the current situation of the imperial court, so every Thursday night, the place is full of guests and talents.

Of course, it is impossible for this tavern to collect information in vain. On this day, the charges for both the private rooms above and the lobby below were several times higher than usual, making it difficult for ordinary scholars to afford them.

When Chu Ci and the others got there, the lobby downstairs was already full. There was only one private room left upstairs, so Zhang Wenhai immediately went over to settle down. A man dressed as a scholar took a step slower and could only sigh.

Zhang Wenhai was very enthusiastic, so when he saw this, he invited him into the box to listen.

The scholar was very surprised. After thanking him, he followed Zhang Wenhai.

Chu Ci and Fang Jinyang were a little surprised when they saw that he had brought someone they didn't know after a while.

"Brother Chu, Jinyang, this is - by the way, haven't you asked for Gao's name yet?" Zhang Wenhai said to the two of them enthusiastically in the first sentence, but a little embarrassed in the latter sentence.

"The young man's surname is Chen, his given name is Zifang, and his courtesy name is Zhongxing. How many of you are there yet?"

"Brother BOC, my name is Zhang Wenhai, his name is Chu Ci, and his name is Fang Jinyang. None of us have a title yet." Zhang Wenhai is the eldest among the three. He is twenty years old this year and should have a title.

Unfortunately, his birthday is too late and he has to wait until December 25th.

Chu Ci and Fang Jinyang will have to wait until next year to get their official names.

The four of them chatted and laughed and walked all the way to the box upstairs. The interior of this box was elegantly decorated, which catered to the students' preferences. The names of the boxes were also named after elegant flowers such as plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.

Zhang Wenhai was the host. He called the waiter over, ordered a few signature dishes, and asked the other three to order.

Chu Ci and others said that there is no taboo, and there are already several. In order to avoid waste, this is all.

After the dishes were ordered, the second brother recommended plum wine to them, saying that it was newly brewed this summer. Now warm it up on a small stove. It is excellent to eat with vegetables, and the wine is light and not overpowering.

Everyone said it didn't matter, so they served a pot, three or two cups each, so it wouldn't delay anything.

After the food and drinks were served, they chatted while eating, and by the way, they also revealed some details about each other. It turned out that Chen Zifang was also from Yuanshan County, but he had been studying in Fucheng before.

This time I went back to Yuanshan County due to family matters, and I will probably transfer to Yuanshan County High School next year.

When Zhang Wenhai heard this, he immediately became happy: "Next year you will go to the county school, and you will happen to be with Brother Chu. Brother Chu is also a county school student, and you got first place in the annual exam this time!"

Chen Zifang also laughed: "It seems that fate has come today. I am older, so I have the audacity to call you brother. I would like to toast all the virtuous brothers to you. I hope we can help each other and support each other in the future."

The four people raised their glasses together, and the glasses collided with each other, making a crisp sound.

Several people raised their heads and drank, then looked at each other and smiled, the most youthful and high-spirited.

The author has something to say: Today's numbers are really good, I can't bear to update them more, and I hope you can forgive me. Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution~

Thanks to the little angels who threw [landmines]: Ying Luoxi, Linjia Xiaoranmian, Yueyue 1;

Thank you to the little angel who irrigates [nutrient solution]:

3 bottles of Joy; 2 bottles of Quietness; 1 bottle of Sugar-loving Piggy;
Chapter completed!