Chapter 147: Provincial Examination

"You said that we should live in the present, buy things we like, and spend money on people we like." Niu Niu said.

This really stumped Sun Jiaxing.

After choosing men's hairpins, Niu Niu also chose women's hairpins. She picked a gold hairpin for Zhang Yuniang, Gu Laotai and Liu Xiaoru. She also bought Gu Zhao a gold pendant of his zodiac sign.

Of course, after leaving the silver shop, Niu Niu's purse was almost empty.

Sun Jiaxing did not take her to continue shopping, but went to the final stop of the day: the government office.

As soon as he arrived at the government office and stated his identity, someone immediately took him inside, obviously having greeted this place in advance.

Niu Niu was confused and asked, "Uncle Sun, is the person you want to see a certain adult?"

Sun Jiaxing nodded.

The two soon saw a middle-aged scholar who looked to be in his forties and had a kind face.

"Is it this little girl?" The middle-aged scholar asked Sun Jiaxing with a smile.

Sun Jiaxing nodded, handed over a thin piece of paper, and folded his hands: "Thank you for your trouble."

The middle-aged scholar picked up a pen and wrote on a piece of paper, and then asked someone to bring a big seal and printed it.

The series of procedures were extremely cumbersome and took a lot of time. If it were an ordinary child, I'm afraid she would have been impatient long ago, but Niu Niu has been waiting obediently by the side. When she was bored, she played with her fingers and didn't make any noise.

After a long time, the middle-aged scholar finally stopped, exchanged a few words with Sun Jiaxing, and then handed a piece of paper with dry handwriting to Sun Jiaxing.

Sun Jiaxing took Niu Niu's hand and stood up to say goodbye.

The middle-aged scholar smiled and watched the two leave.

It was only when Niu Niu returned home that she knew what Sun Jiaxing had done.

After Gu Mingda took the thin piece of paper, he stood up on the spot: "Brother Sun, what are you doing?"

Sun Jiaxing still looked calm and said: "As a father, I just want to give my daughter a little gift."

"She has already received a lot of care from you, how can she take another house in Jiangzhou Prefecture?" Gu Mingda felt that Sun Jiaxing was crazy.

Now the two-story house where the Gu family settled in Jiangzhou Prefecture had just been changed by Sun Jiaxing in the government office and transferred to Niuniu's name.

Sun Jiaxing said: "This matter was discussed with my wife before we set off. Since we recognize our daughter, we can't just recognize her with empty words."

The two-story house in Jiangzhou Prefecture, which is close to the Imperial Examination Hall and the Confucius Temple, can be sold for at least 800 taels of silver if it is really sold.

Gu Mingda shook his head: "The gold collar was already very valuable..."

Sun Jiaxing said: "The gold collar is just a gift for meeting. The property you get is really heartfelt."

He originally wanted to give some land, but he thought that Niuniu was still young and might not be able to take care of it. It would be more practical to give a house.

"Anyway, the house has been transferred. If you want to pay the rent, just give it to Niuniu. I don't care." After Sun Jiaxing said this, he got up and left.

Gu Mingda and Zhang Yunniang looked at each other, sighed, and said: "Brother Sun is generous. I don't know how to repay such a heavy favor."

Zhang Yunniang seemed much calmer than him and asked: "Why do you always think about paying it back?"

Gu Mingda was stunned.

Zhang Yunniang smiled and said: "He really treats Niuniu as his daughter. He gave gifts not because of us, but because of Niuniu. This is actually Niuniu's favor."

"How can a person as young as Niuniu afford such a heavy gift?" Gu Mingda said.

Niuniu also nodded, with a bitter face, and said: "The house is so expensive, Niuniu may not be able to pay it back even if we sell it."

Zhang Yunniang patted her little head and said: "He gave you the house, not for you to repay the favor."

Niuniu tilted her head when she heard it.

Zhang Yunniang continued: "My dear, he hopes that you can really become his daughter. You must be filial to Grandpa Sun in the future, understand?"

Niuniu nodded and said: "I know, he is also my family."

Zhang Yunniang also understood the slight awkwardness in Gu Mingda's heart, and said softly: "Husband, it is also good for us to have more people love Niuniu. We treat the Sun family as close relatives, so that we will not let him down."

Gu Mingda sighed. Sun Jiaxing treated Niuniu too well, which aroused his fighting spirit. He had to find a way to become better, so that he could keep his position in Niuniu's heart.

After dealing with the real estate, Sun Jiaxing stayed in Jiangzhou Prefecture for another two days and returned home.

Before leaving, he tried to persuade Niuniu to stay with the Sun family for a while, and the Gu family was willing to do so, but Niuniu refused.

"Uncle Sun, I will come to you and my godmother after my father finishes the exam." Niuniu promised seriously.

Sun Jiaxing stretched out his hand: "Pin, whoever doesn't go is a puppy!"

Five-year-old Niuniu thought that pinky was very formal, but six-year-old Niuniu only thought that pinky was a child's play.

She looked like "I can't do anything about you" at this time, and said: "Since pinky is very important to Uncle Sun, Niuniu will pinky with Uncle Sun."

Sun Jiaxing chuckled and said: "Good boy, you have worked hard."

After pinky, Sun Jiaxing still looked back every few steps when he stepped on the carriage, and kept confirming with Niuniu: "You must go! You can't lie to me!"

Niuniu nodded and promised tirelessly.

After Sun Jiaxing left, the whole house seemed to be quiet.

Gu Mingda's provincial examination was approaching, and the children did not need to be reminded by adults, nor would they make any noise.

Two days later, Gu Mingda got up before dawn on a morning.

The provincial examination was divided into three sessions and lasted for nine days.

Unlike the twists and turns of the last scholar examination, this provincial examination went surprisingly smoothly.

There was no sudden stumbling block, nor a basin of dirty water falling from the sky. There was no twists and turns on the way from the house to the Imperial Examination Hall.

Even when Gu Mingda just walked to the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, he didn't have to wait outside like other candidates. The gate of the Imperial Examination Hall opened when he lined up. The inspection process was also very smooth. As soon as he entered, he was assigned to a normal examination position.

Even so, Gu Mingda still didn't dare to take it lightly. He was still extremely cautious.

If there is anything different about this exam.

That is the test questions.

The test questions of this provincial examination were very biased, as if an old scholar who had lived for eighty or ninety years old had searched out the questions from the corners. He vented all his life's misfortunes on this provincial examination, just to retaliate against the students.

Gu Mingda carried the exam basket and walked out of the exam room with a tired face. The complaints of the candidates were all around him.

Gu Mingda's shoulder was suddenly patted by someone. It turned out to be Zheng Qi, who passed the exam with him last time.

"Brother Gu, I'm afraid I'm in trouble this time. I didn't do well in the classics and policy essays. I only wrote the poem. Now is the season when the chrysanthemums are fragrant. I write about chrysanthemums as if I were assisted by God." Zheng Qi said with a bitter face.

Gu Mingda frowned slightly and said, "The poem is about yellow flowers, and you wrote chrysanthemums?"

Zheng Qi nodded vigorously.

Gu Mingda sighed and said, "'The lonely branches are half yellow', although the question describes the loneliness, it is not about chrysanthemums, but rape flowers."

Zheng Qi was struck by lightning: "What, the only question I answered well was wrong from the beginning!"

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