All things are of a lower order (part 2)

  "As Father said, everything else is inferior, only reading books is superior?" Shen Mo asked with a smile.

  "That's right." Shen He encouraged Shen Mo with a bright future: "As long as you work hard to read books and take the imperial examination, you can be exempt from taxes and corvee labor, and when you meet officials, you don't have to kneel. If you do well, the country will even provide for you!" With that, he chuckled and said: "And in the countryside, it's a first-class honor and prestige!"

  "Ah?" Shen Mo was incredulous: "Aren't there still Juren and Jinshi? How could a mere Xiucai possibly take first place?"

  "Foolish child, Imperial Scholars all become officials, and even those who remain in the countryside are not many. In rural areas, it's common to see people with honors and titles, just like your father, a Xiucai. Others address us as 'Mr.' or 'Sir', showing great respect." Shen He said wistfully: "There are many things that require our assistance as Xiucai. For example, during weddings and betrothals, families with some wealth must invite two Xiucai to serve as attendants. The person accompanying the groom from the bride's family must also be a Xiucai. Similarly, when offering condolences at funerals, Xiucai are required. Especially when the county magistrate has official business in the countryside, even if there are local gentry, those who accompany the magistrate must be Xiucai."

  Finally, Shen He said somewhat embarrassingly: "And another layer is that all the above are good at eating fine food, which is what ordinary people envy most. That's why there's a common saying: 'A scholar eats really well, glutinous rice and white noodles are always by his mouth.'"

  "Hehe......" Shen silently laughed a few times, perfunctorily saying: "Delicious food, delicious food." The cauliflower and beans were so good that they couldn't bear to eat just two, and the white rice was right next to their mouths.

  Shen He's face turned red, and he sighed: "The world asks for everything to increase in price, but as one gets older, their writing is no longer valuable. People are used to loving the young and despising the old, unwilling to treat them equally. When I was 20 years old, I became a scholar, and everyone said I was a talented young man, showing me great favor. Guests came and went like clouds, and social interactions were as frequent as weaving. But after several failures in the imperial examination, my reputation turned from black to white, and my youth gradually faded away. People saw that their hopes for me had become distant, so they regarded me as a useless thing, saying I was no longer worth carving..."

  "If I could pass the imperial examination and become a jinshi, even if I made no further progress in my life, by now I would have at least mixed up some official position, and at worst, I would be a county magistrate or a teacher. Who would dare to laugh at me? So, child, you must pass the exam!" After finishing this speech, Shen He fell asleep, but the four words "must pass the exam" took root in Shen Mo's mind and became his problem...

  He felt that he had never read those Four Books and Five Classics, and even his handwriting was not good. How could he compare with those bookworms who had spent their whole lives reading books?

  He is not a person who fears hard work, but he fears futile labor. Shen Mo knows that between the ages of six and twelve, it is the time in life when one accepts knowledge, this stage is called the enlightenment period, the foundation of lifelong knowledge is laid at this moment, and everything learned afterwards is built on this foundation.

  And he's already thirteen years old…… no, his mental age should be almost thirty! Let him start again from "Bai Jia Xing" and "Qian Zi Wen", although it's a slow horse that can still run for ten miles, the effort is in not giving up. But his goal isn't to eliminate illiteracy, but to participate in the imperial examination of a million soldiers competing for a single log bridge. To compete with those who, for the sake of the imperial examination, "hang their heads from the beam, pierce their thighs with an awl, gather fireflies in summer and reflect on snow in winter", if they're not successful then they'll become martyrs, taking reading as their lifelong career, those madmen! The result is truly one in ten thousand!

  Although Shen Mo looks mature and wise, that's because he has the aura of rich experience from his past life. As for his own intelligence quotient, he is still very clear-headed - it would be good if he could be considered one in a hundred, but among thousands or tens of thousands of people, he wouldn't stand out as exceptional.

  Innate advantages are small, acquired disadvantages are great. Where should this mediocre horse head to? People say 'the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold, the sharpness of a treasured sword comes from whetting!' But it also requires existing plum blossoms and treasured swords.

  However, it was only when he responded to the questions in 'Zhonghe Hall' that he realized his own memories had a solid foundation in poetry and literature... Judging from Old Man Shen's reaction, it should be quite excellent.

  It's really a case of having a pillow sent to you when you want to sleep! This is truly the best news in the world! How can Shen Mo not be overjoyed? Now that he can stand on the same starting line as other scholars, he has the confidence to overcome all difficulties and rise to the top!

  With an excited heart, he silently jumped back to his residence... Perhaps due to the fusion of personalities, his behavior was somewhere between 30 and 13, roughly around 20 years old.

  There's a saying that goes "nothing good happens when people are happy", and this is absolutely true. Shen Mo ran up to the third floor, but before he could even stand steady, a dark figure suddenly emerged from the corner, scaring him so much that he let out a loud "ahh" and his legs went soft, causing him to tumble down the stairs with a thud.

  Although the stairs here are not very steep and are all wooden, he was still thrown into a daze, with stars in his eyes.

  The person upstairs rushed down in a flurry, exclaiming anxiously: "Young Master Shen, you didn't get hurt, did you?"

  Shen Mo listened quietly for a moment, and it turned out that it was Qiuniang's husband. Suddenly, he didn't have a good tone and said: "What's going on? Are you here to avenge your wife?"

  That man was originally inarticulate and when he got anxious, he couldn't speak at all. He could only slap his own mouth while going to help Shen Mo.

  At this moment, the two people's eyes lit up, and the door on the second floor opened. It was that furious Seventh Girl, holding that familiar rolling pin and rushing out, shouting: "I'll beat you to death!" With her bruised face, she looked even more ferocious.

  He silently muttered a cry of 'it's all over...' He was numb all over, unable to dodge, and could only close his eyes, letting the woman vent her anger.

  A loud noise immediately rang out, but he didn't feel any pain... Shén Mò opened her eyes to find that Seventh Young Lady was hitting her husband. She thought: "This guy won't have night blindness, will he?" Just as she was wondering, Seventh Young Lady stopped and viciously said to her husband: "I'll deal with you later, hurry up and help the guest inside."

  That man, as if granted a great amnesty, pulled and hugged Shen Mo to get him up, the couple supported him into the house, and respectfully placed him in a chair. One poured water for him to wipe his face, while the other searched his body to see if he was injured. The seven daughters' mouths were still saying "thank you", "sorry", "we should be dead" and so on.

  Chen Mo was taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm and couldn't help but laugh, waving his hand to subtly prevent the two from touching his body. He smiled wryly and said, "Luckily this staircase is short, or I would have fallen somewhere." As he looked at the two of them, he asked, "I'm asking you two, first you startled me, then you're flattering me - which act are you performing? Are you trying to entertain me?"

  "Lord, it's a miscarriage of justice." Seventh Sister shouted out loud.