152 – One’s Name is on the List of Successful Candidates

In the twinkling of an eye, the two appeared in the inn room.

All of a sudden, Qin Mian suddenly opened his eyes and abruptly crushed Lei Tie on the bed. He looked at the man with a smile and moved his fingers across the man’s face. “A-Tie, were you jealous just now?”

Lei Tie relaxed his body, allowing Qin Mian to lie more comfortably. The hair on his face made him itch, just like his mood at this time.

“You know.”

“I want to hear it from you.” Qin Mian’s fingers moved downward in a mischievous way before arriving at the man’s neck and slowly fell on his Adam’s apple, which Qin Mian gently pressed and scratched with his fingernails.

Lei Tie’s body suddenly stretched tautly and his Adam’s apple rapidly rolled. He spoke in a hoarse voice, “Wife, don’t play with fire.”

Qin Mian didn’t say anything. Pressing the man’s Adam’s apple with his forefinger, he leaned on the man’s ear, took a breath, and whispered, “As long as you admit that you are jealous, I’ll take the initiative tonight.”

“I’m jealous.” Lei Tie’s answer was straight to the point without the slightest hesitation; his dark and deep eyes glowed under the candle flame with fervent lust rolling inside.

Qin Mian raised his right leg and sat on the man’s waist. He bent over to seal their lips and waved his sleeve to extinguish the candle flame…..

“Dad’s lazybones; Dad’s lazybones!”

Tender childish voice jabbered on and on at the side. Qin Mian covered his head with a quilt. He so wanted to jump up and grab Manman to slap his little bottom.

“Manman, be quiet. Yesterday, your Dad played with you all day. He’s very tired.” Lei Tie stopped his naughty little son and patted Qin Mian on his back to coax him back to sleep.

Qin Mian retorted in his heart: it’s obviously because of you, the scoundrel with excess energy.

After struggling between half-asleep and half-awake for a long time, Qin Mian finally woke up. The ache on his waist reminded him how he had reaped what he sowed last night.

“Wife, awake?” Lei Tie’s head leaned over without expression, but his light tone and slightly curled lips revealed his good mood.

Mensao!¹

Qin Mian glanced at him with scorn. Before he could speak, Yuanyuan and Manman rushed to the side of the bed like two small cannonballs.

“Dad, you wake up at last!”

“Dad, I want to go out to play!”

“Dad—”

“Stop!” Qin Mian raised his hand to stop the two little boys, “You two, go there obediently and wait for me to put on my clothes, wash up, and have breakfast before we go out, understand?”

“Understood!” The two little boys got the answer. They went back to the toys laid on the ground hand in hand and continued to play on their own.

Lei Tie hugged Qin Mian to sit up. With his back against Yuanyuan and Manman, he tenderly rained kisses on every inch of Qin Mian’s face.

Qin Mian raised a smile and looked at him with gentle eyes. In the past, every time after lovemaking, Lei Tie either slept with him in bed or quietly got up to cook. It was the first time that he dawdled to be lovey-dovey and didn’t leave. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that the man’s intimate action to him was like fragrant wine, making him unable to refuse.

However, his cultivation had yet reached the stage of abstaining from eating, so he still needed to solve the matter of dressing warmly and eating one’s fill first.

“I’m hungry.”

Lei Tie sealed Qin Mian’s lips sucked them for a while. Then, he said in a low voice, “I asked the waiter to make porridge for you. Bath first?”

“En.” Qin Mian kissed the man on his face. He stretched his arms, lifted the quilt, and got out of bed.

After putting things in order, the family of four went to Xiangyang Mountain to tour.

The next day, the family of four went to Wen’an Temple to pray.

The third day was Yuanyuan and Manman’s third birthday. Qin Mian let Yuanyuan and Manman arrange the whole day’s activities, while he and Lei Tie followed the two little boys’ arrangement. The family of four had a great time throughout the day.

Two days later was the spring examination.

There were three exams all together in the spring examination, three days each. It was not only a test of mental work but also physical work. It was said that during the examination, every scholar was put in a long and narrow numbered room. During the examination, the door was locked, so it was hard to avoid feeling oppressed. Every year, some candidates fainted in the examination rooms due to poor health.

It was also unavoidable for Lei Xiangzhi and Huo Sirui to have an unexpected occurrence. On the day before the examination, Qin Mian called them to sit in the room for a while. He let them drink a cup of tea with spiritual spring water and gave two refreshing sachets made from herbs picked in the magical space for them to wear.

Nine days later, when the last exam was coming to an end, Qin Mian and his family took the carriage to the gate of the Examination Hall. There were a lot of carriages at the gate, all of which came to wait for the candidates.

Not long after the bell rang at the end of the examination, the candidates came out of the Examination Hall one after another. Almost all of them had shed a layer of skin such that their complexions were white, their eye rims were black, and their footsteps went soft. Some of the candidates smiled in exultant with a look of victory in hands; some with a distressed look, grief-stricken as if bereaved of parents; more were so heartbroken that they couldn’t help kneeling on the ground and cried mournfully with their faces covered, making the listeners felt sympathy and sighed.

Qin Mian, like the relatives and friends of other candidates, eagerly searched for Lei Xiangzhi and Huo Sirui’s figures among the thousands of candidates pouring out like flowing water. Not a while later, the two walked out side by side. Lei Xiangzhi looked bright, calm, and reserved. One could see that he was very relaxed. Huo Sirui had a smile on his lips, looking confident and happy. Their perfectly composed attitudes were particularly conspicuous within the crowd.

“It seems that they both did well in the exam.” Qin Mian pulled back and turned as he said that to Lei Tie with a smile.

Lei Tie lightly patted the sleeping Yuanyuan and Manman in his arms. “Relieved? Go back.”

There were too many people. Qin Mian told Lei-Qin Le to drive away without waiting for Lei Xiangzhi and Huo Sirui.

Not long after returning to the inn, Lei Xiangzhi and Huo Sirui knocked on Qin Mian’s door.

Qin Mian didn’t mention that his family had been waiting for a long time at the gate of the Examination Hall. He laughed and joked with them, “By your expressions, your Eldest Brother and I should be able to feast twice in celebration?”

Lei Xiangzhi said with a smile, “I feel good about it myself. But I don’t know the result yet.”

Huo Sirui had a relaxing face. “All the exam questions are done quite smoothly, so there should be no problem. Anyway, I’ve tried my best. Now, I’m just waiting for the result.”

Lei Xiangzhi said, “The sachet that Eldest Sister-in-law gave is very useful. After the three exams, I’m still in good spirits. Two students in the opposite rooms of me fainted and were carried out.”

Thinking of the situation at that time, he was very glad that he had a capable Eldest Sister-in-law.

Huo Sirui picked up the sachet hanging around his neck and smelled it. “The weather had been bad the day before yesterday. I was still a little dizzy when I just entered the examination. As soon as I smelled the sachet, I immediately sobered up. Elder Sister-in-law, if Fifth Brother and I can truly obtain the top three, you’ll have more than half of the credit.”

“That’s your real ability. It doesn’t have much to do with me.” Qin Mian asked, “I heard that the list will be released in five days. What are your plans for these days?”

Lei Xiangzhi said, “I was just discussing it with Sirui. We’ll take advantage of these days to go sightseeing in the Capital. In any case, it’s not a waste to come here.”

“Eldest Sister-in-law, why don’t you all join us?” invited Huo Sirui.

Qin Mian shook his head with a smile, “We’re dragging a family, so we won’t accompany you, lest we disturb your mood to enjoy.”

Five days later, the list was going to be released. All the students who had fun outside rushed back to the Capital.

Before dawn, Qin Mian heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor and stairs now and then. He was so disturbed that he dived straight into Lei Tie’s bosom.

When the whole family got out of bed and had breakfast in the lobby on the first floor, they found that the whole Swan Goose Path Inn was almost empty. When they asked the waiter, it turned out that the scholars all went to the place where the list was posted early in the morning. At the moment, they hadn’t heard any special news on the street outside. Perhaps, the examination result list hadn’t been posted yet.

Lei Xiangzhi, Huo Sirui, Qu Zongwen, Bu Qingyun, and Zhao Tianhe went downstairs. Qu Zongwen and Zhao Tianhe looked tense; Lei Xiangzhi, Huo Sirui, and Bu Qingyun appeared calm.

Qu Zongwen only ate two mouthfuls of porridge and then couldn’t eat anymore. He patted the unfolded folding fan on his hand, a little restless. “My old man gave me a word. If I didn’t pass, I’ll get the caning when I go back.”

Yuanyuan and Manman secretly smiled.

“Uncle Qu is so big, but still get a beating on the butt from his Dad.”

Qu Zongwen put on a pitiful expression, “Yes, Uncle is so pitiful.”

Zhao Tianhe looked as if he sat on pins and needles. He stuffed a steamed stuffed bun into his mouth and unclearly said, “I have to eat quickly, I’m going to see [the list].”

Bu Qingyun patted him in comfort on the shoulder and said, “It’s a foregone conclusion whether you pass or not. It’s the same whether you see it earlier or later. Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

Qin Mian could understand Qu Zongwen and Zhao Tianhe’s mood. When they were at Qinyun Academy, they were all outstanding students. However, out of several thousand students in the conference examination countrywide, there were only 300 places, which was a hundred times crueler than the college entrance examination. Those on the list were called “Gongshi”, who were qualified to participate in the palace examination. Becoming a Gongshi² was almost equal to becoming a Jinshi³. In other words, if there was no accident, a Gongshi could become a Jinshi, but they were ranked in a different order.

Qin Mian asked Lei-Qin Le, Lei-Qin Zhong, and Lei-Qin Shun to go see the list after breakfast.

Qu Zongwen and Zhao Tianhe looked at him gratefully. They were two weak scholars who couldn’t squeeze past so many people.

After breakfast, the few people did not leave but waited in the lobby. The inn manager and the waiters were also very idle at the moment. They sat together and chatted.

About an hour later, there was a lot of commotion outside. The list must have been released!

The candidates who stayed in Swan Goose Path Inn came back one after another. Some of them were smiling, obviously on the list; if they were qualified to enter the palace for the examination, they might even meet the Emperor. Meanwhile, some of them were as pale as ashes; their names must not be among those of the successful on the list…

Lei Xiangzhi, Huo Sirui, and Bu Qingyun were also a little nervous, as they were influenced by the atmosphere in the inn.

Nearly an hour later, Lei-Qin Le, Lei-Qin Shun, and Lei-Qin Zhong ran in from outside the door, gasping for breath. They all looked happy and yelled as soon as they entered.

“Eldest Master, Little Master; passed, passed!”

The manager and the few waiters also looked over.

Qu Zongwen asked, “Who passed? Or everyone passed?”

Lei-Qin Le grinned and held out his hands to Lei Xiangzhi and his four friends, “Five gongzis, all five of you passed! Congratulations!”

Lei Xiangzhi and the four looked at each other happily.

“All passed? Wonderful!”

Bu Qingyun was the most straightforward person; he grabbed a lot of copper coins from his pouch and gave them to Lei-Qin Le. He laughed heartily, “For you three to buy drinks!”

Lei-Qin Le quickly thanked, “Many thanks, Bu-gongzi!”

Zhao Tianhe asked, “What’s the ranking?”

Lei-Qin Le scratched his head. “Because there are too many people, the crowd pushed about. Your servant I didn’t look at it carefully, only know that Fifth-gongzi and Huo-gongzi’s name are on the second and fifth respectively. Qu-gongzi’s name is in the middle. Bu-gongzi and Zhao-gongzi’s names are also in the middle but there are about twenty names between them and Qu-gongzi.”

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Footnotes