Chapter 1982 - 1984: The Southern Barbarians Are Stirring Again

Chapter 1982: Chapter 1984: The Southern Barbarians Are Stirring Again

After the scholar collided with Xiaoxiao, he hurriedly rushed to the front.

Xiaoxiao was staggered from the collision and intended to say "sorry," knowing that it was the family members blocking the students’ way. However, upon raising her eyes, she recognized the man who had bumped into her.

Wasn’t that the same Master Liu who spoke with such acidity yesterday?

"Third sister-in-law, are you alright?" Yang Qiu hurried to support Xiaoxiao.

"I’m fine."

Wang Kui also recognized the man and wanted to go to the front, but Xiaoxiao stopped him. In such places with officers around, it’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Just yesterday, Yang Ming advised to avoid causing trouble, otherwise losing exam eligibility would be a major loss.

"Third sister-in-law, shall we wait here?" Yang Qiu asked again.

Xiaoxiao observed the situation. The scholars were already entering the venue, and the remaining people were mainly family members like them. Standing there was pointless. They might as well follow Yang Ming’s plan—head to the teahouse in the alley and wait until the exams are nearing completion to return. So Xiaoxiao suggested, "Let’s go to the teahouse."

The three of them left the crowded front and walked towards the teahouse in the alley.

The teahouse was no less crowded than the outside, and the slots were incredibly expensive.

Luckily, Xiaoxiao wasn’t afraid to spend silver now, so she managed to secure a place.

The three ordered a pot of tea and some snacks, waiting patiently.

They heard quite a lot.

"Old brother, who are you here with?"

"I’m here with my son."

"Really? I’m here with my brother."

"Oh, is it your family’s first time taking the exam?"

"No, it’s my brother’s third attempt. How about yours?"

"My family’s taken it twice, and the success or failure all rests on this time; otherwise, we’ll have to wait another three years."

"Isn’t that the truth? I heard they’ve changed the chief examiner this year, and it’s supposed to be stricter inside."

"It’s always been strict. If you’re caught cheating, it’s all over for your lifetime."

"..."

"..."

Sitting there, Xiaoxiao listened to these voices, her lips curved in a smile. She felt that this scenario was somewhat different from her understanding—her belief was that students should sit the exams on their own, unlike modern times where parents accompany them everywhere. But here, indeed many people did accompany them.

After listening to a bit about the exams, people started discussing other matters.

"Hey, let me tell you something—I’ve heard the Southern Barbarians are stirring again. Who knows when war might break out?"

"What? What are we going to do? We’ve just enjoyed peaceful times for such a short period."

"Exactly, let’s hope war doesn’t break out too soon, or these scholars would be unfortunate. If a war truly erupts, who would care whether these scholars pass or not? What’s worse, the next chance might not come for many years. Remember, last time it took five years after the war to resume exams."

"If it really comes to that, the common folk will suffer greatly."

"Don’t scare yourself; maybe it won’t happen."

"..."

"..."

These words truly affected Xiaoxiao. Having been here for two years, although the County Magistrate isn’t great, life has been peaceful. Despite her earnings now surpassing anything she had hoped for, the County Magistrate should have troubled her long ago.

Fortunately, she’s not working solo but in partnerships, and her partners are quite capable, allowing her to avoid disaster. Otherwise, given the County Magistrate’s greedy nature, would he not find a way to hassle her? She wouldn’t believe it at all.