Chapter 186 Exam Fees
After Sun Shan came back from washing up, Hong Jian was still reading. He lit a dim oil lamp and read hard.
Really hardworking and selfless.
I don’t know if it’s because of Hong Jian, but every time I want to be lazy, I feel guilty and have to be like Hong Jian.
He thought that the native Hong Jian was so hardworking, and as a human being in two lifetimes, he must not lose to the natives.
Sun Shan picked up the "Tang Poems and Song Lyrics" and read it. Now he not only had to recite the new knowledge he learned today, but also had to recite a poem or a lyric.
As I recited the poem, I felt like I was a capable person and could write poetry. But when I started to grind ink and write, my mind went blank.
Sun Shan did not think that he was stupid or had no comprehension. He just felt that he had not memorized enough poems and could not make a qualitative leap.
After reciting the poem, Sun Shan went to sleep and said to Hong Jian, "Brother Jian, it's late. It's time to go to bed."
I am very grateful to Hong Jian for taking care of me over the past six months. He is like an older brother next door, helping me with the little things in life.
The most important thing is that I can still discuss academic matters with you. Fortunately, I am not like Zeng Jiajun, who is not the kind of person who wastes time.
Hong Jian responded, put away his book, blew out the oil lamp, and said goodbye to Sun Shan.
The next day, at Hong Jian's shouting, Sun Shan rubbed his eyes, squinted his eyes and washed his face. Only after washing his face did he fully wake up.
When I returned to the classroom, I saw that all my classmates were there and we relaxed for a while.
Scholar Hong walked in with a proud look on his face. He did not teach the students today, but instead gave them a lecture on the expenses needed to take the scholar examination.
Sun Shan was stunned. It was so novel that such things were actually being discussed.
This is too advanced.
Hong Xiucai didn't know what Sun Shan was thinking, so he slowly said to his students, "I will now tell you about the fees required to take the college entrance examination. Of course, all this is based on the premise that you have the opportunity to take the examination. If you don't study hard and cannot take the examination, then everything I have said today is nonsense."
Then he looked at Zeng Jiajun deeply.
Zeng Jiajun felt the teacher's burning gaze and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look him in the face.
When Sun Shan heard the Master say this, he knew it was clearly directed at Zeng Jiajun.
Except for him, everyone else here has the opportunity to take the boy's exam.
Even Du Zhipu, who ranked second from the bottom, studied very hard despite his poor grades.
Unlike Zeng Jiajun who just gets by.
Hong Xiucai continued, "If you want to take part in the college entrance examination, you must pass the county examination and the prefectural examination. The county examination is held in Huangyang County, so the cost is the lowest. You only need to pay the registration fee, the examination paper fee, the guarantee fee for two scholars or the guarantee fee for one student, the wear and tear fee for the tables, chairs and benches, and the food fee for the examination. These fees add up to 3 taels."
When Sun Shan heard that he had to pay for the damage to the tables, chairs and benches used in the exam, he called it unjust and said that the man was just like Zhou Paopi, trying to make money everywhere.
Other classmates knew that it would cost money to take the county exam, but they didn't expect to spend it on these items.
It is understandable to pay the registration fee, but it is totally unexpected that the test papers must be paid separately.
Why do I have to pay the test fee after paying the registration fee? Is the registration fee charged just for registration?
Wang Weizheng, whose family runs the only two-story inn in Huangyang County, asked what everyone was thinking: "Master, why do we have to pay for the exam paper after paying the registration fee? The registration fee is just for signing up, but you have to pay for the registration?"
In fact, there is one more thing I want to say: the county government is too good at making money, and they collect money under all kinds of pretexts.
Hong Xiucai did not mind the student's sudden question, and said confidently: "They help you register, do you want to register? Do you want them to check your family background? Do you want them to verify your background? Can you do all this for free?"
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. What Mr. Hong said made a lot of sense. Everyone was speechless and speechless.
Hong Xiucai continued to talk about the cost of the exam: "After passing the county and city exams, we will go to the prefectural city. The cost is even higher. We have to go to Zhangzhou Prefecture to take the prefectural exam, so we have to pay for accommodation and travel expenses. As for other expenses, they are the same as the county and city exams, and there will be registration fees, etc. It will cost about 5 taels."
Sun Shan thought that 5 taels should be counted as the least. It was said that it would take two days and one night to get from Huangyang County to Zhangzhou Prefecture, just like going to the provincial capital of Guangzhou Prefecture.
Therefore, if people in Huangyang County really have something to do, they will go to Guangzhou Prefecture instead of Zhangzhou Prefecture.
I heard that the distance from Huangyang County to Zhangzhou Prefecture is actually shorter, but because there are more hills and people walk slower, it takes more time.
Sun Shan thought that when he went to Zhangzhou Prefecture to take the exam in the future, he would inevitably have to climb mountains and wade through water, which would be a big test.
When you go to Zhangzhou Prefecture, you should find an inn to stay in and also hire an escort agency. The cost will be higher than the county exam, and 5 taels is normal.
Ou Hanjun asked in a low voice: "Ajun, have you ever been to Zhangzhou Prefecture?"
Sun Shan also looked at him curiously. After all, he was the young master of Zeng's Escort Agency, so it was not surprising that he had been to Zhangzhou Prefecture.
Zeng Jiajun shook his head and said, "I haven't been there, but my father has. Even if we go out to play, we usually go to Guangzhou Prefecture. Who would go to Zhangzhou Prefecture? It's a remote and poor place. Why would you go there?"
Seeing that Hong Xiucai didn't look at him, he continued, "My father said that Zhangzhou Prefecture is very poor, with mountains and many rocks, and the road is difficult to travel, much worse than the road to Guangzhou Prefecture. Oh, he would not accept the escort from Zhangzhou Prefecture unless it was necessary."
Zeng Jiajun said regretfully: "Why is our Huangyang County assigned to Zhangzhou Prefecture? Shouldn't we be assigned to Guangzhou Prefecture? It would be better to be close to the provincial government, and there would be more opportunities to do business."
Yao Zhi, who was slightly taller than Sun Shan, disagreed and said, "Oh, Jun, what you said is wrong. Our Huangyang County was assigned to Zhangzhou Prefecture, and we haven't produced a scholar in all these years.
If it were assigned to Guangzhou Prefecture, it would be even more impossible to leave.
Think about it, if you were to compete with the students from the provincial government, do you think you would be able to pass? The teachers and students from the provincial government are so talented, can you compare with them?"
Sun Shan's eyes lit up. What Yao Zhi said made a lot of sense. If Huangyang County was assigned to Guangzhou Prefecture, Sun Shan would be competing with his eldest cousin He Shujin, who came from a farming and scholar family with a rich background.
There is no doubt that it is definitely not as good as the other ones. The rate of successful candidates in Huangyang County is probably even more hopeless.
Hong Xiucai also heard what Yao Zhi said, and he did not blame the students for talking. He agreed and said, "It is also good for our Huangyang County to belong to Zhangzhou Prefecture. It is easier to take the exam for the scholar. After all, the literary style of Zhangzhou Prefecture is not as good as that of the provincial government. So everyone should study hard, and there is still great hope."
After talking about the cost of overlooking the view, Hong Xiucai continued to talk about the cost of the academy examination. In fact, it is similar to the cost of overlooking the view, and one also has to cross mountains and rivers to go to Zhangzhou Prefecture to take the exam.
Finally, he concluded: "Do you understand what I am saying? To pass the examination for a scholar, it costs about 15 taels. This is just the cost of taking the examination, not to mention the cost of studying in the school.
I hope you will study hard, make progress every day, and don’t waste your parents’ hard-earned money.
Every penny our parents earn is not easy, so we should cherish it."
After that, the lunch class ended.
Sun Shan watched Mr. Hong leave in a daze, and at the same time he understood his good intentions.
Mr. Hong is really a good teacher, serious, responsible and dedicated to his students.
Sun Shan was very fortunate to have met a good teacher.