novelraw Chapter 260
Chapter 260
Chapter 260 Entrance Examination
Regarding the matter of being afraid of insects, Qi Feng felt he had something to say.
As a grown man, Qi Feng genuinely said—with his hand on his heart—that he was not afraid of insects, really!
He wasn’t afraid of insects; they were just tiny little bugs. He could even play with crickets, so how could he be afraid of insects? He simply disliked those ugly bugs from the fields that kept wiggling in front of him!
Cricket fights were so interesting, and their chirping was pleasant to the ear. They were much better than those soft, squishy bugs that burst with just a pinch!
Qi Feng had been busy in the fields for quite a while. After finally finishing plowing the patch of land he was responsible for, he took out a handkerchief from his waist and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
While wiping his sweat, he called out to Zhu Liang, who was still working in the distance, “A Liang, come back and eat—”
The formerly picky, high-class young master, who wouldn’t touch a meal that wasn’t a gourmet dish, was now often busy working in the fields and would get terribly hungry if he missed a meal. Qi Feng no longer cared much about the quality of the food, as long as it could fill his stomach.
Qi Feng had arranged his work to align with the manor’s mealtime. He was thirsty, hungry, sticky with sweat, and just wanted to finish eating, go back to his dormitory, take a shower, and sleep.
Zhu Liang understood him perfectly. After working together for so long, ever since Zhu Liang had moved into the manor, this was the way they had always done things.
Hearing Qi Feng’s call, Zhu Liang responded, hoisted his hoe, and headed over.
“Brother Qi, let’s go. After eating, I have to study.”
Hearing about studying, Qi Feng cast a pitying glance at him. “How many more days until your study starts?”
Zhu Liang replied, “Four days left. There’ll be an entrance exam. Master Zhang said last time that if you don’t pass, you have to copy the exam papers ten times as punishment.”
Tsk, that’s really harsh.
Qi Feng shook his head sympathetically upon hearing this, but thinking back to how he had gone through similar times before, and now not having to study so much, he felt a bit pleased with himself.
“Haha, you guys have it really rough with studying. It’s nothing like when I was in school; our teacher rarely assigned homework, and there wasn’t even any exam like this…”
Unlike Qi Feng’s smug attitude, Zhu Liang didn’t envy him at all. Instead, he was actually very proud.
“That shows that His Highness values us.”
Qi Feng was speechless.
Zhu Liang said seriously, “Master Liu once said, exams are set by His Highness to test whether students are diligent or wasting their youth. The teacher said, ‘Strict teachers produce excellent students, indulgent mothers raise spoiled kids, don’t spare the rod if you love your child, don’t be a protector who shields incompetence.’ If His Highness didn’t care about us, then he wouldn’t bother with all this. We should appreciate His Highness’s kindness.”
Unlike when he was thin and scrappy back then, Zhu Liang now was healthy and strong, having been well taken care of at the manor.
Being lectured by a boy younger than himself, Qi Feng looked back awkwardly and didn’t argue.
After all, Zhu Liang’s words made sense.
Just because he refuse to study himself, he couldn't then discourage a hardworking child from studying too, right?
Carrying their hoes, the two walked from the farming area back to the education area.
The farming area had large, extensive fields that looked very rustic and natural, while the education area was very clean and tidy—not only were the buildings and facilities nicely planned, even the landscaping was well done and vibrant.
On their way back, they noticed many people coming out of the dormitories, hurrying to the cafeteria to eat.
Most were young people; some were holding books and muttering to themselves, apparently reciting passages. Others frowned, looking thoughtful all the way… Zhu Liang recognized what they are doing at a glance.
—they were all reviewing for the entrance exam.
Seeing his classmates put in such effort, Zhu Liang’s face went serious. “Brother Qi, let’s hurry and eat.”
Hurry up, finish eating quickly, and get back to the dorm to study!
He hadn’t realized it before, but seeing his classmates work so hard made his heart feel like it was being clawed by a cat—a sudden sense of urgency arose. Zhu Liang was afraid he might fail the exam and rank last, embarrassing himself in front of everyone…
Qi Feng didn’t care much. “Okay, let’s hurry. I’m hungry too. I have to go to the city this afternoon.”
The young lad has become quite the handful.
After a whole morning working, Zhu Liang and Qi Feng filled a full plate in the cafeteria and started eating.
After finishing, they consciously went back to the dorm, got water, washed up, and then climbed into bed to sleep.
When Qi Feng woke up from his nap, it was already an hour later.
He had been at the manor for several days without returning home. He needed to go back this afternoon to check in. Even if he didn’t visit his dear dad, he at least had to see his grandmother and mother, right?
Changing into the elegant clothes befitting a young master, Qi Feng once again transformed back into the proud young master.
Leaving the dormitory, the young master first went to the cafeteria and asked the kitchen for a basket of vegetables he had grown himself. Then he called his servant, who had been waiting outside the manor, to help load the items, and leisurely got into the carriage.
The carriage jolted and swayed as it left the manor and followed the road toward the capital city.
The basket of vegetables inside the carriage was all grown by himself. No matter how Qi Feng looked at them, he thought they were fresh and beautiful.
He picked up a cabbage, admired it for a moment, then put it down, only to pick up another to admire…
This scene often happened after Qi Feng personally grew a batch of crops.
Every time he harvested a batch, he would bring some back to the mansion for his family to try. After all, these were grown by his own hands, quite different from those bought outside!
Every cabbage carried the sweat of his hard work!
While Qi Feng was admiring them, the carriage suddenly stopped abruptly.
Leaning forward, Qi Feng barely held onto the cabbage in his hands to prevent it from falling outside!
“What’s going on?”
Qi Feng quickly asked the young lad driving the horses outside.
The lad replied hurriedly, “Young Master, there are people coming on the main road. Many people!”
Many people?
Not wanting to ask more, Qi Feng tossed the cabbage aside, drew back one side of the curtain, and looked out.
The carriage had just come from a small road and stopped before the main road. From Qi Feng’s perspective, he could see a swarm of people and horses rapidly approaching from the not-so-far distance.
Most were horseback riders, with only a few carriages among them.
From so far, he couldn’t see any official markings on the carriages or their attire. Qi Feng didn’t know who they were, but from their imposing force, he knew they were definitely not someone to mess with.
Qi Feng stayed quiet inside the carriage, didn’t urge the driver forward, and planned to wait until this group had entered the capital city before proceeding slowly behind them.
However, just as he settled on this plan, he noticed the group approaching closer and closer. Especially the foremost person caught his eyes so much that his eyes nearly popped out.
“Lord Fang?!”