254 Sour
Of the five acres of land they had bought, half of it was planted with tomatoes. He just didn’t know what the tomato fruit looked like. Now he knew.
Knowing that it was for him, Xue Yan took a bite. The skin was thin, the meat was thick, and it was juicy and a little sour.
It was still quite satisfying.
“This can also be used to make dishes, like scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It can also be used to make soup. It’s very appetizing.” Jiang Yue said.
“Yes.” Xue Yan nodded as he looked at her and gestured the tomato to her.
“I’ve already eaten,” she said. “Do you want the rest?”
Xue Yan immediately shook his head. This tomato was much bigger than the strawberry he had eaten last time. Several strawberries added together were only as big as a tomato. It was also a little sour. He could eat sour things, but if he ate too much, he would not be able to take it.
After knowing him for so long, Jiang Yue naturally knew that he couldn’t stand things that were too sour or too sweet. That was why she only gave him a tomato first. Seeing that he really didn’t want anymore, she didn’t force him and only nodded her head to show that she understood.
Soon, it was noon, and it was time for lunch.
Xue Sifu and the others had gone to town to buy cattle and had yet to return, so only Jiang Yue and the others were eating.
As they were eating, Xue Dagui arrived. As usual, he looked at Xue Dafu with a salivating face and said, “Hehe, dear brother, why are you guys only eating now? I’ve already eaten.”
“What did you eat today?” Xue Dafu didn’t understand.
Xue Dagui chuckled. “Didn’t I agree to go to the school in town to ask about Gouzi’s studies? I went there after breakfast today. When I came back, Darong house was having dinner, so I ate there.”
After he finished speaking, he sat down at the table.
Liu Guixia smiled and said, “It’s rare for you to be so proactive. How did it go?”
“Yes, hehe.” Xue Dagui chuckled again. “Originally, I wanted to let Gouzi study in the academy that Xue Yan studied in. That academy also has an enlightenment class, but I went to ask, and the academy’s gatekeeper said that this year’s top three students all came from Hanlin Academy [1]. Hanlin Academy is very famous now. Now, whoever wants to study at Hanlin Academy has to be tested by the teacher inside first. If they feel that it is suitable, then they will be allowed to study.”
Hearing this, Xue Yan still ate his meal in a gentle manner, not to mention that the top three were his classmates and friends.
When he first entered the school, he was also in the initiation class. However, it didn’t take long for him to learn everything in the initiation class, and he was then promoted to another class.
After that, he kept rising, and in less than three years, he was promoted to the smartest class.
The top three were his classmates and friends from the same class.
Even though he hadn’t taken the imperial examination yet and didn’t have a single scholarly honor, he was still considered a genius.
This was because this era stipulated that students had to be at least ten years old before they could take part in the imperial examination, and he was not old enough.
In his previous life, he had taken the imperial examination without a hitch the moment he reached ten-years-old
The academy examinations were held twice every three years, and the village, general, and court examinations were held once every three years. However, it just so happened that when he turned ten, he could participate in the academy examinations. The next year, at the age of 11, he took the village examination. He then became a high scholar. In the third year, at the age of 12, he participated in the general examination. The first place was obviously him and he became a scholar. In April of the same year, he participated in the court examinations and was named first by the Emperor, becoming the youngest top scorer in the history of Da Ling.
He was also the youngest student in Da Ling’s history to reach the top.
From then on, he had captured the attention of the Emperor. He was valued and schemed against by the Emperor the moment he ascended.
[1] Xue Yan’s former school name — Shengming Academy — has been changed to Hanlin Academy.