Zhou Shuren held up three fingers, "First place in the county exam, I, Ming Qing, and the other passed, and I'm still a government granary student, which means I get food every month, and four silver taels a year!"
Zhulan smiled, "You're amazing."
Zhou Shuren enjoyed hearing Zhulan praise him, but then he sighed, "In the future, it'll be hard to aim for first place, it's not just about the scores, but also luck and catching the examiner's eye."
Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren's face, "So, you're set on competing for the title of Top scorer, huh? You don't even stand a chance at Tanhua—Tanhua is basically reserved for the good-looking ones. They won't even give you a shot at third place! They're practically telling you to keep aiming for second!"
Zhou Shuren was frustrated, "I've asked around; the last two Top scorers were also quite handsome."
