In the blink of an eye, it was the day Ethan's exam.
Scarlett woke up early in the morning. She made noodles, steamed a basket of porcelain steamed buns, and cooked a pot of wild mushroom soup.
The wild mushrooms were picked on the mountain. The first time she picked them, she had already finished them. These were picked yesterday, so there were still a lot left. She planned to carry them to the market later to sell them.
In fact, she also picked wood ears, but fresh wood ears were poisonous. They had to be dried before they could be eaten.
While waiting for breakfast, she went back to her room to take medicine.
The wounds on her wrist and the back of her head were already healed. She was almost out of medicine, but the ointment was more durable. There was still more than half of it left.
On the other side, Ethan also woke up.
Scarlett knew that he studied until late last night, so she didn't wake him up in the morning. Unexpectedly, he still woke up so early.
In fact, he could have slept a little longer. The ox cart to town didn't leave so early.
Scarlett set the table and filled half a bowl of wild mushroom soup for him. She was worried that he would go to the exam hall to find the toilet, so she didn't fill it to the brim.
But Scarlett didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Ethan's eyes were a little bit bitter when he inadvertently glanced at her.
The exam would take a whole day, so Scarlett filled it with steamed buns and water.
After pausing for a while, she thought of something and stuffed ten copper coins into the bag.
Ethan watched her as she stuffed the copper coins into the bag. His eyes moved, but he didn't say anything.
Scarlett handed the bag to him. "I've already paid for the carriage. I've also told the driver to send you directly to the academy."
"Okay." Ethan responded. He took the bag and walked out with his crutch.
Scarlett looked at his little crippled leg and resisted the idea of sending him to the village entrance. He probably wasn't happy about it either.
When Ethan arrived at the entrance of the village, Second Uncle Luo's ox cart was already parked under the locust tree. There were quite a few people sitting on it. They were all villagers who were selling their vegetables and eggs in town.
When the villagers saw him, they all smiled and greeted him.
Ethan was a scholar. He usually looked cold, but he didn't put on airs. Every family would come to him if they wanted to read or reply to a letter. Although Thomas was also a scholar, Thomas stayed in the private school during the day and studied hard at night when he returned home. The villagers rarely disturbed him.
There was one last seat on the ox cart, which should be reserved for him.
Just as he was about to go up, he felt a figure flash past and block his path.
The other party pressed down on the oxcart with one hand and supported another figure behind him with the other. "Thomas, hurry up!"
They were Mrs. Lily and her son from the main branch of the bell family.
Mrs.Lily blocked Ethan completely, not giving Ethan a chance to get on the ox cart.
On the ox cart, an auntie said, "Thomas's mother, Ethan came first."
Thomas paused in his movement to get on the ox cart.
He turned his head and looked past his mother to look at Ethan.
Ethan's eyes were cold and his expression was indifferent.
Mrs. Lily snorted indifferently. "My son going to take the exam straight! So what if he came first? Can he delay my son straight exam just because he came first? "
Everyone in the village knew that Thomas was a promising person. He was admitted to the county school a while ago and was a scholar. They heard that he didn't even need to kneel when he saw the county magistrate.
Although Ethan was a good lad, he wasn't as important as Thomas's future.
If Thomas became rich, not only would he bring glory to the bell family, but the entire Rock Village would also benefit from his glory.
No one said a word.
"That …" Second Uncle Luo said embarrassedly, "Ethan, he … is also going to take the exam."
Last night, when Scarlett came to find Second Uncle Luo, she explained clearly to him that Ethan was going to take the exam at the academy. Ethan's legs were inconvenient, so she asked him to send him there. She even gave him two extra copper coins for this.
Second Uncle Luo was puzzled. The Bell family's little fool, who didn't get along with Ethan, spoke and acted as if she was a different person.
But before he could ask more, Scarlett left.
When she heard that Ethan was also going to take the exam, Madam Lily didn't take it to heart. How could Ethan's exam compare to her son's?
But Thomas looked at Ethan in astonishment. "You … are also going to Heaven Academy?"
"Yes." Ethan replied indifferently.
When Ethan first came to the village, he was already a scholar. At that time, Thomas was also a scholar. Later on, Thomas passed the county level exam, while Ethan was still a scholar. Thomas didn't think much of Ethan.
"You haven't been to the private school for half a year …" Thomas shook his head.
His meaning was obvious. Ethan couldn't pass the exam.
Second Uncle Luo, who originally wanted to persuade some villagers to give Ethan a seat, silently swallowed his words.
Since he couldn't pass the exam, then there was no need to trouble himself.
Second Uncle Luo took out his money bag.
Going to the market was two copper coins, and going to a slightly better place was three copper coins. Scarlett gave him two more, so it was a total of five copper coins.
While Second Uncle Luo counted out the copper coins and returned them to Ethan, Thomas was pushed onto the ox cart by Madam Lily.
But before he could sit down, a bone-thin hand suddenly reached out from behind him, grabbed his collar, and pulled him down from the ox cart!
Thomas was two years older than Ethan. He was already nineteen this year. He was a sturdy young man, but he staggered and almost fell to the ground.
Madam Lily was scared to death. She quickly went to help Thomas.
"Who is it!"
She cursed and turned around.
Then, she saw the thin and small Scarlett with everyone else.
Scarlett's eyes were cold, revealing an unruly chill.
Everyone was stunned.
"Scarlett, are you crazy!" Madam Lily was wondering who was so bold, but it turned out to be this little fool.
"Take the copper coins back." Scarlett ignored Madam lily. She only looked indifferently at Second Uncle Luo, whose hand was frozen in midair. She frowned impatiently, "I booked the ox cart last night. If you want to go back on your word, then refund everyone's money."
"What do you mean?" Madam lily asked.
"Literally, Ethan can't get on the ox cart today, so no one is allowed to get on the ox cart," Scarlett said.
"What right do you have?" An auntie snorted.
Scarlett slowly took out a sickle from behind her back, "Because I'm a fool? Fools only do stupid things? "
Everyone's faces turned pale when they saw the sickle.
Madam Lily, who wanted to rush up and pull Scarlett's hair, was too scared to go forward.
No one understood what was wrong with Scarlett. Why would she make things difficult for the Bell family, who had always been close to her, for Ethan, whom she had long disliked?
Even Ethan's eyes flashed with a trace of astonishment.
"If you want to invite Old Master bell, then hurry up and go." Scarlett said as she blew on the sickle that she had polished until it was shining.
Madam Lily really wanted to go.
But she was stopped by Thomas.
It was useless to reason with a fool. It would be bad if the exam was delayed.
Although Ethan would also miss the exam, Ethan couldn't pass the exam in the first place.but he was different.
In the end, Second Uncle Luo thought of a way to let Madam lily spend money to buy one of the villagers' vegetables. That villager gave his seat to Thomas.
Scarlett didn't care whose seat Thomas bought.
However, in order to prevent any accidents on the way, Scarlett followed along with the sickle on her back.
There was no extra seat for her in the ox cart.
She dragged her thin and small body and walked for more than ten miles on foot, safely sending Ethan to the examination room.
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