The streets teemed with examination candidates, an unceasing current pouring into the Examination Hall.
One provincial examination was a chance for a fish to leap through the Dragon Gate.
Pass, and prosper; fail, and perish.
At the Examination Hall, Wei Nisheng followed the crowd inside, crossing the high threshold.
He walked along a passage paved with bluestone, rows of examination cells stretching endlessly on either side.
Each Examination Cell was still only five feet square.
A low desk, and a wooden plank for sitting or sleeping.
"Section A, number twenty-eight."
Wei Nisheng looked down at the number token in his hand.
Then he looked up at the numbers painted beneath the Examination Cells' eaves and continued deeper along the passage.
Section A lay at the very back, far from the entrance and far from the latrines. It was neither a good spot nor a bad one.
Soon, Wei Nisheng reached his Examination Cell, stopped, and set his examination basket on the low desk.
He hung his bundle on a wooden peg in the wall, then turned and glanced down the passage.
The crowd was still streaming inside, filing past the watchful eyes of soldiers and examiners.
Wei Nisheng spotted Zhang Zai among them.
The great white goose was as conspicuous as ever.
Zhang Zai carried an examination basket in his hand and a bundle on his back.
He stood at the entrance to Section B, holding his token before his eyes and squinting as he tried to work out the direction.
Then, as though sensing something, he turned to look toward Section A.
Their eyes met again.
Zhang Zai grinned, raised his token, and waved it at Wei Nisheng, saying something.
They were too far apart for Wei Nisheng to hear.
Wei Nisheng smiled, cupped his hands to him,