The Examination Hall opened, and the candidates emerged.
Five days of confinement had left everyone haggard and grimy.
Wei Nisheng walked through the crowd, carrying his examination basket and wearing his bundle on his back as he followed the passage outside.
As he passed the B section, he paused and glanced that way.
I wonder if Zhang Zai has come out yet, Wei Nisheng thought.
Just then, a figure came squeezing toward him along the passage from the B section.
"Brother Wei!" Zhang Zai still wore a smile, his voice booming like a goose's.
After five grueling days, his face was a little pale, with dark shadows beneath his eyes.
Yet his spirits were excellent, like a goose freshly released from its cage, itching to spread its wings and soar.
He threaded through gaps in the crowd, calling, "Excuse me, excuse me," earning eye rolls from several nearby candidates.
"Brother Wei! Brother Wei!" Zhang Zai squeezed up beside Wei Nisheng and caught his breath.
"Finally out! Those five days nearly suffocated me!"
Wei Nisheng smiled. "You seem in fine spirits, Zihou."
"Fine? My hair nearly fell out."
Zhang Zai freed one hand to touch his hair crown. Only after confirming it was still there did he lower his hand in relief.
"You have no idea. The fellow in the examination cell next to mine-
"His snoring shook the heavens. I didn't get a single proper night's sleep in five days."
Wei Nisheng remembered the man next door who had recited the Analects. He smiled too, but said nothing.
The two walked toward the main gate shoulder to shoulder.
Near the gateway, the crowd grew denser, almost shoulder against shoulder and back against back.
Then they ran into Shen Yi, who had likewise finished his examination and was leaving the grounds.