One Thousand Five Hundred Points
"No, I'm not very good at riding horses, and I'm not really interested in them," Zhao Ruxi said.
"Furthermore, after the provincial examination, I also want to participate in next year's spring examination. Our teacher said that learning is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind, and you can't relax for a moment. Even after the provincial examination is over, I still have to write three essays, practice calligraphy ten times, and do ten math problems every day. I really don't have much time to play."
Mu Qinglian wanted to say that if they weren't interested in horseback riding, the Mu Family had other ways to play. But before she could say it, Zhao Ruxi's next sentence cut her off.
Undeterred, she said, "Life needs a balance of work and rest. How can we always be so tense? It's not good for our health. I'll be getting married soon, and once you're all married, we'll have fewer opportunities to see each other. Miss Zhao, please come out and visit more often when you have time."
As she spoke, she glanced at Mu Qingqiang.
Mu Qingqiang remained silent.
After a long pause, she blinked at Zhao Ruxi twice and said, "I'll send you an invitation later. Come visit me when you have time."
Zhao Ruxi smiled and said to Mu Qingqiang, "Okay."
With Mu Qingqiang's reminder, she naturally wouldn't go. Agreeing now was also to give Mu Qingqiang an explanation to her family when she got home. As for whether she would go after receiving the invitation, that was another matter; she could just find an excuse to decline then.
After discussing this matter, everyone chatted for a while about the situation of their classmates at the Beining Women's Academy.
Compared to Zhao Ruxi, who spent a longer time at the Beining Women's Academy, Beining Women's Academy Mu Qinglian, who only studied there briefly, clearly knew her classmates in Class Ding better and spoke about them fluently.
It was only then that Zhao Ruxi learned that some of the girls who had entered the Women's Academy with her and Xu Xue were already married. Most of the others who were still unmarried were engaged and were just waiting to get older so they could stop studying and return home six months early to prepare for marriage.
This is the current situation, and it's also why Madam Cui has always wanted to change it.
The three weren't very familiar with each other, and Mu Qingqiang wasn't a very talkative person. After chatting for a while, they ran out of things to talk about, and the Mu Family sisters got up to say goodbye.
Zhao Ruxi escorted them to the main gate.
Mu Qingqiang turned to Zhao Ruxi and asked, "Can I write to you from now on?"
Zhao Ruxi nodded. "Of course. Let's keep in touch by correspondence from now on."
Mu Qingqiang then Gao Xing up, smiled at Zhao Ruxi, and turned to get into the carriage.
The three siblings from the second branch of the family and the Mu Family sisters arrived around the same time in the morning. After they left, Zhao Ruxi had lunch with her grandmother, mother, and younger brother, then took a nap. In the afternoon, she painted another picture. In the evening, while having dinner, she suddenly heard the system announce, "Congratulations, host, your Wisdom Points has increased by 1500."
Zhao Ruxi was reaching for a piece of fish with her chopsticks when she heard the announcement, and before she knew it, the piece of braised fish on her chopsticks fell onto the table.
"You child. I told you to have the maid serve you the food, but you insisted on doing it yourself. Look, you've spilled it!" Lady Zhu scolded, gesturing for the maid to come forward and clear the table.
"It's just a piece of fish. Let your daughter pick it up herself if she wants. Why are you nagging her?" Zhao Yuanxun immediately defended his daughter.
"Sister, let me get you some." Zhao Jingtai took a pair of serving chopsticks and placed a piece of fish maw on Zhao Ruxi's plate.
The old lady sipped her bird's nest porridge, watching all this with a smile.
"It was an accident... Thank you, little brother." Zhao Ruxi hurriedly replied, and while reaching Zhao Jingtai the fish on the plate, she activated the light screen.
Only she can see this light barrier. As long as the action of opening the light barrier is not abrupt, no one will notice anything unusual.
She has over 100,000 points, such a large number. In addition, she gains points for every piece of calligraphy she practices and every painting she creates. Someone who isn't good with numbers might not even know how many points they have.
But Zhao Ruxi had an excellent memory; she could remember everything at a glance. She knew exactly how many points she had yesterday, how many she had earned today, and how many she had in total.
Looking at her total score, she realized that she hadn't been hallucinating; she had indeed gained 1,500 points.
Could it be that the results of the provincial examination are out? Tomorrow is the day the results are released, so it seems that it really is the reward I received from the provincial examination.
With 1,500 points, where does she rank? She only got 600 points for being sixth in the provincial examination. The provincial examination is a level higher than the provincial examination, more difficult, and has a wider impact. Even if she was sixth in both, she would get more points than in the provincial examination.
So, where does she rank with these 1500 points?
"Host, would you like to know your ranking? You only need to spend two hundred points to check." The system's voice popped into your head.
Zhao Ruxi hesitated for a moment, but still resolutely refused. "No. I'll wait until the results are released tomorrow."
Earning points isn't easy, but it's just waiting one night; she can afford to wait.
Furthermore, the rankings are already set, and the points have been distributed; there won't be any major changes. Whether she finds out sooner or later, it won't change her ranking, so why waste her points?
The system knew she was stingy and that no amount of persuasion would change her mind, so it muttered "Grandet" and fell silent.
"Here, have another bowl of this delicious chicken soup. You've been working so hard lately, you've lost weight, you need to nourish yourself." A bowl of chicken soup appeared in front of Zhao Ruxi.
Zhao Ruxi glanced at the chicken soup, patted her stomach, and said to Lady Zhu in a coquettish tone, "Mother, I'm full."
There's a kind of thinness that only your mother thinks you're thin.
When she first entered the Earl of Suiping's Residence, she would go hungry even though the Earl of Suiping's Residence only served two meals a day.
After the family divided their property, she told Lady Zhu that she often went hungry and requested a change in the household's eating habits. Lady Zhu was heartbroken at the time, Earl of Suiping's Residence immediately changed from two meals a day to three meals a day.
After that, Lady Zhu went to great lengths to prepare delicious food for her and Zhao Jingtai, forcing them to eat every day before letting them go. If she hadn't been growing and working so hard every day, she would have become very fat.
Didn't you see that even as Zhao Jingtai is growing taller and slimmer, he still has a double chin? This is proof of the effectiveness of scientific pig farming.
After the meal, Zhao Ruxi returned to Slender Bamboo Courtyard.
Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu then summoned the clever servant boy named Xiaole, who was particularly quick-witted in reading the list. They gave him a tael of silver as a reward, saying, "Be clever. If the young lady passes the exam, there will be a bigger reward."
Xiaole bowed and accepted the reward money, then patted his chest and assured them, "My lord and madam, rest assured. I'll be waiting at the entrance of the examination hall tonight, and I'll definitely get a good spot first thing tomorrow morning to deliver the good news. The young lady is a literary star descended to earth, exceptionally talented, and will surely top the list. My lord and madam, please wait at home for my good news."
Lady Zhu was amused by the clever little rascal and said, "There's no need to go tonight. Just go early tomorrow morning to reserve a spot."