Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 157 Re-entering the Library

The first day of the eighth month of the first year of the Jiayou era.

There are only ten days left until the state exams begin.

The air inside Luzhou State University seemed to freeze, with a palpable tension permeating every corner.

Lu Beigu stood in front of the library again, looking up at the fourth floor.

Previously, in recognition of Lu Beigu's achievement in creating "water windows" during the flood to alleviate the city's waterlogging, the state academy awarded him the extra privilege of entering the fourth floor of the library again for three days to study.

In reality, for most state students, if they don't get first place in their year's orientation party, the only way to get into the fourth floor of the library is through the conventional method of "becoming the president of a club and mentoring a certain number of members whose grades have improved significantly".

As for Lu Beigu's award, it falls under the category of "making special contributions to Luzhou or the state school," which is usually extremely difficult to obtain.

As for Lu Beigu, after being tempered by the "Four States Elite Examination Training Conference", his strength was even slightly stronger than when he took the Four States Joint Examination.

However, this does not mean that his state exam scores will necessarily be higher than his ranking within his state's school during the four-state joint exam.

Because he knew in advance that the exam for the four prefectures was set by the Jiaozhou Prefectural School and that he knew the preferences of the Jiaozhou Prefectural School officials, he was able to cater to their tastes and thus received a higher score than usual.

Therefore, for Lu Beigu, he needs to become stronger in order to ensure that he can definitely get the quota.

Lu Beigu entered the library.

“Student Lu!” a voice with a distinctly enthusiastic tone rang out.

Chen Yuan, a minor official in the library, hurried forward, his face no longer displaying the usual blandness of official business, but rather overflowing with heartfelt gratitude.

After checking the student ID, Chen Yuan was exceptionally quick during registration, his eyes filled with the feeling that he finally had a chance to repay the debt.

"Brother Chen." Lu Beigu nodded with a smile, understanding the source of this enthusiasm.

"Please come in, please come in!" Chen Yuan led Lu Beigu towards the stairs, lowering his voice as they walked, "Knowing you were coming before the provincial examination, I've prepared some things for you in advance. The fourth floor is still the same as before, cool and shady. I've prepared a light blanket that I'll carry up tonight, in case the ground gets cold at night, at least you can have something to lie on. I'll refill your water bag to keep it warm, so you can just focus on your studies!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Chen," Lu Beigu said sincerely.

"Of course, of course!" Chen Yuan said repeatedly. "I'll bring the food up on time, and it'll be piping hot!"

After asking Lu Beigu to wait a moment, Chen Yuan went to find the school official in charge of the keys.

When the instructor arrived, he still had that serious expression, but as usual he instructed: "The rules remain the same, do not leak them, the time will start from this moment."

The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and that familiar scent once again filled my nostrils.

Unlike the shock he felt when he first stepped in, this time, Lu Beigu felt a sense of familiarity.

Without the slightest hesitation, he walked straight to the target bookshelf.

His goal was extremely clear—to identify and address weaknesses, and to finally verify and integrate the ideas he had learned from the "Four States Elite Examination Workshop" with these exam papers that were closest to real-world practice!
He first found several obscure policy essay questions from remote states on border governance and policies against Yi people, along with corresponding "top-tier" and "bottom-tier" answer sheets.

He then sat down at the familiar table, spread out the past exam questions and answer sheets, and took out his thick notebook.

The whole morning passed.

Footsteps came from the stairwell, and Chen Yuan came up carrying a food box.

"Student Lu, dinner is ready."

He carefully placed the food box on a corner of the table, opened the lid, and a waft of hot, fragrant steam wafted out.

Two steaming hot, slightly charred steamed buns, a plate of stir-fried pickled vegetable shreds that was clearly oiled, a bowl of steaming millet porridge with some chopped vegetable leaves, and even two hot dishes.

"This..." Lu Beigu was somewhat surprised. "It's mentally taxing to stay awake all day, how can we just eat dry biscuits!" Chen Yuan smiled憨厚ly and rubbed his hands together. "The steamed biscuits in the dining hall were cooked perfectly today, and I asked the kitchen staff to stir-fry the pickled vegetable shreds with extra oil. Hot porridge is good for the stomach."

"Use it slowly, leave it after you finish it, I'll come up and collect it later. If you need more water, ring the bell, I'll be waiting downstairs."

After saying that, he withdrew.

Lu Beigu finished eating quietly and quickly, savoring the energy replenishment from the food, his gaze never leaving the books on his desk.

As night fell, two servants came up with a gourd lamp, a pump, and a hemp basket.

They saw the water pouch and rolled-up bedding on the desk, then glanced at Lu Beigu, who was writing furiously at his desk. Without saying anything, they silently sat down in the corner.

Lu Beigu did not stay up all night to his limit. When the clock struck midnight, he decisively put down his pen.

He unfolded the thin mattress prepared by Chen Yuan, spread it on the ground, and lay down on it.

The coarse cloth, carrying the dry scent of sunshine, insulated him from the coolness of the ground, allowing him to fall into a deep sleep more quickly and recover his energy.

At the fifth watch of the night (3-5 AM), Lu Beigu opened his eyes precisely on time.

Without a word, the servants tacitly lit the gourd lamps.

He took a few sips of water to moisten his throat and then immersed himself in his books again.

Three days passed in this way.

The meals, warm water, and clean bedding that Chen Yuan delivered every day—these small acts of care served as a solid support, helping him complete this final tempering process.

On the third day, Lu Beigu took out his thick notebook and compared it with the past exam questions and answer sheets on the fourth floor for a final check.

He picked out the questions that had puzzled him before and answered them again. After finishing, he compared them with the top-scoring answer sheet or his previous thoughts to check for minor discrepancies.

As the first rays of dawn on the fourth day crept into the fourth floor of the library, Lu Beigu slowly put down his pen.

The thick stack of new paper he brought was already filled with writing, and it was carefully tucked into the heavy master notebook that had now truly become his "arsenal" for conquering the state examinations.

He sat quietly, feeling the exhaustion in his body, but an unprecedented sense of clarity completely filled his mind and body.

All knowledge, skills, and experience have been integrated into one, and the bottleneck has been shattered without a trace!

"It's done."

Footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs, and Chen Yuan and the school official appeared.

"The time has come, Scholar Lu." Chen Yuan's voice also carried a hint of relief at having completed his mission.

Lu Beigu slowly stood up, carefully tidied up his belongings, and neatly collected and stacked the question papers and answer sheets before putting them back in their place.

The examiner's gaze swept over the noticeably thicker notebook on the desk, and a hint of approval appeared on his serious face: "The state examination is imminent. I hope you will live up to your studies and the hard work you have put in these past few days."

"The students will definitely do their best!"

The heavy wooden door opened again.

Holding the notebook that contained all his hard work and hopes, Lu Beigu stepped down from the fourth floor.

As the morning light shines down, an indomitable belief has been forged.

He will surely leap over the Dragon Gate in the provincial examination!

(End of this chapter)