I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 209: The Exam

The examination room was unusually quiet. Apart from the scratching sound of pens on exam papers and the turning of pages, there was only the occasional cough.

The students all had their heads down, their backs ramrod straight. Snowflakes had started falling outside the window again, and the chill spread through the classroom, making their fingertips stiff and their legs numb.

Yuan Xiu stopped writing and rubbed her fingers together. Seeing that it didn't help, she simply stuck her fingertips into her neck.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall and, seeing that the time to hand in the paper was drawing near, took her hand out and looked down to continue answering the questions.

As soon as I looked down, the bell rang.

"Stop writing, hand in your paper!"

The proctor called out from above.

Some calmly got up, handed in their papers, and left; others frantically tried to jot down a few more words when the invigilators collected the papers…

Yuan Xiu left the examination hall.

Outside the examination hall, the candidates, oblivious to the falling snowflakes and biting wind, chattered amongst themselves as they stood with acquaintances, comparing answers.

"...Since the land is flat and nearby, many people will visit...therefore, those with ambition cannot achieve it." How did you translate this?

"Oh my god! I translated it wrong! This question is worth seven points! I didn't review this classical Chinese text when I was studying... Why is there a classical Chinese section on this test?!"

"Forget it, it's just this one question. As long as I can answer the others correctly, that's fine."

The problem is, I'm afraid...

"Yuan Xiu!"

Sun Ying ran through the crowd towards Yuan Xiu, "How did your exam go? Did you finish all the questions?"

Yuan Xiu helped her straighten the scarf that was draped over her shoulders. "You've finished. As for how you did on the exam, we'll have to wait for the results. What about you?"

Sun Ying nodded with a smile: "I think it's great! Anyway, I've finished all the questions, and what Teacher Shen told us to memorize really came in handy!"

"That's good, then you don't have to worry about not doing well on the test."

"I'm not worried about Chinese, but I'm worried about math, politics, and history and geography. Just thinking about them gives me a headache." Sun Ying shook her head. "Forget it, let's not think about it anymore. Let's go eat first. There must be a lot of people at the restaurants around here."

The restaurant was indeed packed!

Even though half of the test takers brought their own dry food and ate it after getting hot water from the school, there were still quite a few people queuing up outside the restaurant.

To make it easier for test takers to eat, the restaurant not only sells noodles and stir-fries, but also steamed buns and mantou. The large steamers at the entrance are stacked more than a dozen layers high, and a steamer full of plump white steamed buns and mantou is sold out in the blink of an eye.

Compared to those who went into the store to eat soup noodles and stir-fries, the most popular customers were those who bought steamed buns and mantou. They bought them and left without having to wait in line.

Inside the restaurant, many test-takers bought hot soup noodles but had no seats, so they squatted in the corner to eat them.

Yuan Xiu and Sun Ying planned to buy steamed buns and eat them in the school auditorium. The school had opened the auditorium doors to make it easier for the examinees to rest and avoid getting cold outside.

The two of them each bought two large steamed buns, tucked them into their arms, and headed towards the school. As they neared the gate, Sun Ying exclaimed to Yuan Xiu, "Look, isn't that your Chief of Staff Jiang?"

Yuan Xiu looked up and saw that it was indeed true.

Jiang Zhou saw them too. "Where have you been?"

Yuan Xiu took out some steamed buns. "I went to buy food. What brings you here?"

Jiang Zhou glanced down at the two large steamed buns in her hand. "I brought you food. You two come with me."

He drove here, and parked his car at the intersection next to the school.

Sun Ying stood still. "I think I'll pass."

Jiang Zhou: "You'll get a share."

"Hehehe!" Sun Ying laughed so hard her eyes disappeared, and she followed Jiang Zhou, holding Yuan Xiu's hand.

Jiang Zhou's statement about Sun Ying's share was true. Knowing that the two were in the same examination room, Aunt Zhao prepared an extra person for them. There was no shortage of extra people.

The three got into the car. Yuan Xiu and Sun Ying sat in the back, each holding a lunchbox and starting to eat.

Aunt Zhao cooked two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. The food was light and refreshing, not oily or greasy. When Jiangzhou arrived, he was wrapped in a small blanket, and the food was still warm when we opened it. We weren't worried about getting an upset stomach after eating it.

Jiang Zhou ate before arriving, and after driving for more than half an hour, his stomach was a little empty, so the steamed buns that Yuan Xiu bought went into his stomach.

While eating, Jiang Zhou was glad that he had brought the food. What good were these two buns? He was afraid he would get hungry halfway through the afternoon exam.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yuan Xiu asked him, "Why did you have time to come? Didn't I tell you you didn't need to?"

"I can still spare some time around lunchtime. Don't go out to buy food these next few days; I'll bring it to you."

When he arrived, he also noticed that the nearby state-run restaurants were packed with people, and he couldn't afford to eat anything he didn't like during the exam period.

Sun Ying chuckled awkwardly, "How could I possibly accept that? I can't just eat for free."

Jiang Zhou: "I can't eat for free. If I ask your brother for it, he'll have to thank me."

Yuan Xiu glanced at him with a smile, not believing that he would really have the nerve to ask Battalion Commander Sun and Sister-in-law Xiulan for help.

Jiang Zhou didn't stay long. As soon as Yuan Xiu and the others finished eating, he drove away.

After returning, I went straight to the battalion headquarters.

They ran right into Li Shan and Battalion Commander Sun.

"Old Jiang, where have you been? Why are you carrying a lunchbox? Did you bring us something delicious?" Li Shan asked.

Battalion Commander Sun quickly chimed in, "Was it made by your Aunt Zhao? The side dishes she made for your two babies' one-month celebration were really delicious!"

"You all have such high and mighty ideas!" Jiang Zhou rolled his eyes at the two of them. "I went into town to deliver food to my wife."

Li Shan clicked his tongue twice and deliberately asked Battalion Commander Sun, "Are all the state-run restaurants in the city closed?"

Battalion Commander Sun laughed and said, "That can't be! It was still running when I went there a few days ago."

"Your Sun Ying ate some too," Jiang Zhou said casually. "Luckily, I brought extra, otherwise your sister would have only been able to eat cold buns."

The word "cold and aloof" was spoken with particular emphasis.

It was indeed freezing cold. In that kind of weather, it would be freezing cold within two minutes of being taken out, and hard as a rock within ten minutes.

Battalion Commander Sun stared wide-eyed in surprise: "Why are you eating cold buns? I brought her money and food coupons! Her sister-in-law even gave her two ounces of meat coupons! Enough for her to buy a meat dish."

"You only thought about bringing her money and tickets, but you didn't think about whether she could even buy them. Do you know how many students are taking exams in a school? In the small restaurants near the school, can a woman like her squeeze past all those big men? She probably won't even be able to get into the restaurants and will only be able to buy some dry food to fill her stomach."

Battalion Commander Sun felt sorry for his sister. Hearing this, he slapped his thigh in frustration. "How could I not have thought of that! Old Jiang, you're so thoughtful! Thank you so much. If you hadn't gone to bring food to your wife, my Sun Ying would probably have had to take the exam on an empty stomach."

"By the way, are you still making deliveries for the next two days?"

"deliver."

"Okay, could you do me a favor and deliver some food to my Sun Ying's house? Her sister-in-law has to work, and I can't cook, so could you please have Aunt Zhao make an extra portion when you cook? I'll deliver the grain and meat coupons to your house after I get off work."

"Thank you so much, Lao Jiang! You've gone to so much trouble!"

Jiang Zhou: See? He said he couldn't eat for free, and Battalion Commander Sun should thank him.