There was a three-entry mansion in Yushui County. It was located in a secluded place in the east of the city. Usually, few people went in and out, but recently, it had obviously become much more lively.
Most of the people who came and went were dressed in coarse cloth and had dark and rough skin. It was obvious at a glance that they were used to doing rough work.
There was a wooden plaque nailed to the door of the mansion. The words "Ziyi Club" were written in black paint and gold.
Most people who come here stop at this plaque, salute, and then go in. In fact, almost all of them could not read, but they all showed their highest respect for these four characters.
And this plaque, just like this, watched people come and go silently.
The house was full of greenery, and even in this August weather, it felt very cool.
Seven or eight people stood in the backyard garden, two of them clustered in the middle. Unlike most of the people who appeared here, these two were dressed in long robes that only scholars would wear.
"Brother Zhu, thank you for your trouble this time." One of the gowns said to the other.
The others around him followed suit and bowed to him.
" Brother Zhu " smiled and stroked his beard." There's no need to be so polite. It's also a blessing for us to see a young man inherit Senior's legacy."
" Sigh, we're all uneducated. Master Zhu, don't think we're uneducated!" A short middle-aged man next to him spoke loudly. As soon as he opened his mouth, a bird was shocked.
"Old Tian, lower your voice. Don't scare Master Zhu." said another reproachfully.
However, just as Old Tian had said with a loud voice, other than Zhu Qingtang standing in the middle and Qi Zhengze standing beside him, all of them were craftsmen. They had not read books and could not read much.
They already felt a little inferior in front of Zhu Gandang, who was born in the Jieyuan Realm. Not to mention Zhu Gandang was the examiner of the Yushui County Apprentice Examination and the Hundred Skills Examination. His status was naturally extraordinary.
In front of him, these well-known "masters" couldn't help but lower their voices.
"The biggest contributor this time is Brother Zheng. Yuemu Xuan provided all the materials for this Hundred Works Test and Apprentice Test. It cost a lot of money. Thank you for your expense." Zhu Gandang cupped his fists at Qi Zhengze.
"Where?" Qi Zhengze simply replied with two words and then shut his mouth.
" Is Little Kun still not well?" Zhu Gandang asked with concern.
"It's fine." Qi Zhengze replied with two words.
" You…" Zhu Gandang was very familiar with him and knew his temper. She shook her head with a bitter smile.
At this moment, a small official walked over and presented a file. Those craftsmen were waiting here for this reason. They looked at Zhu Gandang's hand with eager expressions.
Zhu Gandang was not pretentious. He opened the file immediately after he received it. He glanced at the upper right corner and said," There are a total of 1,372 people taking the exam in Yushui County this time. There are 250 people participating in the 100-worker exam and 1,122 people participating in the apprentice exam."
" The number of people in the Hundred Worker Test hasn't changed, but the apprentice test has doubled!" One of them was speechless.
" Today, work is the most important thing. Craftsmen have the rank to reach heaven, and those who enter will naturally be enthusiastic." Zhu Gandang cupped his hands towards the north and said.
Then he flipped through the file and continued reading.
"This year, the Level 1 workshop has reported 100 people, the Level 2 workshop has reported 80 people, the Level 3 workshop has reported 40 people, the Level 2 workshop has reported 20 people, and the Level 5 workshop has reported 1 person. There are no Level 2 workshops, 7 Level 3 workshops, and 38 Level 4 workshops in Yushui. All the workshops of all levels are full, and no one is missing." Zhu Gandang continued.
Yushui wasn't considered a Hundred Workers County, but those who could stand here now were basically Level 3 Workshop Masters. Each family could recruit 40 people. Everyone looked at each other and smiled competitively.
" This apprenticeship examination will last for three days. After five days, a list will be drawn. A total of 200 people will be chosen. The first name will be the county head."
" The county examination is a physical examination, one item per day. There are three items in total."
"There are three examiners. I am the chief examiner, and there are two masters, Song and Qin, as assistants. Candidates painted name closed door, only to see the finished product, take three people equally divided. These matters are the same as in previous years, and I believe everyone knows this."
Zhu Gandang finished reading these points and smiled at the workshop masters." The entrance examination will begin at noon tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you, sir!" The workshop masters received the information they wanted and bowed in satisfaction.
" The 21 people are all here. Alright, follow me."
At the gate of Yushui City, the person who had just arrived called out Xu Wen's names and wrote them down on a piece of paper, beckoning them to follow him.
Xu Wen had heard that someone from Yushui County would come to pick him up, and he had been guessing the identity of this person the entire way.
Tian Qing was not an ordinary craftsman. Could the person he sent to pick him up be an old friend of his? Will you tell us who he is?
He knew he was thinking too much when he saw this man.
This person was dressed in black clothes. From his appearance, one could tell that he was an ordinary local official, the kind who ran errands. He took Zhou Zhicheng's letter and muttered,"You know how to use the back door."
Then he shouted,"Which twenty? Give me your name!"
Zhou Zhicheng and Master Feng looked at each other. Master Feng went forward and smiled apologetically." Sir, there are twenty of us here. Are you sure…"
The man glanced at them and impatiently waved the letter in his hand."Isn't it all clear? You guys don't understand or something? Twenty people and a quota for a Level 4 workshop. Why can't we confirm it?"
" But the officials rated our Yao Clan Wood Workshop as Level Five…" Senior Brother Zhou took a step forward and said nervously.
" Who knows what kind of backdoor you guys used…Alright, this is enough. Twenty people, right? I'll name them and set off." The petty official looked as if he was too lazy to talk to them. Xu Wen could tell from the side that such a "back door" must be some kind of hidden rule. It was just that Senior Brother Zhou and the others did not know about it before. He didn't know how Tian Qing managed to get 20 spots with just one letter.
Senior Brother, there's also me. We're not twenty people, we're twenty-one!" Lu Cheng was anxious. He pulled Senior Brother Zhou and whispered.
How did he expect that in such a short time, Xu Wen and the others had obtained the quota, and he had become the extra one!
Senior Brother Zhou also realized this, so he stuffed a silver ingot into the servant's mouth and explained a few words.
The petty official accepted the silver and finally remembered Lu Cheng's name and wrote it behind Xu Wen and them.
Lu Cheng finally heaved a sigh of relief and returned to the team. Xu Wen happened to ask him,"What is a fifth-level wooden workshop?" What's level four?"
"The government has graded the workshops, one to five. Level 1 is the largest and level 5 is the smallest. Each level has a different quota. Level 5 only has one person, and level 4 can have twenty people." Lu Cheng was already used to Xu Wen's ignorance. He was also a little confused here. He cheered up and explained to him softly.
" So Yao Clan's Wood Workshop is only level five?" Ask them.
"What kind of tone is that? No matter which level, you have to get official certification to get it. How can you say only?" Lu Cheng was dissatisfied.
Xu Wen pondered. He had thought that Yao Clan's Wood Workshop was already very formal, with Heaven Earth Black Yellow grading and monthly assessments. He did not expect it to be only a Level 5 workshop.
The Craftsman System in this world was much larger than he had imagined…
"Right, I've been meaning to ask, what is this?" Lu Cheng pulled himself together and pointed at his hand.
Along the way, Xu Wen kept holding a piece of tung wood. His fingers gently rubbed it, but he did not do anything else. "Can't you recognize it? Tongmu."
"How could I not recognize him? I mean, why do you keep holding this?"
"Don't you think paulownia trees are beautiful? Bright and elegant, the texture is clear and beautiful, you see the luster of this surface, like silk, light and soft, dense and delicate. It is so light and dense, impervious to water and deformation, and fire-resistant. It is really a very good wood seed." Xu Wen put Tongmu to Lu Cheng in front of him to see, excitedly said.
"…You know what?" Lu Cheng said with a strange expression.
"Hmm?"
"This is the longest sentence I've heard you say since I met you."
"Uh…"
"Also, you really have read books. You speak one way or another…"
The official in black brought them to a mansion in the west of the city. He pointed to the front and said," All the examinees live here. You came late. The rooms have been arranged. The conditions left for you are not very good."
As he spoke, a group of people came up behind them and walked through the door. The leader was introducing to the youth behind them the place they were going to live in. It was the second courtyard of the mansion, the big common room, and everyone had to sleep together.
The little official in black clothes did not look at that side and said,"If you want to sleep now, you only have a stable, clean it yourself, and sleep comfortably." Of course, you can also stay outside, but tomorrow is the exam, if you miss it, you can't enter."
Xu Wen and the others only had a little pocket money in their hands, which was not enough for them to go out and stay in the inn. Zhou Zhicheng obviously did not prepare extra accommodation fees. However, these were all farm children who had lived in worse environments. What was a mere stable?
However, Xu Wen could tell that they could only stay in the stable not because they were late or anything, but because they had been inserted at the last minute and could not be arranged.
Zhou Zhicheng didn't even discuss it with them and directly agreed to stay in the stable. The apprentices didn't have any opinions either.
The stable was located in the front yard of the mansion. There were many people coming and going. From time to time, some people led horses to store them.
Before he could get close, Xu Wen heard the commotion and low whinny of horses. Walking closer, the smell of horse dung came to my nose, which was really not very good.
"This is it. Be careful. Don't scare the horse. Chen Zheng entered tomorrow, Chen Chu had to gather outside the arena. Someone will call you at that time, so prepare in advance."
Chen was eight o'clock, and Chen Chu was seven o'clock. This meant that they had to get up before half-past six, but they were already used to it.
Small official exhorted a few words, Zhou Zhicheng and gave him stuffed ingot silver, please he more care. The petty official pinched it satisfactorily and turned around and walked away.
Zhou Zhicheng turned around and said,"Let's clean up the place where we sleep tonight."
Xu Wen and the others responded one after another. Just as they were about to find tools to enter, suddenly, the sound of hooves rang out. Two horses galloped over!