I relied on a system to prolong my life in ancient times.

Chapter 218 Shop Opening + Provincial Examination Begins

After leaving the shop, the group wandered around the streets.

However, they were lucky and found a shop very quickly.

Xiao Siyue explained the situation, and the three of them went to the Xiao family's hot pot restaurant to have a hot pot meal.

The hot pot restaurant has reserved private rooms, which are also for the convenience of the Xiao family when they come to the restaurant to eat.

It's not always closed; it opens when there are many people.

However, Xiao Siyue had already told the shop owner this morning that she had vacated the private room.

Xiao Siyue and her group arrived at the private room and enjoyed a satisfying hot pot meal.

Nowadays, hot pot restaurants have a lot more ingredients than before, because Xiao Siyue has obtained a lot of vegetable seeds in recent years. Since the yield of potatoes is high now, Xiao Siyue directly made potato noodles and the like, which made a lot of money. Of course, there are other things as well, including frozen ones, because there is saltpeter ice making, and every hot pot restaurant has an ice cellar.

After the meal, everyone returned to their house.

Xiao Sizhe and Xiao Siyu went to study.

Xiao Siyue returned to her room and discussed the shop's renovation and opening with Liu Xiaoyu and the others.

With about twenty days left until the provincial examination, Xiao Siyue plans to open her business before the examination, so that students from all over the country will come and she can also promote her business.

Time was tight, so Xiao Siyue assigned tasks to the group.

While setting up the shop, Xiao Siyue also wrote a letter to Xiaojia Village, asking someone to transport books and other items over.

They brought some with them when they came, but it wasn't enough.

Things proceeded very quickly.

The study was simply furnished, and because Xiao Siyue paid a high price, the workers worked very hard, and the study was completed in just a few days.

By the sixth day of the eighth lunar month, all the books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones had been laid out.

Xiao Siyue plans to officially open her business on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month.

Because it was a prefectural city, Xiao Siyue's shop was very large, and the books inside were naturally very abundant.

August 8th

Most of the students who were going to take the provincial examination had already arrived. Thanks to Xiao Siyue's special publicity, most of the students knew that today was the opening day of Songyue Study.

Some students know about Songyue Study, which is located relatively close to Anyuan County. Xiao Siyue has already opened a study in their county.

For some people who live far away, they are not very clear about it and are just curious about it.

Even before the shop opened, a large crowd had already gathered outside.

"Brother, why are you so excited?" A student in blue clothes looked at the excited person next to him, who seemed to have encountered something good, with some confusion.

"Oh, are you also a student taking the provincial examination this time?"

"Yes, I heard that a bookstore is opening today, so I came to take a look."

"Then you've come to the right place. You have no idea how famous Songyue Study is."

"Is it famous? I've never heard of it."

"Haha, this Songyue Study started in Anyuan County, and then gradually opened up in several nearby counties. You have no idea how many books are in there, and many of them I've never even heard of. Not only that, this study also has a kind of Xuan paper, which is simply exquisite. I have never used such good paper before." The student became more and more excited as he spoke, attracting the attention of many people around him.

What is Xuan paper?

"You'll see when you get there; it will absolutely leave you speechless." The student's tone carried a hint of pride.

Now the surrounding students were even more eager to get started, and their curiosity about Songyue Study Room increased even further.

After waiting for a while, the opening ceremony of the study ended, and the students rushed forward.

The books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in the study were snatched up by the students.

Moreover, from that day on, the items from Songyue Study seemed to become objects of comparison among students. Being able to use the Four Treasures of the Study were something to be proud of.

This is not because Songyue Bookstore's items are expensive, but because Songyue Bookstore has purchase restrictions, which makes it impossible for many people to buy them.

Xiao Siyue felt that she had chosen the perfect time to open the shop; these students had significantly boosted the reputation of Songyue Study.

This also made her incredibly wealthy.

Moreover, Xiao Siyue also donated to several students from relatively poor families in the name of Songyue Study, which earned her even more fame.

Of course, Xiao Siyue wasn't just doing this for fame. Firstly, she genuinely felt that those students had gone through a lot, and secondly, she was investing in advance, hoping that these students would become a source of support for her family when they went to high school.

The Xiao family's influence in the imperial court is still too weak; it would be better to cultivate it earlier.

The day of the provincial examination arrived quickly.

The gambling at Qianlai Casino, which I had heard about before, has started, and the odds are quite high, one to ten.

Xiao Siyue secretly had Shi Hai write down the medical instructions, betting 1,000 taels of silver on Xiao Sizhe winning the top scholar title.

Soon, Shi Haiju returned.

"Miss, I saw the young master's servant, Lanming, at the gambling den." After thinking for a moment, Shi Hai told him what he had seen at the gambling den.

"Oh? Did you see how much Lan Ming bet?" Xiao Siyue immediately realized that Xiao Siyu hadn't listened to Xiao Sizhe and had secretly placed a bet.

"Lan Ming placed a bet of 500 taels, betting that the second young master would win the championship."

"Okay, keep a close eye on this matter." In Xiao Siyue's mind, Xiao Sizhe's victory was a sure thing, and with odds of one to ten, she was afraid that someone would be jealous.

"Yes, ma'am."

In the blink of an eye, the heated provincial examination came to an end, and the whole prefectural city was abuzz with discussions about the exam.

To celebrate Xiao Sizhe's exam completion, Xiao Siyue specially booked a table at a restaurant in advance.

A few days later, the results of the provincial examination were released, and Xiao Sizhe unsurprisingly came out on top.

As the messenger left, Xiao Sizhe smiled. Although he was confident in himself, he was still a little worried, fearing that he might not be able to win the championship.

"Second Brother, congratulations on winning the championship," Xiao Siyue said first.

"Thank you, little sister." Xiao Sizhe's gaze was gentle, with a hint of a smile.

"Hehe, congratulations, Second Brother." Xiao Siyu quickly offered his congratulations as well.

"Yes, you must study hard from now on, okay?"

Xiao Siyu pursed his lips, wondering to himself if it was appropriate to say this in this situation.

Although he was thinking to himself, he said aloud, "Second brother, don't worry, I will definitely follow your example and become a top scholar in the imperial examination in the future."

"Okay, then I'll remember what you said," Xiao Sizhe said, quite satisfied with Xiao Siyu's good attitude.

"Little sister, have you finished your work here?"

"I'm done with all the work." I opened another shop recently and have already handed it over.

"Okay, let's go back tomorrow then."