AWB Chapter 22 Carbon Became Spiritual
Chapter 22 Carbon Became Spiritual
Lu Yangyang asked in shock, "Two months?"
Granny Shen nodded.
Lu Yangyang was dumbfounded: "Even if I were a genius, I wouldn't be able to pass the exam in two months, right?"
Lu Yangyang isn't stupid. She can't even recognize a single word, and she's never seriously studied a book in a day. Asking her to take the entrance exam for an academy? That's just wishful thinking.
“Young lady, there’s no need to belittle yourself. Taiming Academy’s admissions are not limited to academic studies.”
"So... you mean, it's possible to use connections?" Lu Yangyang asked.
Granny Shen: "..."
After spending these few days together, Granny Shen also discovered Lu Yangyang's personality. She was extremely intelligent, but sometimes she was just too straightforward and didn't know how to be tactful at all.
In a place full of scheming and intricacies, it's hard to say whether such a personality is a good thing or a bad thing.
“You can get in through the back door. Madam said that if you really can’t pass the exam, she will help you get a spot.” Granny Shen knew that there was no point in beating around the bush with someone like Lu Yangyang, so she didn’t intend to hide anything from her: “However, Taiming Academy admits students with special skills, and they can be admitted through special admissions.”
"Even girls from ordinary families can be admitted to Taiming Academy if they have any special qualities and can pass the exam. Tuition is waived and they even receive a stipend."
“Your studies can’t be improved overnight, but you can work on other things. As for reading, as long as you can write well enough to be readable before you start school, that will be enough. I think you are best at arithmetic, so why not take the exam in that area?” Granny Shen suggested.
"Mathematics?" Lu Yangyang asked in confusion. What kind of mathematics did she know?
Does it count?
That was because she was forced to memorize numbers by that crazy woman when she was little. She didn't see any other benefits, but she was quite good at accounting.
“I think the young lady’s needlework is quite good, but the embroidery lacks shape, which suggests that she has never embroidered patterns before. This is something she could learn,” said Granny Shen after thinking for a moment, offering a suggestion that she thought was feasible.
"No, no, I learned that by sewing, I don't know how to embroider anything." Lu Yangyang refused without even thinking.
The only needle and thread she's ever used since childhood has been for sewing—sew straight lines, sew curves. Ask her to embroider? Forget it, she gets dizzy just looking at flowers.
When Granny Shen recalled the attempts she had made over the past few days, including Lu Yangyang's perfectly straight stitches, she was speechless. Seeing that Lu Yangyang truly disliked it, she gave up.
"Then forget it. Needlework and cooking are just pastimes. A little knowledge is enough for you, Miss." Granny Shen considerately laid out the books she had prepared. "Then you should study, Miss."
Lu Yangyang: ...
I found it quite interesting when there were no books to read.
Now, forced to look at these densely packed words every day, she seems to vaguely understand how Sheng Yunjiao, that academically challenged student, felt.
No wonder Sheng Yunjiao would always sneak away whenever she came to find her reading.
……
Once you get busy, half a month passes quickly.
Lu Yangyang has been confined to the courtyard for a while, which has brought her a rare moment of peace and quiet.
It's unclear whether Old Madam Li was furious, but she didn't allow Lu Yangyang to go and pay her respects again. Even Lan Shi herself took the time to come and sit down, without letting Lu Yangyang go to pay her respects.
Lu Yangyang was happy to be free and relaxed, and her studies were quite fulfilling.
Early that morning, Sheng Yunjiao impatiently knocked on her door.
Sheng Yunjiao was wearing a pale yellow riding outfit with cloud patterns. Her hair was combed up high and braided into small braids with colorful threads inside, making her look very pretty and lively.
Sheng Yunjiao handed Lu Yangyang a set of moon-white riding clothes with cloud patterns. The color of the clothes was soft and not eye-catching, which was just right for Lu Yangyang's dark skin.
"Here, this is for you. Hurry up and change into it. It'll take us half an hour to get to Guanfeng Garden. If we're late, we'll miss the show!"
Sheng Yunjiao urged.
Lu Yangyang then remembered that she had promised to go to the polo match with them.
She used to be so busy just trying to make a living that she never had the chance to witness such a grand occasion, so she was really looking forward to this competition.
Most importantly, after Yan Yue used her medicine and was able to get out of bed, he not only sent money and gifts as thanks, but also promised to let her personally choose a horse she liked at the Guanfeng Garden horse farm!
Lu Yangyang had been looking forward to this day for a long time!
So she hurriedly took her clothes and went to the inner room to change, and then asked Granny Shen to tie her hair into a Taoist nun's bun.
Her hair was so yellow and thin that it never looked good no matter how she styled it.
However, Granny Shen still felt sorry for her and specially picked out a few colorful threads adorned with pearls to decorate her hair. Paired with Lu Yangyang's exceptionally bright eyes, it was easy to overlook her ugly mask.
She looks like a pretty young girl now.
Lu Yangyang and Sheng Yunjiao took a carriage to Guanfeng Garden. The competition had not yet started, and people were entering the garden one after another.
Lu Yangyang has been eating well lately and has gained some weight since she first arrived, but her skin is still a bit dark. Standing next to Sheng Yunjiao, whose skin is as fair and delicate as a peeled egg, she looks like she's been thrown into the dirt.
Therefore, the two were noticed almost as soon as they entered the garden.
General Cheng's second daughter had a grudge against Sheng Yunjiao, and she started mocking her as soon as they met, "Oh, Sheng Si, it's only been a little over a month since we last met, where did you pick up a piece of charcoal and raise it into a spirit?"
"Pfft-"
Laughter erupted all around them, and Sheng Yunjiao and Lu Yangyang instantly became the center of attention.
Sheng Yunjiao wasn't the type to go unpunished. She rolled her eyes at Second Miss Cheng and retorted, "Who's talking to me? I was wondering why the ground was shaking just now. I thought I'd walked on a weight. Oh, it's Second Miss Cheng! Second Miss Cheng, you've certainly been eating well lately. It hasn't been that long since I last saw you, and you've gotten even stronger. You look more and more like General Cheng. You're truly valiant!"
"You, you, you..." Miss Cheng stomped her foot in anger, and a group of people around her covered their mouths and laughed.
Everyone in the capital knows that the Second Miss Cheng looks just like her father, General Cheng. General Cheng came from humble beginnings and was very robust. The Second Miss Cheng is almost a carbon copy of him, even her strong physique is similar, and she is a head taller than other girls her age.
General Cheng was quite pleased with himself, but Madam Cheng was worried sick. She both loved and disliked her youngest daughter, which led to the development of a stubborn and unlikable personality in the second daughter of the Cheng family.
Seeing that the people around her were starting to laugh at her, Cheng Er Guniang became even more furious. In a fit of rage, she punched Sheng Yunjiao in the face, yelling, "I'll smash your stinking mouth!"
Miss Cheng came from a military family and had practiced martial arts since childhood. How could Sheng Yunjiao, a spoiled young lady, be a match for her? When she saw the fist, which was almost bigger than her head, coming down, she was so frightened that she forgot to dodge.
"Watch out!" Yan Yue, who had run over to meet them, was shocked to see this scene and rushed over. However, he was still some distance away and could only watch helplessly as Cheng Er's fist smashed into Sheng Yunjiao's face.
"Ah—" Some of the timid girls around had already screamed in fright.
Just as the fist was about to smash into Sheng Yunjiao's face, a small, thin, dark hand rose up.