章 74: Challenge
Ming Hui laughed seeing her brother's reaction. "You shouldn't judge them by normal standards. They are way more than that."
"You're right."
Soujin ignored the two people and turned his attention back to Jun Min. As he had expected after careful examination, the two people were highly similar. It made him want to know more, but at the same time, was afraid of what he would find out.
"Your face is truly alike with your sister."
Soujin remark made Jun Hua remember the scene earlier. Soujin had surprisingly walked towards her and asked the same question. For her, it was strange that he didn't come straight to Jun Min. But now, it appears he wanted to ask Jun Min too.
"It's just some coincidence," Jun Hua answered, partially lying.
Soujin raised his eyebrows. "It's alright if you don't want to answer. There are other things we need to talk about after this event."
Jun Hua nodded, she didn't know what they wanted to talk about, but she felt that it was something serious. Normally, he would only ask for an ordinary thing and banter around, but she was sure that he had his own reasons for getting close with Jun Min. They might have been together for quite some time, but they were still probing each other.
Ming Hui stared at Soujin. "You finally want to tell him about it?"
"Why not?" Soujin retorted.
"Fine, he's a good friend after all," Ming Hui commented.
Jun Hua stared at them with interest. It seems that there was indeed something. She would soon find out about it.
As they were talking to each other, the performances of the girls who got music finally ended. Many of them played excellently and they would get a good score. Now, it's time for the girls who had drawn drawing to show their result.
The first girl who got the chance to come up was Lin San. The girl remained calm as she picked up her canvas leisurely. She stared at the audience with confidence and unfolded her drawing in front of them. Many people looked in surprise at the picture she had shown.
This test's drawing was open-themed, so Lin San chose to draw an image of flowers. There were several flowers in a field with the sun was shining brightly in the background. The flowers were portrayed in different conditions. Some were blooming, some were withered among others. All of them looked different and they all looked so beautiful. The arrangement of the flowers showed their beauty perfectly. On top of them, there were several butterflies flying and some of them landed on the flower.
Lin San smiled. "This is my drawing. I chose this theme because girls are often associated with flowers and these different kinds of flowers means all of us. There will come a time when a flower withers, but when we are young, we are like the flowers in bloom that attracts bees and butterflies. Thank you."
Jun Hua smiled slightly. She could see that Lin San's talent in drawing was truly remarkable. That single piece of drawing made them think of her as a highly talented person who did not only think of herself, but also others. She used this chance to completely change how people thought about her ever since the incident with her mother. This girl had surprisingly matured at an alarming speed.
Some of the girls in the hall blushed at Lin San's explanation, but they didn't dare to disagree. The other girls who got painting, had their face fallen because they were convinced that the first place would go to Lin San.
"She changed a lot," Ming Hui said. "Probably, there will be a lot of people who would want her again like this."
"She made use of her chance perfectly. She might become someone important in the future," Yan commented.
Jun Hua nodded. When people experiences setback, they might change. Some of them might open their eyes and see the world in a better light while others would instead start digging their own grave. Whatever they choose, they would have to follow that path until the end.
Lin San was smart. She was not an ordinary girl as she had already learned more from her mother. Previously, her arrogance was truly annoying, but now, she had perfectly hid it and portrayed herself better in front of many people. Probably, she would be able to achieve things on her own. Thus, Jun Hua wouldn't bother with her anymore.
Soon as the girls were finished with their performances, it was the boys' turn to show off their skills. They were to choose between archery and essay. Most of the boys were already proficient in these skills especially if they were already in the academy for years or have their family's private lessons. The boys would study in the academy for 5 years, from 13 to 17 years old unless they got enlisted in the military because for scholars, they would need to finish their course.
"Those scholar people are fairly decent," said Yan.
"You want to recruit them?" Ming Hui raised an eyebrow.
"Not them. Who I want is that top scorer, Xuan Pei. But it seems, he won't accept the offer easily," Yan said.
Jun Hua thought of her teacher. Was he really that outstanding? She didn't really think highly of him though he was a good teacher. Besides, he detested the fighting for the throne of the imperial family members and he even didn't want to be an official.
"Soujin, do you know how to persuade him?" Yan grinned.
"Don't bother. He's a double-edge sword."
"What?" Yan stared at Soujin with confusion. What did he have to make Soujin not like him? He seemed to be a good person, though.
"Let the other princes take him if they want. We don't need someone like him," Soujin answered calmly.
Yan and Ming Hui stared at each other before giving up the intention. They don't understand what Soujin wanted, but since he said that, then there must be a reason behind it.
Jun Hua also didn't understand what this guy wanted. She couldn't see anything wrong with Xuan Pei, aside from his weird interests. During the test, he might be challenged by one of the students later since he's a good scholar.
Returning her attention to the boys who were showing off their archery skills, she felt it was ridiculous. Even she, a girl, could do better than them. Some of them almost failed to hit the target correctly and nearly hit the wall. Then there were also those who did well, but unable to stand out among the others.
The second part of the test soon finished and it was time for the third round. This part was for those who didn't get their most able choice in the test or merely wanted to show off their skills by challenging other people. They could challenge everyone in the hall even if that person was a teacher.
Soon, one person stood up and he said loudly. "I want to challenge Jun Min."
This statement instantly caused uproar.
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