As the sun set, Lin Yue and his two companions finally returned to Linshui Village. Pushing open the gate to their courtyard, they saw Shen Lingzhi sitting there shelling chestnuts. Lin Yue jumped down from the cart and called out with a smile, “Lingzhi, we’re back! Where’s Mom?”

Shen Lingzhi jumped to his feet in an instant, dropping the winnowing basket that had been resting on his lap. But he didn’t care about that now. He took two steps at a time to reach Lin Yue, shouting toward the kitchen as he ran, “Mother, come out quickly! My brother and the others are back.”

During the few days Lin Yue and the others were away in the prefectural city, Song Xunchun and Shen Lingzhi had been on tenterhooks at home. They worried both about whether Shen Huaizhi would pass the Xiucai examination this time and about the long journey to the prefectural city—what if something happened to the three of them along the way? The two of them hadn’t eaten or slept well at home, but now they were finally back.

Song Xunchun came running out, still holding a spatula. Seeing the three of them standing neatly in the courtyard, with no missing limbs, she instantly felt at ease. Well, safety was the most important thing.

She didn’t ask, but Shen Huaizhi, urged on by Lin Yue, spoke up: “Mother, I passed the exam.”

Song Xunchun’s grip on the spatula loosened, and she froze in place. Although she had always believed her son could pass the Xiucai examination, the moment it actually happened, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Her voice trembled as she spoke, “Good, good. As long as you passed, that’s what matters. Hurry back inside—I just finished cooking. Come in and eat.”

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Though not as bustling as the Lunar New Year, families with a little extra money would still set aside a piece of meat to eat, boil a pot of edamame, and stir-fry a batch of chestnuts, then sit together in the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening breeze and admire the moon.

Song Xunchun and Shen Lingzhi weren’t sure if they’d be coming home, but they’d prepared a meal just in case they did. Shen Lingzhi had even made mooncakes and was now happily sharing them with Lin Yue. “Big brother, the mooncakes I made this time are so delicious. There’s jujube paste filling and date paste filling.”

Hearing “jujube paste,” Lin Yue was a bit puzzled. Jujube sold in town were even more expensive than brown sugar—it wasn’t that they couldn’t afford them, but it just didn’t seem worth the cost, unlike the kinds of things they usually bought. “Why did you suddenly think to buy jujube?”

Shen Lingzhi shook his head. “We didn’t buy them in town. We picked wild jujubes while we were out gathering chestnuts on the mountain. They aren’t as sweet as regular red dates, but they taste just fine in mooncakes.”

Only then did Lin Yue recall the wild fruits on the mountain. It was mid-August, and wild jujubes were indeed in season; he guessed the osmanthus flowers must be blooming too. “I remember seeing a few osmanthus trees when we went mushroom hunting on the mountain earlier. Have they bloomed yet?” Lin Yue asked.

Shen Lingzhi chuckled. “You have a great memory, Brother. I picked quite a few osmanthus blossoms and am just waiting to make osmanthus cakes.”

The two stood in the corner talking, while Song Xunchun, who was waiting over there, couldn’t wait any longer. She urged them repeatedly, “Hurry up and come in to eat. Your father’s already seated and waiting just for the two of you. If you have something to say, wait until after dinner.”

Only then did the two return to the kitchen. They had just eaten on their way back from the county town, so Lin Yue wasn’t very hungry at the moment; he took just two bites of the dish before setting down his chopsticks.

After the meal, the family carried the table out into the courtyard, bringing out the freshly boiled edamame, stir-fried chestnuts, sunflower seeds, mooncakes, and tea. The family enjoyed a rare moment of leisure and contentment.

Now that Shen Huaizhi had passed the Xiucai examination, they no longer had to worry about the autumn taxes this year, nor did they have to live in constant fear of corvée labor or conscription. Song Xunchun still remembered how, two years ago, the men from another village had been sent to repair the irrigation channels as part of their corvée duty. Dozens of them had gone, but in the end, not a single young man or two of the older men had returned—they had all died of illness or exhaustion.

Shen Zhengchu had gone on that trip as well. Fortunately, Shen Huaizhi hadn’t yet turned twenty at the time and was exempt from corvée labor; otherwise, Song Xunchun dared not imagine how difficult life at home would have been. This year, things were finally looking up.

The family of five sat together in the courtyard, eating and drinking. Lin Yue would occasionally recount stories of his experiences in the provincial capital, especially the part about the inn waiving a day’s lodging fee—a tale Song Xunchun and Shen Lingzhi never grew tired of hearing.

Upon hearing that Shen Huaizhi still possessed a set of imperial blue robes, the two were thrilled beyond measure—especially Shen Lingzhi, who immediately exclaimed, “Brother, go change into them and show us! Neither Mother nor I have ever seen them.”

Unable to resist his pleading, Shen Huaizhi got up to go back to his room to fetch the robe. He had taken only two steps forward when he heard someone calling his name from outside the courtyard.

“Huaizhi, are you home?”

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Shen Huaizhi turned to open the door, and sure enough, standing there was an acquaintance: Village Chief Shen Guangchu. The mule they’d rented from Shen Guangchu was still grazing in the courtyard. Shen Huaizhi hurriedly ushered him inside.

“Uncle Guang, what brings you here? Come on in and have a seat.”

As soon as Shen Guangchu stepped into the courtyard, he saw the four members of the Shen family sitting there drinking tea. He had a hunch and smiled at Shen Zhengchu, saying, “I heard you’d returned from the prefectural city, so I came specifically to ask Huaizhi—did he pass the Xiucai examination?”

Shen Zhengchu gave a hearty laugh. “Thanks to your kindness—and for even lending us our mule—the young man Huaizhi passed the exam. He just went to the county office to register today.”

Shen Guangchu laughed along with him. Having a Xiucai emerge from this village was no small feat; though he wasn’t from his own family, he was still kin. “Excellent! Huaizhi has truly made something of himself. It’s as if the smoke of glory is rising from the Shen family’s ancestral graves.”

Shen Zhengchu beamed for a moment, then quickly downplayed it. “It’s just a stroke of luck. The boy’s been studying for over a decade and has finally made something of himself. It’s a pity it’s only a rarity in our little backwater—unlike in the prefectural city, where Xiucais are everywhere, and people are used to seeing them.”

Shen Guangchu didn’t pick up on that remark. Instead, he smiled and praised Shen Huaizhi a few more times before getting down to business. “I’ve come today to discuss something with you all. According to custom, whenever someone in the village passes the Xiucai examination, we must open the ancestral hall to pay respects to our ancestors and burn incense. Tomorrow, I’ll go notify the villagers first. How about we head to the ancestral hall first thing the day after tomorrow?”

The village ancestral hall isn’t just for the Shen family; it also enshrines the ancestors of other clans in the village. It’s only opened once a year, during the Spring Festival, to burn incense and paper offerings.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhengchu was indeed delighted, and at the same time, he felt relieved. Thankfully, he hadn’t given in back then and had insisted on splitting off his household; otherwise, it would have been uncertain whether Huaizhi would have even been able to pursue his studies.

“We’ll do as you say. This matter with Huaizhi has kept you, his uncle, running around, too. Rest assured, we’ll head to the ancestral hall as soon as it gets light the day after tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about the offerings or incense—we’ll bring them from home.”

Shen Guangchu couldn’t possibly agree to that. “What kind of talk is that? Just your presence is enough; don’t worry about anything else.”

The two went back and forth for a while before finally compromising: the Shen family would bring some of the offerings, and the village would prepare the rest.

As dusk approached, Shen Guangchu didn’t linger long. Before leaving, he patted Shen Huaizhi on the shoulder. “Good lad. I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. At last, our village has a Xiucai.” With that, he walked away with a smile.

Once Shen Guangchu was out of sight, the Shen family finally realized their mule was still in the yard. They’d borrowed it twice in just the past month. Although they’d paid, the amount was merely a token of appreciation; they’d have to find an opportunity to repay the favor properly.

Shen Zhengchu glanced at the mule still grazing and said, “Let’s skip it for today—it’s getting late. First thing tomorrow morning, Huazhi, when you and Yue set out, be sure to take the mule and the cart with you to return them to Uncle Guang’s place.”

Shen Huaizhi nodded. “Father, I understand.”

Seeing that it was getting late, the Shen family went about their respective chores. As soon as they arrived home today, Shen Huaizhi had discussed with his family that they would go to Yushui Village to visit Old Xiucai Gao and, while they were at it, share the good news with him and Lin Yue’s parents.

They couldn’t very well arrive empty-handed, and since it happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin Yue planned to bake some more mooncakes and bring along the sugar and wine they’d bought earlier as gifts for Old Xiucai Gao. As for their own family, besides the mooncakes, they’d bring the bracelet he’d bought for his mother in the prefectural city, the clothes he’d made for Lin Yang, and a jar of wine for his father.

Shen Huaizhi, meanwhile, had gone back to his room to copy a text. When the exam results were posted, he had made a point of reviewing them all. None of his classmates had passed the county-level examination in Youjiang this time. Since he was visiting his teacher, he planned to copy a book to give to his senior classmate, Xiao Gao, as a token of his appreciation. Fortunately, the “current affairs essay” wasn’t very long; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to finish copying it tonight.

Early the next morning, Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi set out carrying their belongings. The moment they stepped into Yushui Village, Lin Yue suddenly felt like crying. He had been married for less than four months—why did it feel as though he hadn’t been home for years?

Shen Huaizhi gently patted his shoulder and whispered, “Let’s hurry. If Father and Mother have gone out to work in the fields, we might not run into them.” Lin Yue nodded firmly and strode quickly toward home.

Their return was unexpected. As Lin Yue pushed open the door, Lin Yuan and Lin Yang—father and son—were just about to head out. They looked up just in time to see Lin Yue entering. Lin Yang blinked twice and immediately shouted, “Mother! Mother! My brother’s back!”

He then ran forward to greet Lin Yue. “Brother, why are you back so early this time? Have you had breakfast yet?” Without waiting for Lin Yue to answer, he grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the kitchen, leaving Lin Yuan and Shen Huaizhi behind, exchanging puzzled glances.

Lin Yuan gave his son-in-law a once-over; he didn’t seem to have been through anything out of the ordinary. “It’s good to have you back,” he said. “We’ve all been waiting for you to come home. Don’t just stand there—come inside. Let your mother make you some breakfast.”

Then Lin Yuan turned and headed back to the kitchen. He wondered if Yue’er had eaten breakfast yet. Just a couple of days ago, his mother had made oatmeal fried noodles—Yue’er’s favorite dish when he was little. “Lin Yang, go to the main hall and bring the oatmeal fried noodles your mother just made. Your brother has loved that since he was a child. Bring some sugar along with it.”

Lin Yang nodded in response and ran out.

Once Lin Yue had his bowl of prepared noodles, Zhou Wenlan spoke up: “Why did you come back so suddenly? You didn’t give us any warning—we haven’t prepared anything at home.”

Lin Yue snorted lightly. “Well, I just felt like coming back now.”

Zhou Wenlan shot him a look. “If you’d told me earlier, I would’ve had your brother go to town yesterday to buy a couple of cuts of meat and a fish. Never mind—it’s not too late to go now. Is there anything else you’d like to snack on? Have your brother pick it up on his way back.”

After asking, she turned to Shen Huaizhi, her tone softening slightly. “Do you like this stir-fried noodles? If not, just leave them. We’ll have something else later.” 

Shen Huaizhi nodded. “I like them. Thank you, Mother. Please don’t trouble yourself.”

“Exactly, Mother, please sit down and rest for a bit. You don’t need to do anything else—the fried noodles are enough. We’ll be having lunch at home later anyway,” Lin Yue said.

After Lin Yue and the others finished their fried noodles, Zhou Wenlan asked softly, “Will you be staying at home for a few extra days this time?”

Lin Yue handed his bowl to Lin Yang, motioning for him to make another bowl, then smiled as he leaned toward Zhou Wenlan. “Mom, we’re here to share some good news—Huaizhi passed the Xiucai examination.”

Zhou Wenlan was a bit surprised, then laughed, “Is that so? Oh my, that’s truly wonderful news. We’ll have to have a proper feast later so the whole family can celebrate.”

Lin Yuan’s gaze toward Shen Huaizhi was filled with pride. “Huaizhi has made something of himself. You two must live a good life together.” 

Shen Huaizhi immediately assured him, “Father, rest assured. Xiao Yue and I will be just fine.”

Lin Yue looked a bit shy and turned to Shen Huaizhi. “Shouldn’t you head over to Old Xiucai Gao’s house now? It’ll be too late later.”

After asking, he turned to his parents and explained, “Father, Mother, Huazhi has come over this time to share the good news with Old Xiucai Gao. We’ll come back for dinner later.”

Lin Yuan nodded. “You should go. I ran into your Uncle Gao yesterday and heard that Old Xiucai Gao isn’t feeling well. Yue, you should go along and check on him too.”

At those words, Shen Huaizhi grew anxious. He’d only been away for ten days—how could his condition have deteriorated so quickly?

Seeing his anxiety, Lin Yue also stood up. “Father, Mother, we’ll go take a look first and be back shortly.”

“Go on, go on. Just one thing—don’t disturb Old Xiucai Gao while he’s resting,” Zhou Wenlan said.

Lin Yang was a bit confused. His brother’s fried noodles had just been soaked—wasn’t he going to eat them?