The Autumn Examinations

Zhou Ning asked Shen Linchuan in puzzlement, “Aren’t all the examination rooms the same?”

Shen Linchuan shook his head. “Although they all look pretty much the same, it would be terrible to be assigned the very last examination room in a row. The last room in each row is the restroom—you can imagine how bad the smell is there. It’s best to be assigned a spot a little closer to the front, so there are fewer people coming and going.”

Zhou Ning said, “Oh, I see. Well then, let’s ask the Earth God to bless you with a good spot.”

After finishing their tour, the three of them were about to leave. Just as they neared the entrance, they heard the sound of wailing. They saw several men who looked like traveling merchants surrounding a white-haired old man. The old man was sitting on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, and no matter how hard the others tried, they couldn’t get him to stand up.

Xu Zhifan, curious, asked, “Brother, what’s wrong with this old man?”

One of the men sighed, “Don’t even ask. He is already sixty this year, yet he’s still just a Xiucai. His children and grandchildren didn’t want him to take the exams anymore, so they sent him out to work as our bookkeeper. He just stopped by the Nanling Examination Hall to take a look around—who knew that one visit would drive him completely mad?”

The group exchanged glances but said nothing. It was their first time taking the autumn examinations, and none of them dared to predict when they might pass. Their greatest fear was ending up like the old man sitting on the ground—someone who’d spent his entire life taking the exams yet remained nothing more than a Xiucai, with the pursuit becoming an obsession.

Xu Zhifan shuddered. “Of the four of us, I’m the one with the least natural talent. I hope I won’t end up like that old man, failing the exams my whole life.” 

Ye Jinglan glanced at him. “Brother Zhifan, don’t talk nonsense.”

The man tried to pull the old man up from the ground, but the old man sat there wailing and refused to get up, crying out, “Why can’t I pass the exam? Why can’t I pass the exam?”

As he spoke, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted. Shen Linchuan and the others rushed over to help. Since Luo Qingshan and Zhang Xiaoyi had gotten married, Luo Qingshan had picked up some knowledge of medicine; he quickly pinched the man’s philtrum to revive him and sent someone to ask the man’s companion for a bowl of water. Only then did the old man slowly come to, and he was helped out of the room.

With all this commotion, the group lost any desire to tour the examination hall and simply left. All things considered, Shen Linchuan had about twenty more years of study experience than Luo Qingshan and the others, but he didn’t dare to be overconfident; even during his time at Bailu Academy, he had studied day and night tirelessly.

Such is the nature of the imperial examinations: some achieve fame at a young age, while others remain stuck at the threshold their entire lives. The dream of rising from a peasant’s son in the morning to a court official by evening has been the aspiration of countless scholars.

Among the four, Luo Qingshan had the best academic performance. Shen Linchuan’s performance was somewhat inconsistent—sometimes he would outperform Luo Qingshan, and other times he would fall behind him. Ye Jinglan’s ranking had been steadily rising over the past few years, and his academic performance was also solid, while Xu Zhifan lagged slightly behind.

Xu Zhifan knew his chances weren’t great this year, but since it was his first time taking the autumn examination, who wouldn’t hope to “pluck the laurel from the Moon Palace”?

After leaving the examination hall, the group headed back to rest. Zhou Youcheng watched their retreating figures with a look of bitter resentment on his face. Shen Linchuan—he hoped he would definitely fail this time!

Candidates arrived in droves from all over, and Nanling Prefecture grew increasingly bustling.

As the exam drew nearer, Xu Zhifan grew so nervous that he fell ill, suffering from diarrhea for several days in a row. He summoned a physician, who simply diagnosed it as an inability to adjust to the local climate and food.

Zhou Ning, too, feared that Shen Linchuan might suffer from homesickness, so he was very careful about his diet. He forbade him from eating anything raw, cold, or greasy, and his meals were mostly light and simple.

In mid-August, the provincial examinations began. All the scholars set off for the examination hall with their bundles on their backs. The provincial examinations were far more rigorous than the county-level examinations for the “Xiucai” degree; while the latter were administered by the respective prefectures, the provincial examinations were overseen by Hanlin Academy scholars and Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Cabinet, who were personally appointed by the Emperor to serve as chief examiners in each prefecture.

The autumn examinations consisted of three sessions spanning nine days; during this time, candidates were not permitted to leave the examination hall.

Zhou Ning escorted Shen Linchuan to the entrance. He watched as Shen Linchuan was searched and entered the hall. With a single strike of the gong and drum, the gates of the examination hall closed, barring all unauthorized persons from approaching, and Zhou Ning departed as well.

He had prepared plenty of food this time and brought in a good number of steamed buns to ensure Shen Linchuan would be well-fed inside.

The procedure for the provincial examinations was similar to that of the Xiucai examinations, though it was even stricter. The chief examiner overseeing the proceedings was a Hanlin Academy scholar who had come from the capital, dressed in a red official robe.

Shen Linchuan picked up his brush and began to write with a calm and composed mind.

Zhou Ning returned to the courtyard, where by now only he, Xiao Shitou, and two servants from the Xu family remained; even the courtyard had fallen silent. With nothing else to do and his mind constantly on Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning decided to take Xiao Shitou out for a stroll.

Xiao Shitou was full of curiosity upon arriving at Nanling Prefecture. “Fulang Zhou, this marketplace is truly vast!”

Nanling Prefecture was home to many high-ranking officials and nobles. Two-horse carriages, adorned with tassels and scented pouches, with small bells hanging from their upturned eaves, would pass by, wafting a fragrant breeze as they moved—these were the young masters and young ladies of wealthy families out for a stroll.

Zhou Ning thought he’d take advantage of these idle days to buy some things not available in Kaiping County to bring back as gifts for everyone. He bought a sheepskin coat for his father; since Xiaoyu loved embroidery, he picked up some extra embroidery thread for him; and since Hu-zi enjoyed making small wood carvings, Zhou Ning got him a set of beautiful carving knives…

The autumn examinations lasted a total of nine days, with each session lasting three days. The weather was bad for two days in the middle, and it even rained. Fortunately, he’d brought a thick mattress pad, and his food was kept warm in a self-heating pot. At night, when he couldn’t sleep, he’d think of his Fulang. Day by day, he finally made it through until the day he handed in his exam papers.

Hearing the gong sound, Shen Linchuan breathed a sigh of relief—it was finally over.

When he entered the examination hall for this provincial exam, Shen Linchuan had noticed that quite a few candidates had brought self-heating packs with them. He hadn’t expected the recipe for those packs to have spread so widely—it certainly allowed the candidates to enjoy a hot meal.

Sitting in a cramped examination booth for nine straight days was a strain even for someone as strong and robust as Shen Linchuan. Before they’d even left the examination hall, someone had already fainted, eyes rolling back, and had to be carried out by an attendant.

Zhou Ning had been waiting at the entrance to the examination hall since early morning. With so many people there to pick up examinees today, there wasn’t even a place to park a carriage at the gate—but luckily, Zhou Ning had arrived early and managed to find a spot.

Xiao Shitou stayed behind to watch over the carriage, while Zhou Ning went to the entrance of the examination hall to meet Shen Linchuan. As soon as he spotted a familiar figure, he hurried over. “Shen Linchuan!”

This time, Shen Linchuan didn’t stand on ceremony. As soon as he saw his Fulang, he leaned against him. “Let me lean on you—I’m really exhausted this time.”

“Are you all right? Does anything hurt?”

Shen Linchuan said listlessly that he was fine and would be back to normal after resting at home for a couple of days. Seeing him like this, Zhou Ning’s heart ached with concern. After leaning on him for a moment, Shen Linchuan straightened up. “Let’s go. Let’s hurry home.”

Shen Linchuan was the first to climb into the carriage—they’d come in a single carriage this time. Luo Qingshan and the others arrived one after another, and Zhou Ning took a seat on the outside of the carriage frame.

Inside the carriage, the others exchanged glances and laughed. After spending several days at the examination hall, they all smelled a bit, so the four of them sat together without anyone complaining.

Shen Linchuan and Luo Qingshan were doing a bit better, but Xu Zhifan, completely disregarding his appearance, slumped into his seat. “That nearly killed me,” he said. Ye Jinglan wasn’t much better either; he’d always been a bit frail, and now his face was deathly pale.

The servants had already prepared hot water at home. The four of them returned, ate some easily digestible noodles, took a bath, and then went to their rooms to rest.

Shen Linchuan lay down on his bed, and Zhou Ning tucked the blanket around him. “Go to sleep.”

Shen Linchuan tugged at Zhou Ning’s hand, acting coy. “Stay with me. I can’t sleep alone.”

It wasn’t even dark yet, and Zhou Ning wasn’t the least bit sleepy. Seeing that Shen Linchuan’s eyelids were already drooping but he still wouldn’t let go of his hand, Zhou Ning took off his shoes and lay down beside him.

As soon as Zhou Ning got into bed, Shen Linchuan snuggled up to him. “Hold me.”

After all, there were only the two of them in the room, and no one else could see them. Shen Linchuan was never one to deny himself a comfort, so he settled comfortably into his Fulang’s embrace, feeling the familiar warmth. Before long, Shen Linchuan drifted off to sleep.

Zhou Ning couldn’t sleep at first; he lay there staring into space for a long time, twirling Shen Linchuan’s hair between his fingers. As he played with it, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Shen Linchuan slept so soundly that he lost all sense of time; with the bed curtains still drawn, he couldn’t tell what time it was. When he pulled back the curtains, the sunlight outside made him squint—his Fulang was long gone.

Shen Linchuan stretched and got up. The nine-day courtyard examination was finally over—it had truly been a grueling ordeal.

As soon as Shen Linchuan opened the door, Zhou Ning looked up. He was sitting in the courtyard sorting through vegetables. Seeing that Shen Linchuan was up, he went to fetch water for him, but Shen Linchuan followed him like a shadow. “I can do it myself,” he said.

“Take a good rest these next couple of days. It’s just a minor matter—nothing to worry about.”

Shen Linchuan felt a warm, sweet sensation in his heart. He’d missed his Fulang dearly during those nine days apart, and now he followed Zhou Ning wherever he went. Zhou Ning thought to himself that his Fulang—who was a year younger than him—was just a bit of a softie.

Zhou Ning indulged Shen Linchuan by not letting him do anything; he’d even laid a thin blanket over the wicker chair in the courtyard so Shen Linchuan could lie down and soak up the sun.

Luo Qingshan and the others gradually got up as well. As soon as Xu Zhifan stood up, he groaned, “Ouch, my back and waist ache.” Ye Jinglan wasn’t doing much better either; his feet were still swollen and hadn’t gone down yet.

Seeing Shen Linchuan—a grown man—being waited on by a young ger, Xu Zhifan said sarcastically, “Brother Shen, if someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were a young ger yourself.”

Shen Linchuan took a bite of his pear with a pleased smile. “My Fulang just likes to spoil me—what’s the problem with that?”

With the provincial exams over, everyone was much more relaxed than before. After a few days of rest, they’d all regained their energy. There was still a month to go before the results were announced, and with nothing much to do here, they decided to stay put. If they passed, the messenger would naturally come to deliver the good news; if not, they’d just have to wait three years to try again.

Luo Qingshan was also eager to return home to see his child, so after the group had freshened up, they hitched up a horse-drawn cart and headed back.

Zhou Da was cutting pork in the shop when Shen Linchuan and his companion returned home, freshened up, and came over. Zhou Da looked up and saw his son and son-in-law back; delighted, he quickly set down the knife he was holding. “You’re back! I thought you’d be gone for a few more days.”

“We didn’t want Father to worry, so we stopped by the shop first to check on him.”

Zhou Da was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s good you’re back—it’s good you’re back.”

Shen Dasao also noticed them. “Linchuan and Ning-ger are back! Quick, go sit in the backyard.”

The group headed to the back courtyard together. Zhou Da asked them how things had gone in Nanling Prefecture and whether their journey had been smooth without any incidents. Shen Linchuan answered each question in turn.

No one in the family mentioned how anyone had done on the exam. After all, passing the provincial examination wasn’t something to be taken lightly—who could say which family the Star of Literature would choose to grace with its presence?

They closed the shop early today, and on the way home, Shen Dasao bought chickens and ducks, saying they needed to celebrate properly at home.

She sent Xiao Shitou to tell Shen Dage to have the two younger ones bring food along to the Zhou family’s house for dinner when they returned. Shen Dasao personally cooked up a feast.

Shen Dage cheerfully raised his bowl of wine. “It’s quite a long way to come. Whether he passes or not, we’ve got to celebrate.” Shen Dasao shot him a sidelong glance. “Can’t you say something auspicious? What if he does pass?”

Shen Dage scratched his head and chuckled, “I was just joking. Of course he’ll pass—he’ll definitely pass.”

Shen Linchuan poured his older brother some more wine. “You’re not wrong, Big Brother. Passing the provincial examination isn’t that easy.” 

Shen Hu-zi held up a big chicken drumstick, his face smeared with grease as he ate. “Second Uncle is definitely going to pass!”

His words made everyone at the table burst into laughter. It was now September, and the weather had turned cooler; the day the exam results were to be announced was fast approaching. Shen Linchuan went about his daily routine as usual, heading to the shop every day with his Fulang to sell pickles and sun-dried soybean paste.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed since they’d arrived in Kaiping County, and the family had built up some savings. Over the past couple of days, Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning had been discussing whether to buy a farmstead in the vicinity of Kaiping County.

Zhou Ning hadn’t really thought about it. “Buy a farmstead?”

“Well, Father is getting on in years now, and the silver we have sitting around isn’t doing us any good. Why not buy a farmstead? Then, when the time comes, the two of us can move there together.”

Zhou Ning thought it was a good idea. Shen Linchuan was a Xiucai, which granted him tax-exemption privileges, and the family had saved up nearly two thousand taels of silver over the years—buying a farmstead would be a sound investment.

Both of them thought it was a good idea—silver sitting idle wouldn’t grow more silver, and farmers found peace of mind in tending their fields. During dinner, Shen Linchuan shared this idea with Zhou Da.

“Buy a farm? Why did you suddenly decide to buy a farm?”                                 

“Father, the silver just sitting at home is useless. Why not buy a farmstead? It would give our family a place to live and a permanent home for the future.” 

Zhou Da wasn’t convinced. “That silver is meant for your education. If we use it, how will you afford your studies later on?”        

“Father, we still have the mosquito coil and cooling ointment business every year. The several hundred taels of profit we make annually will be more than enough.”

Zhou Da didn’t say anything more. That money belonged to the young couple anyway; they could spend it however they liked. “All right. When the time comes, we’ll look for a suitable estate and buy it.”

Zhou Da realized that buying a farmstead wasn’t something that could be done in a day or two. They’d have to see if any were coming up for sale in the area—it wasn’t like buying a few scattered plots of land, which would be so easy to acquire.

When buying a farmstead, you’d need at least a plot of one or two hundred mu all in one go. Even if they wanted to buy one now, they’d have to start looking around first.

He’s been in the mosquito coil business in the countryside for four or five years now. With so many mosquito coils on the market these days, he’s been getting by almost entirely on sales of cooling ointment. If a few more years go by, he fears the cooling ointment business won’t be as profitable either. Now that the provincial exams are over, Shen Linchuan is thinking of finding another source of income for his family.

He’d acquired a few properties—real estate was the best way to preserve wealth in times of peace. Now that he had some free time, Shen Linchuan planned to engage in some business ventures, hoping to create multiple streams of income for his family.

Shen Linchuan summoned a real estate agent and asked him to keep an eye out for any estates for sale near the county seat. When the time came, he planned to buy one or two qing of land, build a courtyard house there, and enjoy the idyllic countryside scenery—what a pleasant life that would be.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning lay in bed chatting idly. “If the estate has a pond, we could plant a pond full of lotus roots, raise a flock of ducks in it, and stock it with fish fry and crabs. We could plant a ring of fruit trees around the estate—pears, persimmons, jujubes, pomegranates, and the like. In the spring, we could sell flowers, and in the fall, we could sell fruit.”

“We could also tie a swing to a tree and keep a little pony. When we have a child, we can teach him to ride.” Zhou Ning’s face was full of anticipation, and he couldn’t help but smile as he imagined a little child running around the yard.

Shen Linchuan felt a tingle of desire and bit down through his plain-colored undershirt. Zhou Ning furrowed his brow. “Shen Linchuan, don’t be silly.” 

“How is that silly? If we have a child someday, are you going to feed him or not?”

Zhou Ning’s cheeks flushed. “What nonsense are you talking about? A ger isn’t a girl—how could that be? How could that be?”

Shen Linchuan got a mischievous idea. Relying on Zhou Ning’s good-natured disposition—which always indulged him—he became even more playful, biting Zhou Ning’s chest until it swelled. Unable to bear Shen Linchuan’s slow, deliberate teasing any longer, Zhou Ning rolled over and straddled Shen Linchuan’s waist.

Shen Linchuan was more than happy to enjoy the moment. “Well then, Fulang, you’ll have to work hard.” 

Zhou Ning blushed deeply. “Shen Linchuan, you’re not allowed to speak.”