The shopkeeper fiddled with his abacus. “That’s different. That’s the rate for long-term laborers. This is just for a few days—there’s no way I’d pay that much.” 

“Dad, forget it. We’re not short on a few copper coins. Go to the teahouse and listen to the storyteller—it’s actually pretty interesting.”

Zhou Da waved his hand. “Well, well…”

Zhou Da figured ten copper coins wasn’t too bad. Since he had nothing better to do, helping out wouldn’t be boring, and he could earn a few coins. Though Zhou Da was generous with strangers, country folk were always frugal—they’d even pick up a single grain of rice that fell on the ground.

Shen Linchuan knew the shopkeeper wanted his father to work for him—otherwise, he wouldn’t be wasting his breath on this—but he was reluctant to pay too much. His father’s build clearly showed he was strong and capable; hiring him wouldn’t be a bad deal.

“Well, all right then. I’ll go check on our mule.”

“Wait, wait.  Thirty copper coins a day for  odd jobs.”

The shopkeeper knew this was a guest from the upper rooms; he certainly wasn’t short on copper coins. This middle-aged man was just looking for something to do to pass the time.

Zhou Da hadn’t expected the innkeeper to relent again, so he agreed on the spot. With several days left before the Xiucai examination was over, he could earn two hundred and ten wen!

Zhou Da set off to work right away. Shen Linchuan went to the kitchen to fetch a pot of hot water and went upstairs to tell his husband about his father working at the inn.

Zhou Ning was in the middle of writing calligraphy when he heard Shen Linchuan say this; he blinked. “Then I’ll go ask if they need anyone, too. Shen Linchuan, I don’t feel like writing calligraphy anymore.”

“Who’s going to hire anyone now? They’re just short of a person to run errands, and Father’s already taken that job on himself. That shopkeeper’s shrewd—he’d never hire another person unnecessarily.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Ning was a bit disappointed. He’d actually wanted that job—staying cooped up in the house day after day was terribly boring. Writing calligraphy had made his wrists ache, and going out to have fun felt like a waste of money, so he’d just been staying in to study with Shen Linchuan.

Zhou Da set to work at the inn with a cheerful grin. First, he went to the backyard to chop wood. With a clatter and a clang, he had a pile ready in no time, neatly stacked against the wall.

The innkeeper, hands behind his back, pretended to stroll by casually. Seeing Zhou Da’s impressive technique—how quickly and skillfully he split the wood—he thought to himself that the thirty wen he’d paid for the day were well spent.

After dark, whenever a guest room requested bathwater, Zhou Da would carry two buckets at once to deliver it, while the other waiters could only manage one. Carrying two buckets, Zhou Da walked with such speed that it seemed as if the wind were at his heels.

With Zhou Da’s help, the inn’s servants suddenly felt much less burdened. A waiter surnamed Liu came over to chat: “Uncle Zhou, you’re really strong—carrying two buckets of water like that looks so easy.”

Zhou Da chuckled heartily. “That’s nothing. I’m a butcher—a single half-carcass weighs over a hundred pounds. These measly two buckets of water are nothing.”

“No wonder Zhou Da is so strong.”

The innkeeper was pleased with what he saw. Zhou Da hadn’t slacked off at all while working for him. If it weren’t for the fact that he was just passing through on his way to take the imperial exams, the innkeeper would have wanted to hire him permanently—he was truly a skilled worker.

Zhou Da came downstairs carrying the empty water buckets. A teenage waiter was jogging along with a tray of dishes when he let out a cry and bumped into the scholar coming the other way.

The waiter apologized profusely: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. Let me wipe it off for you!”

“How can you be so clumsy, you waiter? You’ve stained my fine robe,” the young man in the long robe said, clearly furious. “Breaking a bowl right before the exam is such bad luck!”

The young man felt that since the bowl had fallen to the ground, it had “fallen off”—how unlucky!

The shopkeeper hurried over to smooth things over, first slapping the waiter across the face. “How dare you serve customers like this!” The young man didn’t dare utter a word after being struck; he hung his head and timidly stared at the floor.

“Proprietor, just look at your waiter—what are we to do now?”

The waiter was quite young—he looked to be only eleven or twelve—and it seemed far too early for him to be working. Zhou Da couldn’t stand to see such injustice. “Proprietor, you could have just spoken to him nicely. Why hit the boy? He didn’t do it on purpose.”

Although Zhou Da was just helping out at the inn, he was a VIP guest, so the innkeeper didn’t dare snap at him. “Uncle Zhou, look at this kid—he broke my bowl and dirtied a guest’s robe. He deserves a beating! He won’t learn his lesson unless he gets hit!”

“I’ll pay you for the broken bowl. As for the robe, just take it off and wash it—it’ll be dry by tomorrow.”

The young scholar frowned. “That’s just too unlucky.”

Zhou Da was illiterate, but his son-in-law was a scholar, and he’d heard plenty of talk about passing the imperial exams and having one’s name inscribed on the golden list. “What’s so unlucky about it? The bowl falling to the ground clearly signifies passing the exams. It means you’ll surely pass one day.”

Zhou Da didn’t dare guarantee that he would definitely pass the Xiucai exam this time—he’d heard that passing the Xiucai exam wasn’t all that easy—so he simply said that he would pass sooner or later.

After spouting that string of words, Zhou Da couldn’t help but wonder when he’d become so eloquent. Perhaps from listening to his brother-in-law talk so much, he’d picked up a thing or two.

“Right, right, right! This is clearly an omen of success. I’d like to congratulate you in advance on your name being inscribed on the golden list.” The innkeeper quickly stepped in to smooth things over. Only then did the young man perk up. “Success, success—a most auspicious sign!”

The young man took off his outer robe and had the waiter wash and dry it before sending it to his room. Only then did he leave in high spirits.

Seeing the guest had left, the innkeeper raised his hand to strike the waiter again, but Zhou Da grabbed his wrist. “Innkeeper, it’s all settled now. Why hit him?” 

“He won’t learn his lesson unless he’s punished. And that bowl and the food—thirty wen will be deducted from your wages!”

The waiter looked up, his face pleading. “Master, I was wrong. Please don’t deduct it from my wages. I won’t take a day off this month—I’ll work an extra day for you!”

“No way!”

“Never mind, never mind. He’s just a kid. I’ll deduct the wages from my own pay.”

The shopkeeper snorted and walked away. “Be more careful next time!” 

“Yes, yes, yes, sir. I’ll remember that.”

The young waiter wiped away his tears. “Thank you so much, sir. Where do you live? Once I have some money, I’ll pay you back.” Not only had the man saved him from a beating, but he’d even given him some copper coins. He was short on cash right now, but he’d make sure to repay him later.

“Ah, no need. My home is far away. I’m here accompanying my son-in-law to take the Xiucai exam. I’m not short on copper coins; I just had a few days to kill, so I took on some work.”

Seeing that the young man was fine, Zhou Da went back to his chores. By the hour of the Pig, when all the guests had retired, he went to bed as well.

Shen Linchuan and the other two had been at the county seat for several days already, but Zhou Youcheng had only just packed his bags and headed to town to catch a mule cart. Zhou Er followed along to see him off.

“Youcheng’s heading to the county seat? Is he only going today? I saw the eldest son leave early this morning.”

Zhou Youcheng didn’t want to bother with these narrow-minded country folk, so he said nothing. Zhou Er interjected, “Why go so early? It’s not like getting there early means you can take the exam sooner—you’ll still have to wait until the day of the exam, won’t you?”

The two set off with their bundles on their backs. They hadn’t gone far before a few people at the village entrance began to gossip. “I heard Lao’er’s family has run out of money and is trying to sell their daughter so he can take the exams.”

“What? Has Old Second’s family really fallen so far into poverty? It can’t be that bad—they wouldn’t go so far as to sell their daughter.”

“Well, Zhou Youcheng’s education was always funded by the eldest son’s family. Now that they’ve stopped contributing, the second son is left relying solely on those four acres of land—how could he possibly afford to support a scholar?”

“True enough. The eldest son can earn a living—he’s a skilled butcher—but the second son can’t.”

Zhou Youcheng’s forehead veins throbbed as he heard this. Fuming, he flung his sleeve aside. “Ignorant fools! You can’t explain ice to a summer insect!”

Zhou Er snorted in response. “Don’t bother with them. When my son passes the county-level Xiucai examination, they’ll be the ones groveling to us.”

Scholars really are refined—that talk of insects and ice just sounds so elegant. Zhou Er straightened his back and lifted his nose in the air. A bunch of ignorant men and women who’ve never even left Qinghe Town in their lives—what do they know?

The two men arrived in town carrying their bundles. Zhou Youcheng and Wang Cai hired a mule cart; Wang Cai was already sitting in the cart waiting for him. “Brother Youcheng, you’re here.” Zhou Youcheng climbed into the cart, and Zhou Er followed suit. Wang Cai looked puzzled. “What’s this?”

“Oh, my father came along to see us off. He’s worried we might run into some thugs on the road.”

Wang Cai didn’t know what to say—scholars value their reputation—so he remained silent. But they’d each contributed half the silver; how could there be an extra person now?

Wang Cai felt uneasy, but he couldn’t say anything. If that were the case, Zhou Youcheng should have paid for two seats! The driver muttered a few grumbles of discontent, “Why is there one more person? Didn’t we agree there would only be two of us?”

“Two people or three—what’s the difference? I hired a mule cart, so it’s none of your business how many people I’m hauling.” Zhou Er’s tone was a bit sharp.

The driver didn’t say anything else. Logically, he was right, but with an extra person, his mule would have to work that much harder. If he’d known, he would have asked for more silver back then.

Zhou Youcheng arrived at the county seat just one day before the examination was set to begin on the fifteenth. Finding an inn was difficult, but by sheer luck, he found the same inn where Shen Linchuan and his group were staying. The only room left was a ground-floor room next to the outhouse; many students had turned it down, which was why it had become available.

“One hundred wen a day, not including hot water or meals.”

Wang Cai gasped, “That’s a bit too expensive, isn’t it?”

“Take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, get lost. Go ask around at other places—where else near the examination hall has a vacant room? You’re lucky to have this one.”

Zhou Youcheng understood the situation. Fifty wen each for him and Wang Cai was still manageable. “Let’s take it.”

Wang Cai fished out thirty-three copper coins from his bundle and paid them. Zhou Youcheng pulled out fifty wen, and the innkeeper counted them. “That’s not right—that’s only eighty-three wen. It’s a hundred.”

Zhou Youcheng looked at Wang Cai. “Brother Wang Cai, why did you only give thirty-three wen? Didn’t we agree to split it fifty-fifty?” Wang Cai, unable to hold back any longer, retorted, “But Uncle Zhou is here too. Since the three of us are sharing a room, shouldn’t we split it three ways?”

The whole journey, the mule cart had felt as if it were rented by the Zhou family. He’d been squeezed in like an outsider, and Wang Cai felt resentful—after all, he’d clearly paid half the transportation costs.

Zhou Er didn’t want to spend any money. “I’ll just sleep on the floor. You two can sleep in the bed, and I’ll keep watch for you.” 

“No, that won’t do. There are three of us in this room—it’s not fair for just two of us to split the cost.”

Although Wang Cai was mindful of the scholar’s dignity, this was hard cash on the table—why should he be the one to take the loss? The innkeeper urged them, “Hurry up; there are others waiting behind you.”

Zhou Youcheng couldn’t make up the difference for the remaining space, and Zhou Er was a bit annoyed—this scholar was being far too stingy. The three of them carried their bundles into the room, only to discover that it was right next to the outhouse. No wonder no one was staying here!

But since they’d arrived late to save on lodging costs, they had no choice but to stay here now. The room’s doors and windows couldn’t be opened—the stench was unbearable the moment they did. Wang Cai let out a sigh. “If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve come two or three days earlier.”

The innkeeper called out, “Zhou Da, a pot of hot tea to Room T in the lower quarters.”

“Coming right up!” Zhou Da replied, brewing a pot of hot tea and bringing it over. “Here’s your tea, sir.”

Zhou Da had been working there for a few days now and had become quite skilled at his job. He felt that compared to slaughtering pigs, this was a piece of cake, and he was in high spirits every day.

“Uncle?”

Zhou Da was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to see Old Second’s family and their group. “You’ve made it, haven’t you? So you’ve come.” 

“Big Brother, why are you working here?”

Zhou Er asked with a puzzled look. Had he left too early and now run out of money? Was he so broke that he had to work even while accompanying his son to the exams?

“Linchuan lives here, too. Since I’ve got nothing better to do, I’m helping out for a few days. It earns me a few copper coins, and it’s better than sitting around doing nothing.” 

“Zhou Da, the guest in Room Tian wants some tea!”

“Ah, coming right up!” Zhou Da replied. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

Zhou Da set down the teapot and went out. He was busy—though the work wasn’t heavy, it required him to run back and forth constantly.

Zhou Youcheng snorted with a chuckle. “Dad, Uncle Zhou must be out of money to be working like this. I’m going to go find out.”

Zhou Youcheng wanted to see Shen Linchuan make a fool of himself. He figured Shen must be staying in a lower-class room too—maybe even right next door. “You mean Uncle Zhou’s family? You’re from the same hometown. They’re staying in the ‘Tian’ suite on the second floor; they arrived early this morning.” Zhou Youcheng’s expression changed—Shen Linchuan was actually wealthy enough to stay in the ‘Tian’ suite!

Zhou Youcheng returned and told his father. Zhou Er hadn’t expected his eldest brother’s family to be living so well either. “They must have run out of money and are just putting on a show.”

That night, Zhou Er slept on the floor. He’d asked for a quilt but had to pay extra copper coins for it. In the county seat, every little thing cost money—copper coins literally fell from his pockets with every move. He could only spread the quilt on the ground and pull some clothes from his bundle to cover himself.

After three days of travel, everyone was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. But they were soon woken by the sound of someone urinating in the outhouse—it was just a wall away, and even the sound of the stream could be heard!

Zhou Er, who was sleeping on the floor, started snoring. Zhou Youcheng couldn’t sleep because of the noise, and Wang Cai was also woken up. Tossing and turning, he couldn’t get back to sleep, so he decided to get up and read a book.

Zhou Youcheng got up too. What kind of place was this to stay in!

Zhou Youcheng got dressed and stood up. The entire inn was now deathly quiet; everyone had gone back to their rooms to rest. As if possessed, Zhou Youcheng found himself heading toward Room Tian on the second floor—he knew exactly which room Shen Linchuan was staying in.

The candle inside was still burning. Zhou Youcheng crouched down and pressed his ear against the door. He could hear Shen Linchuan speaking: “‘Excessive Expenditures Are Widespread’—I think that’s going to be the essay question on the provincial exam.” Zhou Ning asked, “How do you know?”

“The current emperor advocates frugality. I’ve heard that even the palace’s expenses have been cut significantly. It’s highly likely the provincial exam will draw a question from this area.”

As for predicting exam questions, Old Master Wang had also mentioned some highly likely topics in class, but most were passages from the Four Books and Five Classics. Everyone knew those texts by heart; during the exam, any random quote could be a test question.

Master Wang had explained some highly likely passages, but he hadn’t mentioned the specific date. Yet a scholar can’t be oblivious to the world outside. As for how Shen Linchuan knew, there was a storyteller in town with exceptionally good connections, and Shen Linchuan would drop by whenever he had free time to ask for a few tips.

Shen Linchuan went over the potential exam questions once and put them away. The exam was just a day away, so he wouldn’t be studying tomorrow.

There’s a scenic spot called Bibo Lake at the county seat, lined with willow trees. Now that the spring breeze blows gently without a hint of chill, tomorrow he’ll take Fulang there with some tea and snacks to stroll by the lake, enjoy the scenery, and relax.

His fulang had been staying in their room with him, studying all these days; he must be terribly cooped up by now. Tomorrow, they’d go out to get some fresh air and unwind.

After Shen Linchuan went over the exam questions once more, he blew out the candle. Zhou Youcheng had unconsciously listened to the entire conversation, his legs going numb in the process. When he left, he made a bit of a commotion, but fortunately, no one inside noticed. He quickly hurried down the stairs.

When Zhou Youcheng returned, his father was lying on the floor, snoring loudly, while Wang Cai was dozing at the table. “Brother Youcheng, where did you go? Why did it take you so long?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a walk.”

Zhou Youcheng quickly spread out a sheet of paper and wrote down the questions he’d just heard. It was nearly the wee hours of the morning by then, and Wang Cai yawned and left.

“Brother Youcheng, you’re still studying hard.”

“I can’t sleep. You go ahead and sleep.”

Zhou Youcheng flipped through his book, looking at past exam questions for the Xiucai level, and sure enough, he found some similar ones. Shen Linchuan had mentioned quite a few, and he had memorized seven or eight of them.

Shen Linchuan excelled in his studies at the academy and had never fallen out of the top three. If it weren’t for the master criticizing his handwriting for lacking character, he might have taken first place every time.

By the time Zhou Youcheng looked up, it was already broad daylight, and he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

Wang Cai hadn’t woken up either—with the constant sound of someone peeing next door last night and a snorer in the room, how could he possibly have slept?

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning tidied up and went downstairs. In the main hall, they ordered two bowls of chicken wonton soup and a plate of steamed buns. Shen Linchuan ate one bowl of wonton soup and two buns; his fulang polished off the rest.

The innkeeper came over smiling, carrying a food box. Inside were the snacks Shen Linchuan had asked him to prepare: apricots, sunflower seeds, candied fruits, and pastries, along with a plate of sliced roasted duck. “Where are you heading for a stroll today, Mr. Shen?”

“I heard the scenery at Bibo Lake in the county seat is absolutely stunning, so I went to take a look.”

Zhou Da also came over to give him a few words of advice. “Be back by this afternoon, okay? Get some rest early tonight—you have the exam tomorrow.”

Zhou Ning nodded, “I know, Father.”

The two of them headed out carrying the lunchbox. Zhou Er also came out with his hands behind his back; he’d bought two buns from a street vendor. Just then, he spotted Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning leaving the house. Zhou Er silently muttered to himself, “That little brat is definitely not going to pass the exam!”

These past few days, even when Zhou Ning went downstairs, he’d only wandered around the neighborhood, which had left him feeling utterly cooped up. When they arrived at Bibo Lake, the scenery was indeed beautiful. Many wealthy young men and women were there in small groups, accompanied by their servants, and some had even set up canopies to boil water and drink tea.

Shen Linchuan took Zhou Ning’s hand. “Come on, I see some boats over there. Let’s go for a ride on the lake.”

With the exams just around the corner, Zhou Ning naturally went along with whatever Shen Linchuan suggested. Who cared how much silver it cost? If they had a good time today, he’d surely do well on the exam tomorrow.

The two hired a small boat and gave the old man a few extra copper coins to help boil water and brew tea. A few small plates were set out on the little table; they sat on opposite sides. Shen Linchuan let out a comfortable sigh, “This Bibo Lake is truly worth seeing.”

Zhou Ning nodded in agreement. “It’s certainly much prettier than that patch of woods at the west end of our village.”

The grass along the shore grew in a neat, shallow patch, and the willow trees were planted in a tidy circle, a sea of emerald green that looked lovely in the breeze. Peach and apricot blossoms were in full bloom along the shore as well. No wonder the wealthy families loved their spring outings—Zhou Ning was gradually beginning to appreciate the charm of it all.

Shen Linchuan couldn’t help but laugh when he heard his Fulang compare it to the wild woods at the western edge of their village. Knowing his Fulang didn’t like tea, he brought out some milk tea.

The two basked in the warm sunshine until nearly noon before coming down. A stall selling mutton soup by the riverbank smelled absolutely delicious, so they ordered two bowls and a few flatbreads to go with them.

In the capital, mutton was a popular delicacy, and as a result, even the meat itself had become quite expensive. However, this particular stall’s preparation was exceptional—the lamb was tender and succulent, and the broth was rich and milky white.

Before leaving, they asked for a bowl to take home for his father—this mutton soup was simply better than what they could get in town.

After eating, the two strolled back at a leisurely pace. The gentle breeze made everyone feel drowsy; Shen Linchuan was even starting to doze off. But Zhou Ning, sitting beside him, was full of energy, his eyes sparkling and a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth—clearly, he’d had a wonderful time.

“I’ll be taking the exam for three days. There’s a storyteller at the market square who tells historical tales—you’ll definitely like it. Go sit there for a while; then you can tell your husband here all about it.” 

“Sure, don’t worry about me. I’m a grown man now; I can take care of myself.”

Shen Linchuan chuckled, “Well, you’re my Fulang, after all.”

As soon as Shen Linchuan and his companion returned and greeted the innkeeper, the latter couldn’t help but inwardly marvel. He’d never seen a scholar at this inn as carefree as Mr. Shen. Today, there were hardly any people left in the main hall, and even those who were there sat in silence—certainly none had the leisure to go boating like Mr. Shen.

After dinner, the two of them blew out the lamps and turned in as soon as it got dark. They had already packed everything they needed to take with them. Zhou Da, still worried, specifically reminded them to get some rest early—he’d heard they were planning to set out before dawn.

The entire inn had turned off its lights early today; even the servants and waiters dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing the gentlemen’s rest.

Shen Linchuan had been out and about today and was feeling a bit tired. He fell asleep quickly while holding his Fulang. Just as he was sleeping soundly, there was a loud boom. Zhou Ning jumped in fright, and Shen Linchuan woke up as well. “It’s nothing. That’s just the first round of fireworks. Let’s doze a little longer before getting up.”

Before they went to sleep, Shen Linchuan had been holding Zhou Ning, but now that it was time to get up, for some reason, it had turned into Zhou Ning holding Shen Linchuan. Shen Linchuan nestled against Zhou Ning’s neck, rubbing against him to wake up.

Zhou Ning couldn’t sleep anymore. “Why so early?” It was still pitch black outside the window.

“It’s not even the hour of the Tiger yet. We’re close to the exam hall—let’s sleep a little longer.”

The hour of the Tiger—three or four in the morning—the first cannon shot rang out from the examination hall, reminding the scholars to get ready.