A huge thank you to WANGXIANNURRSE for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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Life returned to its usual tranquility. Even on the two days the exam results were announced, no one at home mentioned it. If the messenger hadn’t come, there was no point in hoping—it meant he hadn’t passed.

Zhou Ning had been a bit distracted these past few days. Though his expression remained calm, he was actually quite nervous. If Shen Linchuan had passed the exam, the messenger would have come by now.

Both he and Shen Linchuan had returned after selling their pork. With people at home, no one had come asking where they lived. Zhou Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn’t passed this time, he’d just have to try again in a year or so.

He stole another glance at Shen Linchuan, who was currently crouched in the vegetable patch planting greens. Dahuang was up to mischief beside him, digging up the soil, and Shen Linchuan gave the dog a light tap on the head.

Thankfully, Shen Linchuan didn’t seem to mind too much. As the villagers said, let them talk—hadn’t his family been the subject of gossip enough already? Before, people called him an “unmarriageable old ger”; now they called Shen Linchuan a “failed Tongsheng.” Yet, their family didn’t seem to be living any worse for it.

Zhou Ning walked over carrying a bucket of water, startling two magpies perched on a branch into fluttering their wings and flying away. Zhou Ning used a gourd dipper to help Shen Linchuan water the vegetables. Shen Linchuan brushed the dirt off his hands. “I’ve planted some winter melons and gourds along the wall again. I saved seeds from last year, so I don’t need to ask Granny Wang for any.”Zhou Ning hummed in agreement. “Gourd buns are pretty tasty.”

“Good news! Good news!”

Someone outside was shouting the good news. Zhou Ning took off running to the gate and saw a young man in a blue robe riding a horse toward them. From a distance, Zhou Ning couldn’t make out his features, but he called out happily toward the courtyard, “Shen Linchuan, someone’s here with good news.”

Shen Linchuan went out to take a look as well. The man on horseback rode past their gate and continued on. By then, Zhou Ning could see his face clearly—it wasn’t the messenger they were expecting. The one they were looking for was a young man with darker skin.

Zhou Ning had just assumed he was there to bring good news to Shen Linchuan. Though a bit disappointed, he still pulled Shen Linchuan back into the courtyard. “It’s okay. If he didn’t pass this year, we’ll just try again the year after next.”

Shen Linchuan furrowed his brow slightly. “Did Zhou Youcheng pass?”

Zhou Youcheng was only average at the academy. If he could pass, then at least half the students there would have to pass as well. The pass rate for the provincial exams wasn’t that high. Shen Linchuan was puzzled—how could Zhou Youcheng have passed? Could it be divine intervention?

Zhou Ning sighed, “Second Aunt is definitely going to scold you. Don’t listen to her—let’s just stay home and not go out.” Shen Linchuan patted his Fulang’s hand. “You’re so worried about me.”

Zhou Ning nodded. “I’m afraid you’ll be heartbroken.”

Shen Linchuan let his head droop into Zhou Ning’s lap. “I’m so heartbroken. You’d better comfort me right away.”

Zhou Ning had no idea how to comfort anyone; all he could manage was a dry, “You… don’t be sad. Can I give you a kiss?” Shen Linchuan looked up at him pitifully. “No way. That’s too easy. Why don’t you… tonight…”

Zhou Ning covered Shen Linchuan’s mouth. “What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?!”

“Ning-ger, this is driving me crazy! How on earth did Zhou Youcheng pass the exam?”

The two were just cuddling and getting cozy when Zhang Xiaoyi, fuming after hearing the news, stormed in. As soon as he arrived, he saw Shen Linchuan wriggling into Zhou Ning’s arms like a limp ragdoll. Zhang Xiaoyi let out a gasp and covered his eyes. “What are you two doing? What are you doing?!”

Zhou Ning pushed Shen Linchuan away and gave him a little shove upward. “Stand up straight.”

Zhang Xiaoyi was furious. “Wait, how did Zhou Youcheng get in? It’s driving me crazy! It’s driving me crazy!” Zhang Xiaoyi was so angry that he started pacing back and forth in the courtyard. Shen Linchuan was curious too. “Come on, let’s go check it out.”

“Don’t go.”

Zhou Ning grabbed Shen Linchuan’s arm, afraid the villagers would make fun of him.

“What’s there to be afraid of? Are we just going to stay cooped up inside now?”

Just then, things started getting lively outside. A crowd was rushing toward Zhou Er’s house, and some even craned their necks to peek into their courtyard. Who would’ve thought—Zhou Er’s family passed the exam, but the eldest son’s didn’t.

Zhang Xiaoyi snorted. “Come on, let’s go check it out!”

The three of them walked together toward Zhou Er’s house. The man delivering the good news was beaming as he offered his congratulations: “Congratulations, Mr. Zhou! Your son has passed the examination as the forty-fifth supplementary candidate!”

Hu Caiyun burst into exultation, “My son is a Xiucai now! My son is a Xiucai now!”

Zhou Youcheng had only just recovered from a serious illness; his face was still somewhat pale, yet the messenger had announced that he had passed the examination and become a Xiucai!

Zhou Youcheng felt dazed; his legs were trembling. He had passed—he had passed! He had passed on his very first try!

In the crowd, Zhou Youcheng spotted Shen Linchuan. If he hadn’t overheard Shen Linchuan mention what might be on the exam, he wouldn’t have passed. He had passed

But what about Shen Linchuan?

His own messenger had just arrived, but Shen Linchuan’s hadn’t come yet—he hadn’t passed!

The thought made Zhou Youcheng even happier; a faint blush spread across his pale face. “Thank you, thank you.” Zhou Er was also bursting with pride—his son was the only Xiucai in the village!

Zhou Fang was overjoyed as well. She hurried into her room to put on her finest dress, her head adorned with silk flowers. Now that she was Xiucai’s sister, wouldn’t all the young men in the surrounding villages be at her beck and call?

“Oh my, Caiyun, you’re really living it up now—you’re a Xiucai’s mother!”

“Our village has produced its very first Xiucai. The Zhou family’s ancestral graves must be smoking with pride.”

Zhou Er was overjoyed, while Hu Caiyun lifted her chin to look at Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning, snorting, “That’s right. I wonder who it was back then who wouldn’t even spare a few silver coins to let my son Youcheng go to school.”

Old Shi let out a sigh. “It’s such a shame about Zhou Da. He supported Youcheng’s education for all those years, but stopped just this one year short—just one step away from the finish line.”

The villagers also began to murmur among themselves, saying it was a pity for Zhou Da. If he had supported him for just one more year, and Yu Cheng had passed the exam to become a Xiucai, surely he would have remembered his uncle’s kindness. But now that the two families had fallen out, he wouldn’t be able to bask in that glory.

The messenger was still speaking kindly, but he hadn’t yet received the congratulatory money from the host. After all, he’d run all the way from the county seat just for that.

“Master, you haven’t given the congratulatory money yet.”

“Youcheng’s mother, hurry up and give the man his reward,” Zhou Er called out.

Only then did Hu Caiyun go inside to fetch the money. She dawdled in there for a while, counting out fifty wen, then decided that was too much and took half of it back. She came out holding the money, “Here, take this. You’ve worked hard.”

The man delivering the good news lost his smile the moment he saw it. It looked like only a dozen or so wen. He’d run all this way just to be given a few wen—it wasn’t even as much as the two or three hundred wen he’d earned on the day the exams ended. What a waste. He’d checked the list against so many people’s answers, and only this one had passed.

“Auntie, I came all the way from the county seat, and this is all I get?”

“You think it’s too little? That’s enough to buy a piece of meat. We country folk are poor—this is all we can afford.”

Zhou Youcheng was basking in the glory of his success at that moment and feared his mother would embarrass him. “Mother, when delivering good news, you’re supposed to give at least half a guan.” 

“What! Half a guan! It’s just a quick errand—why on earth would it cost that much?”

The bustling courtyard fell silent. Granny Diao spat out the husk from the melon seed in her mouth. “Hu Caiyun, you’re being too stingy. You’re only willing to give him a few copper coins—not even a tael of silver.”

Hu Caiyun shot Granny Diao a glare. “Stop stirring up trouble. With my son, Youcheng, passing the Xiucai exam, our whole Dayangshu Village is basking in glory.” 

“Give me a break. Just because he passed the Xiucai exam, does that mean my family’s going to lose a few copper coins or something?”

Zhou Youcheng couldn’t stand it anymore. “Mother, give them the money. Don’t spoil the celebration on such a joyous day.”

Only then did Hu Caiyun fetch another string of copper coins from inside. The messenger saw that this clearly wasn’t even half a guan—it was literally “half of a half guan,” amounting to a mere two hundred and fifty wen!

It wasn’t that she looked down on him—wasn’t this just an insult? “Half a string” of coins—wasn’t that calling him a “half-wit”? The messenger took the coins with a cold expression; after all, he couldn’t have made the long trip for nothing.

“Hey, man, what place did Zhou Youcheng come in this week?” asked the latecomer, who hadn’t heard the earlier exchange.

The messenger who brought the good news said, “Mr. Zhou, you’ve been ranked forty-fifth among the supplementary students. It’s quite a coincidence—only forty-five students were selected in total. Mr. Zhou was originally ranked forty-sixth, but the candidate ahead of him was implicated in a cheating scandal involving his sponsor, so his ranking was revoked this year. That’s how Mr. Zhou ended up taking the very last spot.”

The messenger wasn’t afraid of offending the Zhou family; after all, it was merely the last-ranked Xiucai. It wasn’t that he looked down on Xiucais, but judging by this family’s conduct, they wouldn’t go far.

Hearing this, Hu Caiyun’s face turned cold. “So what if he’s last? Last place is still a Xiucai.”

Someone flattered him in agreement, “Exactly, exactly. He’s still a Xiucai. At least Shen Linchuan didn’t fail the exam—last place is still better than nothing.” Zhou Youcheng clenched his fists. What did these country bumpkins know? Why did this messenger have to rub it in? He clearly looked down on him.

“Caiyun, I told you last year that Youcheng has a bright future. My niece from my maternal family is exceptionally skilled in needlework. Just look…”

No sooner had Zhou Youcheng passed the Xiucai exam than families were already seeking to form an alliance. Hu Caiyun was a woman of high standards; even when Zhou Youcheng had passed the Tongsheng exam, she had looked down on the young men and women from the countryside, and now she looked down on them even more. Only the young men and women from the town would do.

Hu Caiyun curled her lip. “Your family is poor, but my Youcheng has just passed the Xiucai exam.”

The woman’s smile vanished. She snorted and walked away. Who did she think she was looking down on? So what if he was a Xiucai? Was that supposed to make him more noble or superior?

Although Zhou Youcheng had just been humiliated by the messenger bearing the good news, he was still a Xiucai. In the future, he would not only be exempt from taxes but also wouldn’t have to kneel before officials—this was a tremendous honor.

Zhou Youcheng spotted Zhang Xiaoyi in the crowd. “Xiaoyi, will you marry me?”

The courtyard fell silent once more, and everyone turned to look at Zhang Xiaoyi. Brother Yi-ger was truly blessed—to be able to marry a Xiucai! Zhang Xiaoyi flushed with anger. “Zhou Youcheng, what nonsense are you spouting!”

Zhou Ning stepped in front of Zhang Xiaoyi—this Zhou Youcheng just wouldn’t give up!

“Yi-ger, let’s go home.”

Zhou Youcheng stepped forward to block their path, but Zhou Ning shoved him aside. “What are you doing?!” Shen Linchuan also stepped in to protect her. “Try coming any closer.”

Zhou Youcheng clenched his teeth. He hadn’t forgotten the humiliation from that day, and with so many villagers watching him now, he was determined to pay her back tenfold. “Yi-ger, I’m sincere. Back then, you looked down on me because I was just a Tongsheng, but now I’m a Xiucai. Are you satisfied?” Granny Diao, relishing the spectacle, chimed in, “Oh my, Hu Caiyun, your family is in for double good fortune.”

Zhang Xiaoyi trembled with rage. “What nonsense are you spouting? Get out!”

Zhou Er tugged at his son’s sleeve. “Youcheng, what nonsense are you spouting?”

Hu Caiyun hurriedly chimed in, “Exactly. You’re a Xiucai now—how could some country bumpkin like that be a match for you? Listen to me, and I’ll find you a wife who’ll bear you children.”

“Mother, I’m genuinely asking to take Yi-ger as my concubine.”

The crowd stepped closer to get a better look at the spectacle; even the man cracking sunflower seeds forgot what he was doing. Good heavens! Everyone knew there were wealthy families in town with concubines, but in the village, every household was either a husband-wife pair or a husband-husband pair—no one had ever heard of a young man or woman from a family becoming someone else’s concubine.

As soon as Hu Caiyun realized they wanted Yi-ger to be a concubine, she breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s fine, that’s fine. Yi-ger, are you willing? You can come to my house this afternoon. We country folk aren’t so particular about such things—just come over. Being a concubine isn’t the same as getting married.”

Hu Caiyun still remembered the incident last year when her son, Youcheng, had been beaten up by Zhou Ning and Zhang Xiaoyi. Now that her son had passed the imperial exams, she was determined to get her revenge.

The messenger had already mounted his horse, but he hadn’t expected the commotion to be over yet—he sat high up, watching the spectacle unfold.

“You!”

Zhang Xiaoyi hadn’t even had a chance to speak when a sharp, crisp slap rang out across Zhou Youcheng’s face. It was Ning-ger who’d struck the blow, and Zhou Youcheng staggered back from the impact.

Hu Caiyun let out a shriek. “Zhou Ning, you did that on purpose! On the day of my family’s great celebration, you actually laid a hand on someone! It serves you right that your husband, Shen Linchuan, failed the exams. You, an old bachelor who can’t get married, are now paired with a failed Tongsheng—you deserve it!”

Having been slapped in public by Zhou Ning, Zhou Youcheng was so enraged that his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stood up to strike back, but Shen Linchuan grabbed his wrist.

“What’s the matter? You want to hit the young ger?”

Zhou Youcheng’s face contorted as Shen Linchuan nearly crushed his bones.

“Shen Linchuan, let go! Let go! How dare you bully my son!”

Shen Linchuan shoved him away, releasing his grip. Zhou Youcheng rubbed his wrist with a venomous glare. Shen Linchuan—he’d made a mental note of that. Just you wait!

“What’s his name?”

Zhou Youcheng curled the corner of his mouth into a cold smile. “Shen Linchuan, you’re nothing but a son-in-law from a butcher’s family. What makes you think you can stand up to me?”

Zhou Ning raised his foot to kick again; if Zhou Youcheng hadn’t dodged quickly, he would have taken another blow. “Zhou Ning! You’re a ger who acts like a man—no wonder you can’t get married! You’re not even good-looking, and you do that filthy butcher’s work. Who would dare take you?”

Now that Zhou Youcheng had passed the Xiucai examination, he no longer had to pretend. Zhou Da had deliberately come to the school to humiliate him, and he was determined to pay him back!

Another slap rang out. Shen Linchuan flicked his hand. “There. Now it’s even.”

“Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning! You didn’t pass the exam, so why are you causing trouble at my house? Do you think my family is easy to bully?”

Zhou Er was so furious he lunged forward to fight, but Zhou Ning and Shen Linchuan were both taller than him, and Zhou Ning was especially strong—Zhou Er stood no chance against them.

Zhou Youcheng, his face marked by two handprints, shouted, “How dare you hit a Xiucai!”

Someone in the village interjected, “Enough, enough! This is a day of great celebration. Even though Youcheng has passed the Xiucai examination, his words were a bit too harsh. After all, Zhou Da supported his education for several years.”

Granny Wang chimed in, “That’s right. If it weren’t for Zhou Da’s hard work all these years, Youcheng might not have even passed the Xiucai exam. He should at least show some gratitude.”

“Bullshit! It’s clearly because my Youcheng is smart—what does that have to do with that old man’s family?” Hu Caiyun turned on him in an instant; that stinking butcher—just being associated with him was bad luck. “Ning-ger, let’s go home.”

Shen Linchuan clapped his hands and turned to leave, but the messenger shouted, “Wait, wait! Let me say something!”

With the villagers chattering away, there was no room for him to get a word in. Just as the man was about to leave, the messenger hurriedly called out, “Sir, what’s your name?”

“His name is Shen Linchuan. Didn’t you just hear that?” someone replied.

The messenger quickly dismounted from his horse. “Great news, Master Shen! Congratulations on winning first place in the imperial examinations!” Zhou Ning was stunned. “You mean Shen Linchuan passed the exams?”

“Is there anyone else named Shen Linchuan who took the Xiucai exam this year? If not, then it must be you, Master Shen.”

These messengers would ask at the end of the prefectural exams if anyone wanted to be notified of the results. If so, they’d record each person’s name and hometown—usually taking on those along their route. When the list was posted, they’d cross-check the names against their list; if everything matched, they’d ride over to deliver the good news.

Zhang Xiaoyi shook Zhou Ning’s arm excitedly, “Ning-ger, he passed! He passed! And he even came in first!” Zhou Youcheng’s legs went weak, and he nearly stumbled—Shen Linchuan had actually passed too!

Zhang Xiaoyi laughed heartily, hands on his hips. “Zhou Youcheng, you’re getting ahead of yourself. You thought you were the only Xiucai in our village? Well, guess what? Shen Linchuan came in first, and you’re dead last! Hahaha!”

Zhang Xiaoyi felt elated, noticing that one of the handprints on Zhou Youcheng’s face was missing—the one from his own hand!