Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Thud!" Chen Qingyan tumbled from the bed. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled towards where Wang Ying had been sleeping. The bedding was still warm, carrying the faint scent of soap pods. He had been there just moments ago—how could he have vanished so suddenly?

Though fear and shock gripped him, he remained silent, sitting solemnly on the floor.

Meanwhile, Wang Ying, trapped in the Experimental Field, was equally frantic. Damn it—he knew how to get in, but not how to get out!

The field's perimeter seemed encased in a transparent glass dome, trapping him within. He bumped his head repeatedly, yet found no exit.

How would he explain this to Chen Qingyan later?

If he told him about the Experimental Field, would he believe it?

Or would he brand Wang Ying a monster? Would he have him burned alive by the authorities? Or perhaps a simple letter of divorcement to cast him out—that might be the best outcome.

At least the wheat in the Experimental Field was ripe. Even if he had to leave the Chen family, he wouldn’t starve.

Damn it, he should have waited until Chen Qingyan was sound asleep before coming here! What was he to do now?

Time dragged on, minute by minute. No sound came from the room. Wang Ying had no heart for harvesting the wheat; sitting on the field ridge, each second felt like a year.

Finally, after a flash of white light, he reappeared in the room.

In the darkness, their eyes met. Wang Ying was speechless with nervousness.

"I—"

Chen Qingyan suddenly embraced him, a tear dripping onto Wang Ying’s neck, making him shiver. Wang Ying had imagined many possible reactions, but never this. For a moment, he was utterly at a loss.

After all, Chen Qingyan was only seventeen—still a minor by modern standards. He was probably just scared. Patting him on the back, Wang Ying said, "Don’t cry. Let me explain…"

Embarrassed, Chen Qingyan pushed him away, turning to wipe his tears. "Are you a monster?"

"No, but I do have a secret. If you’re willing to listen, I’ll tell you everything."

Wang Ying didn’t mention time-travel—that was beyond an ancient person's comprehension. He only explained the Experimental Field.

"You know I tried to drown myself once before the wedding, right?"

"I heard Uncle Chen mention it. He said it was because you didn’t want to marry me…"

Wang Ying coughed awkwardly. "I really didn’t want to back then. But I survived the drowning, and when I woke up, I found an extra field inside me."

"A field?"

Wang Ying suddenly remembered he had some wheat on him. He pulled it out and handed it over. "Yes, a field—about three *mu* (half an acre) large. I’ve planted some wheat in it."

Chen Qingyan held the wheat, a look of confusion on his face as he tried to fathom where this field could possibly be hidden.

"This field is no different from an ordinary one, except the temperature is stable—never too hot or too cold. I can go in every night, but I can only stay for half an hour."

Chen Qingyan was astonished. "Can only you go in?"

"So far, I can only bring in tools, seeds—inanimate objects. Nothing living." A few days ago, Wang Ying had secretly caught some crickets and tucked them into his clothes, trying to bring them into the Experimental Field. But once inside, he found the crickets dead, flattened as if crushed by some force into two-dimensional shapes. Clearly, no human could have done this, and it terrified him so much he never tried bringing animals in again.

"So you were just in that field earlier?"

"Yes. I thought you were asleep. I didn’t expect you to notice."

After a long silence, Chen Qingyan yawned and started crawling toward the bed to rest.

Wang Ying quickly stood up to help him into bed.

"I’ll keep this secret for you. You… shouldn’t tell anyone else either."

"I know. 'He who owns a jade ring invites disaster.'"

Chen Qingyan glanced at him sideways. "Sometimes I really wonder if you’re just a village lad. You even know about 'he who owns a jade ring invites disaster.'"

Wang Ying rubbed his nose awkwardly. "I just know a bit more than most."

Chen Qingyan didn’t press further. "Since you’ve told me your secret, let me tell you why I can’t take the imperial exams."

"The reason I can’t take the exams anymore is because… I cheated."

"What?!" Wang Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Of course, I didn’t actually cheat. I was framed."

Wang Ying was fully awake now. "What the hell? What happened?"

Chen Qingyan sighed and began recounting the whole story.

"Last February, I went to take the County Exam. Three other Student Scholars from town went with me. One of them, Zhang Shiqiu, was about my age. He took the initiative in befriending me."

"His family was poor. When we got to the county, he couldn’t afford a proper room and had to sleep in a cheap communal bunk. I felt bad that he had nowhere proper to study, so I invited him to stay with me. We studied, practiced calligraphy, and discussed literature together."

Chen Qingyan’s eyes darkened. "But it didn’t last. One day, I discovered he had dishonest tendencies—he’d been stealing my things to pawn."

"It was a high-quality Hui ink stick, specially sent by my fourth uncle. I’d been saving it, reluctant to use it. He pawned it for three hundred copper coins."

"When Uncle Chen found out, he immediately wanted to kick him out. But Zhang Shiqiu knelt and kowtowed, apologizing profusely, saying he was truly out of money and had made a bad decision. He begged me to forgive him just this once."

"Back then, I didn’t realize how deceitful people could be. I thought it wasn’t easy to find a friend, and this didn’t seem like a big deal. I got the ink stick back and forgave him."

"For the next two weeks, we continued studying together. He acted as if nothing had happened, still calling me his brother. Then, on the day of the County Exam, we went together…"

Chen Qingyan trembled slightly, as if recalling something terrifying.

Wang Ying held his hand, already guessing part of the story.

That day, they lined up to register. Chen Qingyan happened to be last in line. The candidates ahead had their exam baskets checked and entered one by one. When it was his turn, the exam proctor suddenly detained him.

While searching his exam basket, the officer pulled a tiny slip of paper from the hollow of his writing brush. On it, in tiny, grain-sized characters, were excerpts from the Four Books…

Chen Qingyan was stunned. No matter how he explained, no one believed him. In the end, he was disqualified from the exam and banned from future imperial exams.

He didn’t even know how he walked out of the examination hall that day. His entire future suddenly seemed bleak. He returned home and became seriously ill—the double blow to both mind and body left him bedridden. He nearly took his own life several times.

"Was it Zhang who planted that paper?"

"Probably. Besides him, no one else had access to my writing tools during that time."

Wang Ying felt sorry for the thin young man. Such a bright future, destroyed by a malicious person—no wonder he had fallen so ill.

"Does your mother know about this?"

Chen Qingyan shook his head. "I haven’t told anyone, not even Uncle Chen. Everyone thinks I became like this because I failed the exam."

He never thought he'd be able to speak about this matter, but now that he had spoken it out so easily, the weight on his heart had quietly lifted without him even noticing.

"Did you ever confront that Mr. Zhang afterward?"

Chen Qingyan smiled bitterly. "Even if I asked him, he wouldn’t admit it. Why set myself up for more embarrassment?"

"It’s alright. If you can’t take the imperial exams, we’ll do something else. Didn’t you say you wanted to open a private school? I’ll help you find a place. If you can mentor a few imperial scholars, that would be great too."

"Alright..."

The silence in the darkness made the atmosphere a little intimate. Chen Qingyan abruptly withdrew his hand. "It’s getting late. Time to sleep."

"Mhm."

*

Before they knew it, summer was coming to an end.

Autumn began in the seventh month. Although the days were still hot, the mornings and evenings had become much cooler.

In recent days, Chen Qingyan’s recovery was going well. He could already get out of bed using the bed for support, though his legs were still weak, and he had to sit and rest after just a few steps.

Having lain in bed for so long, his muscles had atrophied. To walk and run like a normal person, he would need at least a few more months of exercise.

Li Shi was overjoyed to see her son regaining his spirits. Her love for him extended to Wang Ying, whom she now adored.

Only Wang Ying was feeling stressed out, because the family’s money was nearly gone!

It had only been about ten days since the last inventory check, and the six strings of coins were down to just a few hundred coins. The account book gave Wang Ying a headache just to look at.

They say you don’t appreciate the cost of firewood and rice until you manage a household. Ever since Li Shi handed over the household management to him, she had stopped being involved. Every day, aside from reading and embroidery, she would visit the Buddhist temple with some lady friends to pray, each time donating some incense money.

This morning, after breakfast, Wang Ying finally spoke up. "Mother, what did you use the two strings of cash you withdrew from the accounts the day before yesterday for?"

Li Shi, like a scolded child, twisted her handkerchief and stammered, "I... I donated it as incense money at the temple..."

"Two whole strings at once?"

Tian Mama, standing nearby, immediately jumped in. "What’s wrong with two strings? It’s not your money anyway. Besides, since when do juniors lecture their elders? Ying'er has no manners!"

"Tian Mama, don’t say that..."

Wang Ying slammed the account book onto the table. "You’re quite capable, aren’t you? Why don’t you take over managing the household and see if you can support this whole family!"

Tian Mama was speechless for a moment, pursed her lips, and retorted, "The mistress entrusted you with the household because she thought highly of you. If you can't handle the job, don’t take on the task."

"Tian Mama, that's enough!" Li Shi was furious. She was usually the most even-tempered person and had never lost her temper like this before.

Tian Mama was also taken aback. "I was only thinking of you..."

"I know you mean well, but I allowed Ying’er to manage the household. He has every right to ask questions."

Wang Ying said, "I’m not against you going to the temple to pray and chant sutras. But you know the family’s situation right now. Qing Yan needs money for medicine, Qing Song needs money for his studies, and every aspect of the household—food and everyday needs—requires funds. The money from the harvest isn't due yet, and we’re almost out of money."

"I... I have my dowry. We could use that for now..."

"But the dowry will run out eventually. Aren’t you thinking of Qing Yun? Should she go empty-handed when she marries in the future?"

Only then did Li Shi finally realize that her donations were indeed inappropriate. She had grown accustomed to spending freely, and it was hard to change from extravagance to frugality.

"From now on, I won’t go to the temple anymore. Tian Mama, turn down any invitations you can."

"Madam!"

Women in ancient times already had few outlets. Wang Ying didn’t want to deprive her of this small pleasure. "If you’d like to worship the Buddha, why not bring a small statue home and enshrine it here? You could also invite other ladies to come here to chant sutras and pray." A bundle of incense cost only ten coins. Even if burned every day for a year, it wouldn’t amount to much.

Li Shi’s eyes lit up. "You’re right! In a few days, I’ll go up the mountain and bring back a small Bodhisattva statue to enshrine!"

Unnoticed by anyone, Tian Mama, standing in the corner, shot them a poisonous glare.

Author's note: