Chapter 112 City Streets 12

Chapter 112: The City Streets 12

They departed for Jiangning Prefecture at the end of March. The exams were scheduled for mid-April, and after settling into the prefectural city for about ten days, the examination day arrived.

During this period, Qin Rongshi had been diligently studying, rarely venturing out. Even Xie Baozhu and Li Anyuan, who resided on South Street, hadn't come to visit. The three classmates hadn't seen each other for quite some time.

It wasn't until the night before the exam that the group finally gathered for dinner at the small courtyard on Riverside Street.

Riverside Street, as its name implies, was a lane running alongside the Danshui River. The courtyard's back door opened directly onto the river, where the water was clean and clear, shimmering brightly. Xie Baozhu and the others arrived by a small black-canopied boat.

South Gate was a considerable distance from Riverside Street; a walk would take about half an hour, but traveling by boat halved the journey time.

Jiangning Prefecture was crisscrossed by waterways, leading many to earn a living by ferrying passengers in small black-canopied boats, gliding daily from the upper to the lower reaches of the river.

Upon disembarking, the group entered the courtyard through the back door.

Xie Baozhu found it quite novel and remarked cheerfully, "This water town is rather charming! The boat rocks gently, and before you know it, you're here. It's a pity Brother Liu gets seasick; otherwise, a scenic boat tour would be perfect! Up close, there are quaint bridges and flowing streams; in the distance, green mountains rise like painted brows."

Liu Guyu had long since recovered. He was wearing an apron, his hands still damp from water.

He emerged from the kitchen, smiling at the group. "Oh, you're all here? Come inside and sit... No need to feel sorry! I took a boat ride a couple of days ago, and these open boats don't make me seasick!"

Following him were the two Li brothers.

Li Cheng first tutted twice, then leaned in to whisper to Li Anyuan.

With a pained expression, Li Cheng lamented, "It's truly expensive! An ox-cart ride in town for an hour or two costs only one coin! Yet this boat ride, which is barely fifteen minutes, costs five coins!"

Li Anyuan also found it pricey but comforted his brother, "It's alright, we don't ride boats often anyway."

The group entered the house and were warmly invited to sit by Cui Lanfang.

"Wow! It smells wonderful! Aunt Cui, did you and Brother Liu prepare this together? You're truly amazing! Qin Rongshi is so fortunate to have you as his mother—he gets to enjoy such delicious food every single day!"

Xie Baozhu's words were sweet, and with just a few sentences, he had Cui Lanfang beaming with delight.

After complimenting her, he didn't forget the others, praising Liu Guyu a few times before turning to Li Cheng and continuing his flattery.

"Big Brother, your cooking skills are excellent too! We've been relying on you for meals these past few days! Feicui doesn't know how to cook at all! If you hadn't come along, the two of us would surely have starved!"

Though Li Cheng was a burly man, his wife had trained him well in the culinary arts, and now he prepared meals with considerable skill and flair.

Li Cheng blushed at the praise, scratching his head and chuckling sheepishly.

Feicui had accompanied his young master. As Xie Baozhu's attendant, he had served him since childhood and had never learned to cook.

He was close to Xie Baozhu—though nominally master and servant, there was no real distance between them. They usually ate and drank together at home.

At that moment, Feicui's mouth was already watering as he gazed eagerly at the table laden with delicious dishes.

Li Anyuan glanced at Xie Baozhu, who, even after praising Li Cheng, seemed unsatisfied and was still looking around, eager to continue his playful banter. He said impatiently, "Enough talking, can't you even eat without chattering?"

Liu Guyu quickly added, "That's right, let's eat! Everyone, dig in! The exam is tomorrow, so today's dishes are all light."

Cui Lanfang stood up to serve soup to her guests, saying as she moved, "Today's soup is made with... um, kelp stewed with pork ribs! I heard it's something from the sea! I noticed we don't have it in town, so I bought some to try. Everyone, taste it and see if you like it!"

Kelp was actually seaweed. Not only was it unavailable in Fushui Town, but even in Luo County, no one sold it. The group had never even heard of it.

Cui Lanfang was the eldest at the table—how could the younger generation simply sit by and let her serve the soup?

Li Cheng quickly stood up and took the soup bowl and ladle from her, saying, "Auntie, please sit, please sit. Let me serve it, I'll do it."

Cui Lanfang happily sat down and began to chat about daily life. "Everything costs money in the prefectural city! You have to buy everything yourself. In the village, we just pick vegetables, scallions, and garlic from the garden, but here in the city, you have to buy everything! Even firewood has to be bought!"

Li Cheng perked up and chimed in, "Auntie, you're absolutely right! I noticed selling firewood is quite profitable—a bundle sells for seven coins! I thought about going to the mountains outside the city to chop firewood and sell it, but Anyuan insisted I shouldn't go!"

Li Anyuan, however, said, "Running back and forth between the city and the outskirts is exhausting. We won't be staying in the prefectural city for long, and we've brought enough travel funds! Big Brother, there's no need for you to suffer like that!"

Xie Baozhu, happily munching on a pork rib, chimed in, "Exactly, Big Brother! If you're bored, why not explore the streets more? It's rare to come to the prefectural city—you should walk through every street and alley! When you return home, your wife and nephew will have questions for you, and you'll have answers!"

The atmosphere grew increasingly convivial, and the meal was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Finally, Liu Guyu declared, "Today's meal is just a simple one! After you finish the exams, I'll treat everyone to a grand feast at a restaurant!"

...

The drizzle moistened clothes like apricot blossom rain; the willow breeze brushed faces without a chill.

As if the weather was uncooperative, the previous few days had been bright and sunny, but on the day of the exam, a fine, continuous drizzle began to fall.

The dense rain wove a net that enveloped the large city, misty and hazy, with clouds and mountains shrouded in fog. The spring rain crept in silently with the wind, washing the world clean, leaving everything damp and moist. It truly became the misty, rainy Jiangnan that Liu Guyu had read about in his previous life.

The family escorted Qin Rongshi to the exam under umbrellas. The area in front of the examination hall was crowded with people—young examinees around Qin Rongshi’s age, as well as elderly scholars with hunched backs and graying hair.

"Qin Rongshi!"

"Rongshi!"

Xie Baozhu and Li Anyuan also made their way over.

Qin Rongshi turned to look at them, raised his hand, and waved, calling out, "Over here!"

The three classmates reunited. Qin Rongshi glanced at Li Cheng and Feicui, who were following behind, each carrying a basket covered with a white cloth. Underneath were dry flatbreads and water pouches.

He looked at them and asked, "Did you buy dry rations?"

Xie Baozhu nodded, complaining, "They're quite expensive! Everything gets more expensive during the exams. A single dry flatbread actually cost me ten coins!"

Li Cheng knew how to cook but wasn't skilled at kneading dough or making flatbreads, so the dry rations they brought into the exam hall were bought outside by Feicui at Xie Baozhu’s request.

Qin Rongshi shook his head disapprovingly, then handed over two baskets he was carrying and said, "I forgot to tell you yesterday."

Xie Baozhu was puzzled but naturally took the baskets.

Li Anyuan, standing nearby, asked first, "What’s wrong?"

Qin Rongshi explained, "The food outside might taste good, but I'm worried it's not clean. During exams, we must be cautious in everything. It's better to be safe than sorry—if you get an upset stomach, all the knowledge you've prepared will be half wasted."

"These two baskets were prepared by my mother and brother-in-law. Take these into the exam hall instead."

Cui Lanfang quickly added, "The exam is what matters! Being extra careful is never wrong! Auntie used fine white flour to make these. They'll still taste good even when cold, and they'll keep you full!"

Liu Guyu also nodded in agreement.

Even Li Cheng repeatedly nodded, saying, "Ah! You're so thoughtful! How did I not think of that?"

Xie Baozhu understood now. He handed one basket to Li Anyuan, then lifted the white cloth with a grin, revealing the baskets filled to the brim with white steamed buns, flower rolls, corn cakes, red bean buns...

These looked far more appetizing than the basket of dry flatbreads Feicui had bought. Even when cold, they would still be soft and fluffy.

He immediately grabbed one and took a big bite with a goofy grin. "Thank you, Aunty! Thanks, Brother Liu! You're so thoughtful!"

Li Anyuan glanced at him, watching as he happily devoured the bun in big bites. Even a plain bun seemed as delicious as meat to him.

Li Anyuan chuckled and sighed, then bowed respectfully to Cui Lanfang and Liu Guyu, expressing his sincere thanks.

Liu Guyu watched Xie Baozhu munching on the bun and reminded him, "I also made a jar of meat sauce. You can spread it on the buns!"

As they were talking, a few exam officials emerged from the exam compound. The one leading them carried a stone bell and swung his arm to strike it, producing a clear, resonant sound.

The noisy chatter outside the compound instantly fell silent, replaced by complete stillness.

The official drew out his words as he announced, "Time's up—candidates may enter!"

As his words faded, scholars began filing inside one after another, carrying their belongings.

Xie Baozhu also gave a few instructions to Feicui, "Take the leftover flatbreads to the abandoned temple and share them with the beggars. I'm off now!"

He took one last look at Qin Rongshi and Li Anyuan, gritted his teeth, and entered the exam compound first. His demeanor was quite dramatic, as if he were heading not to an exam but to the executioner's block.

Li Cheng was even more nervous than Li Anyuan, who was about to take the exam. Sweat had already begun to bead on his forehead. He grabbed his younger brother's hand and stammered, "Little Er, don’t be nervous during the exam! Just relax! You can do it! Even if you don’t pass, it’s okay! Come home, and I’ll teach you farming!"

Li Anyuan burst out laughing. He wanted to say he wasn’t nervous and that his brother shouldn’t be either, but instead, he joked, "Brother, I haven’t even taken the exam yet. Wish me some luck!"

Li Cheng snapped back to reality and quickly slapped his own mouth, going 'pfft pfft' before hurriedly saying, "Amitabha, Jade Emperor, Queen Mother, Taishang Laojun, Guanyin Bodhisattva... didn’t hear that, didn’t hear that! You’ll pass! You’ll pass! You’ll definitely pass! May all gods ignore my last words! Listen to this part!"

Li Anyuan laughed heartily twice. As the candidate about to enter the exam compound, he ended up comforting his brother, patting him on the shoulder before picking up his exam basket and heading into the exam compound.

Now, turning to Qin Rongshi.

Cui Lanfang was also extremely nervous, wringing her hands.

She had confidence in her son, but at this moment, she couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Qin Rongshi patted her hand and, in an unusually lighthearted tone, joked, "Mother, don’t worry. When I come out this time, I’ll make you the mother of a government scholar."

Cui Lanfang’s eyes reddened with emotion, and she repeatedly said, "Good, good, good!"

Banban tilted her head and exclaimed, "Then I’ll be the government scholar’s little sister!"

Qin Rongshi also smiled and nodded.

Finally, he turned to Liu Guyu. Without saying a word, his gaze pierced through the drizzling rain, his eyes glistening with moisture from the rain.

Liu Guyu also smiled, simply saying in a gentle voice:

"Erlang, this time, you will surely claim the laurel branch from the moon."

Qin Rongshi nodded lightly, then reached out to take the last exam basket from Liu Guyu’s hands, whispering, "I’m going in."

He turned and merged into the crowd, entering the exam compound.

The stone bell sounded a few more times, and the official’s voice rang out again.

"Time’s up—candidates may enter!"

"All candidates enter now!"