Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Father, Mother, I'm filthy with dust. Let me go change clothes first. I'll leave things here for you two to handle."

Seeing the crowd engrossed in conversation, Han Zhang had no desire to stay and be a spectacle, so he quickly slipped away.

Only when he returned to his room, alone, did he let out a long sigh, his head throbbing as he thought about his situation.

Of course, he was thrilled to get a second chance at life, but the person whose body he'd taken over was in a tough spot.

The family's poverty was a secondary concern; with his knowledge from the future, amassing wealth was not a challenge.

The real challenge was the imperial examinations!

Anyone who knew anything knew the immense difficulty of the ancient imperial examinations.

Han Zhang didn't consider himself a poor student, but he had little confidence in standing out, even with the original owner's memories.

Because in his previous life, he was a science student—he was on the wrong track from the get-go!

And that wasn't the most troubling part.

The most troubling part was that the original owner was not only the hope of his parents and family but also the only hope of revival for the entire Han clan.

As Clan Chief Han had lamented in the courtyard earlier, the Han clan had indeed once been a distinguished family.

Unfortunately, that was all in the past, from the previous dynasty.

Due to dynastic changes, war, chaos, famine, and displacement—a series of natural and man-made disasters.

The once-great clan had been scattered by the turmoil. All family wealth was lost, clan members dwindled, and in the end, only Clan Chief Han and Grandpa Han, along with a few other children, managed to escape and settle down in this area near the capital.

Having witnessed the clan's prosperity and enjoyed the finest clothing and food, how could they be content with a life of farming?

But they lacked the talent for scholarship and, having been young when the family declined, hadn't picked up many skills to make a living. The ambition to revive the family's glory was beyond their reach.

So what was the solution?

Naturally, they had to push their kids—to cultivate their descendants.

The original owner was the only promising student the Han clan had produced in all these years.

And the original owner lived up to expectations.

Raised with care and cherished by his elders and the clan elders, he didn't grow up spoiled. Instead, he was exceptionally mature, determined to study hard and make it his mission to revive the family.

But the problem was...

Although the original owner was excellent, he wasn't a genius, so the pressure of studying was immense.

And now, Han Zhang’s head ached at the thought of the Four Books and Five Classics, full of archaic phrases like "zhi hu zhe ye."

Damn it, time-travel dad, if only he'd known he'd be the protagonist in an imperial examination story!

When he filled out his college application, he'd have picked the humanities, specifically Chinese literature, so he could memorize and fully understand every classic and Confucian interpretation from thousands of years of Chinese history.

But there's no point in second-guessing.

So the conclusion was: as a science major who'd switched tracks, he'd have to work twice as hard to succeed on the path of the imperial examinations!

Yes, Han Zhang had not given up on this path.

In ancient times, society was split into scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

He was an ambitious man. If he could, he wanted to rise to the top.

After all, ancient times were different from modern times—there were strict social hierarchies. Farming was grueling, artisans had low status, and merchants, even the rich ones, were restricted and had no dignity.

To rise in this era, the only way was through scholarship.

"At least the gods weren't too harsh—they let me bring my ability with me..."

Han Zhang let out a long breath, looking at the grass seeds in his hand that had sprouted instantly, feeling somewhat comforted.

Yes, the plant ability he'd awakened during the apocalypse had come with him through time.

His ability was quite useful.

It could speed up plant growth and heal wounds.

No need to go into the first one; as for the latter, Han Zhang was more than happy.

The scariest thing about time-traveling to ancient times was the lack of good medicine, where a minor illness could kill.

Now with his ability, he didn't have to worry about dying from poor medical care.

The road ahead was tough.

But Han Zhang was persistent and resourceful.

An orphan in his previous life, he'd made something of himself from nothing, and after the apocalypse, he'd even built his own safety base and become a big shot.

Now, with a similarly bleak start, he refused to believe he would remain at the bottom forever!

...

"Time to eat!"

Just as Han Zhang was getting himself ready, Clan Chief Han and the elders who'd been chatting outside were already gone. The family meal was set on the table, and it was finally time for dinner.

The whole family gathered around the slightly worn round table, their eyes fixed on the food, swallowing hard.

The Han family was poor, so naturally, the food was simple.

There were coarse grain cornbread, thin porridge, stir-fried wild vegetables, and the usual pickled vegetables.

But because Han Zhang had just come home,

there was an extra bowl of white rice, a small plate of stir-fried pork with cabbage, and the pastries he had brought back.

As expected,

once seated, Grandma Han set the rice and pork in front of Han Zhang, her face full of love and concern.

"My precious grandson, dear boy, you must have worked hard at the academy—you look skinnier. Come, eat some meat to build up your strength. If that's not enough, I'll steam more for you! We still have a few pieces of cured meat left over from New Year's!"

"And this polished rice is top quality. Your grandpa went to town a few days ago just to buy it. I heard it was transported from the Jiangnan water towns—it can't be grown here, and it's really nourishing..."

This was the original Han Zhang's exclusive treatment—as a scholar, all the best things in the family belonged to him.

The Han family members had long grown accustomed to it. Though their mouths were watering, not a single person showed any opposition or discontent; the family got along very well.

And this was all the result of Grandpa Han's years of conditioning.

Sure enough.

After Grandma Han finished speaking, Grandpa Han distributed the other plate of pastries evenly among the family members, giving his usual lecture.

"As they say: 'One person can't carry a thousand-pound load, but many can move a mountain!' Although our Han family is poor now, with Big Brother here, we'll soon turn things around and bring back our family's former glory."

"Second son, third son, you have worked hard all these years to support Big Brother's studies. Your parents see your efforts, and Big Brother will surely never forget them."

"This pastry is not only Big Brother's way of showing his respect and gratitude to you, but the foundation for our family's rise."

"The elders are kind, the younger generation is respectful, and the whole clan works together. As members of this family, you must always remember this!"

As soon as Grandpa Han finished speaking,

Han Zhang's parents immediately chimed in: "Father is right. Only by working together can we achieve success. Second Brother and Third Brother's contributions to Big Brother will be remembered. When he becomes successful, if he dares to be unfilial to his uncles and aunts, I'll break his legs myself."

Second Uncle Han and his wife smiled warmly: "Big Brother is a Qilin Son. He'll definitely pass the exams and bring glory to the family. A little hardship now is worth it! We believe in Big Brother."

Third Uncle Han and his wife also hurriedly said: "Father, don't worry. We know what's important. We know that Big Brother is different from that Luo scholar—he really values us uncles and aunts. We're willing to endure hardship for him..."

"Grandpa, Grandma, Big Brother studies hard and deserves better food!"

"Exactly. Poor scholar now, rich *juren* later. Once our eldest brother becomes a *juren*, not only will we have meat every day, but we'll live in a brick house with servants, making all the villagers envious!"

"When our elder brother gains fame, we sisters can marry into better families and wear the finest jewelry and clothes..."

The younger generation of the Han family also responded enthusiastically.

There was no jealousy towards their brother's special treatment—only beautiful dreams and firm faith in the future.

Their elder brother was a Qilin Son who passed the county exam at just over ten years old; there was no way he would fail. He was bound to achieve great things!

After such an inspiring speech,

The whole Han family turned to look at Han Zhang with eager anticipation.

Han Zhang: ...

Han Zhang forced a smile. "Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, don't worry. I'll study hard and pass the provincial exam next fall, and change our family's fortune."

"Good, good child! Let's eat. Everybody, dig in."

Grandpa Han finally smiled with relief and invited everyone to start the meal.

The group eagerly grabbed their corn buns and ate heartily.

Han Zhang also buried himself in his meal.

Although every mouthful of rice and meat he ate now would require dozens of times the effort to repay in the future, so what? Right now, the food in his stomach was all that mattered.

He would worry about the future later.

How many years had it been since he had eaten real, natural food?

In the apocalypse, plants and animals had mutated. Even with his Plant Power, he could ripen grain, but the mutated grain only filled the stomach; the taste was awful.

Although his current situation was difficult, being able to live a normal life again made taking the imperial exams a small price to pay.

After all, no path in life was

easy.

After the meal,

Han Zhang remembered what Aunt Luo had said earlier and asked.

"Grandpa, when I was returning to the village today, I heard Aunt Luo mention that Luo Ying seems to have been engaged to Miss Sun?"

Luo Ying was the other scholar, Luo Xiucai, from Upper Slope Village.

Because of the conflict between the Luo and Han clans, Han Zhang and Luo Xiucai often competed with each other.

To climb up, both were quite cunning.

Miss Sun was the target they both had their eyes on, hoping to marry someone wealthy for support.

Yes, marrying up.

It was too difficult for a poor scholar to get ahead. Marrying a good wife or husband and accepting the support of the in-laws was the easiest way for an ordinary scholar to cut his struggles short.

Han Zhang had no interest in Miss Sun.

But if Miss Sun married Luo Xiucai, and the Luo family gained Master Sun's support, then the Han family would likely face pressure and insults in the village.