Chapter 23: Cicada

Chapter 23: The Cicada

Gu Chaoning was about to sit for the examination.

To ease pre-exam nerves, the teacher gave all the students preparing for this round some time off to study on their own at home.

Of course, if they had questions, they could still come to the village school to ask the teacher.

These past few days, everyone in the Gu family had been unconsciously treading lightly in everything they did.

Especially Gu Muan, who had been repeatedly reminded by the elders, would move stealthily every time he passed by the window of the east room.

Gu Chaoning, who was being treated with such care by his family, found it a bit exasperating.

But with all that family love, he couldn't very well complain.

Gu Chaoning sat at his desk pretending to study, but his ears had already caught the sound of Yin Hongxue approaching with hushed footsteps.

The little boy carried a teapot in his hands, taking slow, deliberate steps, as if he wished even the faint swish of his clothes would vanish completely.

Gu Chaoning had been pretending to read, all the while tracking Yin Hongxue out of the corner of his eye for quite a while.

Seeing that the little boy still hadn't come over, he suppressed the urge to call out to him, and instead pretended to be tired from studying, standing up to stretch.

With his gaze lifted and no longer fixed on the page, Gu Chaoning seized the moment and caught Yin Hongxue's eye.

Yin Hongxue was surprised and delighted, automatically breaking into a smile.

Only then did Gu Chaoning pretend that he had just noticed Yin Hongxue, quickly walking over to take the teapot from his hands, and said in surprise: "Xue Geer, you came to bring me some tea?"

Yin Hongxue nodded happily and released his grip, allowing Gu Chaoning to take the teapot from his hands.

"Next time just come straight in, no need to tiptoe. There will be all kinds of unexpected disruptions during the exam—it won't be as quiet as it is at home, so you don't need to be so careful."

Gu Chaoning said this for Yin Hongxue's benefit, but also for the whole Gu family to hear.

Especially his little brother Gu Muan, who, every time he passed by the window, moved so carefully and quietly, like a baby just learning to walk—so adorable that it made it impossible to focus on reading.

Gu Chaoning felt he needed to address the family's overly cautious attitude. Though they might not necessarily listen, every time he brought it up, it always seemed to make a difference afterward.

After all, this was only the Tongsheng (preliminary) examination. After that, there were still the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the court examination. Only after passing these three examinations would one become a xiucai (scholar).

Only upon becoming a xiucai would one be considered to have officially set foot on the road of the imperial examinations, joining the ranks of the "masters" (laoye), enjoying rights such as exemption from forced labor, not having to kneel before officials, and exemption from torture during interrogation.

And beyond that, there were still the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination.

Gu Chaoning didn't plan to climb the whole ladder at once. In this life, he focused more on the present—getting along well with his family and enjoying life.

So what he had in mind was to pause at the xiucai level, once he had the relevant rights of a xiucai.

By then, his words should carry some weight. If he wanted to do something, his family might not immediately agree, but they would at least think it over.

After becoming a xiucai and entering the county school, there would be annual examinations to assess one's knowledge.

Gu Chaoning figured that if his family kept treating him like fragile porcelain, whether they could put up with it was one thing—he certainly couldn't.

The most dependable person in the family was Chen Youyan. After hearing what Gu Chaoning said, he mulled it over and agreed.

From then on, they no longer deliberately softened their movements, but they still kept the noise down.

And so, in this atmosphere, the days passed until there were only three days left before the Tongsheng examination.

After a joint discussion between the Gu family and the family of Gu Rong, who would be traveling with them, it was decided that Gu Wen, as the adult, would accompany the two children to the county town for the examination.

Gu Changhe had also wanted to go—it was the children's first examination since they started school.

But spring had arrived, and every family in Xiaohe Village was busy with spring plowing. When people were busy and stretched thin, conflicts easily arose. As the village head of Xiaohe Village, Gu Changhe just couldn't get away.

With Gu Wen accompanying them as the adult, Gu Changhe and Cui Shi felt at ease.

Gu Wen was considered a resourceful man in Xiaohe Village. Ever since he started working in masonry alongside his father Gu Daniu, Gu Wen had lined up many clients for his father.

Moreover, departing from Xiaohe Village by mule cart, it would take about five hours to reach the county town.

They would leave tomorrow, spend one day traveling and one day resting, and wake up the next day refreshed and ready for the exam.

Both families were happy with and confident in this plan.

When it was time for the mule cart to depart, and they saw the two children sitting on the flatbed cart, the elders who had come to see them off began to feel reluctant to part.

The worry and reluctance in their hearts rose from within and spilled from their lips, turning into words of advice that had already been repeated many times.

Chen Youyan: "Chaoning, make sure to check your writing tools before entering the examination hall. Don't find the thick clothes your father packed for you too warm—it's still cold in the mornings and evenings now."

Wang Xiuxiu: "For these two days before the exam, watch what you eat—avoid greasy food. When you come back, Grandma will make you something delicious."

On the other side, Gu Changhe and Cui Shi were saying similar things to Gu Rong.

The elders' concern was truly overwhelming, especially when faced with a teenager of just over ten years old.

Gu Rong nodded in agreement while glancing at Gu Chaoning, hoping Gu Chaoning would speak up and soothe the elders.

But while Gu Rong was a teenager of thirteen or fourteen, the Gu Chaoning he sought help from was not.

Gu Chaoning was an old soul reborn—a spirit of over thirty years old, stuffed into the body of a twelve-year-old.

Gu Chaoning listened to each elder's words of concern and responded to each one, and even promised Gu Muan and Yin Hongxue that he would bring back pastries from the county town when he returned.

Seeing this, Gu Rong had no choice but to withdraw his gaze and patiently listen to the elders' admonitions.

In the end, it was Gu Wen who calculated the time and announced it was time to depart, finally putting an end to the elders' concern.

The whip arced through the air, the mule cart set off, its speed gradually increasing from slow to fast.

Sensing that the elders were still watching them, Gu Rong, who had just been feeling overwhelmed, now belatedly felt a pang of reluctance.

After all, it was the first time the child had left home. Gu Chaoning noticed and patted him on the shoulder.

He simply took the lead in waving back, signaling the elders to hurry home. Seeing this, Gu Rong followed suit and waved his hand like Gu Chaoning.

The mule cart grew farther and farther away. As it gradually shrank to a small dot, about to disappear from sight—

Yin Hongxue watched, held back for a moment, but couldn't stop himself from calling out: "Chaoning Ge, good luck on the exam!"

He had been holding it in all along, afraid that this remark would put pressure on Gu Chaoning.

Now that the figure was almost out of sight, a thousand words ultimately condensed into that one phrase—good luck on the exam.

A gust of wind blew back from the distance, lifting Gu Chaoning's hair ribbon and the loose strands at his temples.

The ribbon and stray hairs brushed gently against his cheek, as if a hand had caressed his face.

"I know."

Gu Chaoning murmured softly.