Chapter 25: Strong Will

Chapter 25: A Steadfast Resolve

The Tongsheng (county-level imperial exam), whether in his past life or this one, was simple for Gu Chaoning.

He finished writing all the answers by sunset.

Then he gauged how the exam questions would match Gu Rong's skill level.

Mm, that should be fine too.

So that meant everything was totally fine.

He couldn't help but wonder what his grandpa, grandma, dad, Xue Geer, and An Geer were up to back home, and what he should buy for them after the exam.

An Geer was the easiest one to figure out.

The little boy still had the same sweet tooth, so for a gift to bring back, he could just buy some treats that you couldn't get in town.

On top of that, he should also buy some food for the whole family to share.

For Xue Geer, he could buy a travelogue as a gift—he'd enjoy it and it'd broaden his horizons.

For his father and grandmother, he could buy hair ties, face cream, and similar items, or his own father could think about what to bring for Grandpa.

But what to bring for his grandfather had Gu Chaoning stumped.

His grandfather didn't drink, nor did he smoke a pipe—he just loved tinkering with his bricklaying tools every day.

He couldn't exactly buy him a masonry tool, could he?

So what the heck was he supposed to get for Grandpa...

"Ah-choo!"

Feng Dali glanced at Gu Daniu with amusement and laughed, "That sneeze of yours was like thunder—anyone'd think a storm was coming."

Seeing how exaggerated he was being, Gu Daniu couldn't help but give him a side-eye, then rubbed his nose.

He said, "One sneeze means someone's thinking of you, two means someone's cursing you—I bet my grandsons must be missing me."

At those words, Feng Dali immediately shut his trap.

Not only did he shut up, but he also moved away from Gu Daniu looking all downcast to continue working.

Why?

'Cause Feng Dali didn't have any grandsons.

Feng Dali's son, Feng Shun, got married at twenty-five, and four years into the marriage, they still didn't have any kids.

Watching their peers hold grandkids one after another—some kids already old enough to help out—the elders at home were so anxious they got blisters on the corners of their mouths.

Rumors spread both inside and outside the family, saying that Feng Shun's wife, Zhang Caohua, couldn't get pregnant.

Zhang Caohua was a fierce one, and since Feng Shun doted on her, no one dared to say it to her face.

But word spread around, and within less than a month, Zhang Caohua heard the rumor through her family on her mother's side.

Zhang Caohua flew into a rage at first, but after being reminded by her family, she reined it in.

She first found an opportunity to see a doctor on her own, and after learning that her body was fine, she caused a ruckus at home three days after the doctor's visit.

That day was quite the spectacle—even Gu Daniu, who tended to forget unimportant matters quickly, still remembered the whole shebang vividly.

Nearly the whole village was called over to the Feng household, and because of his relationship with her father-in-law Feng Dali, Gu Daniu was even invited to help settle things.

Zhang Caohua's first words were: "Feng Shun and I haven't had a child in four years, and I'm anxious too. I've heard people say everyone thinks it's my problem, that I can't conceive. We shouldn't avoid seeing a doctor just because we're afraid of the truth. So today, let everyone bear witness—we've invited a physician. If it's my body's problem, I'll take herbal medicine to treat it. If it's not my body's problem, I ask everyone to help me shut down this rumor."

Of course, it turned out Zhang Caohua was perfectly fine.

They thought the matter would end there, but unexpectedly, Feng Shun himself suggested he get checked out too.

Well, turns out Zhang Caohua was fine—it was Feng Shun who had the problem!

That was a real spectacle on top of a spectacle, and the Feng family no longer dared to say Zhang Caohua couldn't bear children.

Feng Dali and his wife went from having blisters from worrying about a grandkid to having blisters from worrying about curing their son.

After Gu Daniu shot back, he realized he'd hit a sore spot.

Gu Daniu felt a pang of regret.

But they were old buddies, and they still had an unspoken understanding. Gu Daniu walked over and handed Feng Dali a tool.

Feng Dali glanced at him, snorted, but still took it.

That meant the earlier spat was water under the bridge, though Gu Daniu didn't leave right away—he stuck around to help for a bit.

Today's job was at the granary of Master Chen, a landlord in Chen Village.

Master Chen's household owned two hundred mu of land (about 33 acres) and a pond, with eighteen tenant farming households. Every year, they harvested a great deal of grain, and had a lot of people coming and going.

So every year or two, they would hire Gu Daniu and his crew to do repairs on the buildings.

Today was day one of the repairs.

Spring plowing had just wrapped up, so there were plenty of repair jobs.

Gu Daniu's crew split into smaller teams depending on the job, each heading to the households that hired them.

Master Chen was a regular customer with high standards, so Gu Daniu always handled it himself.

The group of four hunted for leaks, mixed mud and straw, and worked hard all day, completing nearly half the job.

The work only included one meal at noon, so the men packed up their things and said goodbye to the Chen family's steward, getting ready to head home.

But before they could even leave, Master Chen showed up.

Master Chen, whose name was Chen Mancang, had one son and two daughters.

The son was the oldest, eight years older than Gu Chaoning.

He had previously been sent to the village school in Xiaohe Village, but rumor had it the young master had no interest in studying, and last year he had already started following Master Chen around to collect rent grain.

Since the master of the house had come over, the four of them couldn't just up and leave.

Gu Daniu had a bad feeling, but he still stepped up to speak with Master Chen first.

Chen Mancang walked with his hands clasped behind his back, pacing inside the granary, pretending to inspect things as he walked around.

After everyone followed him in confusion around the granary and out into the courtyard, Chen Mancang finally cleared his throat.

In a seemingly casual tone, he asked, "Daniu, I hear your eldest grandson is taking the Tongsheng exam this year along with your village head's youngest son?"

Hearing this, everyone finally caught on.

Gu Daniu: "Ah, yes. His father, Gu Wen, took him to the county seat two days ago. Today just happens to be exam day."

Chen Mancang said in an unreadable tone, "Your grandson is truly impressive..."

Gu Daniu also thought his eldest grandson was quite remarkable—so composed before he left.

In recent years, Gu Chaoning had grown steadier with each passing day, sometimes even more dependable than his own father.

Gu Daniu could hardly recall that four years ago, Gu Chaoning had been such a mischievous little rascal, climbing onto roofs and tearing off tiles.

Before Gu Daniu could even crack a smile and brush it off modestly, Chen Mancang continued, "But as Zhiyuan's father, I still feel I ought to give you a word of advice."

Chen Zhiyuan was Chen Mancang's eldest son.

He started his studies at age four, first sat for the exam at fourteen, and after four straight years of trying, he gave up studying in the fifth year.

Master Chen went on.

"These days, there are so many scholars out there, and the exams keep getting harder. Your grandson is still young—at that age, his willpower can easily waver. I'm afraid that when he sees how tough the questions are, it might kill his enthusiasm for studying.

As his grandpa, when the kid gets back, you absolutely must not ask him about the exam. Just say a few comforting words."

Chen Mancang's words were sneaky—on the surface, they seemed to be looking out for Gu Chaoning.

But if you listened closely, they seemed to be saying Gu Chaoning would definitely fail this time and get so scared he'd never dare take the exam again.

Two of the bricklayers didn't pick up on it.

But Gu Daniu understood. He'd grown and learned a lot since Gu Chaoning had gotten Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan into reading and writing.

His face fell a little, but he forced a smile, mindful of Chen Mancang's standing: "Master Chen is right."

The steward and Feng Dali also understood.

The steward understood because of his position; Feng Dali understood because of his daughter-in-law, Zhang Caohua.

Zhang Caohua had a habit of talking with sarcasm and innuendo, and over time, the Feng family had subconsciously learned to read between the lines.

The steward's expression was hard to read, while Feng Dali's was just as grim.

How—how could someone talk like that? When other people heard Gu Chaoning was taking the exam, they all praised how impressive such a young kid was.

This Master Chen, instead of praising him, went and poured fuel on the fire with words like that.

Chen Mancang didn't pay any mind to the others' faces. Seeing Gu Daniu agree, he nodded with satisfaction and walked off with his hands behind his back.

Exams weren't that easy! His own son, smart as he was, had only first taken the Tongsheng exam at fourteen. And Gu Daniu's grandson was going at just twelve?

Hmph, rushing like that, once the boy gets scared out of his wits, he'll learn what it means to be penny wise and pound foolish!

Seeing Gu Daniu's dark, grim face and worried he might blurt out something offensive to Master Chen while still in the Chen house, Feng Dali quickly tugged his arm.

Feng Dali: "Let's go, Daniu. Your wife's waiting for you to come home for dinner."

Gu Daniu knew what Feng Dali was getting at. Thinking of his wife and son-in-law, he forced himself to nod and picked up his tools to head out first.

The steward had already followed Chen Mancang off, and the four of them were seen out in silence by the servants, who kept their eyes down.

The other two hadn't caught the sarcasm in Chen Mancang's words, but seeing how grim Gu Daniu and Feng Dali looked, they kept their mouths shut too.

They held it in until they got home, and only after telling their families did their wives, by probing and mulling it over, figure out the hidden meaning in Chen Mancang's words.

Only then did they realize why Gu Daniu had looked so sour, and they couldn't help but feel that Master Chen's words really cut deep. One even guessed it was because Master Chen's own son had failed the Tongsheng exam, and he was jealous of Gu Chaoning.

By now, Gu Daniu had said goodbye to the others one by one and made it home. Shoving all his anger down deep in his chest, he put on a smile and stepped through the door.

"What's cooking that smells so good I could smell it from outside the gate?"

Hearing his voice, Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan, who were standing not far from the kitchen door, both called out "Grandpa" at the same time.

Even though she knew it was Gu Daniu just from the sound of his voice, Wang Xiuxiu still poked her head out of the kitchen.

She called out, "Chaoning and the others should be back tomorrow. Yan Geer went ahead and bought some pork belly, so tonight we're stir-frying a little early."

She glanced at Gu Daniu's dirty, sweat-soaked clothes and added, "Go draw some water and wash up, change into something clean. By the time you're done, dinner'll be ready."

Gu Daniu set down his tools and laughed heartily, "Oh my, with my eldest grandson not home, I still get to enjoy his good fortune ahead of time!"

Chen Youyan brought out the hot water and smiled, "Dad, if you like it, we'll make it again tomorrow and let Chaoning enjoy yours then."

Hearing there'd be more, before Gu Daniu could even respond, Gu Muan raised his hand and cheered, "Yay, yay, we'll soak up Grandpa's good fortune!"

At that, Gu Daniu couldn't bring himself to say no, and Wang Xiuxiu couldn't bring herself to scold him either. They all laughed together.

Gu Daniu felt the anger that had been building up the whole way home slowly melt away.

No matter what Chen Mancang said, his grandson was excellent in his studies—not someone with a weak will!