Chapter 50: Cabinet

Chapter 50: The Cabinet

Gu Chaoning, along with Gu Rong and Xu Huaisheng from Xiaohe Village, listened to the tutor's instructions.

They also carefully heeded their families' parting words.

Finally, they met with the other two at Dukou Town.

The five of them, plus their luggage, rented three horse-drawn carriages altogether and set off for the county seat.

They arrived at the county seat in the late afternoon. The small courtyard had been secured in advance, so they just needed to hire an errand runner in the county to guide them there for a fee.

When they heard the errand runner say the place wasn't far, the five youths, whose bodies had gone stiff from the long carriage ride, decided to get off the carriages and walk with the errand runner.

Although all of them had been to the county seat before, seeing its bustling prosperity now still made their hearts feel lighter.

Especially since they aspired to pass the imperial exams and serve the emperor and country at court.

If the county seat was this prosperous, what about the prefectural city, or the capital city?

Many students here for the exams had arrived in recent days, and the errand runner had made good money. In high spirits, he was happy to chat with them a bit more.

"You scholars are so young to be taking the county exam—you'll surely become remarkable people in the future."

The carriage driver, having made his money from them, also chimed in with flattering words upon hearing the errand runner's remarks.

Though the five knew they were deliberately flattering them, who doesn't enjoy hearing kind words? Smiles broke out on their faces.

Among the five, Chen Hengdao from Chenjia Village was the oldest, already seventeen this year.

Hearing their words, he made a bow with clasped hands. "We five young men are just riding on the blessings of these peaceful and prosperous times. His Majesty is diligent in governance and loves his people, the officials govern capably, our families toil diligently, and the realm is at peace. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to study and learn."

The errand runner and carriage driver both gave a mental chuckle. Though this wasn't their first encounter with scholars like these, they still felt a sense of wonder each time.

No wonder they're scholars—they sure know how to talk.

After about a quarter of an hour, the group arrived at the courtyard they'd rented.

After settling the payment, the errand runner offered a few auspicious words and left first.

The drivers helped the scholars unload the luggage, then left too.

Only then did the five have time to take a good look at the small courtyard before them.

It was a one-courtyard compound, with an osmanthus tree planted inside—a symbol of passing the exams (literally "plucking the laurel").

It was a pity, though, that it was not yet the flowering season.

The osmanthus had a thick trunk and a lush canopy, clearly a tree of many years.

Standing beneath it, the group could already imagine the autumn scene—how splendid the blossoms would be.

Merely imagining it was enough to get their hearts racing.

Though Gu Chaoning could appreciate the scene, after all this hassle, he only wanted to quickly tidy up his room and rest for a while.

Especially since he hadn't eaten well at lunch—he wanted to have a proper dinner.

Though all present were scholars, they were all from farming families with limited funds, and most knew how to cook more or less.

So on the way over, they had agreed to cook their own food while preparing for the examination at the courtyard.

Gu Chaoning glanced over the items in the courtyard. It seemed this was a residence that county townsfolk specifically rented out to scholars during the examination period.

Because of the large number of candidates during exam season, there would be those clever families near the exam hall who'd rent out their own courtyards.

The families themselves would stay in inns, rent smaller lodgings farther away, or stay with relatives.

Since the place was normally lived in, the courtyard was well-equipped with daily necessities, though some personal items weren't really appropriate to use from the previous owners.

Additionally, the most basic things—rice, noodles, meat, vegetables, and fruit—would definitely need to be purchased.

"Gentlemen, though the osmanthus scenery is lovely, we still have practical matters like food and supplies to deal with."

Hearing Gu Chaoning's voice, everyone turned to look at him. Catching his meaning, they all laughed.

Gu Chaoning continued: "How about we sort out our rooms first, freshen up, and then come admire the scenery? We can also take a stroll around the county."

And buy supplies and groceries along the way.

Gu Rong quickly spoke up: "Look at us—the scenery is so pleasant that we forgot about such matters."

Xu Huaisheng, also from Xiaohe Village, added: "After such a long and tiring journey, we really should rest and freshen up."

Among the five, Gu Chaoning was the youngest, and everyone assumed it was because of his youth and physical tiredness that he was eager to rest.

This one-courtyard place had just enough room for the five of them.

The owners were pretty good at business, apparently having deliberately converted larger rooms into smaller ones.

Because Gu Chaoning was the youngest, everyone kindly gave him one of the only two slightly larger rooms.

The other went to Shen Zhenghao from Xiaodukou Village, who wasn't as close to them.

Chen Hengdao, being the oldest, picked the smallest room.

The remaining two rooms were divided between Gu Rong and Xu Huaisheng after some polite back-and-forth.

The five cleaned their rooms, then took off their outer clothes and lay down.

They hadn't felt tired before, but once lying down, the weariness in their bodies became apparent.

Gu Chaoning lay in bed as well, but his mind wandered back to Xiaohe Village.

He wondered if his father had listened to his advice and tried making a moisture-proof, insect-resistant cabinet.

"Wen Ge, what are you up to?"

Chen Youyan carried a basket, coming to the backyard to gather eggs, only to see Gu Wen dragging all the wood out of the house.

Today neither Gu Wen nor Gu Daniu had work. Gu Daniu had taken Wang Xiuxiu and Gu Muan to town to sell eggs and they weren't back yet.

So only the two of them were at home.

Gu Wen stood up and patted his hands. Seeing that the dust on his hands really wouldn't come off, he simply pretended not to notice.

He walked straight over to behind Chen Youyan, wrapped his arms around Chen Youyan's waist, and rested his head against Chen Youyan's neck.

"Before Chaoning left, he kept telling me it would be nice to have a cabinet that keeps out moisture and bugs."

"I thought to myself, a bookshelf can't ventilate or air out on its own, so how could it possibly keep out moisture and pests? But Chaoning said you could put moisture-proof and insect-repellent materials inside the cabinet."

"At first, I thought his mind was all over the place, still like a kid's, but the more I mulled it over, the more doable it sounded."

Chen Youyan listened in silence. He turned slightly and saw that Gu Wen's forehead was covered in sweat, so he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his brow for him.

Seeing that Gu Wen had trailed off, Chen Youyan studied his forehead to check if he'd missed any spots, and asked, "So, are you making this kind of cabinet now?"

Gu Wen had been enjoying his husband's wiping, but then he let out a few frustrated grunts, nuzzling his head into Chen Youyan's shoulder and neck.

"I thought it seemed doable, but when it comes to actually making it, it's not working out."

Everything about it was just off in every single way.

"What's the matter?"

Hearing that his husband didn't mind his rambling and wanted to hear more, Gu Wen brightened up.

He lifted his head again, though his chin still stayed on Chen Youyan's shoulder.

"First, the most important thing for moisture prevention is ventilation, but if you have ventilation, you can't achieve good insect prevention."

"And for insect prevention, besides working on the wood itself, the other option is to find a physician to prepare insect-repellent herbs, but that drives up the cost."

"If the cost is high, then the selling price can't be low."

"But if it's too high, who would spend a fortune on a bookshelf—"

Chen Youyan hadn't known much about woodworking before, but since marrying a man who was only a so-so carpenter, he had picked up a thing or two.

He pondered over Gu Wen's words in his mind.