Chapter 54: Wontons

Chapter 54: Wontons

But no matter how uneasy he felt, he couldn't just chase after them directly.

He and Gu Wen stood there until Wang Xiuxiu, Yin Hongxue, and Gu Muan were completely out of sight, and only then did they turn and head back.

Gu Wen walked beside him, seeing Chen Youyan's dejected expression, felt a warmth in his heart.

"It must be because An Geer is still young, and it's his first day of class—he's just got a lot on his mind."

Parents always have to let their kids go out and make their own way in the world eventually.

It's only a matter of sooner or later.

"Look at you, all tied up in knots," Gu Wen couldn't help but smile. "That little rascal, the second he heard his Xue Age was gonna treat him and Grandma to sweet drinks, he probably couldn't wait to get to town."

Hearing this, Chen Youyan also remembered how excited Gu Muan had been.

He then laughed as well.

Seeing him smile, Gu Wen continued, "Instead of worrying about An Geer, you might as well worry about Chaoning. At this hour, he's probably standing in line, waiting to be checked before he goes in."

Sure enough, that got Chen Youyan thinking about Gu Chaoning.

"At this hour, yeah—the morning's still a bit cold. I wonder if that boy, just to avoid the hassle, didn't bother putting on his thick cotton coat."

...

"Ah-choo—"

Gu Chaoning heard the loud sneeze behind him and, with a touch of disdain, carefully tilted his head and stepped forward a little.

Gu Rong didn't notice Gu Chaoning's disdain and just wiped his nose with his handkerchief.

He looked at the thick cotton coat Gu Chaoning had on, then at the long line ahead, and felt a pang of regret.

"I shouldn't have been so worried about the hassle and just worn this thin cotton coat."

The exam would keep them in the exam shed for a whole day. Wearing too much would be less elegant, and the inspection would be a pain. He'd also worried the sun might come out at noon and make it hot, so he'd gambled and worn only a thin coat.

Who would've thought the county exam would have more candidates than the Tongsheng exam, and the inspections would be so thorough.

There were three inspection lines in all, and each one was really long.

Not just long, but moving really slowly too.

Gu Rong saw how calm and at ease Gu Chaoning was, and a mix of regret and envy welled up inside him.

It wasn't just Gu Rong—Chen Hengdao and the others behind him weren't doing much better either.

Gu Chaoning glanced at them and said with a sly grin, "I warned you a few times before we came. Now you're regretting not bundling up."

Being teased by Gu Chaoning, the youngest of the group, the others got a little flustered.

But since the five of them were all young and good-looking, some of the candidates who'd come to see people off or were taking the exam themselves stole glances their way.

Noticing the stares, the words they were about to say trailed off.

"You wouldn't understand."

At this age, they cared a lot about how they looked. Wearing thick cotton coats back in the village was one thing, but here in town, with so many strangers around, they had to put on a bit of style.

Gu Chaoning glanced at them. "I don't get it. All I know is I'm warm right now, and you're cold."

"Hey, you little punk—"

And so, amid the joking around, the inspection line finally got to Gu Chaoning and the others.

After confirming the five's hometowns and checking their guarantor, Teacher Zhang, they started going through each person's belongings one by one.

By the time they'd drawn their exam shed numbers and found their seats, another half hour had passed.

Inside the exam hall, the candidates sat in silence at first, waiting until everyone was seated and it was fully light out before the exam officially started.

The county exam had three sessions, and the first one was the most important.

So most of the candidates who came in were pretty nervous.

Some sat up straight in their seats, silently reciting texts from memory.

Others couldn't focus at all and could only take deep breaths to calm themselves down.

In short, few were like Gu Chaoning, who, once he sat down, pulled out the flatbread that had been crumbled into pieces during the inspection and picked at the bigger chunks to eat.

He'd been waiting outside the exam hall since early, with no time to eat, so Gu Chaoning was already hungry.

Even though the flatbread had been broken up and didn't look appetizing, he still picked out the bigger pieces and ate a few.

After waiting a bit longer, a "dong" rang out from a gong.

The first session of the county exam had started.

The exam questions would be shown on boards carried by special yamen runners, who'd walk past each exam shed one by one. The candidates, sitting in their sheds, had to quickly copy down the questions from the boards.

Only after all the candidates had copied down all the questions, and another gong sounded, could they start writing.

The first day's Confucian classics question was: "A gentleman is not a tool."

There was also a poetry question: "On the Ancient Pine of the County School."

Gu Chaoning roughly ran through it in his head and already had a rough draft.

But he didn't start writing right away. Instead, he took out the scratch paper the yamen runners had handed out and wrote out a first, unrevised draft.

Meanwhile, over at Dudu Town.

Wang Xiuxiu, holding Yin Hongxue's and Gu Muan's hands, rode a bullock cart with the two of them, swaying along until they got to Dudu Town, with the sky just barely light.

But at this hour, the town was already packed with people.

Chen Youyan had specifically given her some copper coins, and at Yin Hongxue's suggestion, Wang Xiuxiu headed to a wonton shop.

Yin Hongxue pulled out a stool and had Wang Xiuxiu sit down first, then called out loudly.

She then saw Wang Xiuxiu, who was smiling at her kindly, and Gu Muan, who was not shy at all and stared at her without blinking.

Yin Hongxue explained, "Yes, Grandma brought my younger brother and me here early in the morning to have wontons."

"Oh, I see. Then I'll add a couple extra wontons for you folks."

Before Yin Hongxue could respond, Gu Muan, upon hearing about the extra wontons, perked up and sat up straight.

In a sweet voice, he said, "Thank you, Auntie!"

Gu Muan's little face was chubby, and his big eyes looked like the plums Auntie Zhang had eaten before. When he smiled, he looked cute and lovable.

Auntie Zhang indeed smiled with her eyes crinkling, wishing she could squeeze Gu Muan's cheeks.

Although it was a busy time, Auntie Zhang and her husband worked quickly, and soon they brought over a bowl of wontons and two bowls of wonton noodles.

Wontons were considered a delicacy; a bowl cost twelve wen and came in a modest portion.

It was just enough to fill you up, but if more was needed, adding three wen or one wen could get extra wontons or noodles to make wonton noodles.

Wang Xiuxiu had little appetite in the morning, so she ate wontons, while Gu Muan and Yin Hongxue had wonton noodles.

When the wontons arrived, the three of them took a sip of the soup all at once.

Auntie Zhang's wonton soup was made from simmered bone broth, milky white. One sip chased away all the morning chill.

When he took a bite, the filling was firm, springy, and flavorful.

The first wonton seemed to slide straight into his mouth as if it were his own tongue, and Gu Muan, in his haste, didn't even taste it properly.

Wang Xiuxiu thought to herself, no wonder they could run a shop in town with so many customers.

They really knew what they were doing.

After the three finished their soup, they paid and left.

The taste was truly delicious. Gu Muan held Wang Xiuxiu's hand and patted his round, full belly with the other, couldn't help exclaiming, "If only we could have wontons like this every day."

Wang Xiuxiu and Yin Hongxue couldn't help laughing.

"You greedy boy, a bowl costs twelve wen. How could we afford to eat them every day?"

Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help doing the math in her head.

A pound of pork was only eighteen wen. With the money spent today, she could make a meal at home that would fill everyone up.

Gu Muan swung Wang Xiuxiu's hand back and forth playfully and said innocently, "When An Ge becomes a doctor and earns money, I'll buy meat every day and we can cook it at home ourselves."

Wang Xiuxiu and Yin Hongxue laughed at him again.

It would still be many years before Gu Muan would become a doctor and earn money.

They happened to arrive at a drink stand. Yin Hongxue picked up the bamboo tubes he had prepared earlier and ran over to buy three cups.

When he returned, he heard Wang Xiuxiu saying, "My dear boy, you mean well. We can buy meat and cook it ourselves, but the taste just won't be as good as theirs. Still, when we eat at home, we don't need to worry about that."

"Why wouldn't it taste as good as theirs?"

In Gu Muan's view, the food at home was delicious, Auntie Zhang's in town was delicious, and what his dad and papa had bought at the market was equally delicious.

Wontons were tasty, buns were delicious, flatbreads were tasty, noodles were delicious, roast chicken was tasty, and stewed chicken was also delicious.

"Because everyone uses different ingredients when cooking meat and other dishes. For example, your dad uses minced garlic to season the oil when stir-frying greens, while Grandma prefers to use scallion whites."

"Of course, what we make at home is hearty, but Auntie Zhang runs a shop in town, so she has to make it taste good. Naturally, she uses things we wouldn't normally use."

This time, Gu Muan got it.

He thought about it and remembered that there was a flavor in the wontons he didn't recognize but found delicious.

They walked on and arrived at Huichun Hall.

Wang Xiuxiu and Yin Hongxue stopped talking and together walked Gu Muan inside.

Doctor Ding had already arrived and came over with a smile upon seeing Wang Xiuxiu and the others.

Wang Xiuxiu was very respectful to Doctor Ding, said all the right things, and quietly reminded Gu Muan before leading Yin Hongxue away.

Before leaving, Yin Hongxue winked at Gu Muan, signaling that if he needed anything, he could come find him at Cen Huashi's place.

This was what the two boys had planned the day before.

Seeing Yin Hongxue like this, Gu Muan happily winked back.

Wang Xiuxiu wanted to stay longer at Huichun Hall, but she worried Doctor Ding might grow annoyed and that Gu Muan wouldn't focus if she lingered. Even though she was reluctant, she hurried away.

Gu Muan stood at the entrance of Huichun Hall, and only after Wang Xiuxiu and Yin Hongxue were out of sight did he walk back inside with a slightly disappointed look.

No matter how well things were planned at home, reality often differed from expectations.

Doctor Ding sat quietly behind his consultation desk, watching him.

As he approached, Doctor Ding smiled slightly and said, "Though you're young, you've come early. I'm pleased with that."

Hearing his master's praise, Gu Muan, who had been a bit down, showed a smile.

"However," Doctor Ding changed his tone, "studying medicine is arduous. You're young and a boy. If you slack off because you find it hard or tedious, I will have to discipline you."

Gu Muan instinctively straightened up. He looked up at Doctor Ding and asked, both fearful and curious, "Master, how would you discipline me?"

Doctor Ding smiled, then picked up a bamboo stick as long as his arm from the table.

"Strike your palm or the back of your legs."

Doctor Ding deliberately slowed and drew out his words. As he spoke, he gently tapped the tip of the bamboo stick first on Gu Muan's hand, then on the back of his calf.

Gu Muan followed his movements, first hiding his hand behind his back, then taking a small step back and pressing his legs together.

Seeing this, Doctor Ding laughed again. "Of course, if you behave obediently, I won't punish you."

Gu Muan nodded hurriedly, but before he could finish his assurances, the other girl studying medicine arrived.

Seeing this, Gu Muan quickly stepped back.