Chapter 57: Wanting to Eat Wontons

Chapter 57: Wanting Wonton

The two of them bought a five-cent bag of malt candy bits together, each popping a piece into their mouth, and the rest was stuffed into Yin Hongxue's pocket before they happily headed toward the town entrance.

But to their surprise, they spotted a familiar figure.

Both Gu Muan and Yin Hongxue widened their eyes in delight, and Gu Muan even jumped up and shouted, "Dad!"

Gu Muan was so excited that Yin Hongxue got caught up in it and jogged over with him.

Gu Wen, who had been chatting with someone nearby, turned at the sound and happily hopped off the cart.

"Hey, my good boy!"

The people he'd been chatting with couldn't help but smile enviously at the sight.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan ran over together, their eyes sparkling as they asked, "Dad, why are you here?"

By then, a few folks from Little River Village and nearby villages had already settled onto the mule cart.

Hearing the question, they didn't wait for Gu Wen to answer and chimed in.

It turned out Gu Wen had gone to his carpenter master's place, and seeing the timing was right, he'd come to pick up the two boys.

Afraid of missing them, he'd just waited at the town entrance.

After hearing this, Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan were both delighted. Without waiting for help, they climbed onto the cart.

Gu Wen greeted the others.

He then called out to ask if anyone was heading back to Little River Village or Chen Family Village. Once another man joined, he cracked the whip and set off.

The villagers knew today was Gu Muan's first day learning a trade, and everyone was curious.

As the cart rattled along, someone asked, "An Geer, how was learning medicine today? Easy?"

Gu Muan had malt candy in his mouth. At the question, he pushed it to the side, making a small bulge in his cheek.

But Gu Muan was enjoying his candy too much to bother talking, so he just brushed it off: "It's alright, I guess. Learning a skill's never easy."

Yin Hongxue beside him smirked at that but stayed quiet.

Gu Wen knew everyone was curious, but he didn't like airing family matters.

He quickly spoke up: "That's right. Whether it's embroidery, farming, fish farming, or weaving, there's always a knack to it, and it's all hard work. We don't expect much from the boys, just that they don't waste time and pick up a skill or two to get by."

Among those present, one man and two women had kids of their own, and they nodded in agreement.

Seeing everyone agree, Gu Wen quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. When there was nothing else to say, he'd pick someone and praise their kid to keep things going.

The cart swayed along until everyone was dropped off at the village entrance, finally emptying out.

Then the father and his two sons headed home.

By the end of the trip, Gu Wen's lips were parched from all the talking.

He thought to himself that the money from giving rides wasn't easy to earn, but with the family's finances tight, every little bit helped.

With no one else around, Yin Hongxue finally asked, "Dad, what did you do today?"

At the question, Gu Wen, who'd been a bit tired, perked up.

"That wooden cabinet I made—I took it to discuss business with your master."

It turned out Gu Wen and Chen Youyan had talked it over. The cabinet was time-consuming and novel, but if they tried to make many in a short time, Gu Wen would work himself to death and still not get it done.

Also, the cabinet was pricey, so they needed to find customers with some money.

Gu Wen had always taken on cheap jobs and didn't have access to that kind of clientele.

After much deliberation, they decided to partner with Gu Wen's carpenter master.

Carpentry was different from other trades—when taking on big jobs, there was always a shortage of help.

Gu Wen's carpenter master was a far-sighted, kind-hearted man.

Five carpenters had apprenticed under him, and he had six more in training. He was well-established in town and knew many families with money to spend.

Today, Gu Wen had gone to talk business with him.

As for the details, Gu Wen didn't share more with the two boys. But judging by his beaming expression, the trip must've gone well.

And with that, they were home.

Wang Xiuxiu was coming over from the mountain with a basket, probably just back from digging wild veggies.

Seeing the father and sons, she quickened her pace, beaming.

Yin Hongxue climbed down from the cart on his own, but Gu Muan had gotten drowsy from the bumpy ride. He rubbed his eyes with his little hands and reached out toward Gu Wen.

Gu Wen lifted him down first, then drove the mule cart around to the backyard.

Seeing how sleepy Gu Muan looked, Wang Xiuxiu's heart went out to him. She urged him to go inside and take a nap.

Yin Hongxue heard this and led Gu Muan off.

He slept until dinner, and it was Yin Hongxue who gently woke him.

Gu Muan stretched lazily, a bit more alert now, and shuffled his shoes on as he followed Yin Hongxue outside.

Dinner was simple—vegetable porridge with flatbread, plus wild greens stir-fried in lard and some oily pickled veggie strips.

As Gu Muan ate, he suddenly remembered the wontons from this morning.

Hearing him sigh and noticing he wasn't eating as eagerly as usual, Chen Youyan raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong? You're usually the most eager eater. Did the clinic feed you too well at lunch?"

Gu Muan dragged his words out: "I want to eat wontons."

Wang Xiuxiu and Yin Hongxue both looked at him, remembering what Gu Muan had said earlier.

Oh my, this little boy really had taken those words to heart.

Chen Youyan raised his brows and shot him a sideways glance. "Why didn't you say that before we finished eating? It's already this late—where am I supposed to find you wontons?"

Gu Wen also laughed. "Tomorrow Dad will buy meat, and we'll have wontons tomorrow, alright, An Geer?"

Gu Muan glanced at Chen Youyan and reluctantly nodded. After dinner, Gu Muan was called out to play by the other little boys, and Yin Hongxue went along with him.

Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu cleaned the table and washed the dishes.

In the evening, hot water still needed to be boiled for washing up. Wang Xiuxiu sat by the stove, tossing in the wood scraps Gu Wen had left over and couldn't use.

Seeing that the fire was about right, she looked up at Chen Youyan washing the dishes and smiled, laughingly telling him about how the three of them—her, her grandson, and her granddaughter—had eaten wontons earlier, and repeated what Gu Muan had said.

Chen Youyan chuckled as well.

"So that's what it was about."

But then Chen Youyan frowned again, looking both troubled and amused.

"I'm afraid I can't get that flavor right, and the little guy'll be pouting again."

Wang Xiuxiu pictured her little grandson pouting like a chubby pufferfish and couldn't help but laugh.

They traded a few more laughs, and Chen Youyan tossed out the dishwater.

Meanwhile, in the small courtyard of the county town.

A full day of exams had drained the five young men's spirits.

They were all a bit listless. After ordering food and eating, they each went back to their own rooms to sleep.

Sitting through such an intense day in those cramped cubicles would be rough even for a martial arts student, let alone a bunch of scholars like them.

They had to head back in at the fifth watch tomorrow morning, so no matter what, they had to make sure they got proper rest.

Gu Chaoning, being younger, was smaller than the others, which made the cramped cubicle a bit more bearable for him.

So after hanging out in his room for a bit, he got up, headed to the kitchen, and boiled a pot of hot water.

After letting the other four know one by one, he carried a basin of water back to his room.

He soaked his feet to ease the fatigue.

The next day, while it was still pitch dark, lamps flickered on in each room and people started stirring.

Early spring mornings were still cold, and having learned from yesterday, all five dressed warmer this time.

With yesterday's experience under their belts, they silently washed up, grabbed their stuff, and filed out of the courtyard one by one toward the exam grounds.

Though it was still early, the streets were already packed with breakfast vendors. Seeing the five of them, some vendors called out asking if they wanted to eat.

To play it safe, they went to their usual spot, each ordered a bowl of noodles, and after eating, bought two flatbreads apiece before paying up and leaving.

By the time they reached the exam grounds, it was barely dawn.

A crowd had already gathered outside, including local students with family members seeing them off.

Gu Rong glanced at them, a little envious. He wanted to gripe to Gu Chaoning, but seeing Gu Chaoning's calm face, he swallowed his words.

He couldn't let Gu Chaoning, two years younger, mock him for being homesick.

Gu Rong looked away, keeping a straight face while silently reciting poetry in his head.

After waiting about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the yamen runners came around for inspection.

The process was the same as yesterday—about half an hour later, it was their turn. After a smooth check, they followed the exam board numbers to find their cubicles.

Gu Chaoning sat in his assigned spot, silently staring up at the sky.

He was unlucky this time—the cubicle he drew had a hole in the roof.

There was a fist-sized hole in the roof, and through it he could still see the faint pale moon that hadn't faded yet.

Luckily, it wasn't raining today, or it would've been miserable.

Gu Chaoning silently stared at the yamen runner keeping order. The runner had checked these cubicles and knew exactly why Gu Chaoning was staring at him.

The two runners exchanged a glance, then one looked away like he'd seen nothing and shifted, turning his back to Gu Chaoning.

Gu Chaoning: "..."

With so many scholars passing the exams every year, why hasn't anyone thought to fix the exam cubicles!

Truly, the hardships I've endured, I'll make you all taste them too.

Gu Chaoning glanced once more at the hole in the roof and moved his luggage and writing supplies farther away from directly under it.

Though it didn't look like it would rain today, it was better to be safe.

After tidying up, Gu Chaoning let out a cold laugh, then steadied himself and closed his eyes.

He remembered that in his past life, after getting a foothold, the first thing he did was propose fixing the exam cubicles.

There had been some hurdles at the time, but since he'd already aligned himself with the eldest prince, it ultimately got done.

Gu Chaoning now hoped someone else out there shared his thoughts.

Today's exam procedure was the same as yesterday. His spot was in a remote corner, with students occasionally passing by looking for their cubicles, but few walked past his.

Gu Chaoning dozed off as usual while waiting for the exam to start.

As dawn broke, a loud "clang" from a bronze gong rang through the air.

That single sound marked the start of the second session of the county exam.