Chapter 47: Successfully Claiming the Top Scholar of the County Examination

Qin Ming was a different story altogether. When he saw Li Su retreating, he shouted loudly, “Su, you wait outside, I’ll squeeze in and save a spot.”

Before Li Su could even react, he saw Qin Ming nimbly weaving through the throng, gliding through the crowd as if he were a fish in water. Li Su was truly astonished—he never would have guessed Qin Ming possessed such a gift.

Lin Ze and Ren Shuhua hurriedly called out, “Wait for us!” They tried to follow Qin Ming, but after a few steps, the press of bodies forced them back out. The two exchanged a silent glance and retreated to stand beside Li Su.

Now, all four pinned every hope on Qin Ming alone.

“The results are out! The results are out!” As the bailiffs came forth and struck the gongs in their hands, the already lively scene turned even more clamorous. The bailiffs barely had time to finish posting the list before everyone was frantically searching for their names.

Some rejoiced, others wept. Everyone’s first instinct was to look for their own name. Qin Ming, convinced that Su would surely be at the top, began scanning from the very first place.

The two characters written next to first place were all too familiar to him! Brimming with excitement, Qin Ming called out in Li Su’s direction, “Su! You’re the top scholar of the county!”

After shouting, Qin Ming resumed his search for the other three’s names, his eyes darting over the list with remarkable speed.

Meanwhile, the other scholars, upon hearing Qin Ming’s exclamation, all turned to look at Li Su.

“It’s Li Su—I’m not surprised. Even though he’s kept a low profile these past months, his brilliance at the poetry gathering and the Lotus Banquet was unforgettable.”

“Is that the Li Su I know of?”

“The very same! Who would have thought, after months out of sight, he’d emerge as the top scorer in the county exam!”

Someone walked over to speak with Li Su, and he responded with his usual gentle courtesy.

Qin Ming soon spotted Lin Ze’s and Ren Shuhua’s names—they were listed somewhere in the middle. It wasn’t until he checked the lower part of the list that he found his own. Yet he was perfectly content; next time, he would do even better. He cared little for rank, only that his name appeared on the roll.

With delight, Qin Ming squeezed out from the crowd. “Su, you were right! We all made it onto the list! Truly a miracle!”

Lin Ze and Ren Shuhua, unable to contain their excitement, turned to Li Su, their faces pleading for praise.

For a fleeting moment, Li Su felt as though he had singlehandedly raised three sons.

He nodded to them. “Keep up the effort for the next round. Don’t get complacent during this break.”

Then, in a voice only they could hear, he added, “Let’s strive for all of us to pass the next exams and become Scholars.”

The three nodded vigorously—if they all became Scholars, how wonderful that would be! They could hardly contain their joy.

Those who had failed the county exam looked on in envy at the four, marveling at their luck—four friends taking the exam together, and all four passing.

“What’s there to be so smug about? This is only the county exam—who knows if they’ll pass the next round,” someone grumbled sourly.

“Still, they passed the county exam. You didn’t.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Li Su and his friends paid them no mind and left quietly. After all, their joy was well-earned. Should they be forced to wear long faces just because others hadn’t passed? Besides, they didn’t even know those people, and there was no need to tiptoe around their feelings.

“Let’s head home and tell our families the good news,” Li Su suggested, eager to inform his teacher and invite him home for the New Year.

“Agreed!” Lin Ze and the others were just as eager to share the news with their families. After all, in the past, they’d all failed in the first round of the county exam—passing it now was a milestone.

Though the Scholar’s title was still two exams away, both more challenging than the county test, they were elated all the same.

...

Li Su hurried toward the Sheng residence, where Uncle Lin was already waiting at the gate. “Young Master, how did it go?”

“I’m the top scorer, and Lin Ze and the others all made the list as well.”

“Excellent! Excellent!” Though he’d expected as much, the news still brought him great joy.

Li Su raced to the spot where Xi Sheng often played chess and found him there as expected. “Teacher, I placed first in the county exam.”

Xi Sheng nodded, as if such an outcome were only right. If his own student couldn’t even secure the top spot in the county, then he’d have to question his own abilities as a teacher.

Li Su addressed him sincerely. “Thank you, Teacher.”

Without his teacher’s diligent guidance in writing policy essays, Li Su knew he would never have found the exam so manageable.

“Do you play chess?” Xi Sheng asked.

Li Su glanced at the board and nodded. “I do.”

He knew the rules of Go, and thanks to his exceptional memory, every move formed a complete mental model in his mind.

Their game was evenly matched, much to Xi Sheng’s surprise—Li Su was nothing like the country boy he’d imagined.

As the game progressed, Xi Sheng grew more and more engrossed. Had he known the boy was so skilled at chess, he would not have spent so many days playing against himself. In the end, Xi Sheng eked out a narrow victory. He nearly broke into a sweat in the middle of winter—if he’d lost their very first match, what sort of face would he have left as a teacher?

“Well played, but you’re still a little short of my level,” Xi Sheng remarked with feigned modesty.

Li Su suppressed a smile. “You’re right, Teacher. I still have much to learn from you.”

Xi Sheng nodded in satisfaction, and Li Su seized the moment. “Teacher, why don’t you and Uncle Lin come home with me for the New Year? It will be livelier that way.”

Xi Sheng paused, teacup in hand. “All together for the New Year?”

“Yes! Let the young servants of the Sheng residence go home to their own families, and you and Uncle Lin can come to mine. My parents would love to thank you properly.” Li Su spoke with earnest sincerity.

Xi Sheng pondered for a moment, then met Li Su’s hopeful gaze. Almost against his own will, he agreed. “Very well.”

He thought to himself, since he was going, he couldn’t go empty-handed—he’d have Uncle Lin gather some gifts for Li Su’s family.

Li Su immediately broke into a joyful smile.

“Look at you, grinning like a fool,” Xi Sheng said gruffly.

He produced a thick stack of banknotes. “This is your share of the ice business profits from the past few months.” Each note was for a thousand taels.

Li Su’s eyes went wide—surely this was tens of thousands of taels? Was he suddenly rich?

“Don’t look so greedy—it’s only a little money,” Xi Sheng scoffed, though in truth, a few tens of thousands was no small sum. This was a modest windfall for his young student, while Chengxuan was making a true fortune elsewhere.

“Everyone likes money. It may not be all-powerful, but life without it is impossible.”

“Always with the twisted logic,” Xi Sheng replied, though he couldn’t really argue.

Li Su planned to draw up blueprints for a heated brick bed. After purchasing a shop in the county, his family likely didn’t have much left. Building a blue-brick, white-walled house in the countryside would take at least a hundred taels. With so many in the Li family, if they wanted a larger house, it might cost two or three hundred taels.

But now, money was no longer a concern. If he was to build, he would build something worthwhile.

Li Su sketched out a rough design for the house, drew the heated bed, and annotated the principles behind it. After reading a while longer, he set off for his family’s shop, eager to share his exam results with his loved ones.