Chapter 77: Preparations Before the Scholars’ Banquet

“The new house has already been built, just waiting for your return. We're preparing to hold your scholar’s banquet at the new place. Not just people from our village—even those from neighboring villages who have some connection to us have all said they want to be invited to your banquet.”

“Besides those from our side, we’ll also invite your grandmother’s family. Everything for the banquet is ready; we’re just waiting for you to come home.”

Li Su was stunned. They actually hold a banquet for passing the county-level examination?

He remembered when he topped the science entrance exam back in modern times, his parents had only given an indifferent “Oh,” and that was the end of it. A banquet? That was simply unheard of.

Now, after merely passing the first level, his family was bustling about preparing a grand celebration for him. Li Su couldn’t help but beam with delight, basking in the joy of being valued and cherished.

“Thank you, Father and Mother!” His smile deepened.

Li Daping patted him on the shoulder. “No need for thanks among family. We don’t follow all your scholarly etiquette in this house.”

“So, when will the banquet be held? I’d like to invite some people,” Li Su said, thinking of his master, his teacher, and some classmates from the private school.

“You’ve just come home, Xiaosi, so rest for a couple of days first. Your father already asked someone to pick an auspicious day for the feast—it’s best to do it on the fifth of July,” Feng Cuicui replied.

They’d roughly guessed when he would return and had arranged for someone to select a suitable date in advance. But they hadn’t announced it yet, worried he might be delayed on the road. Just in case, they’d also picked out a few backup dates. Now that he was home, they could finally make the date public.

Today was the first of July—just a few days away.

“Have you seen the new house yet? Go take a look and pick whichever room you want for yourself,” Li Daping suggested, thinking the family would move in after the banquet, though the rooms hadn’t been assigned yet—they were all waiting for him to choose first.

Feng Cuicui tapped the back of Li Daping’s head. “What’s the rush? He’s just come home, let him rest first.” She shot him a glare.

Li Daping rubbed the back of his head helplessly and said nothing more.

Out in the yard, Li Ziru and Li Zixi heard that their younger uncle was back. They immediately left their playmates and scampered home.

The friends left behind looked at one another in confusion. They didn’t really understand what passing the scholar’s exam meant, but from their parents’ tone, they knew it was something extraordinary.

They envied Li Ziru and Li Zixi for having such an impressive uncle who was not only good to them, buying them treats and toys, but had even sent their brothers, Zilin and Ziliang, to school.

It wasn’t just the children who were envious—their parents were too. If only their family had such a child!

Compared to Li Su, their own children seemed to pale in comparison.

The neglected children would protest that Li Su’s success was only possible because his family was willing to invest in his education. They themselves spent every day toiling in the fields—how could they possibly hope to pass the exam?

But because Li Su had passed, and had even sent his nephews to private school, some in the village started to think: maybe, if their own sons were too old, they could try with their grandsons who were still young enough.

Li Su didn’t know about these subtle changes in people’s hearts.

Li Ziru and Li Zixi dashed home, full of pride at being the object of everyone’s envy.

Proud to have such an uncle, such a maternal uncle.

“Uncle!”

“Uncle!”

The two voices rang out together. Li Su looked at the two bright-eyed children, their gaze full of worship, and ruffled their hair. “Have your brothers taught you to read and write? Are you learning well?”

“Yes! We can write our own names and even recite the Three Character Classic,” Li Ziru and Li Zixi declared proudly, puffing out their chests.

“Let me hear you recite it,” Li Su teased.

The two of them began in unison, “At birth, people are naturally good... Xiang at age nine... nine... um, I forgot.” Li Ziru scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

“Not bad at all.”

Their eyes sparkled even more brightly.

Suddenly, the sound of a child crying came from inside.

Feng Cuicui stood up. “That must be Zi’an waking up. I’ll go check.”

Li Zi’an was not yet a year old, chubby and fair-skinned from good nourishment, utterly adorable.

Li Su had given him a silver longevity lock at his full moon celebration, but he hadn’t seen much of the child, as soon after Zi’an’s birth, he’d begun his exams and was seldom home.

Li Su followed, wanting to see his little nephew.

As soon as someone entered, the baby stopped crying. Feng Cuicui, all tenderness, picked the child up.

Li Su saw Zi’an’s soft, fair cheeks and was sorely tempted to give them a pinch.

But one shouldn’t pinch a baby’s cheeks, lest they drool forever after.

Instead, he poked a little dimple into Zi’an’s cheek with his finger—it was so soft and springy, a gentle press left a cute little hollow.

The Li family really had good genes—there wasn’t an unattractive member among them, and Li Su himself was the finest blend of his parents’ best features.

Zi’an reached out his chubby little hands toward Li Su, grinning broadly.

Feng Cuicui laughed. “Looks like our Zi’an is very fond of his uncle already.”

Zi’an gurgled and cooed. “Xiaosi, do you want to hold him? This little fellow wants you to pick him up.”

Li Su was taken aback. I don’t know how!

“Want to try?”

He quickly shook his head. “No, no, that’s alright.”

He’d heard that a baby’s bones were still fragile, and if you held them the wrong way, you could hurt them.

Feng Cuicui couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Look at you—you won’t even hold your own child when you have one?”

Li Su fell silent. At the moment, he had no intention of ever getting married.

Having grown up watching his parents’ cold marriage, he had no romantic notions about tying the knot himself.

They hadn’t been responsible for their marriage or their children, which had left him with a deep aversion to the idea.

But he wasn’t about to tell his parents that now. Even in modern times, many parents couldn’t accept their children not marrying—how much more so in ancient days?

Fortunately, he wasn’t their only son; they were already surrounded by children and grandchildren.

So he changed the subject. “We’ll see. For now, I think I’ll go have a nap.”

Feng Cuicui, heart aching for her son, said, “Go, get some rest.” Studying was a fine thing, but it was exhausting. What mother wouldn’t feel for her child?

...

Li Su woke from a blissful sleep to find the sun already setting.

When he stepped out of his room, his second brother, second sister-in-law, and third sister had all returned.

Business at their shop had improved, so Li Zhengping had been going to help out as well.

“Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Third Sister,” Li Su greeted them.

Li Zhengping beamed. “Xiaosi is back! We bought fish and meat for tonight—after all those exams, you need to eat well and recover.”

Li Zhengping was a different person from when she’d first come home—now confident, poised, and radiant, you’d never imagine she was mother to a seven- or eight-year-old.

“Great, then I’ll have to eat a little extra tonight,” Li Su replied with a smile.

At dinner, everyone piled food into his bowl. “Enough, enough!”

“Xiaosi, will you come with me to visit your grandmother’s tomorrow?” Feng Cuicui asked. The two villages were some distance apart, so she’d planned to wait until the date for the banquet was set before visiting her family.

His grandparents? Since arriving here, he hadn’t met those relatives yet.

Li Su nodded. “I’ll go with you, Mother.” He was curious about his grandmother’s side of the family—if they were decent, perhaps when he needed help, he could employ them. Better to benefit one’s own kin than outsiders.

With a year until the next provincial exam, besides studying, he could spare some time to use his silver to make more money—left idle, it would never multiply.