“The common saying goes that Gold Boss from the study hall came to talk to me and offered two ways to cooperate. I also gave him a choice: we publish the books, and he buys and sells them. He hasn’t replied yet. I’m still hesitating whether to offer a bit of a discount. After all, running a bookshop gives him access to rare collections and maybe a chance to find excellent articles—treasures worth a fortune. Do you think this could work?”
Wu Pingzhi couldn’t really say whether it would succeed or not. He only said, “If it were me, I’d cooperate with a small profit margin. Compared to pursuing a government post, silver really isn’t much.”
He had his priorities; it all depended on what Lu Yang and Xie Yan valued more.
Xie Yan hesitated. In the past, he would have chosen the articles without a second thought—even a one-in-a-thousand chance of discovering a great piece was enough for him to pick the article.
Now, after having experienced the hardships of life, he understood the power of money. He went to the market to buy ingredients, visited the medical hall for prescriptions, inquired about the prices of rare herbs, and managed the many expenses at home. Studying consumed a lot of silver, and his mother and the husband in the household had never truly lived without worry. Life was still hard work, and the small shop demanded attention.
Silver really mattered.
He could calculate: selling books brought high profit, but giving up a portion of it—even roughly estimating—made his heart ache.
When Lu Yang heard Wu Pingzhi’s words, he immediately made up his mind: he would choose the articles. He had delayed only because the Wu family might have other channels. Now that Wu Pingzhi had offered more avenues, there was no need to reconsider.
He made his decision, then turned to Xie Yan, who looked heartbroken, and smiled, shaking his head. “What’s wrong? So unhappy? Don’t you love reading?”
Xie Yan muttered, “It costs too much.”
Lu Yang teased him, “What’s that? Someday, when my top scholar earns gold by the word, he’ll earn it all back for me.”
Xie Yan sighed. That would really be some far-off day.
A little further along, Lu Yang started feeling unwell.
He felt nauseous and a bit dizzy, so he closed his eyes and leaned back to rest.
As the carriage rolled on, he spoke less and less. Worried he might be uncomfortable resting his head, Xie Yan laid a blanket along the bottom of the carriage, sat on the floor, and let Lu Yang rest his head on him for a nap.
Wu Pingzhi remained in his seat, legs drawn onto the narrow bench, eyes closed, resting.
During the first break, Lu Yang had no appetite, only got out to stretch, taking deep breaths to clear the stifling heaviness from his chest.
They were just starting out, so there was no need to cook; dried food sufficed.
The carriage, faster than mule carts, soon left the following scholars behind.
Once back on the road, they quickly outpaced them again.
Xie Yan said frankly to Wu Pingzhi, “You aren’t really traveling with them.”
Wu Pingzhi chuckled but didn’t reply.
Xie Yan thought for a moment. “Oh—you don’t consider them friends.”
Wu Pingzhi replied, “Do you think they’d notice me?”
Xie Yan thought Wu Pingzhi was great: a genuinely kind man, generous, pleasant to talk to—a likable person.
Wu Pingzhi grinned at him and said, “I see you know good people.”
Xie Yan stayed quiet, recalling how Wu Pingzhi had helped Lu Yang get medicine before, and the conversation they’d had then.
People like them had to work hard to achieve fame and success.
Xie Yan knew that, but hadn’t fully understood what kind of people they were. Now, recalling the hardships of the past two years, he slowly began to understand.
Merchants’ smell of copper coins isn’t charming, nor is the stinginess of the poor. A poor person can’t go far; a rich person without the skill to protect their wealth may find freedom or slaughter—no one could know.
The word “success” grew heavier as he observed the world.
That night, they didn’t reach the neighboring county and rested outdoors.
The group gathered at a spot to stop for the night.
Lu Yang made a pot of dumpling soup, warming everyone up, filling their stomachs.
He also foraged some fresh wild vegetables. Wu Pingzhi said they could replenish supplies in the county tomorrow, so Lu Yang washed the vegetables in water from his flasks and added them to the dumpling soup.
The ingredients were good. Once the soup was finished, they cleaned the pot and dishes, then took turns resting.
Among the fellow travelers were four others: two scholars’ servants and two husbands. The two scholar husbands approached Lu Yang to help tidy up.
Lu Yang greeted them with a slight smile, exchanging only polite words.
He had streetwise experience and knew how to interact with people; even this minimal friendliness felt warm and natural.
During the evening, he stayed with Xie Yan.
Xie Yan didn’t let him keep watch, taking shifts in the middle of the night. Those sitting outside were surprised.
The duty of companions was to take care of the candidates.
Xie Yan had already brought out the husbands; why would he still keep watch himself?
When asked, Xie Yan was confused. “I haven’t even entered the exam hall yet.”
Traveling was tiring; once in the prefectural city, they could rest a day or two. A little endurance was nothing.
The companions praised him, though other scholars didn’t approve, speaking only briefly. Xie Yan was displeased.
Fortune favored them; the journey was all clear weather. Rain fell only after they reached the prefectural city. They arrived sooner than expected, after five and a half days.
Upon arrival, Xie Yan eagerly separated from the others. Wu Pingzhi had to attend social obligations and ensured the other scholars were settled, leaving Xie Yan to follow the carriage driver.
He had no desire to speak with the others—they were dull and uninteresting.
Lu Yang hadn’t asked about anyone else’s behavior on the road. Once at their lodging, they entered the guest room, and Lu Yang closed the door before asking, “Who upset you?”
Xie Yan hadn’t been upset, only said, “We’re not on the same path.”
He didn’t understand why men felt the need to dominate their husbands, expecting them to serve; he saw no merit in such behavior.
Lu Yang felt relieved hearing this, dropped his luggage, and hugged him. “Ah Yan, you speak so sweetly.”
Xie Yan was momentarily stunned, recalling his words and drawing a conclusion: husbands could be strong and capable, men could sometimes take a humble role. These were words Lu Yang loved to hear.
He curved his lips in a smile, promising to say more in the future.
Just arriving in the prefectural city, they quickly unpacked. Soon, servants brought them meals.
After finishing, four more servants brought hot water for bathing.
Wu Pingzhi returned briefly to check on them, advising them not to be formal, then returned to his meals and rest.
Xie Yan had a lingering issue: he had been reported by five young students to the county school. The instructor, following procedure, planned to revoke his stipend student status, which needed approval from the academic office.
The exams were approaching, and no official decision had yet been made. Xie Yan remained a stipend student, meaning he had to act as guarantor for other students. Each exam had two guarantors: one chosen by the student, the other assigned by the academic office based on ranking. One student, two guarantors.
The next day, he rose early, took documents and a name list to the prefectural rites office, and handled it, allowing him to focus on the exams.
This year’s provincial exam occurred after the local exams; he would finish his own first, then serve as guarantor.
Lu Yang thought this was fine: being a guarantor wasn’t troublesome, and after the exams, they could explore the prefectural city.
They had arrived in a hurry, rested two days, then had to enter the exam hall.
Lu Yang, attending to food and daily needs, had made tiny steamed buns for his top scholar, as well as for their household’s little god of wealth.
He followed the process for regular buns: kneading, proofing, dividing dough—but each piece was tiny, the size of a fingernail, one bite each.
He made two batches: some steamed in a basket, others partially cooked in a pan, like flatbreads, half-steamed, half-baked.
