Later, things changed—he simply wanted to see Lu Yang. Whenever he saw him, Xie Yan could feel a certain strength as well, as if influenced by him, the withered emotions in his heart beginning to sprout again.
At that time, the only way Xie Yan could help Lu Yang was by kneading dough. His hands were strong.
When the water came to a boil, Xie Yan extinguished the fire, poured some of the water out, and then set the chopping board across the top of the pot. Covering it with a lid, he used the warmth to speed up the dough’s rising.
He used the remaining hot water to wash his face. After washing, he felt even more alert.
Xie Yan planned to steam a batch of “mooncake buns.”
After washing his face, he strolled through the examination alley and borrowed steamers from other scholars. Quite a few examinees had brought steamers with them. They carried flower rolls or steamed buns into the compound, boiled a pot of water, and steamed the buns to eat them hot. The hot water could also be used to wash their faces or feet. Simple and convenient.
Xie Yan had brought very little with him and had not planned on cooking many meals himself. He wanted to carry fewer things—if necessary, he could always buy food.
He compared the sizes of the steamers and chose several that could be stacked together. After washing them with clean water, he checked that the dough had finished rising, kneaded it again, and divided it in the steamers. Then he pinched off small portions one by one, rolling them into balls and flattening them, shaping them like little mooncakes.
Once they were steamed, he handed the “mooncakes” out for people to eat.
They were made small, and there were many people, so each person could only take one.
If someone did not want theirs, Xie Yan would eat a few more himself.
The other examinees watched him busily working. Only after they saw him eat one himself did they dare take a bite.
Many simply accepted them out of politeness and did not eat them.
Xie Yan did not care what the others thought. His heart felt open and light, and his mind loosened as well, no longer so crowded.
He had always believed himself to be a clever person, someone who learned things quickly. But in truth he was rather slow-witted. When problems appeared, he relied on past experience and could not come up with many creative ideas. Most of the time he used clumsy methods, trying again and again, needing a great deal of time to verify things.
Lu Yang often said he was dull. Now he already knew why—if you think more than you act, you end up looking dull.
Xie Yan shook his head and went to sleep unusually early that night.
He did not look at the moon in the sky. Curling up on the wooden board, he lay there. In front of him was a tin of peppermint balm with only a thin layer left at the bottom. In his arms were the knee pads Lu Yang had made for him.
With his eyes closed, he recited essays one after another. He did not need to finish memorizing them. Just like notes written on paper, he would recite halfway and then, when an idea came to him, follow that thought and turn off in another direction, his mind drifting farther and farther away.
Early the next morning, the third session of the examination began.
Xie Yan tidied his examination stall early and waited for the answer sheets, clear-minded and bright-eyed.
Outside the examination grounds, Lu Yang was at home, facing a long wait.
Waiting was difficult, so Lu Yang went to the Golden Buddha Pagoda.
He wandered around inside for a while. At this hour there were no idle visitors strolling through the temple, and his presence seemed rather out of place.
Lu Yang stood beneath the pagoda for a long time, but in the end he did not go in to pray.
He no longer prayed to the Buddha. If Xie Yan succeeded, it would be because Xie Yan had studied hard and worked diligently; it had nothing to do with whether Lu Yang prayed or not.
The prosperous provincial capital appeared to him now as nothing more than noisy clamor.
There were many kinds of businesses here, roughly the same as in the prefectural city.
Two prosperous places so close to one another—aside from the scale of the city, they were not very different.
Lu Yang had also walked around near the examination compound. Houses near the compound were expensive; one successful business during exam season could sustain someone for three years.
Among the people who lived off these houses, some were lazy and some were diligent. Some set up stalls to attract customers, and when there were no examinations they found other work to do. Others lived entirely off the rent, wishing they could charge sky-high prices.
Lu Yang had also gone to look near the government offices. He had taken an early look at the place where the Deer Banquet would be held and had also visited outside the Provincial Administration Office, where the Dragon and Tiger List would be posted.
The Dragon and Tiger List was the “golden list” of those who had passed the provincial examination.
It was extremely lively there. Even before the candidates had emerged, people were already waiting—some were relatives or servants of examinees, but most were there to make money. They would ask for a name and where the candidate was from, promising to help check the results and deliver good news.
Lu Yang had heard of the spectacle before. It would be extremely crowded.
He did not plan to squeeze to the very front; he only wanted to watch the excitement.
These people were also busy introducing nearby restaurants and teahouses, leading him to see private rooms and window seats.
The window seats truly had only a single chair, set by a street-facing window. Sitting there later, one could look down and see the sea of people below. The private rooms were ordinary rooms, but the price had increased tenfold. One seat cost one tael of silver, while a private room cost fifteen taels, including a pot of tea.
Since he was already here, it would be a pity not to see such excitement.
Lu Yang reserved a private room. When the time came, he would invite the God of Wealth and the others to watch the spectacle together.
He did not hire anyone to check the results. Once someone passed, there would naturally be people bringing the news, so it made no difference whether he checked or not.
After walking around outside, Lu Yang returned home.
The Wu family’s small courtyard was quiet. Once one turned into the alley, the noise outside was completely shut away.
Uncle Lei had already told the servants to clean up the house and had gone to the medical clinic to buy several packets of herbal bath ingredients. When Wu Pingzhi and Xie Yan returned from the examination, they would be able to soak in medicinal baths to wash away the smell and relieve their fatigue.
He had already begun thinking about the menu and asked Lu Yang to help make some decisions.
Lu Yang was a guest, not Wu Pingzhi’s husband—how could he make decisions for the Wu household?
He declined several times, but Uncle Lei did not understand the hint, so Lu Yang said it directly. Uncle Lei suddenly realized, then asked what Lu Yang and Xie Yan liked to eat and whether they had any food restrictions so he could take note when preparing the dishes.
Lu Yang named several dishes. Seeing that Uncle Lei was as restless as an ant on a hot pan and had little composure, he reminded him, “Prepare a lighter meal first. They have not eaten properly for several days, so they cannot eat anything too rich.”
With that reminder, Uncle Lei’s entire menu had to be redone.
He said to Lu Yang, “I am only a gatekeeper. The master and young master rarely come here, and none of the servants were kept in the house, so it is usually very quiet. I learned a few skills from the shopkeeper, but I only use them once or twice a year. When my heart is calm, I can handle things properly. But when I get anxious, everything turns into a mess.”
Lu Yang told him not to worry. After thinking it over, he said, “When the two of them come home after the exam, let them take a bath first, then have a meal. Arrange things the way you did when we first arrived. Call a few more people to help dry their hair. Hire two people to give them a full-body massage. They have been cramped in that tiny place; their bodies will be uncomfortable. That will be enough. The next day, proceed as usual—prepare plenty of food, and the rest can follow your young master’s arrangements.”
Uncle Lei nodded in agreement and then said to Lu Yang, “It would be wonderful if my young master were married. Then there would be someone at home to take care of things. After this exam, he should at least accomplish one thing—either start a family or establish his career, right?”
Lu Yang replied gracefully, “How could just one thing be enough? Surely it will be double happiness!”
That delighted Uncle Lei so much that the anxiety in his heart eased a little, and even his voice when calling people to work sounded more energetic.
The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Today the examination would end, and the candidates would be allowed to leave the examination compound.
Lu Yang rose very early. After eating breakfast at home, he saw that Uncle Lei had grown anxious again. He reminded him once more what needed to be done that day. Only after seeing him calm down did he leave the house with two servants.
To welcome the candidates coming out, it would be enough to go in the afternoon—but good places were hard to find.
Going earlier would allow him to secure a better spot.
The stalls near the examination compound were packed densely together. Numerous peddlers carried baskets as they moved through the crowd. All kinds of goods had been given auspicious names related to the imperial examinations. Their cries rose and fell one after another; at first listen, one might think they were all selling the same thing.
Fortunately, everyone had some sense. Before the afternoon, people mostly sat at nearby tea stalls waiting, or gathered not far away to chat, rather than crowding the gates of the examination compound too early.
Some tea stall owners were quite good at business. They would bring up stories of what had happened inside the compound over the past few days, attracting groups of listeners. Lu Yang was among them.
For example, on the first night after entering the compound, a candidate had gone mad, shouting that he had passed the examination.
For another example, over the following days, several people were caught cheating.
Or how certain candidates quarreled over various matters and what disputes arose.
Lu Yang listened with curiosity—how did they know all this?
Other tea drinkers were curious as well.
The stall owner laughed and said, “It is like this every year! We locals are no longer surprised by it!”
When asked whether any of it was real, he said that the story about the candidate going mad was true—he had been sent out the very same day.
