Shu Rui and Lu Ling squeezed out through the railings and, on the outskirts, ran into Lu Father, Lu Yu, and Madam Liu. All three were visibly overjoyed.
For one household to produce two scholars with official credentials was a rare delight for an ordinary family.
Shu Rui had already seen Lu Father from a distance before, but the two had never formally met face to face. Since they were all here to see the results, and everyone was in a good mood, it seemed appropriate to go forward, congratulate Lu Yu, and properly meet Lu Father as well.
Just as they were about to approach, however, two of Lu Father’s colleagues stepped forward first to offer their congratulations.
“Young Master Lu truly has outstanding learning. Seeing you today, you’re every bit a fine talent.”
“Like father, like son. We’ve long heard of the Registrar’s remarkable scholarship. Now that Young Master Lu has placed so highly on the list, it shows what excellent guidance the Registrar has given.”
Colleagues who were usually all smiles in public but obstructive in private now called him “Registrar” this and “Lord Lu” that, brimming with respect and enthusiasm.
Lu Father smiled broadly, basking in the praise, feeling no small measure of pride. Then his eye caught sight of Lu Ling and Shu Rui a short distance away. His expression stiffened slightly, and he cleared his throat.
Seeing this, a trace of an indescribable feeling passed through Shu Rui’s heart. But he quickly suppressed it and, being sensible, took hold of Lu Ling.
“This is out in public. People from the government offices are here to see the list. With Second Brother placing so highly, they’re bound to crowd around Lord Lu to offer congratulations.
“If I go up with you like this, you’re easy enough to explain as the eldest son of the family, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to explain me. Everyone at home knows our relationship and tacitly accepts it, but to outsiders—especially colleagues from the offices—Lord Lu would be in a difficult position. If he acknowledges me as your beloved, people will laugh. If he doesn’t, then you and I will both feel hurt. Either way, I’d only make things awkward.”
“You should go over and stand with your family—that’s better for keeping up appearances. I’ll head back first. I’ll buy some good cuts of meat and cook a couple of dishes, then bring them over tonight with Lu Yu. That’ll be my way of congratulating him.”
Lu Ling frowned. “Then I won’t go either. I’ll go back with you.”
Shu Rui stopped him. “Lu Yu values you as his elder brother. He’s passed the exam and placed in the top three—at such an important moment, having you by his side to praise him means far more to him than all that fawning from the office people.
“If you just turn around and leave with me now, it would look terrible. It’s not as if I don’t know the way back. Things have their priorities.”
Lu Ling looked at Shu Rui, lips pressed tight. “I’m the one who’s made you suffer this grievance. Now that Second Brother has passed, if he still won’t relent, I’ll think of another way.”
“I’m not aggrieved. It’s nothing—it’s just not the right moment.”
Shu Rui coaxed Lu Ling a few more words, watched him go over, and only then left himself.
When Lu Father saw Lu Ling approach, he felt relieved that he hadn’t dragged anyone over to make a scene. But when he then saw Shu Rui leave alone, a sense of guilt still crept into his heart.
Not just these past days— even before the examination, the ge’er had spent no small amount of effort worrying over Lu Yu’s health. Now that Second Brother had passed, it was only natural for him to want to come and offer congratulations, yet it still wasn’t appropriate.
This ge’er was not only meticulous and considerate, but also knew how to conduct himself with propriety. How could that not leave a bitter taste in one’s heart?
“Lord Lu, and this person is…?”
“This is my eldest son…”
Shu Rui truly did go back to the market to buy fresh meat. His luck was good—he even ran into a mountain hunter selling game.
In such a happy mood, he spent a “huge sum” to buy a plump, firm-fleshed rabbit, along with a mountain chicken. On top of that, he bought some mutton as well.
Back at the inn, he shared the good news with Qing-ge’er, tied up his apron, rolled up his sleeves, and got ready to cook.
“Young Master Lu looks like an immortal gentleman,” Qing-ge’er said. “Every time he comes by the inn, I don’t even dare lift my eyes to look at him. Now that he’s taken such a fine rank, he’s all the more dazzling.”
Shu Rui laughed. More than one or two people had praised Lu Yu like this already. He teased Qing-ge’er. “So you like scholars, do you? Then later on, just pick yourself a young scholar. You can read poetry and prose together every day.”
Qing-ge’er’s face reddened. “I’m not thinking about that sort of thing. I’m just trying to earn money steadily.”
With that, he turned and went into the main hall to clean.
Shu Rui smiled, poured water into the pot, and set it to boil so he could scald the chicken and pluck the feathers.
With Lu Ling not around, he had no choice but to take up the knife himself to slit the mountain chicken’s throat—it was barely breathing anyway.
This was work he truly disliked. Killing fish and crabs didn’t bother him much, but slaughtering chickens or rabbits always made him uneasy.
Still, who knew when Lu Ling would be back? If he waited for him to come home to do the killing, it would delay the cooking.
Shu Rui steeled his heart. He plucked the feathers from the chicken’s neck, pinned it against the hand holding its wings, and brought the knife down.
“Ah!”
The mountain chicken looked like it was more dead than alive, but it was far stronger than a domestic free-range chicken. Once it felt pain, it kicked violently and sprang out of Shu Rui’s hands, splattering chicken blood across his face.
When Yu Qiaosheng arrived in high spirits, carrying a small box, he saw Shu Rui holding a kitchen knife, chasing a chicken all over the courtyard, feathers flying everywhere.
He froze for a moment, then quickly snapped back to his senses, set the box down, and rushed over to help. The three of them ran until their backs were soaked with sweat before they finally pinned down the exhausted mountain chicken.
Shu Rui wiped the chicken blood from his face and called for Qing-ge’er to pour Yu Qiaosheng some tea. He was genuinely surprised. “Why has Scholar Yu come at this hour?”
Yu Qiaosheng had hurried all the way there and then chased the chicken, leaving him slightly out of breath, yet the joy in his eyes was impossible to hide. He said to Shu Rui, “I came to tell you—I made the list!”
Shu Rui smiled. “Congratulations, Scholar Yu. Taking first place is no small feat. Your years of hard study were not in vain.”
His congratulations were sincere. Yu Qiaosheng came from a poor family and had studied far from home. He had never wallowed in self-pity, only worked diligently. Achieving such an outstanding result was indeed the greatest reward for all those years of effort.
“You already knew?” Yu Qiaosheng asked in surprise. “Did you go see the posted results too?”
Seeing that Yu Qiaosheng was perhaps a little too pleased, Shu Rui cleared his throat, worried about a misunderstanding. “No, I heard it from others.”
“Oh.” Yu Qiaosheng looked a little disappointed. He had thought Shu Rui had gone specially to check the results for him.
He looked at Shu Rui, wanting to speak, but when he noticed Qing-ge’er nearby, he found it awkward to say anything.
In truth, Shu Rui was also surprised that Yu Qiaosheng had come to see him at such a time. Taking first place was an extraordinary achievement—by rights, he should have been receiving congratulations from classmates and teachers. Yet instead, he had come straight here.
Why he had come, Shu Rui already had a sense of.
Since Yu Qiaosheng had made the trip, it was better to say some things clearly, face to face.
He said to Qing-ge’er, “Qing-ge’er, I remember there’s a dirty spot upstairs on the second floor. Go clean that.”
Qing-ge’er immediately understood that the two had something to discuss. He answered and withdrew.
“This… this—could this be Yu Qiaosheng, the very one who topped the list today? How can he act so improperly?”
Madam Liu had just arrived at the back courtyard entrance of the shop when she overheard the voices inside. She hadn’t paid much attention to the names of the two candidates ranked above Lu Yu, but the top name had left an impression.
Who would have thought she’d run into the top scorer here—and that he would be such a young, handsome scholar?
Madam Liu had lived long enough to know better. A man who had just taken first place, running eagerly outside to seek out a young ge’er—what else could it be for?
Alarms rang loudly in her heart. She was just about to go in and cut the scholar off when the silent Lu Ling beside her reached out and stopped her.
She whispered urgently, “You foolish boy—some things have to be fought for! Look at that young scholar: good looks, talent, and a fine academic title. It’d be all too easy for him to steal someone away!”
“Let him choose for himself,” Lu Ling said.
He looked toward the two people in the courtyard. “Some things need a clean ending.”
Madam Liu was anxious, but seeing Lu Ling’s resolute expression, she knew she couldn’t change his mind. She stomped her foot and left in a huff, determined to go argue with Lu Father.
In the courtyard, once Qing-ge’er had left, Shu Rui looked at Yu Qiaosheng. Before Yu Qiaosheng could speak—before he could say the words he had prepared—Shu Rui spoke first, intending to decline gently and preserve the scholar’s dignity.
“Scholar Yu, your learning is outstanding. To take first place at such a young age is truly rare. What you’ve achieved today is no accident—it’s the perseverance you’ve cultivated that brought you here. With such character, your future prospects will surely be boundless.
“In the days ahead, you’ll see many more landscapes, meet even better people. At that time, there will surely be the right person standing within your future. As for now, everything has only just begun.”
Yu Qiaosheng’s brow twitched. Before he could confess his feelings or say any of the carefully rehearsed words, he heard this speech instead.
He understood Shu Rui’s meaning at once, and his heart shook deeply.
He had thought… deep down, he had thought this visit would be a sure thing.
In the past, he had no title, no family background, barely enough food. He hadn’t dared think of anything else, pouring everything into study and the examination path.
Now, at last, he had lived up to expectations. He had made the list—and not just that, but taken first place. So why was it still… like this?
Yu Qiaosheng looked at Shu Rui and murmured, “Why? Is there something wrong with me?”
Shu Rui shook his head. “You are very good.”
His gaze lifted slightly to the side, then returned. He pressed his lips together, a faint curve appearing. “It’s just that my heart already belongs to someone.”
Then he looked back at Yu Qiaosheng. “To be held in such regard by you makes me very happy. But feelings are not like business. Even though there is also a matter of who comes first, once I’ve chosen, no matter how good or bad what comes later may be, I will not change.”
It was as though a basin of icy water had been poured over Yu Qiaosheng’s head—colder even than those bitter winter days when he had traveled lightly clothed to study.
Bitterness spread through his heart. He had truly believed he’d found someone who understood him, someone rare—yet that person was not his to have.
His mouth went dry. The joy he had felt on the way here was matched now, measure for measure, by his pain.
He clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Shu Rui. Though he had been rejected, Shu Rui’s honesty and his unwavering devotion to the one he loved earned Yu Qiaosheng’s respect.
From bitterness came a strange comfort. He hadn’t misjudged Shu Rui—if anything, this only highlighted his own flaws, his lack of sincerity.
He glanced at the box he had brought and laughed at himself. “I wanted to give you a gift. I knew you loved books, knew you’d never shown insecurity about your appearance in front of others—always confident and composed. And yet, I still chose something as vulgar as cosmetics.
“Even if your heart had been unclaimed, if I searched my conscience, I’d still be unworthy of you.”
“A Shao, thank you. Even if there is no future for us, even being rejected today, I truly wanted to thank you properly.”
“Studying far from home in the prefectural city, I’ve tasted both warmth and coldness of human feeling. The bit of warmth I received from you was crucial in bringing me to where I am today.”
“If we cannot become partners in life, then we can still be friends.”
Shu Rui hadn’t expected such an open confession and didn’t know what to say. He simply nodded gently.
In the end, Yu Qiaosheng picked up the box that now filled him with shame and took his leave.
He walked away in a daze, more lost than on that rainy day before the examination.
Shu Rui let out a breath. It should have been nothing, yet Yu Qiaosheng’s last words left his heart feeling complicated.
He understood, really. People are drawn to beauty, especially when they have more choices. Yu Qiaosheng’s concern for his appearance was real, but so was his attraction to his character.
People are complicated. There is no such thing as a perfect person. Even Shu Rui himself was full of infatuation, resentment, love, and longing.
In the end, however Yu Qiaosheng truly felt no longer mattered. They had spoken clearly. Barring unforeseen circumstances, one would be a merchant, the other a scholar. Their paths were unlikely to cross again.
Shu Rui lifted his head, squinting up at the roof, meeting someone’s gaze. “Are you planning to settle in up there, or are you coming down?”