Chapter Twenty-Three: The Final Sprint

The old patriarch glanced once more at his eldest daughter-in-law, who reluctantly brought out a small box. Inside were scattered pieces of silver, two strings of copper coins, and several worthless banknotes.

"This is the family's gift for your new status—use it to furnish your home," the old patriarch said, handing the box to his youngest daughter-in-law. These were the gifts received from yesterday.

Although the clan didn't collect contributions, it would be indecent for relatives to come empty-handed for a meal, so each gave what they could, though less than a formal contribution.

"Thank you, Father," the young wife replied, accepting the box with both hands.

"When you reach the county, don't let the third son manage the money," the old patriarch warned again. "That boy can't shake his young master's habits—he'll squander any amount you give him."

Cui Cui nodded, assuring him she understood. Her husband voiced no objection; after making such a mess, he'd become thoroughly subdued.

"Though your father said he'd hire a matron to take care of you for a year, I can't trust just an outsider. Someone from the family should go to help as well." The old patriarch sighed. "It would be best if your elder sister-in-law went, but she's not suitable..."

The young aunt lowered her head in sadness. She was actually a few years older than her brother, and had been engaged long ago. But her first fiancé died before the wedding. Two years ago, she was matched with a military officer, but on the eve of their marriage, a rebellion broke out in Bozhou; her groom-to-be died in the campaign to suppress it.

After these setbacks, she gained a reputation for ill luck. On yesterday's joyous occasion, she kept out of sight, and a dangerous task like childbirth was certainly not for her.

"So your eldest sister-in-law will accompany you for a year or so. She may have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and sometimes speaks without thinking—don't take it to heart," the patriarch instructed finally.

The young wife agreed without hesitation, perhaps not knowing what kind of person her sister-in-law was. But even if she did, it wouldn't matter; in the Su family, the patriarch rarely spoke, but once he did, his word was law.

Su Lu felt a quiet sympathy for his aunt. The days ahead would have little in common with peaceful serenity...

~~

Before dawn the next day, the patriarch led the family to the riverbank’s wooden pier to see off the young couple.

Moored at the pier was a "crooked stern boat," common on the Chishui River, distinguished by its tall, right-tilted stern. The boatman stood atop it, wielding a giant oar, appearing almost suspended above the water.

This design was made for navigating the river's winding, dangerous shoals. Even so, only during the dry season could boats travel safely; when waters ran high and rapid, hiding treacherous rocks, no one dared risk the journey.

Master Cheng and his eldest son waited on board—they were responsible for escorting the couple to the county.

Watching the boatman maneuver the enormous oar and guide the crooked stern boat downstream, the old patriarch breathed a long sigh of relief.

After a month of effort, he'd finally cleaned up the mess his third son had made...

Relaxing at last, his back hunched again, and his whole body seemed exhausted.

"Many sons, many grandchildren, many troubles," he muttered, taking a betel leaf roll from his pouch. He first held it to his nose, inhaling its fresh scent, then popped it into his mouth to chew. The spicy, pungent flavor filled his senses, invigorating him just enough to walk home.

Back at home, he resumed his languid routine—three meals and two naps a day, rarely saying more than ten words. Who knew how long he’d need to recover before he could muster his strength for another upheaval?

His grandson, meanwhile, was the complete opposite. Su Lu began to ignite his inner cosmos, launching the final fourteen-day sprint before the exam!

~~

Anyone who has studied knows the importance of "sharpening the spear before battle"—the period before the exam is when scores can rise the fastest, and every minute is precious!

At this point, Su Lu still had fifty-three thousand words left to learn, along with a mountain of material to review.

Su Youcai was already panic-stricken, muttering, "It's too late, it's too late..."

Su Lu, however, was calm. He was a habitual offender in this regard. Back in university, except for main subjects like English and advanced mathematics, he only encountered other subjects' revision materials a week or two before exams—"Nice to meet you, let's get acquainted."

Memorizing a course's content in a day was routine, though he'd forget it all as soon as the exam was over. At least he'd get through the tests… Though the main reason he never failed was teachers’ leniency, it couldn’t be denied that short-term, high-intensity memorization worked wonders!

He believed that in this younger body, after three months of tireless study, his memory was at its peak—he’d surely perform even better!

Of course, Su Lu didn't simply rush in blindly. He meticulously recalculated his schedule. First, his regular script had just reached entry level. According to his eldest brother, it still had no redeeming features, but at least it wouldn’t disgust the teacher or lose marks for poor handwriting.

Su Youcai said he was lucky to be taking his exam in the twelfth lunar month—the coldest time of year. Everyone’s hands were frozen stiff, and since the children hadn’t mastered the basics, their handwriting would suffer; so the exam papers wouldn't look too different.

With that, Su Lu canceled his daily hour of handwriting practice. With his current level, copying essays was enough to keep his hand in; no need for special drills.

This saved fourteen hours over fourteen days—almost two extra days of effective study time.

Next, he reduced the number of revision cycles to four: reviewing after twenty minutes, one hour, one day, and seven days. In the final days before the exam, he trimmed it further to three cycles. This freed up another two days for learning new material.

Altogether, it was as if he had eighteen days available—three thousand words a day, totaling fifty-four thousand words, just enough time!

Su Youcai was dumbfounded by this precise time management, tempted to apprentice himself to the master.

~~

Though time was barely sufficient, Su Lu still strove to improve his memorization efficiency, hoping to squeeze out a bit more time to review what he’d recited in the first month.

If he faltered and failed even the written test, the consequences could be dire.

To this end, he slept only two hours a day, reciting texts both awake and asleep.

In these final days, he cut out all distractions, never leaving his room, eating his meals within four walls.

Each time his aunt brought food, she felt uneasy; everywhere she looked—table, bed, floor, walls, even ceiling—yellow banana leaf papers were hung, each inscribed with black lines like tree branches.

Autumn Brother sat cross-legged in the center, murmuring at the papers, never taking his eyes off them even while eating.

His aunt wanted to tidy up but was immediately shouted away by Autumn Brother, frightening her into raising her hands and tiptoeing out as if navigating a minefield.

On her way out, she bumped into her elder brother returning from duty.

"What's going on? Your face is pale—did you see a ghost?" the uncle asked.

"Shh, Autumn Brother seems to be performing a ritual…" the aunt whispered, gesturing for silence. "Don’t disturb him."

"Oh," the uncle said, covering his mouth, finding it reasonable. Cramming before exams was normal.

He whispered to his sister, "Later, have the second brother take him to Guanyin Mountain to pray—it’ll work better than his own rituals."

"Oh," the aunt replied, thinking, isn’t that a place for praying for children?

Of course, Su Lu wasn't performing any mystical rite; he was using the "memory palace method."

~~

This clever associative memorization technique works by combining information with spatial scenes, aiding recall.

During exams, it's common to encounter questions on material we’ve memorized, yet unable to retrieve specifics—this is a failure in memory recall.

The memory palace solves this. The process involves fixing knowledge points in an orderly fashion to familiar environments—at this moment, the thirty-three banana leaf papers hanging on his front wall represented the thirty-three chapters of "Commentaries on the Doctrine of the Mean."

The first sheet on the right was the first chapter: "Heaven's decree is called nature."

The twelfth was chapter twelve: "The way of the gentleman is arduous and hidden."

The twenty-second was chapter twenty-two: "True sincerity and clarity are called nature."

The other three walls displayed "Collected Commentaries on Mencius," while "Collected Commentaries on the Analects" occupied the ceiling and floor.

As for "Commentaries on the Great Learning," they were laid out in sequence on the desk.

Day after day, Su Lu meditated before these walls to deepen the association between knowledge points and spatial locations. He avoided leaving the room to prevent information contamination and strengthen the connections.

Once he established a robust link, this room became his memory palace.

This method is highly effective for memorizing large volumes of information. When recalling certain passages, he only needed to imagine himself back in the room, "walking" to the right spot, and would retrieve the memory accurately.

~~

Every evening, Su Youcai would randomly quiz him from "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books" from the next room:

"The Master angled but did not use a net; he shot but did not shoot roosting birds."

As soon as his father spoke, Su Lu would close his eyes, returning to his memory palace.

He knew this phrase was from "Collected Commentaries on the Analects," so he looked to the "ceiling," helping him quickly recall its precise source—Book Four, 'Shu Er,' Chapter Seven!

His "gaze" landed on the "beam" where the corresponding paper hung.

This sounds complicated but happens in a flash. Su Lu had already pinpointed the chapter, "Shu Er," and saw the mind map on that banana leaf paper; the memory surged forth and he recited:

"A net is a large rope attached to a net, used by those who fish across streams. Shooting with silk attached to arrows. Roosting birds. Hong says: 'Confucius was poor in youth; for sustenance and sacrifices, he sometimes had no choice but to fish or shoot, as in hunting...'"

"Not bad," Su Youcai nodded. Until bedtime, he continued testing Su Lu.

Indeed, such questioning is a powerful method for consolidating memory.

PS. Thanks to the old reader Xiaomin for the generous alliance reward. More chapters will be added upon release.