Chapter Twenty-Four: The Day of Judgment Arrives

The fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, three quarters past the hour of the Dog.

As he recited the final line of the "Doctrine of the Mean"—"The repeated, earnest exhortations to others are truly profound; how can a scholar not devote himself wholeheartedly?"—Su Lu finally, with extraordinary perseverance, superhuman energy, and meticulous method, memorized every textbook required for six years of elementary schooling within a hundred days! He had accomplished a task that seemed impossible.

His father and brothers were with him throughout. Even Su Tai, who was notoriously sleepy, had stayed up to witness his younger brother reach this milestone. The second brother hugged Su Lu tightly, crying like a child weighing a hundred and sixty pounds. "Oh, Autumn, you’ve worked so hard..."

Su Yocai’s nose was tinged with emotion; he murmured, "Honestly, I never believed you’d make it to the end. I certainly didn’t think you could achieve something so remarkable!"

"Without your wholehearted support, how could I possibly have done it?" Su Lu was swept along by his family's excitement, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, second brother. Thank you, father. Thank you, all of you..."

He truly owed his family his gratitude. For a hundred days, his father taught during the day, and then tutored him every night. In the final fortnight, he sacrificed sleep to accompany his son, dark circles shadowing his eyes—a tireless dedication indeed!

Su Tai, after his shifts at the distillery, took over all Su Lu’s chores, and still found time to gather nourishment from the mountains and sea, make pine oil lamps, pine soot ink, banana leaf paper...

He listened to Su Lu’s lessons, and even provided snoring at night. Without his second brother, how could he have studied at all?

But it wasn’t just his second brother; his elder brother contributed greatly as well. In the last two weeks alone, Su Man gave up his own room for Su Lu, pressed a pound of vegetable oil, bought a yard of lamp wick, so Su Lu could study by lamplight and not freeze in the winter nights.

And his young aunt, from the start, gave him an egg a day, a hundred eggs in all, secretly saved from the hens she fed. Because of this, the "old hen that never lays" was scolded countless times by his uncle’s wife.

When his uncle’s wife left for the county to care for his young aunt, his young aunt took charge of the kitchen, determined to nourish Su Lu with three eggs a day—one boiled, one in soup, one stir-fried with lard!

Little Jinbao, too, was always considerate, never disturbing his studies—a feat for a three-year-old with little self-control.

Oh, and his uncle—it was he who declared that Su Lu could devote himself fully to his studies...

Su Lu silently thanked everyone in his heart, then burst into laughter. "I haven’t even taken the exam yet—isn’t this excitement a bit premature?"

"Haha, maybe so," his second brother replied awkwardly.

"No, not premature at all!" Su Yocai pressed Su Lu’s shoulders, looking deeply at his son through panda-ringed eyes. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I believe that with your perseverance and talent, you will surely make your mark in the world!"

"I think so too," Su Lu nodded firmly. "But let’s still do our best to pass."

"Of course!" Su Yocai laughed. "You’ve worked so hard these hundred days for a reason. Isn’t it to be admitted to Taiping Academy?"

"You’ll make it!" Su Tai cheered quietly, raising his arm.

~~~

Su Yocai opened the schoolbag he’d packed for Su Lu, displaying its contents one by one. "This is the copper ink case I used for the county exam years ago. It’s already filled with ink."

He opened a square copper box, glossy and black inside, the scent less pungent than usual.

"This is the prized tung oil ink, black and shiny, long-lasting, resistant to fading, and after grinding, the ink hardly settles."

"Don’t tighten the lid too much. When you need ink, flip the lid and pour some onto it to use as an inkstone. Don’t pour too much at once, or your writing will be overloaded," he said, taking out half a stick of ink. "The ink in the case should suffice, but take the rest of the tung oil ink just in case."

"What about water?" Su Lu asked. "Aren’t you bringing a water bottle?"

Page (1/3)

"No need for extra water," Su Yocai replied. "Use what’s at hand—saliva works just as well."

"That’s true," Su Lu nodded, thinking that if one could stomach it, saliva was quite like water for dipping...

At this, Su Yocai picked up a brand-new brush, removed its cap, and handed it to Su Lu. "This is a White Cloud Brush, perfect for fine script. I’ve prepared it for you—try it."

Su Lu received it with both hands, laid out yellow earth paper as during exams, opened the ink case, dipped the brush, and wrote. The strokes were silky as satin, the tip held steady, no drag at all, and his characters looked much better! He exclaimed, "There’s such a good brush? Father, why didn’t you give it to me earlier?"

"Haha..." Su Yocai chuckled. "What can I say? We’re poor. Good steel must be used at the edge of the blade."

"True," Su Lu agreed, not realizing he’d been tricked. He would later learn that worn brushes could be repaired, and his father knew how...

"Alright, hurry and wash up for bed. We need to rise early tomorrow," Su Yocai yawned.

"Yes." Su Lu responded, packed his bag, but didn’t go straight to bed—instead, he squeezed in another half hour of review.

He hadn’t yet committed his final night’s memory. The more he could recall, the better—perhaps it would be exactly what the exam required.

Not a second before the exam should be wasted...

~~~

At the first crow of dawn, Su Lu awoke—the day of the entrance exam had arrived!

He’d had trouble falling asleep, even more nervous than before the college entrance exam years ago... Understandable, given how few paths there were in this era—this was the only road ahead with light.

If he failed today, he might never see that bright future...

But upon waking, reason regained control. Su Lu closed his eyes for another half hour, reinforcing last night’s memory.

After thirty minutes, he was calm. He got up quickly.

After washing, his young aunt brought breakfast.

Examinees received special treatment—a steaming bowl of egg noodles dotted with oil, and a piece of lucky Steamed Steamed Cake.

Steamed Steamed Cake was a local specialty, made from sorghum and glutinous rice, with a touch of bean paste inside.

Students in Shu always ate a piece before exams, as a charm for "striving for success"...

Even the side dish of pickled winter bamboo shoots symbolized "rising step by step." His young aunt’s care was evident.

As Su Lu ate, his young aunt laid out the clothes he’d wear.

Today’s exam would begin with an oral interview, so appearance mattered.

Su Lu put on his New Year’s best—not truly new, but a blue cotton robe made by his eldest brother two years ago. He’d always worn his brothers’ hand-me-downs, never anything brand new...

But his eldest brother dressed carefully, and his young aunt had washed and starched it well. Once Su Lu was dressed and tidy, he looked quite presentable.

His young aunt helped him comb his hair, tied it with a black soft scarf, stepped back to admire him, and praised, "Whose handsome lad is this? He’d be recognized anywhere in ten villages."

Su Lu touched his thin chin and smiled wryly. "You’re joking, Aunt. Eldest brother is the true handsome one. I know my own looks."

Page (2/3)

"Believe it or not," she finished fastening the jade-colored silk belt at his waist, and encouraged him, "Do your best! I’ll wait for good news!"

Su Lu nodded solemnly and left the study for the main hall to bid farewell to his grandparents.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, I’m off to the exam!" Su Lu bowed deeply.

"Go on, go on," Grandmother, unusually clear-eared, smiled kindly. "If you don’t pass, you’ll still be my good grandson."

"What nonsense?" Grandfather glared at his wife, slapped the table, and barked, "Don’t be timid—if you’re timid, don’t step out this door!"

Then he raised his voice, "Are you confident?"

"Yes!" Su Lu replied, his voice ringing loud and clear across Erlang’s Ford.

~~~

After bidding farewell to his grandparents, Su Lu turned and left the main hall.

The morning light was dim, the morning star cold, Su Lu inhaled the crisp air tinged with the scent of distilleries, and descended the stilted house.

His father, brothers, and uncle set out together, like kin going to battle.

Su Yocai was escorting the examinees; it wasn’t only Su Lu—several children from the clan school were also going.

His uncle was going to fetch his eldest brother—students at Taiping Academy began their New Year’s holiday today, freeing up classrooms for entrance exams.

As for why the holiday wasn’t a day earlier or exams a day later, it was simply to use the students as free labor. The old students had to stay an extra day, helping organize the exams before heading home for the festival.

Only Su Tai was purely accompanying Su Lu. He carried Su Lu’s bag across his shoulder, and a bamboo basket with four water bottles and lunch for them all.

The town was small, so the four quickly reached the clan school gates, where a crowd already waited—men, women, children, families, as lively as New Year’s.

Su Lu was surprised: "Why so many people?"

"It’s year-end—no work in the fields, the distillery’s closed, everyone’s idle, so they want to send their kids to the exam," Su Yocai smiled wryly. But this wouldn’t do; he wasn’t leading a market trip. So he called out, "I said yesterday, only one adult per family can accompany the examinees!"

He took roll—nine children. With Su Lu, ten from the Su clan were taking the Taiping Academy entrance exam this year...

"But aren’t there only twenty kids at the clan school?" Su Lu asked, puzzled. "Why are half of them going?"

"Taiping Academy is hard to get into. Who else would wait till their last year to take the exam like you?" his uncle explained. "Most start two years early—get used to it, take it a few times, maybe they’ll pass."

"That makes sense," Su Lu nodded. To take it twice was a blessing—even if he failed this time, the experience would help next year.

His uncle sighed, "In the old days, everyone was eager to send their children to school, but when they saw how hard it was to pass the scholar’s exam, many stopped. Most let their kids learn to read for a year or two, then pulled them out to work."

"So fewer and fewer children attend. Once this batch stops, it’s hard to say if the clan school will even keep running," his uncle worried for his younger brother.

ps. Autumn’s hundred days of hard study are over—now the thrilling tournament begins! Thank you for your support; everyone’s still sharp, as strong as ever. Please continue to vote and subscribe!

Page (3/3)