Chapter 58: The Pitiful Newcomer

Seeing his father caught up in self-doubt, Su Lu felt deeply unsettled. The Yangtze’s waves forever push forward, the new overtaking the old, leaving the former to die stranded on the sands. The world only hears the laughter of those who come after; who listens to the tears of those left behind?

Nonetheless, he still believed that Comrade Talent was far from being left behind by the times, so he offered further encouragement: “As the inscription on Tang’s basin says, ‘If you can renew yourself for one day, do so every day, and let there be daily renewal.’ Therefore, a gentleman should abandon the old and seek the new.”

It was only after Su Lu finished speaking that he realized his speech was starting to take on the mannerisms of a scholar—always quoting the classics at the drop of a hat.

This won’t do, he thought. I need to change…

“Is it like the old Zhou dynasty constantly renewing its mandate?” Su Youtai replied with a bitter smile.

“Exactly. It’s never too late to change course,” Su Lu said in a deep voice. “If Father doesn’t mind, I can pass on what I learn each night.”

“You want to turn things around and become my teacher?” Even as open-minded as he was, Su Youtai was still bound by certain conventions. He could only laugh helplessly. “What nonsense. The heavens would be in disarray.”

But Su Lu replied with perfect seriousness, “When three walk together, there is always something I can learn. Regardless of status or age, where the Way exists, so too does the teacher.”

“Even so…” Su Youtai didn’t want to argue and waved his hand. “You should focus on your own studies. You’re already behind, you can’t afford to be distracted.”

“It won’t interfere. I already explain the lessons to Second Brother every night. It’s a great help to me as well.” Su Lu recalled that he’d explained the Feynman learning method to Su Youtai before. “Isn’t that right, brother?”

“Zzz…” Su Tai, however, offered no support.

“All right, I know you mean well.” Su Youtai patted Su Lu’s shoulder. “But I’ve already resigned from my teaching post. Let me step away from the books for a while.”

He clasped his hands behind his head, gazing out the window at the waning moon shrouded by clouds, and recited with a tone of weary melancholy:

“A fading star accompanies the moon through the window’s lattice glow,
Twenty-seven years, and my ambitions yet unmet.
My childhood spent poring over texts till the bamboo slips wore through,
Looking back, I find only frost at my temples.”

Su Lu thought to himself, You don’t have a single white hair! But then again, without a touch of exaggeration, could one truly be called a scholar?

“Twenty-seven years trapped in the study, treading water. Honestly, I’m tired of it. Now, whenever I try to lecture on the classics, my mind turns to mush. I can’t find any peace.” Su Youtai sighed. “You’re still in the throes of your studies; you wouldn’t understand this suffering.”

But in truth, Su Lu understood perfectly. “Then you really should take a break and let yourself relax.”

“How thoughtful of you to understand.” Su Youtai smiled warmly at his son. “I want to try something else for now, keep myself busy with making a living, and see if I can forget all those deeply ingrained things. If I succeed, I’ll come to you for lessons. When the time comes, I hope you won’t be stingy with your guidance.”

“Of course, that’s no problem…” Su Lu, ever the shrewd one, eyed his father suspiciously. “Dad, have you already found another job?”

Knowing his father well, he doubted he’d give up his meager but steady teaching wages when the household finances were so tight.

“Not at all—don’t jump to conclusions.” Su Youtai denied quickly. “A frail old scholar like me will find it hard to land a suitable job.”

“If there’s nothing else, you could help out with Godmother’s work,” Su Lu suggested.

“Cough, cough, grown-up matters aren’t for children to worry about.” Su Youtai, growing more embarrassed, coughed repeatedly. “Hurry and go to sleep.”

With that, Su Lu dropped the subject. After washing up and lying down, he said to his restless father, “There’s something else… Eldest Brother is about to take the provincial exam. That’ll be another expense, won’t it?”

“Of course. Chun has been away for two months since before the New Year. No matter how frugal he’s been, he must be short on cash by now,” Su Youtai sighed. “Otherwise, with his temperament, he wouldn’t be staying at your uncle’s place.”

After all, Uncle’s current home was bought by Aunt’s family.

A real man doesn’t live off others—unless he’s losing his teeth…

“So, how about it?”

“So, how about it?” father and son said in unison, clearly thinking along the same lines.

“It’s up to you. Everyone agreed the money was set aside for your schooling. If we don’t use it, no one will object,” said Su Youtai.

“Let’s use it. The fact that Uncle and Aunt set aside this money for me is already deeply touching. Eldest Brother has always treated me sincerely—how could I let him struggle outside?” Su Lu smiled. “Besides, we’re a long way from the next tuition payment. I refuse to believe we’ll still be worrying about money when the time comes!”

His confidence didn’t come from himself, but from his incredibly capable godmother.

“That’s true. There’s plenty of time. Let’s give your brother a hand now,” Su Youtai agreed.

~~

The next day, Su Youtai took out three strings of cash.

“What’s this for?” Uncle asked.

“They say the provincial exam is a costly affair. Chun must be out of money by now. Brother, take this and send it to him,” said Su Youtai, pushing the money toward Uncle.

“I can’t accept that!” Uncle pushed it back hastily. “Didn’t we agree this money was for Qiu’s studies?”

“Qiu’s tuition is already paid. He’s a day student now—doesn’t cost much. This was his idea. If you keep refusing, it’s meaningless,” said Su Youtai, pushing the money over again.

“That child Qiu is so considerate,” Uncle sighed. “The more thoughtful he is, the less I can bear to take this money.”

Aunt opened her mouth several times but restrained herself. Over the new year, she’d managed to save two taels of silver—mostly from the gifts she’d received yesterday.

The higher you climb in the imperial exams, the greater the expenses. Two taels alone weren’t enough, but with another three strings, they could scrape together five taels.

“Enough, let’s not fuss about it!” In the end, Grandfather made the decision. “We’re one family. Just send the money to Chun. From now on, each month, we’ll set aside five hundred coins from Eldest’s salary. In half a year, we’ll have Qiu’s tuition saved up again.”

“That’s a good idea,” Aunt said with a broad smile. “All these children are ours—none of them will go without.”

Still, Uncle only accepted two strings in the end.

After all, he had his own small stash of a thousand coins…

Since the second family had put all their savings on the table, it would be unthinkable to keep anything back.

Uncle could be selfish at times, but he never crossed the line when it mattered.

~~

At the end of the second month, Uncle set out with a donkey, loaded with Aunt for the journey.

To be clear, it was the donkey carrying Aunt, not Uncle.

The journey was too arduous for the rest to go, so they could only send their best wishes.

Before leaving, Aunt steamed two big baskets of buns, enough to feed the family until her return.

While Aunt was away, the task of cooking fell to Su Tai. Summer, being clever with his hands, could easily whip up a simple dish, make porridge, or reheat buns.

Speaking of Summer, there was one thing that left Su Lu at a loss for words.

The students at the academy came from families of varying means, but most were fairly well-off—no one without money would send their child to such a school. Quite a few admired Su Lu’s book chest and asked where he’d bought it.

Su Lu was even thinking of arranging a few deals for his second brother, to make a tidy profit off these classmates. Yet, when he proudly revealed that his brother had crafted it himself, the prospective buyers hesitated, then lost interest.

“What’s going on?” Su Lu couldn’t fathom the mindset of his peers, so he asked two friends for their thoughts. “Why did they lose interest when they heard my second brother made it? Do they care about brands? Should I say it’s a custom order from ‘Tai’s Woodworks’ next time?”

“What brand?” Li Qiyu asked, sipping the loquat-flavored ‘Jade Dew’ Su Lu had bought him. “Is that a poetry tune, or the top performer in ‘Maple Forest at Dusk’?”

“I mean, do you—or, well, do we young people—prefer to buy from big-name shops?” Su Lu clarified. “Like, only drinking from a particular brand of sweet water.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone with that quirk,” Su Dan shook his head. “Maybe city folk do, but out here in the countryside, no one knows any famous shops…”

Li Qiyu took another sip of the sweet loquat juice and sighed with pleasure. “Honestly, it’s not about the brand—it’s about you.”

“How so?” Su Lu pressed.

“Think about it: if someone showed up at the academy with a book chest just like yours, what would people say?” Li Qiyu mimicked, pointing his finger and raising his voice, “Another Sun Shan model! Who could stand that?”

“Don’t talk about my brother like that,” Su Dan protested.

“Could you stand it?” Li Qiyu asked him.

“…” Su Dan fell silent.

“Another Sun Shan model…” Su Lu repeated the phrase, his breath growing heavy. “So this is a joke I can’t escape, is it?”

“Brother, I didn’t mean to upset you—you asked,” Li Qiyu apologized, feeling awkward, especially after being treated to such a delicious drink.

“It’s fine, I get it now.” Su Lu soon recovered, saying calmly, “I’ll let them know my name is Su Lu, not Sun Shan!”

“Well said!” Li Qiyu cheered him on. “The best way is to raise your ranking in the monthly exam in ten days! As long as you’re not dead last, no one will call you Sun Shan anymore.”

“Mm.” Su Lu nodded, though he knew it would be tough.

Every ten days, the class had a study session with an exam set by the teacher. Afterwards, everyone’s essays would be reviewed, so Su Lu knew all too well that his skills lagged far behind.

His real competition was sitting right here—these two. So much so that their constant time together had earned them the saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

“How about this…” Li Qiyu, feeling bad for Su Lu, offered, “This month, I’ll go easy on the test and let you take second-to-last place!”

Seeing this, Su Dan couldn’t let an outsider have all the glory and bit the bullet. “Count me in—I’ll let you move up another spot!”

Su Lu was moved by the reckless camaraderie of youth, but he refused flatly. “Nonsense—I don’t need you two to hold me up! Our goal is to surpass others, not to take turns at the bottom!”

“Of course, that’s better,” the two muttered, “but it seems hopeless.”

Su Lu sighed. The so-called top schools really do grind down those at the bottom. Back in the clan school, Su Dan was so proud and quick to retort—now he was so dejected.

“Enough of this. I’ve developed a special method for essays. When we have a break for the Qingming Festival, I’ll teach it to you. At the very least, it’ll save you from being at the bottom!” To boost their morale, Su Lu decided to share his top-secret teaching techniques.

“Great, brother! You’re my savior!” Su Dan exclaimed, overjoyed—he’d been waiting for this day.

“Well, everyone else is off visiting graves, and we’re having a class…” Li Qiyu was left speechless. The last-placed student teaching the second-to-last the secret to escaping the bottom—if you have the secret, why not use it yourself?

P.S. The story goes live at midnight on the 11th. One last plea for monthly votes before launch!