Chapter Seventy-Three: Results

Taiping Town: Sweetwater Chronicles.

Master Ma was a man of his word. After the monthly exam, he hosted his fellow students from the Self-Reflection Study Hall for a sweetwater gathering. Save for the three Cheng brothers, everyone else in the class came…

Truth be told, Master Ma wished to invite the Chengs as well, hoping to ease the tension between them and Su Lu’s group. At first, Cheng Sanwan agreed to join, but as soon as he heard the venue was Sweetwater Chronicles, he backed out…

This time, the students enjoyed “Green Plum Jade Dew,” which cost three coins a jar. It wasn’t that Master Ma couldn’t afford “Cherry Blossom Sweet Nectar,” nor that the former was a better value, but simply because the latter was out of season. If they wanted it again, they’d have to wait until next year when the cherries ripened.

In the end, Master Ma didn’t spend a single coin, for the proprietress waved the bill away.

“So many scholars gracing my humble shop, what an honor!” she greeted the students warmly, “This one’s on the house—just come often in the future.”

“You’re too generous, madam! We’ll be sure to!” the students exclaimed in delight, though whether they’d keep their word was anyone’s guess.

Master Ma was pleased, though he still tried to pay, but the proprietress insisted. He didn’t know Sweetwater Chronicles was under his family’s protection, but the proprietress knew her place…

Su Lu saw this coming, and was happy to let his godmother extend a favor to Master Ma. One must look to the long term; barring surprises, Master Ma would one day become the next Commandant Ma…

Ultimately, unable to persuade her, Master Ma thanked the proprietress again and invited everyone next door to a “fly restaurant” for a meal.

All in all, the money had to be spent!

~~

After their meal, the rain grew heavier, and the students had no choice but to return to the academy.

Su Lu couldn’t go home either, so he returned to Sweetwater Chronicles…

The shop was empty, the proprietress seated behind the counter, chin in hand, gazing out at the curtain of rain, lost in thought.

When she saw Su Lu burst in through the downpour, a genuine smile blossomed on her face.

“My boy, you’re back?”

“Yes, godmother. Sorry to trouble you again.” Su Lu wiped the rain from his face, smiling.

“If you keep being so polite, I’ll be angry,” she feigned annoyance, quickly lifting the counter board to help him off with his rain cloak and take his book chest.

The chest was still dry, but Su Lu’s clothes were soaked—a clear sign the chest had been his priority.

“Silly child, you should look after yourself first,” she sighed, then called loudly upstairs, “Tian Tian, fetch your brother the biggest cotton towel we have!”

Then she shouted toward the courtyard, “Mother, make some ginger tea, and put in extra brown sugar!”

She’d long wanted to get closer to Su Lu, but he was so proud and independent, never allowing her a chance to show motherly affection. This time, she finally caught him.

Little Tian Tian ran down the stairs, clutching a thick towel, and called out sweetly, “Brother…”

“Thank you, Tian Tian.” Su Lu smiled, just about to take the towel, but his godmother pressed him onto a stool. “Don’t move, let me do it.”

Though Su Lu felt awkward, he let her fuss over him. She took off his scholar’s cap, untied his hair, and his locks tumbled down.

“Eh? Why is your hair so short?” she exclaimed, surprised—it barely reached his shoulders.

“It’s summer and too hot for long hair,” Su Lu replied, “My brother cut it for me, just long enough for a topknot.”

“Don’t scholars believe our bodies are gifts from our parents?” she teased.

“Scholars also speak of dying for righteousness. My father doesn’t mind, so who else cares?” Su Lu replied, then asked casually, “Why haven’t I seen my father? Did he skip work?”

“No, you boys were so tired from your outing, I told him to rest at home before coming over,” his godmother answered, gently drying his hair strand by strand.

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“I’ve been at school for five days straight…” Su Lu protested, feeling it was unfair—why hadn’t he gotten a single day off?

“If only I were your teacher, I’d let you rest too!” she said with a laugh.

He couldn’t deny it—her warmth was irresistible, and soon Su Lu relaxed completely, feeling truly at home.

~~

He took the ginger tea Tian Tian brought, sipped it—too hot—so he set it on the counter and asked softly, “Godmother, did my father talk to you about the wine?”

“He did. It’s a good thing,” the proprietress nodded.

“If you don’t want to brew wine anymore, just forget it,” Su Lu hurried to say.

“Don’t worry, I still have debts to pay—no time for melancholy,” she replied, combing his hair anew. “Sweetwater Chronicles already has steady customers; selling only sweetwater is a waste.”

She’d clearly thought it over: “Sweetwater is too limited, too small a market. Wine can grow bigger, stronger.”

Then, with a wistful sigh, “Besides, I’m using their secret recipe to pay off their debts—how could that be wrong?”

“That’s true,” Su Lu agreed.

“These past days, I thought back—what you said was right. Their secret lay in the crushed sorghum,” she said softly. “They never hid their process from me—I even helped sometimes. I remember the general steps.”

“Wonderful! I’ll have Second Brother come by soon; if you teach him, he’ll avoid many detours,” Su Lu said, delighted.

“Of course. When he comes, I’ll give him some money and the house keys. Let him experiment as he likes,” she replied briskly.

“No need to worry about money; it’s just an experiment, won’t cost much,” Su Lu said. “Once we succeed, we’ll plan the next step.”

“Alright, I’ll do as you say,” she answered, fastening his hair with a wooden pin, then gazed at him a long moment, finally offering her highest praise: “You’re starting to look like your father…”

Su Lu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—what kind of compliment was that?

His godmother, realizing she’d spoken her heart, quickly urged, “Drink your ginger tea before it cools.”

“Alright.” Su Lu raised the bowl and drank the spicy, sweet tea in big gulps.

~~

The next morning before class, the academy’s bulletin board displayed the previous day’s monthly exam results and rankings, as usual.

The students had been eagerly awaiting this. The top two remained unchanged: first, Zhu Zi He; second, Lin Zhi Hong.

But third place had gone to Qiao Feng, pushing the Hu brothers, Qi Yang and Kai Yang, each down a spot.

Su Dan’s ranking rose from thirty-second to twenty-eighth, earning him a solid point.

Whether the test was easier this time or everyone had improved, the one-point awards extended down to thirty-fifth place—three more than last time.

Down to fifty-second place earned half a point. Li Qiyu was among them, advancing from forty-eighth to forty-first—a bigger leap than Su Dan.

He vowed to rise seven more spots next time—to thirty-fourth—so he could earn a full point!

Su Lu was right behind, ranked forty-second—up nine spots—and earned a precious half point.

Relieved at not having to shave his head again, Su Lu sighed in relief. If he’d failed to score this time, the pressure would have been overwhelming…

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That would mean in the next eight monthly exams, he couldn’t afford to miss even half a point—an unbearable burden, even for a battle-hardened veteran like him.

“Congratulations, Brother Su!” his fellow students from Self-Reflection Study Hall offered their well-wishes. “Teacher Su” was generous with his help, explaining questions not only to the top scholars but to any who asked.

Thanks to him, the class’s overall rankings improved. Even Master Ma advanced from thirty-fifth to thirtieth place, and more importantly, from half a point to a full point!

Now he could proudly tell his family he’d spent a tael of silver on a book chest!

Of course, when some rise, others must fall. The Cheng brothers, for example, wore gloomy expressions…

The effeminate Cheng Wanzhou still earned a point but dropped to thirty-third, now lagging behind even Master Ma—a warning sign.

Cheng Wanfan, the bucktoothed one, still earned half a point but fell to fiftieth place—had the scoring been stricter, he might have ended up with nothing.

The unluckiest was Cheng Wantang, the pockmarked brother—he alone held his ground, ranking fifty-third as before. But fifty-second place still earned half a point…

So, missing by one spot, he received nothing—truly failing at the final hurdle.

Cheng Wantang collapsed on the spot, sinking to his knees in the puddled earth, and cried to the heavens: “Oh heavens, why do you torment me so?”

Seeing his misery, Li Qiyu and Su Dan swallowed their words of mockery.

After all, there was no deep enmity between them; a little teasing was fine, but there was no need to dance on someone’s grave.

Moreover, Su Lu’s essay was once again chosen as an exemplary model and posted on the board!

But this time, no one doubted him. The students eagerly read his piece:

“…Restrain desire and natural law shines forth; seek nothing beyond the rules. Be magnanimous without arrogance, embodying human virtue; hold honor with humility and grace…”

The lines rolled off the tongue, rhythmic and elegant. The students praised him: “Su, your writing has improved tremendously—worlds apart from last time!”

“Yes, at this rate, you’ll be scoring a full point next time!”

Inevitably, they compared his essay to Zhu’s.

Zhu Zi He’s essay was still beyond Su Lu’s reach—and this time, he’d written even better than last month!

Seeing Zhu’s rapid progress, the students were filled with awe.

Yet Zhu’s opening—“Hold to discipline in conduct, embody harmony in virtue; such is the gentleman’s cultivation at its highest!”—felt oddly familiar…

They whispered among themselves, suspecting it resembled Su Lu’s style. Could Zhu be imitating Su?

The murmurs reached Zhu Zi He’s ears. His face, just clearing from gloom, darkened once more.

His friends, hearing the talk, rushed to defend him. “The ‘Book of Changes’ has four-syllable rhymes, the ‘Classic of Poetry’ four-syllable verses—are others not allowed to write four-syllable essays too?”

“Exactly! They say I’m copying him?!” Zhu Zi He, proud and unwilling to suffer slights, could hold back no longer. He snorted, “Let him earn a full point first!”

With that, he stormed off without so much as a glance at Su Lu.

Su Lu was utterly baffled—he hadn’t said a word…

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