Notes on Longevity

Chapter 157 A gentle drizzle falls, smoke drifts hazily across the land.

The candidates in the examination hall were writing furiously, the invigilators were patrolling the examination room, while the scholar was staring at the extra food in his food basket.

His surprised and bewildered expression caught the examiner's attention. "What are you doing?"

The scholar was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly stood up to explain to the middle-aged examiner who had appeared before him at some unknown time: "This student...this student has some extra food in his food basket."

"Extra food?" The examiner rolled his eyes at him, then said, "The imperial examination is a major event for scholars. Have you lost your mind?"

After saying this, the examiner turned and left, assuming that he was just rambling nonsense due to exhaustion from preparing for the imperial examination.

Faced with the examiner's words, the scholar had no choice but to sit down again, looking at the extra food in the food basket with a puzzled expression.

However, he doesn't have time to worry about that now. The exam is coming soon, and he has to focus on it.

Meanwhile, the white-clad maid, who had been secretly watching over the scholar, sat cross-legged looking quite haggard, watching the scholar's flustered yet skillful writing.

As the sun set and night fell, the scholar lay on the sleeping board prepared for the candidates in the examination hall. He silently typed out the essay he had written during the day, while also thinking about the extra food in his food basket, which he found very strange.

But as night deepened, the scholar, unable to resist his drowsiness, fell asleep amidst his confusion.

Miss Bai stood guard by his side, watching the sleeping scholar, then looking at the students opposite who were still awake and writing furiously. Finally, she leaned down and whispered in the scholar's ear, "Young master, forget about me."

As soon as she spoke, a tear slid down her cheek and landed quietly on the scholar's ear. The young lady stood up sadly, walked to the table where the scholar was answering his questions, and looked up at the low-hanging night sky.

A bright moon shines on the world, a white fox climbs the beams and circles the house. A gentle night breeze caresses the face, and a scholar puts pen to paper and completes his essay.

After nine days of examinations, candidates from all over the country walked out of the examination hall. Some walked in groups, some walked alone, and some were searching for something in the crowd.

"Miss, are you waiting for Brother Zhou?"

Outside the examination hall, Miss Bai had been waiting there for a long time. Ever since she left that night, she still wanted to see the scholar one last time and say a few more words to him, even though he no longer remembered her.

However, all the candidates had already left the examination hall, but she couldn't see him. Unexpectedly, someone else appeared instead.

"You are too kind, young master. I am indeed waiting for someone, but I don't know who this Brother Zhou you are referring to is."

Miss Bai still doesn't know the scholar's name, so she doesn't know how to answer the young man's question.

“But, on the day the imperial examination began, I saw with my own eyes that you followed Brother Zhou all the way to the examination hall. Don’t you recognize each other?”

The young examinee's face was full of astonishment.

After he came out of the examination hall, he saw Miss Bai standing not far away. However, he remembered that his brother Zhou in the air had left early in the morning, so he asked out of curiosity and without being invited.

After hearing the young man's words, Miss Bai finally realized what he meant and thought to herself: So his surname is Zhou.

She then immediately answered the young man's question: "Young Master Zhou once saved my life. I wanted to thank you in person, but you walked too fast that day, and I am too weak to keep up with my benefactor. I was thinking that since the exams were over today, I waited here early."

"I see," the young man said, understanding the reason. He then said to Miss Bai, "But Brother Zhou left early this morning. Didn't you see him?"

"Left?" Miss Bai frowned, looking at the young man with surprise.

“Yes, if you know which inn Brother Zhou is staying at, you can go there,” the young man said to Miss Bai. But she stood there dejectedly. Finally, she shook her head and said, “Young Master Zhou is already engaged, so it is inconvenient for me to go to find him alone, lest I be criticized in the future. However, thank you for informing me, young master. I will take my leave.”

"A marriage agreement?" The young man murmured softly as he watched the young lady turn and leave, then followed her, saying, "Please wait, young lady."

Hearing the sound, Miss Bai stopped and turned around to look at the young man, asking in confusion, "Is there anything else, sir?"

"The scholar's name is Sun Wei, courtesy name Changyue. May I ask the young lady's name and where she lives?"

The young man clasped his hands in greeting. Having spent a long time in the brothel, Miss Bai naturally understood the meaning behind his words. She didn't want to answer, but if it weren't for him today, she might not know how long she would have had to wait. So she replied, "My surname is Bai, and my given name is Qingwan. Where the drizzle falls and the smoke from the fire is hazy, that is where I am."

After Miss Bai finished speaking, she also bowed to Sun Wei and Sun Changyue, saying, "Farewell, young master."

Sun Changyue learned Bai Qingwan's name, but he couldn't figure out where this so-called place of drizzling rain and hazy smoke was. Just as he was about to ask again, he saw that she had already left, so he could only leave the examination hall and return to his inn.

A month later, the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination was released, and the names of Sun Changyue and Zhou Shusheng were both on the list.

After finding his name, Zhou Shicai, on the list, Zhou Shusheng excitedly broke through the crowd and rushed to the inn to prepare a letter to send home to the woman he was already engaged to.

However, Sun Changyue was somewhat uninterested in being on the list of successful candidates. Ever since his brief conversation with Bai Qingwan that day, he had been thinking about where exactly that place, with its continuous drizzle and hazy smoke, was.

Until he returned to the inn from the chanting hall, he heard someone tell him something...

"I am unworthy, and I have failed the exam again this year."

“Hey, Brother Qian, you can’t say that. With your poetry and prose, passing the imperial examination is only a matter of time. Besides, how many talented people are there among the scholars this year? If it weren’t for them, you would have passed the examination. Alas, alas.”

"Well, this year is already like this, we can take the exam again next year."

"Brother Qian is so optimistic. Unlike us, we've lost hope after failing so many times. We probably won't come back next year. We might as well go into business and be rich."

"If you want to be happy, you have to go to the Jiangnan region."

"Yes, the water towns of Jiangnan are so gentle, both the people and the things there are."

"If you happen to be in Jiangnan in spring, stay with spring forever. Tsk tsk tsk, this poem captures the tenderness of Jiangnan perfectly."

"Hey, I also have a line: 'The mountains are far away, the sky is high, the mist and water are cold, and the Jiangnan region is full of spring.'"

I also know the saying, "Everyone says Jiangnan is beautiful, and tourists should only grow old in Jiangnan."

"Jiangnan, with its drizzling rain and hazy smoke, is a paradise on earth."

"Since that's the case, why don't we go to Jiangnan to relax, untangle our knots, and hopefully pass the exam next year?"

"good idea."

From their conversation, Sun Changyue finally learned where Bai Qingwan was referring to. Several months later, after the palace examination, he packed his bags and went to Jiangnan alone.

(End of this chapter)