Top Scholar

Chapter 49 Book Box, Dry Food, and Love

The last courtyard of the academy contained the kitchen, canteen, and storeroom. Since Su Lu and Su Dan planned to bring their own meals, they didn't need to go there.

Their family was still waiting outside the ceremonial gate, so the two of them stopped wandering around and hurried out to meet them.

Seeing that the two of them seemed preoccupied, Su Youcai asked after they left the academy, "What happened?"

“Sir, we may have to go home in a few months.” Su Dan said with a bitter face, handing him the school rules.

"Huh?" Su Youcai took it and looked at it, then exclaimed in surprise, "The method of ascending fasting ranks? I've never heard of it before! Who brought over that system from the Imperial Academy?"

"It's said to be the new headmaster. He was also the one who set the questions on calligraphy for last year's exam," Su Lu said with a wry smile. "What if we happen to be there?"

"Sigh..." Su Youcai sighed and said, "I should have thought that a new official would make a big splash and definitely make some changes. Moreover, I heard that Zhu Shanzhang passed the imperial examination before he was twenty years old, so naturally he is arrogant and wants to select the best students to train."

“Father is right. Didn’t my elder brother say that starting with our class, the best students can go to Heshan Academy for their final year, and that was also secured by that Headmaster Zhu?” Su Lu said in deep agreement, “Obviously, he made it clear that this was the way he was going to do it.”

"But this means ordinary students like us are in trouble." Su Dan sighed; he was only tenth from the bottom.

So later he lost the confidence to argue with people...

"It's all my fault," Su Youcai said, his face flushed. "I was afraid of leading you astray, so I never dared to teach you how to write essays on a given topic. Now I've ruined you all."

Although the academy's rules did not explicitly state that the monthly exams would only test the eight-legged essay, the grading criteria were clearly stated: "Those with excellent writing and reasoning are rated as superior, those with excellent reasoning but mediocre writing are rated as average..."

This is clearly the standard for judging the eight-legged essay!
Moreover, Taiping Academy takes it upon itself to cultivate scholars, so what else would they test students on if not the eight-legged essay?
“Father, don’t blame yourself. No one can see things from the future. You’ve only been at the clan school for a year; you definitely need to focus on the basics first. There’s no time to think about advanced topics.” Su Lu naturally wanted to defend his father, and then said to Su Dan:
“My older brother said he hadn’t learned how to write a topic-based essay before he enrolled, but he caught up with his classmates after only six months. Isn’t the exam two months after the start of the semester? Let’s work together and crack this tough nut of topic-based essays!”

"Okay." Su Dan nodded emphatically, "Don't be a coward, don't lose face!"

"That's right, don't lose face!" Su Lu laughed loudly, "Let's see how quickly we can get home."

After saying that, he strode off quickly.

"Wait for me!" Su Dan called out from behind him.

"If you can't keep up with me, you'll be left behind." Su Lu walked faster and faster.

"Watch me catch up with you!" Su Dan quickly took long strides to keep up with Su Lu's pace.

The two boys chased each other and soon left the adults behind, disappearing completely from sight.

They also temporarily put their worries about the future behind them...

~~
After parting ways with Su Dan, Su Lu returned home travel-worn. Just as she finished washing herself up, she saw her second brother standing at the warehouse door, beckoning to her mysteriously.

Su Tai has been busy behind closed doors for the past few days, and he wasn't allowed to watch. Today, the mystery will finally be revealed.

As soon as Su Lu entered the storeroom, he saw a beautifully designed book box prominently displayed on the square table.

It was clearly made by his second brother.

"Not bad, right?" Su Tai looked at Su Lu as if he were showing off a treasure.

"It's so beautiful!" Su Lu exclaimed, his eyes widening as he saw the box, painted with tung oil, gleaming like amber in the midday sun.

The box is made of old nan bamboo, split into strips and polished until smooth and jade-like, with each strip tightly inlaid together. The inner frame is made of pine wood, so light that Su Lu can lift it with one hand without any effort.

The edges of the lid were also carefully polished, making them smooth to the touch. When the lid is closed, the spring engages in the slot, making a pleasant click, and it fits so tightly that not even a piece of paper can be inserted.

To prevent him from hurting his hands while carrying it, his second brother carefully wrapped indigo cotton rope around the handle of the box lid.

The box has three layers inside. The top layer is a shallow drawer for storing the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, inkstone, paper, and inkstone). It has grooves for brushes, inkstones, and even water droppers, and is lined with coarse indigo cloth to prevent the brushes and inkstones from sliding.

“Each layer is independent.” The second brother picked up the shallow drawer and showed it to Su Lu: “When we get to the academy, we can take out the top layer and use it as a pencil case. After school, we can put it back in and use it to keep the books below from getting wet.”

"However, the ink cartridge isn't in here. I designed it to be on the bottom layer so that if ink spills, it won't stain the books on the middle layer," the second brother added.

"Second Brother is so meticulous!" Su Lu was at a loss for words, and could only give a thumbs up.

The middle shelf features a double-door design, maximizing space and accommodating up to two stacks of books, totaling twenty volumes! The interior is lined with waterproof tarpaulin to protect precious books. There are even removable shelves to hold books in place. This not only facilitates book organization but also prevents damage from vigorous movement.

The bottom layer reverts to a drawer design. This layer is for storing lunchboxes, with two small compartments on the side: one for pickles and the other, of course, specifically for ink cartridges.

In addition, there were two bamboo tubes embedded on both sides of the book box. On the left was a water bottle, and on the right was a roll of waterproof tarpaulin. The second brother demonstrated to Su Lu: "When you see that it is going to rain, just pull out the tarpaulin. There are two ribs in the tarpaulin, which can be inserted into the sides of the two bamboo tubes. This will make a rain curtain. When it rains, you won't get wet, and you can travel lightly with your bamboo cane and straw sandals."

"Of course, if there is a strong wind and heavy rain, you should obediently drape the oilcloth over your body and wrap yourself and your book box together."

After saying that, he asked the dumbfounded Su Lu, "If there's anything you're not satisfied with, I can change it."

"That's incredibly thoughtful." Su Lu shook his head decisively and said, "The book box that my second brother made is absolutely perfect! Thank you so much, second brother!" He then hugged him tightly, but unfortunately, his second brother was so broad that one person couldn't hug him.

"Just for this best book box, I absolutely cannot let them send me home halfway!" Su Lu vowed.

~~
That evening, Su Lu packed his books and began reciting the school rules.

The "Rules of Taiping Academy" consist of twenty-one articles, divided into: 'Settlement, Respect for Teachers, Supervision, Diary Allocation, Leave, Specialization, Daily Records, Etiquette Practice, Assessment, Attending Lectures, Class Schedule, Topics, Book Allocation, Book Management, Gate Control, Academy Rules, Law-Abiding, Regular Study, Supplementary Courses, Preventing Abuse, and Completion of Studies.'

These twenty-one rules detailed every aspect of the academy's students' learning and life, far more detailed than the "Ten Prohibitions and Nine Dos" of early childhood education. Most importantly, they clarified the regulations and rewards and punishments, transforming them into practical norms rather than vague and general requirements.

For example, the eleven "lecture periods" state: there will be lectures every year from March to December, for a total of ten lectures, with additional lectures in leap years. The lectures will be held in the middle of the month, and the rankings will be posted. The top ten will receive rewards based on their rankings.

For example, the "Promotion and Grading Method," which stipulates that those who fail to achieve eight points will be directly expelled from school, is described in detail in Article 9, "Assessment."

For Su Lu now, memorizing this stuff only took a moment. To fully understand the rules and avoid overstepping them, he even copied them down once. Then he went to bed early.

Su Lu had a very hard time falling asleep that night; even his second brother's snoring could barely keep him awake.

He opened his eyes before the rooster crowed the next day.

Su Lu couldn't help but smile wryly. It's just going to school, what's there to be excited about?

Fortunately, he was young, and not sleeping well didn't affect his energy. Su Lu then quietly got out of bed and went to the courtyard to wash up.

But then he saw that the kitchen was already glowing with orange light; his aunt had gotten up even earlier than him.

His aunt's attitude towards him had improved significantly recently, and although Su Lu held a grudge, he was even more grateful. Therefore, he was much more respectful to his aunt than before, and went straight over to her, saying softly, "Auntie, you're up so early?"

With one hand holding a wooden ladle, Auntie stirred the sorghum porridge in the large pot, and with the other hand, she took out a cold sorghum cake from the dry food basket hanging on the beam and handed it to Su Lu, saying, "Try it, if you don't like it, it's on me!"

Su Lu's throat would get sore whenever he saw sorghum cakes, so he politely declined, saying, "Let's try some together when the porridge is ready."

"Don't worry, this is different from before. Auntie spent a whole day steaming this, it's delicious!" Auntie said confidently, "Eating it while it's hot won't show off your skills, so I let it cool down before letting you try it!"

"Auntie, you've gone to so much trouble..." Su Lu finally became interested. As soon as he took the pancake, he noticed that the texture was different. It wasn't the hard and heavy kind he was used to, the kind that could be used as a hidden weapon. Instead, it was quite soft, and he could even make a dent in it with his fingers!
He took a bite, and sure enough, it was no longer rough and harsh on the throat; it even had a touch of delicacy. The rich aroma of sorghum, mixed with a subtle sweetness, filled his mouth. The rough texture had barely appeared before it was overshadowed by the wonderful flavor…

"How is it?" Auntie asked with a smile, noticing the change in Su Lu's expression. "Is it still scratchy on your throat?"

"So delicious..." Su Lu shook his head, slowly chewing the delicious pancake. He ate slowly before because it was hard to swallow, but this time he couldn't bear to swallow it.

"Don't just eat, try the side dishes your aunt prepared for you." The aunt, being a good person to the end, opened a small porcelain jar, scooped out a spoonful of dried plum vegetables that were glistening with oil, and handed it to Su Lu.

Su Lu took a bite and found that the preserved mustard greens even had a little bit of chopped cured meat mixed in. The oil was fully absorbed by the preserved mustard greens, and the rich and mellow aroma spread instantly, making the flatbread in his mouth smell delicious as well.

"Two flatbreads with dried plum vegetables every noon, go ahead and eat them! I guarantee they'll make your classmates drool." Auntie was experienced; it was clearly not the first time she'd done this.

This was the first time Su Lu had eaten like this, and he exclaimed, "What will we do if we can't eat something this delicious again?"

"Don't worry, I'll work for you for as many years as you study, just like your older brother!" His aunt set the food standard for him for the next three years.

"Auntie, I was just joking. Eating like this is too extravagant. It's good enough if we can satisfy our cravings occasionally," Su Lu quickly said sensibly.

"No need, the money you save should be used to feed you!" Auntie waved her hand and said generously, "You're at the age where you're growing taller, how will you get married in the future?"

"Thank you so much, Auntie..." Su Lu was overwhelmed with gratitude. He had never received such kindness from his aunt in either of his lives. He took another bite of the pancake and exclaimed happily, "I thought I would have to pass the imperial examination to be able to eat so well."

"If you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, I'll let you eat white rice and white flour every day!" Even his dim-witted aunt knew how to coax him now, and said with a smile, "Study hard, and when your eldest brother passes the imperial examination, you'll be next!"

"Yes!" Su Lu nodded vigorously.

~~
After eating his aunt's loving breakfast, Su Lu slung his book box over his shoulder, picked up the steaming bag of dry food, and quickly went down from the stilted house to meet up with Su Dan and head towards the academy!
The morning star hangs high in the eastern sky, illuminating the path ahead for the young man...

　My aunt said, "For the sake of my hard work cooking for Qiu-ge'er, please vote for him, everyone!"
　　
　
(End of this chapter)