After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Afu was so happy he almost jumped for joy. Su Xiaoqing packed his luggage, added a change of clothes, and saw him to the courtyard gate, giving him several instructions—listen to Doctor Li's advice, be careful when processing the medicinal herbs, don't be clumsy, the medicine grinder is heavy, don't hurt your foot. Ask if you don't understand anything, don't pretend to know. Afu agreed to everything, carried his bundle, and followed Chen Xiaohe onto the oxcart.

Shi Tou and A Ji continued their studies at the school. They were already in the top class, and the teacher said they had a good foundation and could take the exam this year. Shi Tou set a deadline for himself and his brother—two years. If they couldn't even pass the preliminary exam within two years, they would go home and would never let their family support their studies indefinitely.

When Shi Tou spoke, he stood in the middle of the main room, his back ramrod straight, his voice steady, like a grown man. For the Chen family, producing a scholar was the family's greatest hope. A scholar wasn't a commoner; he didn't have to kneel before the prefect and could even be exempted from corvée labor—for years, the family had paid silver for corvée labor every year, and although they didn't go, the money was painfully spent. If Shi Tou or A Ji could pass the exam, the family wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Mr. Chen sat in his armchair, smoking his pipe, looking at his grandson standing before him without saying a word. His eyes were narrowed, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved. The embers in his pipe flickered, casting shadows on his face.

The moon rose outside the window, its gentle light spilling into the courtyard, casting the shadow of the old locust tree on the ground. The kitchen light was still on, and Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were still embroidering under it. Qingqing was leaning over the table, writing characters stroke by stroke by the light—Shitou had said her handwriting wasn't neat enough and she needed to practice every day without being lazy.

Afu had already settled into Dr. Li's clinic, while Shitou and Aji were studying under the lamp. Life went on like this, busy but hopeful; tiring but with a sense of purpose. The Chen family's life, in the hands of each individual, was gradually improving.

----

The news that Shi Tou and A Ji were going to take the imperial examination spread like wildfire throughout the Chen family. From that day on, all the household chores tacitly gave way to the two children.

Su Xiaoyin gets up before dawn every day, quietly starting the fire to cook, careful not to wake her two children who are reviewing their lessons. She used to never care about the noise from the pots and pans in the kitchen, but now she even has to quickly hold down the water ladle when it hits the rim of the vat, swallowing the thud. The meals have also changed. Gone are the days of simple meals like flatbread, porridge, and pickled vegetables; now it's steamed egg custard, minced meat porridge, and stir-fried bok choy—Su Xiaoqing says, "Studying takes a lot of brainpower, so we need to eat well; we can't let them go hungry."

Chen Dashan also reduced his work in the carpentry workshop by more than half, working only during the day and finishing early in the evening to avoid the noise of the plane and saw reaching the east wing. He used to work until midnight, piling wood shavings on the floor but unwilling to stop; now, he puts his tools away in a box as soon as it gets dark, closes the lid, and locks it. Chen Xiaohe even walks more lightly; when he encounters a stone in the yard, he no longer pats it on the shoulder or rubs its head as before, but simply nods and whispers, "Do well on the exam."

It was Stone who comforted them instead.

That evening, the family rarely gathered together for dinner. The dishes on the table were more plentiful than usual: braised pork, stewed chicken, scrambled eggs, cucumber salad, and a large bowl of bone broth. Shi Tou picked up a piece of meat, chewed and swallowed it, put down his chopsticks, looked at everyone at the table, and spoke slowly and deliberately, like a little adult.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, don't be too nervous. This year, Aji and I are just going to give it a try and see how it goes. It doesn't matter if we succeed or not. Just have Dad and Uncle wait for Aji and me outside. The whole family doesn't need to go. You all go about your business. Don't stop working in the fields, at the shop, or doing your embroidery."

Mr. Chen held the bowl without saying a word, but his gaze remained fixed on his grandson.

Shi Tou added, "There's one more thing—don't rush into arranging marriages for me, Aji, Afu, Qingqing, or anything else. First, we're not that old yet, we can wait a couple more years. Second—" He paused, looking calmly at the adults in the room, "If either Aji or I pass the imperial examination and become a Xiucai (a scholar who passes the lowest level of the imperial examinations), our family will be elevated in social standing. At that time, there will definitely be more options for marriage among the four of us, and the marriages will be better. There's no need to rush."

A moment of silence fell over the main room. Aji kept his head down, eating his rice, his ears red, and didn't say a word. Afu sat beside him, holding a steamed bun in his hand, which he broke in half and handed one half to Qingqing.

Su Xiaoyin put down her chopsticks, looked at the stone, and nodded. Her eyes were a little hot, but her voice was steady, as if she were giving instructions normally, reassuring him to prepare for the imperial examination with peace of mind, assuring him that his family knew.

On the day of the county examination, before dawn, the lights were already on in the Chen family's courtyard.

Shi Tou and Aji changed into clean clothes and combed their hair neatly. Su Xiaoyin checked the exam basket twice: three pens, the nibs of which had been soaked in water beforehand; two inkstones, both of which were high-quality pine soot ink, which were fine and smooth to grind; an inkstone with rounded edges, which Chen Dashan had specially selected from the stone and polished; a small pen holder that didn't take up much space; a heavy paper-pressing stone that wouldn't be blown away by the wind when pressed on the paper; and a bamboo tube for holding water, which Su Xiaoqing had washed three times the day before, scalded with boiling water, filled with clean water, and sealed tightly.

"Everything's here. Now think about what's missing?" Su Xiaoqing turned the exam basket over and over several times. Shi Tou took it, smiling, and said that was enough; any more and he wouldn't be able to carry it all.

Chen Dashan drove the oxcart, taking the two brothers to the entrance of the county school. The entrance was already packed with people, all of them students taking the exam and their parents seeing them off. Some of the students had gray hair and were still queuing, while others were about the same age as Shi Tou, their faces showing barely concealed nervousness.

Stone and Aji, holding their examination cards, squeezed through the crowd and found their examination booths. They lined up, their names were called, and they were searched. When it was Stone's turn, he held up his examination basket for the officer to inspect. The officer rummaged through it, waved him in, and Aji followed closely behind.

The examination sheds were rows of makeshift wooden cabins, three rows in total. Each row of cabins, viewed from the front, was low, narrow, and simple, with only the roof ridge of the row in front visible through gaps. Each cabin could only fit a table and a stool, and the wooden walls were so thin that a cough from next door could be heard clearly. Shi Tou squeezed in sideways, his elbow hitting the doorframe, making him wince in pain. He sat down, placed his examination basket on the corner of the table, laid out the paper, ground the ink, and waited for the gong to sound to signal the start of the examination.

The county examination consisted of four sessions, one per day. The questions weren't too difficult, but they weren't easy either. The first session was on reciting classic texts and interpreting them in calligraphy, testing one's memorization and understanding of the classics, which Shi Tou answered fairly well. The second session was on composing a poem, the topic being "On Spring Rain," which he pondered for half an hour before putting pen to paper. The third session was on essays, testing one's insights into current events. The last session was on policy questions, the topic being local water conservancy. Shi Tou recalled his grandfather's hard work repairing canals every autumn, and he had some insights to share. After four days, Shi Tou's wrists ached from writing, and Aji's shoulders were so sore he could barely lift them.

After finishing the last exam, the two brothers came out of the exam hall, their faces pale, but their eyes were bright.