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

Chen Dashan waited at the door. He didn't ask anything, but simply draped thick cotton-padded coats over his two sons and slowly drove the oxcart back. On the road, Shi Tou leaned against the side of the cart with his eyes closed, and Aji leaned against Shi Tou's shoulder; neither of them spoke. The oxcart creaked along the dirt road, and the setting sun cast long shadows of them.

On the day the results were released, Chen Xiaohe rushed to the county town. He squeezed in front of the list for more than half an hour, his clothes were even torn askew, before finally finding two names on the densely packed red papers—Chen Shouren and Chen Shouyi. Shi Tou's full name was Shouren, and Aji's full name was Shouyi. Both were on the list, both had passed.

Chen Xiaohe practically ran home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted, "They're all past!" Chen's father nearly dropped his pipe, and Chen's mother's hand trembled, pricking her finger with a needle. Su Xiaoyin rushed out of the kitchen, her apron still covered in flour, her face dazed, as if she hadn't heard him clearly. Su Xiaoqing followed behind, leaning against the doorframe, speechless for a long time.

Shi Tou and A Ji passed the county examination; the next step is the prefectural examination.

The prefectural examination was held in the prefectural city, much farther than the county examination. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe drove ahead to take the two children to the prefectural city. Thick straw was laid on the cart, and a cotton quilt was placed on top to protect them from the bumpy ride. Shitou and Aji leaned against the cart, each clutching a book, and fell asleep as they were jostled around.

The prefectural examination lasted for several days, even more arduous than the county examination. They stayed at an inn, getting up before dawn to rush to the examination hall, then rushing back to the inn after the exam, eating, and immediately going to sleep. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe took turns guarding the door, neither daring to close their eyes.

On the day the results were announced, Shi Tou and A Ji squeezed into the crowd, craning their necks to find each name. A Ji saw his name first—Chen Shouyi, listed in the middle to back, but clearly printed on the red paper. Just as he was about to call out, Shi Tou pulled him back and pointed to a spot slightly lower on the list—the three characters Chen Shouren, neatly and prominently displayed there.

The two brothers exchanged a glance and smiled. Although their ranking wasn't high, at the bottom, they were still on the list.

They were already students at the level of "children of scholars" (童生).

When the news reached the village, the Chen family didn't hold a grand feast. Father Chen said they'd celebrate after the scholar passed the imperial examination; there was no rush. But that evening, Su Xiaoyin prepared a huge feast, even more lavish than New Year's. Father Chen took out some aged wine he'd kept for years, poured himself a glass, and poured one for each of his two grandsons. Shi Tou took a sip and coughed from the spiciness; A Ji didn't dare drink and just ate his rice.

The next step, the provincial examination, was the real hurdle. Only those who passed the provincial examination could become scholars.

Shi Tou passed the exam. Aji failed.

On the day the results were released, Shi Tou found his name on the list. He stood there staring at it for a long time, then glanced back at Aji. Aji squeezed next to him, searched the list carefully, then again, but it wasn't there. He smiled, patted Shi Tou's shoulder, and said softly, "Brother, you passed. I'm going back now, I'll come back in two years."

Stone opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Chen Dashan drove the oxcart, pulling the two children back home. The three of them barely spoke the rest of the way. As they neared the village entrance, Aji suddenly spoke, his tone as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather: "Uncle, I plan to take the exam again in two years. I'll stay home and study for the next two years; I won't be idle."

Chen Dashan nodded without turning around.

At the courtyard gate, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, Afu and Qingqing were all standing there waiting. Shitou was the first to jump out of the car, walked up to his grandfather, and whispered, "Grandpa, I passed the exam." Mr. Chen patted him on the shoulder without saying anything more. Aji followed behind, smiling, and said, "Grandpa, I didn't pass. I'll try again in two years."

Chen's mother hugged Aji tightly, patted his back, and said, "It's alright." Chen's father lit his pipe, took a puff, slowly exhaled, looked at his two grandsons, and said, "Alright, come inside, dinner's ready."

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, steaming hot. The family sat around the table, no one talking much about the exams. Chen's father picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in Aji's bowl. Aji lowered his head and ate his rice, feeling a lump in his throat, but he held it in.

Outside the window, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, its gentle light spilling into the courtyard. The leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the evening breeze. Tomorrow, Shi Tou would continue preparing for the provincial examination, and A Ji would continue studying. The two brothers sat side by side, just like when they were children.

----

Aji took several days to fully recover at home.

On the way home after failing the exam, he didn't say anything. He ate dinner as usual, finishing every grain of rice and even drinking an extra bowl of soup. Su Xiaoqing put food on his plate, but he said, "Mom, I can do it myself." Chen Xiaohe asked him if he was going to school the next day, and he said, "Yes." He was too calm, so calm that it didn't seem like someone who had just learned of his failure. Su Xiaoqing, on the other hand, couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning. When Chen Xiaohe asked her what was wrong, she said that Aji never said anything about what was on his mind.

Chen Xiaohe was silent for a moment, then said, "He said he'll take the exam again in two years."

Aji quickly returned to the county school. Every day he would get up before dawn, wash up, and sit by the window to read until it was fully light before going to the school. He wouldn't rest when he came back at night, studying under the lamp until midnight, and Su Xiaoqing had to urge him several times before he would finally go to sleep. Shitou lived with Chen's mother in the county town, and he also left early and returned late every day. The two brothers would meet at the school, sometimes eating lunch together, discussing policy essays while eating, drawing lines on the table with their chopsticks, which made their classmates eating next to them laugh and say they were possessed.

Shi Tou failed the provincial examination in the autumn. When the news reached them, the whole family was husking corn in the yard. Su Xiaoqing dropped the corncob in her hand, Chen Xiaohe froze, and Su Xiaoyin stopped what she was doing. Shi Tou stood at the gate, carrying his schoolbag, looking thinner, his eyes sunken, his lips chapped, and his face rough and red from the autumn wind. He first went to his grandfather, knelt down, and kowtowed, saying, "Grandpa, I didn't pass the exam."

Chen's father helped him up, patted him on the shoulder, and said nothing.

Shi Tou stood up and looked at Aji. The two brothers exchanged a glance. Aji walked over and stood beside him. In the past year or so, Aji had grown quite a bit taller and his shoulders had broadened; he was already starting to look like an adult. He didn't say anything; he just stood there, side by side with Shi Tou.

The next day, Shi Tou took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and went to the county school as usual. He told A Ji that they would study hard for another three years and prepare well so that the two brothers could take the exam together. If they still couldn't pass after three years, they would give up. A person's energy is limited; one cannot spend their whole life on the imperial examinations. They knew how much money their family had spent over the years, and they had done their duty.

Aji said, "Brother, I'll stay with you."