After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Lin Chu sighed.

I didn't try to persuade them any further.

He picked up his pen and continued writing, but a little slower than usual.

Cang Yao ground the ink for a while, then lowered her head again.

Lin Chu turned her head and found that her breathing had become even, and the ink stick in her hand was resting in the inkstone. She had actually fallen asleep standing up.

About three incense sticks later, Cang Yao suddenly jumped up, her eyes wide open: "I wasn't asleep! I'm awake!"

Lin Chu didn't even look up: "Yes, you're awake."

Cang Yao looked down at the cotton-padded jacket on her shoulders, then saw Lin Chu grinding ink by herself, and pouted: "Why didn't you call me?"

"Don't rush to grind the ink, don't rush to write the Spring Festival couplets, rest when you're tired, don't push yourself."

Cang Yao did not respond.

She suddenly ran to a place where Lin Chu couldn't see her, reached into her sleeve, pulled out a small cloth bag, took out a piece of ginger, and chewed it.

Almost instantly, her eyes reddened. She sniffed and continued grinding the ink.

At dinner, Lin Chu specially cooked a pot of hot soup and served Cang Yao a full bowl.

After finishing her drink, Cang Yao felt sleepy again and sat on the stone bench, nodding her head.

Lin Chu helped her up and took her back to her house.

When they reached the door of the east room, Cangyao suddenly grabbed his sleeve and said something indistinct.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine after winter and spring." She winked again after saying that. "I'll go with you to the imperial examination. After you've finished the exam—"

She didn't finish speaking, but Lin Chu knew what she was going to say.

"Um."

"You promised me."

"I promise you."

Cang Yao smiled, loosened his sleeve, and returned to the room.

Lin Chu stood at the door, watching her back with concern, and then closed the door.

Xiao Xiao peeked out from under the eaves, glanced at the scene with a worried look, seemed to want to say something, but then shrank back inside.

……

A few days later, Magistrate Liu arrived.

He was dressed casually, brought a pot of wine, and chatted with Lin Chu under the locust tree for an entire afternoon.

Before leaving, he took a letter out of his pocket and placed it on the stone table.

The envelope was stamped with the vermilion seal of the Hanlin Academy, and the signature was neatly written with three characters: Zhou Tingfu.

"Lord Zhou's handwritten letter."

Magistrate Liu sat back down on the stone bench, picked up the teacup that Cang Yao had just filled, blew on it to cool it down, and said, "He asks you to go to the capital half a month in advance to visit him at his residence."

Cang Yao paused for a moment as she held the teacup.

Lin Chu took the letter and unfolded it. Every stroke of the pen in the letter revealed the strength and character of an old-fashioned scholar.

Zhou Tingfu didn't say anything polite, only that he had read Lin Chu's policy essays and poems and had some thoughts he wanted to discuss in person.

It was also said that it was difficult to be the top scorer in the provincial examination, and if there were any questions before the palace examination, one could come and ask at any time.

The wording was neither humble nor arrogant; it was neither a superior summoning a subordinate nor a senior instructing a junior, but rather like two scholars arranging a tea gathering.

Lin Chu folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

"The students understand."

Magistrate Liu smiled and put down his teacup.

"Alright, alright, let's go early to avoid the snow blocking the roads."

Magistrate Liu did not get up immediately. He remained seated on the stone bench, holding his teacup but not drinking.

"Sir Lin, I heard something from your village chief."

Lin Chu raised her head.

"The village chief said—" Magistrate Liu drawled, his finger slowly circling the rim of his teacup, "You plan to marry Miss Cang after you return from the trial?"

Lin Chu nodded with a smile on her face.

Cang Yao stood to the side, her head bowed, her cheeks flushed.

Magistrate Liu laughed heartily, his laughter startling the birds in the locust tree into flight.

He slammed his teacup down on the stone table, stood up, and straightened his clothes.

"Excellent!" His voice was filled with undisguised joy. "Even with a thousand springs in the capital, it's hard to repay the kindness of those who once graced my humble abode. When you pass the imperial examination with flying colors, it will be a celebrated story in the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the scene from that day.

……

Time flies.

On New Year's Eve.

The village started to get lively from the morning.

The children, dressed in their new clothes, ran around in the alley.

Lin Chu was putting up Spring Festival couplets in the courtyard.

The couplet he wrote himself a couple of days ago is pasted on the front door: "May Heaven add years to your life and may spring fill the universe and may blessings fill your door."

After finishing pasting the paper, he took two steps back to look at it. He felt that the horizontal stroke of the character "福" (fortune) in "福满门" (fortune fills the door) was not written gracefully enough. Just as he was about to get closer to examine it, Cang Yao peeked out from inside the house.

"Lin Chu, is there enough paste?"

"enough."

"Then I'll go and paste the door of the east room." She came out carrying a small bowl of paste, her apron tied tightly, and her hair neatly styled with the silver hairpin.

Cang Yao looked much more energetic today, perhaps because of the Chinese New Year. Her eyes were brighter than they had been a few days ago, and she was walking more steadily.

Xiao Xiao followed behind Cang Yao, carrying several couplets she had written. The top one almost smeared onto her face.

She tilted her head to avoid it, ran to the door of the east room, and stood on tiptoe to gesture at the door frame.

"Sis, is this the right way?"

"It's crooked, move it a little to the left."

"How about this?"

"A little more to the right."

"Which side is it?!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed anxiously, turning around to glare at Cang Yao, almost causing the couplet to be blown away by the wind.

Cang Yao quickly stepped forward to hold her down, and while adjusting her position, she bickered with her. The two of them squeezed in the doorway and it took them a long time to finally paste up a couplet.

After finishing, Cang Yao took two steps back to look at it and nodded in satisfaction.

Xiao Xiao, however, was unhappy and pointed to the couplet she had just pasted up, saying, "I pasted half of this one, so I deserve half the credit."

"Okay, okay, I'll share half with you." Cang Yao nodded perfunctorily and turned to stick the door to the kitchen.

Xiao Xiao followed him to the kitchen door and asked, "Sister, what did you say we'd have for New Year's Eve dinner this year? I just went to the kitchen and saw fish, chicken, braised pork hock, and the osmanthus cake you made yesterday—can I have a piece of osmanthus cake first?"

Cang Yao didn't even turn her head: "No."

Just one!

"Eat after you finish your meal."

"It'll be gone after we finish eating! You gave it all to Brother Lin Chu last time!"

That's because you ate too much.

"No way!" Xiao Xiao stood in the middle of the yard, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out, like an angry pufferfish.

Cang Yao turned around and glanced at her, then couldn't help but laugh.

That laugh completely dissipated the momentum that Xiaoxiao had painstakingly built up.

Little Xiao pouted and ran to the corridor again, tugging at Mr. Chen's sleeve: "Sir, please be the judge, my sister is bullying me again."

Mr. Chen had changed into a newly made cotton robe today. He sat on a rattan chair under the eaves, holding a teacup in his hand, and watched this scene with a smile.

He looked down at Xiaoxiao's puffed-up face, reached out and patted her head, and said, "I'll save you the biggest piece of osmanthus cake later. Hide it so your sister won't know."

Her small eyes lit up immediately, and she whispered something in Mr. Chen's ear. Mr. Chen nodded repeatedly, and the two of them were acting mysteriously, as if they were plotting something big.

In the evening, the New Year's Eve dinner was served.

The table was set up in the main room, with several more dishes than usual—braised fish, braised pork knuckle, stewed chicken soup, glutinous rice lotus root, and rice cakes that Cang Yao learned to make from Aunt Wang, which were sliced ​​thinly and arranged on a white porcelain plate, sprinkled with a layer of white sugar.

Xiao Xiao was already sitting on the stool waiting, chopsticks in her hand, her eyes darting around at the dishes on the table.

Once everyone was present, Mr. Chen raised his glass, which contained a bottle of aged wine that he had treasured for many years, and which he had specially opened today.

He looked at the three young people sitting around the table, the light reflecting off his eyes and making them sparkle.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

He raised his glass, paused for a few moments, and then slowly began to speak: "I've spent most of my life alone. My parents passed away early, and I married Ai when I was young, but she passed away too."

The room fell silent.

"Later, I adopted Lin Chu. I thought, at least someone will take care of me in my old age and see me off in my final days, so I won't have come all alone." Mr. Chen's voice was a little hoarse, but he continued, his gaze shifting from Xiao Xiao to Cang Yao, then to Lin Chu, "And then, Yao came. And then, Xiao Xiao came too. This table—"

Xiao Xiao tilted her head to look at Mr. Chen, and unconsciously put down her chopsticks.

Mr. Chen held his wine glass steady: "It's nothing, I'm just happy. Come on, bottoms up." The four glasses clinked together.

Xiao Xiao took a big gulp of fruit wine, squinted her eyes from the spiciness, stuck out her tongue, then raised her glass to clink with Mr. Chen's and said, "Sir, sir, let's clink glasses again."

After clinking glasses, she took a small sip with an air of importance, then secretly moved the fruit wine to the side. Cang Yao noticed this and calmly pushed the glass back.

She glared at her slightly, but Cang Yao pretended not to notice.

Lin Chu put a piece of fish in Mr. Chen's bowl and pushed the braised pork knuckle towards Xiao Xiao.

Cang Yao sat opposite him. She was indeed much more energetic than a few days ago, and her complexion was rosier. She would occasionally put food on Xiao Xiao's plate and tell her to eat slowly so she wouldn't choke.

While eating, Xiaoxiao suddenly put down her chopsticks and announced loudly, "I learned how to make egg pancakes this year! Brother Lin Chu taught me!"

"Yes, yes, you've learned it." Cang Yao laughed from the side, "but you always flip it over and it ends up outside the pan."

"That's because the pot is too small!"

"The pot shouldn't be blamed for this."

"It's true!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed anxiously, turning to seek help, "Brother Lin Chu, do you think it's a problem with the pot?"

Lin Chu picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks without looking up: "Okay, I'll get you a bigger pot next time."

Xiao Xiao proudly raised her chin at Cang Yao, who smiled and shook her head.

She was quiet for a short while, but then she couldn't sit still again.

She put down her chopsticks, cleared her throat, stood up, put her hands behind her back, and began reciting poetry with a swaying head: "Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless—"

"The sun and moon wax and wane, the stars and constellations are arrayed in the sky," Cang Yao added.

"I haven't finished memorizing it yet!" Xiao Xiao stomped her foot.

"You're memorizing too slowly."

"That's because I'm getting into the mood! My teacher said that you have to recite with feeling!"

Mr. Chen was so happy that his beard was shaking.

He watched as Xiao Xiao blushed and argued with Cang Yao, and watched her gesture wildly as she demonstrated the famous "reciting with emotion" movement. Suddenly, his vision blurred for a moment.

He lowered his head and, using the motion of holding up a wine glass, gently rubbed the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.

He recalled his youth when his wife would sit on the doorstep sewing while he read a book beside her. The two of them could go an entire afternoon without saying a word, but that sense of peace he had never experienced since.

After his wife passed away, the threshold remained empty.