Chapter 69 Ordinary Things: From then on, I stopped thinking about it.
The return of Sister You and the others was a joyous occasion for the alley, something to celebrate. However, the couple looked utterly miserable. On the way back after picking them up, Aunt Yu touched Sister You's already thin arm, and the hair on her arm stood on end. She could only feel a thin layer of skin against the bone.
Whether it was the neighbors wanting to hold a banquet to welcome back their loved ones, or the imperial court's banquet and rewards, after seeing the returning people, all these were thoughtfully postponed for the time being, and everyone was instructed to take good care of themselves first.
After welcoming Sister You and her husband back, everyone patted them all over with mugwort leaves. They also invited Taoist priest Yan from the Taoist temple to walk around them and chant some incomprehensible scriptures. They burned yellow talismans and finally murmured words like "all diseases will be cured" and "peace and safety will prevail." The couple finally returned home after being away for half a year.
As soon as Sister You led Jasmine through the door, her happy smile froze, and her brows furrowed.
In the courtyard, the flowers and trees grew wildly, untrimmed; a pile of coal ash accumulated in the corner, mold grew on the wall next to the water vat, and moss remained in the cracks between the floor tiles. The porch, beams, window paper, and window frames were all covered in dust! Dust!
Upon entering the room, I noticed that Jasmine's clothes were also not neatly folded into sets, arranged by season and season, and not stored in the trunk. Instead, they were crammed into the trunk in a messy and chaotic manner.
Sister-in-law You almost fainted after just one glance.
The kitchen was even worse. The bottoms of the pots were blackened, the stove was covered in grease, and the pots and pans in the cupboards weren't organized at all! The first shelf should be for plates and spoons, the second for bowls, and the third for pickles! Even the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar should be arranged according to their height and shape! And the dishcloths? Good heavens! Where were her dozen or so neatly organized dishcloths, each with its own purpose? Only two were hanging there all alone!
Even if you can't be as meticulous as her, you still need three people to wash the dishes, two to wipe the stove, one to wipe the pots, one to wipe the table, and one to wipe the soy sauce bottles, right? And the brooms and mops for sweeping the floor too, since you can't sweep the house after sweeping the yard, why are they all mixed together?
Sister-in-law You felt dizzy and disoriented. The hardships and discomfort of the past six months were nothing compared to the pain caused by the filthy and chaotic state of her home.
Her eyes were wide open, her hands trembling slightly. She walked around the room, but couldn't bear it any longer and immediately started to tidy up. Fortunately, Granny Xue knew her temperament well and stopped her with all her might, even scolding her a few times, and finally managed to push her into the inner room to rest before she was finally able to hold her down.
But Sister-in-law You only slept for an hour. As soon as she opened her eyes, she tied her hair up, rolled up her sleeves, and busied herself with chores. No amount of persuasion could stop her; she couldn't sleep peacefully until the house was clean, and she was even dreaming about cleaning!
Granny Xue, Jasmine, and Doctor You were all kicked out by her. It wasn't that she insisted on doing the cleaning alone; in her eyes, neither her own mother nor her husband could clean as well as she did, and their presence only added to the mess. She would have to go back and fix the areas they had touched, making the process even more time-consuming.
Hearing the clanging and dusty sounds of the You family cleaning, Yao Ruyi silently served each of the three generations of the family who had been kicked out of the house a bowl of mixed vegetable soup and invited them into her family's grocery store to eat.
Grandma Xue glanced at her son-in-law, then at Jasmine, who looked dazed, and shook her head helplessly.
The three of them ate their mixed vegetable stew in silence. As the noise from inside the house grew louder, they peeked out and saw that Sister You had moved all the tables, chairs, and benches in the house to the front door. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to sleep until she had cleaned the house spotless.
Upon seeing this, Granny Xue shrugged and immediately said to Doctor You, "I'll go home tomorrow."
Doctor You hurriedly put down his bowl, swallowed the food in his mouth, and sincerely tried to persuade her to stay: "Mother, why are you in such a hurry? Qinglang and I have only been home for a day. If you stay a few more days, the whole family can be reunited."
Grandma Xue shook her head firmly: "I can't get along with Qinglang. She's like her father. I'm used to doing whatever I want. When she's at home, I have to pick up even a single hair that falls out. Otherwise, she'll follow me around like her father, cleaning up after me all the way. I can't stand it. I really can't stand living like this."
The cups used for drinking water had to be rinsed immediately, the chairs that people had sat on had to be wiped clean, the floor tiles had to be scrubbed every day, and the clothes washed and dried every day had to be taken down and folded neatly before noon. Grandma Xue really couldn't understand what the difference was between folding clothes in the morning and folding them in the afternoon. How could such a carefree person like herself have given birth to such a demanding and meticulous daughter?
Fortunately, my daughter got married and her husband's family still loves her.
Doctor You could only manage a forced laugh.
He'd been married for so many years, he was used to it. After getting married, he would even carefully use a handkerchief to trim his beard, and then squat down to check it thoroughly to make sure not a single hair was missing. The same went for his clothes, hats, and shoes; he would dust them off at the door before entering the house. He would never leave his outdoor clothes on the bed; he would always change into his everyday clothes before sitting on the bed.
Since she couldn't be as diligent and clean as Qinglang, she could only try her best to take care of herself. She didn't want to cause Qinglang any trouble; otherwise, she might stay up all night cleaning until she was satisfied.
Jasmine never expected that after not seeing her mother for half a year, and before she could even exchange a few words with her, she would be ruthlessly kicked out by her mother. She snuggled closer to her father and was pulled into Doctor You's arms, which calmed her down a bit.
Finally, before it got dark, Sister You finished getting everything ready. The three of them could then go home. Of course, Sister You kept an eye on them at the door and dusted them all over with a feather duster before letting them into the house.
Even so, Granny Xue stayed a few more days before leaving. After all, Sister-in-law You and Doctor You had just returned. Although she complained that her daughter was too clean and that living with her was tiring, she still cared for her. She prepared medicinal meals for her daughter and son-in-law for several days, and seeing that the couple's complexion had regained some color and their spirits had lifted, she finally said she wanted to hire a car and head back to her hometown.
Because she had been busy preparing medicinal meals in the kitchen these past few days, Granny Xue felt that she had already wiped the floor and mopped it once, but Sister You still went in and wiped the floor inside and out as soon as she saw her out.
Grandma Xue was furious.
She has no choice but to leave! She can't go on living like this for another day.
Before leaving, she stopped by Yao Ruyi's shop and did a quick shopping spree. She bought over a dozen of those useful long-handled mops, saying she would take them back to the countryside to give to her neighbors and relatives. She also filled a whole basket with rice cakes, meat paste for starch sausages, spicy chips, lard candy, and all sorts of seasonings and pickles that suited her taste.
Yao Ruyi carried the goods for her twice and said with a smile, "Grandma, you can buy less. Come back and visit Jasmine more often when you have time, and you can buy more later."
Grandma Xue left a pile of newly made mosquito repellent sachets and various useful ointments for Yao Ruyi, waving her hand and saying, "As a mother-in-law, you should know your place and know when to advance and retreat. The young couple is living a good life, why should I keep bothering them? Besides, they live in a big house in the countryside, with maids and servants to wait on them. They can go to temple fairs or markets whenever they want. Isn't that more comfortable than being confined here?"
He paused, then took her hand with a kind expression and patted it, saying, "I heard you're getting engaged. That's wonderful! Lord Lin is someone I know well and is so handsome. He's much better than the other family we were looking for! It's a happy ending after all your hardships... Before you get married, don't forget to send an invitation to your grandmother. She'll definitely come back for your wedding."
The news of Yao Ruyi and Lin Wen'an's engagement had already spread throughout the alley a few days ago when Lin Zhu invited the matchmaker, Ning. When Aunt Yu found out, she even sat openly in front of Yao Ruyi's grocery store, laughing and joking with Sister-in-law Yinzhu: "If you ask me, we should just tear down that wall between the Yao and Lin families. Anyway, Lord Lin never uses their main gate. From now on, the two families' doors can be combined..."
Yinzhu chuckled at her words. Aunt Yu asked her what she was laughing at, but she just kept laughing, waving her hands and shaking her head without saying a word. Aunt Yu was caught in a dilemma and kept pressing her for a long time before Yinzhu finally leaned close to her ear and whispered with a smile, "Isn't this just like a son-in-law who has moved into his wife's family home?"
Aunt Yu burst into laughter upon hearing this.
That's right. Just listen to what Lord Lin's father said. After arranging his son's marriage, he still has to go back to Fuzhou to manage the family business. Lord Lin still has to serve as an official in the capital. Wouldn't that make him a live-in son-in-law?
The rumor that "Lord Lin is going to become a live-in son-in-law" eventually reached Yao Ruyi's ears. She blushed and went to find Lin Wen'an, carefully asking him if he knew about it.
He gently patted her head and said, "I know."
"You know?" Yao Ruyi looked at him in surprise. "If you know, why don't you clarify or get angry?"
"Yes, I know." He smiled, turned and left.
Yao Ruyi stood there for a long time before she understood what he hadn't said. She lowered her head and shyly pinched her burning earlobe.
Having gone through all that, being teased by Granny Xue like this now is nothing.
Although an ordinary woman would blush with embarrassment at this time if her marriage was mentioned to her face, Yao Ruyi was thick-skinned and not embarrassed at all. Instead, she chuckled and pulled on Granny Xue's arm, pinching her thumb and forefinger together, and said with a sly smile, "That would be great! Granny, don't forget to give me a very generous red envelope!"
Grandma Xue was so amused by her cheeky antics that she laughed uproariously: "Good, good, good!"
Afterwards, Doctor You personally drove his mother-in-law out of the city, and only returned in the evening.
After securing the carriage and pushing open the door, the table was already set with food: burnt chicken wings, hardened egg pancakes, limp spinach piled at the bottom of the bowl after blanching, and a pot of fish soup with a raw, earthy smell... Doctor You swallowed hard. Fortunately, before returning home, his mother seemed to have anticipated something and gave him three steamed buns to eat on the way.
But... when he looked up again and saw his daughter and wife's smiling faces under the lamp, he smiled with relief.
Even though the food was unpalatable, he still felt a sense of longing for those ordinary days.
The You family's life returned to normal. The weather gradually warmed up, the vegetation grew more lush, and the sunshine was abundant. After several heavy rains, the water level of the Bian River finally rose again, making it suitable for dragon boat races.
The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner, and the aroma of bamboo leaves, realgar wine, and green rice dumplings is starting to fill the air.
Hearing that the date for the palace examination had been set, only Cheng Shujun and Lu Fang from the Imperial Academy were ranked in the top thirty of the second-tier list and were able to enter the palace to meet the emperor. During this period, the two were often summoned by the Grand Master of Ceremonies Feng to give instructions, explaining in detail the taboos in the palace, for fear that they would make mistakes and disgrace the Imperial Academy.
Yao Ruyi was still busy with her own business: Zhixingzhai was going to close for renovations, she had to take care of the "three or five" business with Master Meng, and she had to calculate and count the goods coming in and going out of the general store every day. She was so busy that she was spinning like a top and hardly had a moment to rest.
He had completely forgotten that he was going through the "six rites" with Lin Wen'an.
Until Yueyue came to find her, saying that her father had reached an agreement with Grandpa Yao and the two families should draft a "gift agreement".
The betrothal gift list is a detailed record of the betrothal gifts. It will list in detail the items of the betrothal gifts given by the groom to the bride, such as gold, silver, silk, house deeds, and jewelry.
Therefore, at this moment, she was asked to go to the gold and silver shop to select goldware. Although the goldware would take time to be made, it was better to decide on the style first so that it could be carefully written into the gift list.
Yao Ruyi suddenly realized: the betrothal gifts! They're already here so quickly?
Yueyue was puzzled: "Fast? My brother thinks it's too slow!"
Last time, when he heard that the date for their engagement based on their birth dates was probably in June, he didn't believe it. So, he took a book of divination with him and made a special detour to the Imperial Observatory before going to the government office. He asked the old astrologer, who was in charge of calendar and astronomy, to recalculate it several times. Sure enough, the date for him and Ruyi to get engaged was in June, and there were no good dates before then. Only then did he reluctantly accept it.
Yao Ruyi scratched her head; she had thought that wedding preparations would take a long time.
But that's alright, now that she's married, she won't have to hide from her grandfather anymore. It must be hard for her to spend all day sneaking around at home trying to steal a kiss from Lin Wen'an. Yao Ruyi thought to herself, there's no time like the present, so she immediately asked Cong Xin to look after the shop, and then spent the afternoon shopping at the gold and silver shops with Yueyue.
Lin Wen'an had intended to ask for leave to accompany them, but the Emperor summoned him to the palace again. It was said that the Emperor wanted to draft an edict to reward the physicians and doctors who had traveled to Guizhou. After all, Lin Wen'an held the official position of "Tianzhang Pavilion Attendant," and was responsible for drafting edicts, so the Emperor took him away.
Since he couldn't go, Lin Wen'an regretfully took off the purse from his waist, along with the money shop's stub, and left it with Yao Ruyi, so that they could spend it as they pleased and make the heaviest gold items.
Yueyue and Yao Ruyi both thought it was better that he didn't go. The two girls could leisurely stroll around all day, picking and choosing, chatting and laughing. Wouldn't that be wonderful? They could even visit the cosmetics shops. Why bring along a clueless guy who can't even tell the difference between face creams, ointments, and medicine?
During this time, Yao Ruyi and Yueyue quickly became close friends. Yueyue had a very good temperament and was always smiling. The two were about the same age and got along well. They often ate three meals a day and had two snacks together. Yueyue also taught her to ride a horse, and whenever they had free time, they would go to the theater to watch variety shows and acrobatics. It was such a carefree time.
On this day, the two of them took Yueyue's little girl with them, led their big yellow dog, and hitched up a large blue cloth-covered cart. On the cart were two bags of rice cakes and two large gourds filled with sweet milk tea. The two of them dressed up in their new clothes and hummed a little tune as they went out into the street.
No sooner had Yao Ruyi and the others left than a familiar, slightly chubby, square-faced student appeared at the alley entrance. Old Xiang, the gatekeeper, peeked out and saw that the man was carrying Yao's book bag, which was embroidered with a bunch of puppies and cat heads. Looking at his face, he recognized him immediately. He figured the man must be a student who often came to Zhixingzhai, so he didn't ask any questions and waved him in.
This time, Kang Hua had no relatives to guide him, and he had a lot of excuses to come up with. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to get in, but to his surprise, the old soldier didn't check him. He was overjoyed, nodded slightly to the old man, and quickly slipped into the alley.
Halfway there, I noticed that the area in front of Zhixingzhai was deserted, unlike usual.
Oh no, they didn't open for business!
I rushed over and saw that the courtyard inside was cluttered with piles of wood, and a large notice was pasted on the door, saying that Zhixingzhai was closed for renovations.
Building a two-story building is no easy task; it may take another month or two before it can reopen.
Kang Hua looked at it dejectedly for a long time, then had no choice but to turn around and go to the general store.
He also wants to drink milk tea!
A few more low tables and benches were set up in front of the general store, but the space was cramped and it wasn't comfortable to sit there. Most students hurried back to the South Study after buying their things, and only two or three people were still sitting there, slowly eating crispy and shiny sausages and drinking steaming hot mixed vegetable soup by the low tables.
As Kang Hua walked over, there happened to be someone inside with sharp ears. Hearing the footsteps, the person turned around with half a sausage in their mouth and even glanced at him.
What a small world! That person was none other than Lu Fang.
Kang Hua paused in his steps.
When Lu Fang saw him, he didn't tease him as before. Instead, he showed a hint of surprise and delight, exclaiming "Eh!" and waving with a smile: "You're here again? Congratulations on ranking sixteenth on the second list!"
As she spoke, she nudged Meng Boyuan next to her with her elbow, making him move aside. "You've come to Zhixingzhai for tea, haven't you? It's a pity it's been closed these past few days. Come and sit down?"
Despite his composure, Kang Hua went over and sat down as instructed, saying seriously, "You are twenty, and I am sixteen. I haven't looked at your paper."
Lu Fang rolled his eyes: "Why do you still remember this?"
"I need to make this clear." Kang Hua snorted. He was very serious about this matter. Even if it was a joke, he had to make it clear. Otherwise, if it got out in a murky way, wouldn't his reputation be ruined?
"Alright, alright, it's my fault, I misunderstood you. How about I treat you to some snacks to make up for it?" Lu Fang said casually. He stood up and called out to Cong Xin, who was busy in the shop, "Two more sausages! And a bowl of 'May wealth roll in'!"
Kang Hua asked with curiosity, "A constant flow of wealth? What do you mean?"
“Look,” Lu Fang pointed to Meng Boyuan’s bowl beside him, “it’s just this mixed vegetable stew, with extra cabbage, meatballs, and fried tofu. Cabbage sounds like ‘wealth,’ meatballs are round and plump, and fried tofu is ‘rich.’” He grinned, “These are all names people came up with for good luck before the imperial examinations. Isn’t it funny?”
Kang Hua thought to himself, "I'd rather use this time to read more books."
The imperial examinations were over, and the tension between the Imperial Academy and the Biyong Academy had eased somewhat. Meng Boyuan slurped up a mouthful of soup and leaned closer, asking curiously, "How many students from your academy were qualified to take the palace examination this time?"
"About six people, I guess." Kang Hua thought for a moment.
His ranking wasn't even among the top in the Biyong Academy.
Meng Boyuan clicked his tongue in astonishment: "So many?"
Their Imperial Academy only had two teachers, Cheng Da and Lu Fang.
Kang Hua shrugged, his expression indifferent: "In our academy, there are about half students from aristocratic families and half from commoners. It has always been like this. Those who do well in the exams are extremely good, but there are also quite a few who do poorly. The difference between them is obvious."
He didn't continue, explaining that those from well-to-do families in the academy, even if they achieved good results in the imperial examinations due to their family's scholarly traditions, rarely received important positions through the Ministry of Personnel's selection process. It was common knowledge that the emperor disliked the aristocratic families, so everyone was actually quite indifferent to whether they could enter the palace examination.
Thinking of this, Kang Hua sighed softly. He too was a son of a fallen aristocratic family, and sometimes he felt it was all meaningless; years of hard study yielded little result. But what else could he do but study?
A pang of sadness gripped his heart. Looking at the two people before him, his words carried a hint of sarcasm: "If you hadn't struck it lucky this year and produced that 'Three-Five' book, and predicted the questions correctly, in previous years, your number of successful candidates would have been only around a hundred. How could you have surpassed our Biyong Academy so easily?"
Moreover, the top student on the second-ranked list was from the Imperial Academy.
Moreover, Cheng Shujun, who ranked first on the second list, was only in the middle to upper ranks when the two official schools took the combined exams. This time, he jumped to first place, which shows that the "third and fifth" rankings are more helpful to those who are not bad to begin with.
Kang Hua felt even more annoyed when he recalled that he only learned about this book after the imperial examination.
Meng Boyuan snorted: "Didn't you guys also benefit a lot from your family's education? We each rely on our own efforts, so don't talk about your second brother, eldest brother."
Kang Hua felt even more troubled upon hearing this, when Lu Fang suddenly said, "By the way, I heard from Chancellor Feng and Lord Lin that the Emperor seems to be planning to issue an edict to open up the special imperial examination system. Lord Lin said he could recommend us. Does anyone from your Biyong Academy intend to give it a try? I heard it's next month."
"The Imperial Examination!" Kang Hua's heart skipped a beat.
This was a special imperial examination held by the Song Dynasty to recruit "extraordinary talents." It was not held often; the last time it was held was during the reign of Emperor Taizong. Those who could take the exam needed to be recommended by a scholar of the Hanlin Academy or a high-ranking official, and most of them were scholars who had already passed the imperial examination or held official positions. Once they passed, it was the "ultimate honor for a Confucian scholar," far surpassing that of ordinary scholars who had passed the imperial examination.
The imperial examinations were divided into "third-class," "fourth-class," and "second-class" (there were no first-class or second-class; the third-class was the highest). Wang Xiang and Fan Gong, who had previously presided over the reforms, were fortunate enough to be recommended to participate in the imperial examinations. They were in the third class and were known as the top scholars among the top scholars, becoming famous throughout the country and being granted official positions in an exceptional manner.
After all, the top-ranking scholars in the imperial examinations were generally appointed as "Assistant Director of the Imperial Workshops or Prefect of various prefectures" (ranks of eighth or ninth grade), and needed to be promoted step by step; while the third-ranked scholars in the special imperial examinations were given more important official positions, and were often admitted to the Hanlin Academy, the Privy Council, or the Secretariat, and were also regarded as "personally selected by the emperor".
Thinking of the imperial examination system, Kang Hua became excited, but was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of injustice: "We... we didn't even know about this!" His voice was filled with grievance. It was always like this! The students in the Imperial Academy always had better access to information than they did.
These are all government-run schools; this is such a blatant favoritism!
Lu Fang asked in surprise, "Your academy's Chancellor doesn't know this?"
Kang Hua was taken aback, then suddenly remembered: a few days ago, several senior scholars from the academy had gone to the palace to demand an explanation from the emperor regarding the Imperial Academy's exam questions, but were reprimanded and ordered to go home to reflect on their actions... This must be why they had lost contact. He immediately felt a little embarrassed.
Upon hearing this, Kang Hua could no longer sit still. He abruptly stood up and said, "This matter is of utmost importance! I will go back and report to the teachers at the academy right away!" Before he finished speaking, he had already turned around in a hurry and left with his robes billowing in the wind.
Meng Boyuan held the bowl, slurping up the last bit of broth from the mixed vegetables, watching Kang Hua's departing figure, and asked Lu Fang, "Why did you tell him this?"
"It'll spread sooner or later, it's nothing serious." Lu Fang smiled, only looking down and fiddling with the meatballs in his bowl. He said this, but in his heart he thought: He and Kang Hua were close in rank and came from similar backgrounds. If they passed the Ministry of Personnel examination, they would most likely be colleagues.
As colleagues, it's natural to cultivate good relationships with them early on.
While others were still basking in the joy of passing the imperial examination and becoming Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations), and hadn't yet adjusted to their new identities as scholars, Lu Fang, under the guidance of his father and uncles, had already begun quietly paving the way for his long official career. Unlike Kang Hua, who was pessimistic, he was quite calm about his future.
As long as he doesn't run into bad luck, Lu Fang thought, what's there to be afraid of in the officialdom?
At this moment, Cheng Niangzi's tailor shop was also very quiet.
The afternoon sunlight slanted through the windowpane, falling in dappled patterns on the desk, creating patches of light of varying lengths, within which fine dust particles floated.
Cheng Shujun sat motionless in the light and shadow, not moving for a long time.
On the table in front of him lay a small gourd-shaped talisman. The talisman was intricately embossed, depicting a chubby, endearing cat's head. Cheng Shujun's gaze lingered on the cat's head, his fingers unconsciously tracing lines on the table, but he ultimately did not touch it.
The house always has a slightly musty smell from the mixture of various colored fabrics and yarns. Occasionally, you can hear pedestrians whispering or cars rumbling outside the window, but the sounds coming in seem to be muffled and indistinct, as if through a layer of glass.
He stared intently at the gourd-shaped plaque he hadn't been able to give away for a few more moments. Finally, as if making a great decision, he slowly raised his hand. His fingertips touched the cool, smooth surface, paused for a moment, and then his five fingers closed, gripping it tightly in his hand.
The small object pressed against his palm as he pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk. The drawer was empty, with only a thin layer of old Xuan paper that had been used for writing. He reached in, holding the gourd-shaped plaque, then released it gently. The tiny weight landed on the paper, making almost no sound.
He pushed it further in with the back of his hand, pressing it completely into the deepest corner of the drawer.
The drawer closed with a soft "click" from the keyhole, which was particularly clear in the quiet room.
He let go, as if locking his heart as well.
The joy of passing the imperial examination had completely faded after hearing the news that Yao Xiaoniangzi was about to get engaged. Remembering what his mother had said, people are always experiencing both triumph and despair... He lowered his hand, shifted his gaze from the drawer, and turned to the sky outside the window, which was divided into pieces by the wooden latticework on the window, his eyes blank and empty.
From then on, I stopped thinking about it.
I don't want to think about it anymore.
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Sister-in-law You: This place is uninhabitable! [Cracking emoji] [Cracking emoji]
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