Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 120 Income into the Family
Lu Guangyu's eyes widened as he repeatedly checked the densely packed names. He turned to look at Lu Beigu beside him, his voice trembling, "Brother Lu! You've really soared to great heights!"

For most senior students at the state school, ranking seventy-second is a dream come true—a top-tier achievement that would allow them to easily advance to the upper-tier dorms. It's enough to make them stand out from their peers.

For a freshman who has been enrolled for less than a month and is still in the lower dormitory, this is far beyond what the word "excellent" can describe; it is simply astonishing!

Zhu Zhen's usually expressionless face was now filled with shock. He looked at Lu Beigu silently, his eyes filled not only with admiration but also with a clear understanding of the growing gap between them.

The ease on Huang Jingji's face had vanished, replaced by an incredulous astonishment.

He stared at Lu Beigu's profile as if he were seeing this person for the first time.

He believed his foundation was solid, consistently ranking among the top three in the county school, and his performance this time was also relatively stable, but his ranking still hovered in the middle of the lower class.

Lu Beigu, who was an unknown student in the county school not long ago, not only ranked first in the county exam, but also crossed the gap that might have taken him a year or even two years to cross in such a crushing manner!

You should know that when they had just finished the county exam and hadn't yet entered the state school, everyone gathered together to study every day. At that time, Huang Jingji didn't think that Lu Beigu was really a level above him.

The results of this dormitory assignment exam show that the gap between them widened rapidly in a very short period of time.

A strong sense of shock and a subtle bittersweet feeling intertwined and churned within him.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he could only manage a slightly stiff smile.

"My roast goose! My hot bath! So close! Just a little bit more—!"

Zhu Nanxing's wailing and lamentation stood out amidst the clamor.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the three characters "Zhu Nanxing" on the list.

Saying "almost" might be a bit of an exaggeration; he was still more than ten places away from the requirement to enter the middle dormitory, but the gap was indeed not particularly large.

Although Zhu Nanxing usually appears to be a chubby boy who is always laughing and joking, he actually comes from a merchant family and was raised to study from a young age. In addition, he is also very talented, so he entered the state school as the second-ranked student in the county examination. If Lu Beigu had not appeared out of nowhere, he would have been the strongest among them.

Unfortunately, the ethereal aroma of roast goose and the warm bath, seemingly within his grasp, cruelly slipped away at the last moment.

He was tormented by a huge sense of loss and a surging hunger in his stomach, making him wish he could faint on the spot.

Zhu Nanxing suddenly grabbed Lu Beigu's arm, her voice trembling with tears: "Brother Lu! Brother Lu! You've struck it rich! You can get into the Zhongshe restaurant and get that roast goose, isn't it delicious?! And can you really take a hot bath as long as you want? Huh? Tell me quickly!"

Lu Beigu was shaken by Zhu Nanxing.

Seeing his miserable yet comical appearance, the joy of successfully advancing in my heart was somewhat diminished, replaced by a wave of sympathy that was both funny and sad.

He patted Zhu Nanxing on the shoulder, about to say a few words of comfort, when the surrounding murmurs suddenly rose, and the crowd parted to both sides as if stones had been thrown into the water.

Then, Professor Jiang Zicheng, the head of the Luzhou Prefectural School, walked over, followed by several solemn-looking school officials.

Jiang Zicheng must have been busy with other things before. He had just returned to the state school and hadn't even had a chance to rest before checking the list. He looked at each name on the list carefully from top to bottom.

When he saw Lu Beigu's ranking, his face showed undisguised appreciation and a touch of emotion.

After looking at the list, Jiang Zicheng shouted.

"Lu Beigu, Yu Duo."

His voice wasn't loud, but as the highest-ranking official of the state school, it carried a special penetrating power that caused the surrounding sounds to automatically subside.

"—Come with me."

Countless gazes—envious, jealous, inquisitive, and curious—were fixed on Lu Beigu as if they were real.

Lu Beigu knew that this was to fulfill the reward of allowing the top five at this year's New Year's Gathering to freely choose their teachers. After all, among this year's top five, only he and Yu Duo were from Luzhou; the other three came from Meizhou, Rongzhou, and Jiazhou.

He suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, nodded slightly to his roommates, straightened his clothes, and calmly parted the crowd to walk towards Jiang Zicheng under everyone's watchful eyes.

His steps were steady, and although his eyes were somewhat dark, his eyes shone as brightly as cold stars.

Three consecutive days of burning the midnight oil to study have resulted in this earth-shattering test, it was all worth it!

"Student Lu Beigu greets all the gentlemen."

Lu Beigu walked up and respectfully bowed to Jiang Zicheng and the academic officials behind him.

Jiang Zicheng nodded in satisfaction. After asking about their choices, he didn't say much, but simply turned to signal him and Yu Duo to follow.

The group walked through the still buzzing crowd and headed straight for the teachers' residential area deep inside the state academy.

Soon, they arrived at a quiet and elegant courtyard.

The courtyard is shaded by lush bamboo, with white walls and black tiles, a far superior environment to the noisy and crowded school dormitories.

“Lu Beigu, go inside,” Jiang Zicheng said. “Mr. Baisha is waiting for you inside.”

Lu Beigu suppressed his rapidly beating heart, solemnly straightened his clothes, and entered the courtyard.

Because Yu Duo was assigned to a lower-level dormitory in this dormitory selection exam, even though he ranked first in the county-level exam in Luchuan County, he could only choose a teacher from a higher-level dormitory, not a teacher from an upper-level dormitory. Jiang Zicheng took him to another courtyard.

After entering the courtyard, Lu Beigu knocked on the door of the room.

"come in."

Lu Beigu gently pushed open the door. The room was not dimly lit. Behind a large desk, Li Tian was leisurely sitting in a round-backed chair, holding a book in his hand, with his gnarled cane casually leaning against the side of the chair.

Hearing the noise, he raised his head and looked at Lu Beigu with his cloudy eyes.

Lu Beigu stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Yes, you really came."

Li Tian put down his book, his face expressionless, and simply looked him up and down as if examining a rough gem.

"I heard you stayed in the library for three days and three nights? Young man, you've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid of exhausting yourself?"

Lu Beigu respectfully replied, "I just feel that this is a rare opportunity and dare not slack off."

"Extreme rigidity is easily broken; going too far is as bad as not going far enough."

Li Tian picked up the teacup beside him, took a slow sip, and said, "Sit down."

Lu Beigu sat down as instructed, his back still ramrod straight.

What rank did you get?

"Seventy-second place."

“In previous years, it would have been quite an achievement for freshmen to squeeze into the bottom of the middle dormitory during their first dormitory assignment exam. Your results should be considered a precedent at Luzhou State School.”

Li Tian paused, then looked directly at Lu Beigu: "As I said, once you pass the entrance exam for the middle academy, I will accept you as my disciple. From this day forward, you will be my student."

(End of this chapter)