Top Scholar

Chapter 235 Going home for the New Year
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Lu and his family took a boat back to Hejiang to celebrate the New Year.

The only regret was that he didn't get to see Huang E before leaving. But the two had already agreed that after he passed the imperial examination next year, Su Lu would bring a matchmaker to propose marriage.

The provincial examination will be held around August or September. If everything goes smoothly by then, I can change into my blue robe, storm the military headquarters, and negotiate with Huang Bingxian!
The Erlang Winery's merchant ship slowly sailed away from Guanyizui Wharf, and Su Lu watched the city of Luzhou gradually disappear into the distance. The thought of being out of contact for two or three months inevitably made him feel somewhat saddened.

"Brother, this is for you after Sister Huang E asked me to set sail." Xiao Tiantian took out a thick booklet with a cover made of dark blue Shu brocade with an autumnal color from her heavy schoolbag and presented it to him with both hands.

"Oh." Su Lu quickly took it, only to feel a sudden weight on her arms. "It's so heavy, thank you for your hard work, little sister."

"Of course." Xiaotian rubbed her shoulders and smiled sweetly, "Sister Huang E worked on this booklet all winter, so brother must read it carefully."

"Your sister told you to read one page a day, no more and no less," Xiaotiantian reminded him again, patting his shoulder and saying, "Take your time reading."

He then laughed and ran away.

Su Lu looked at the booklet, which was about the size of two books. The background was a warm, fragrant yellow, like the color of osmanthus blossoms, and the brocade surface was woven with a subtle pattern of "Three Autumns on One Branch." The three groups of osmanthus branches intertwined, symbolizing the wish to pass the imperial examination with flying colors. Moreover, his nickname was Qiu Ge'er, and he was the third child in his family, so the pattern also represented his name.

In addition, the word "gui" (桂) is a homophone for "gui" (归), so it naturally carries the connotation of longing for someone's return.

Just looking at this cover, one can sense the many emotions it holds. Fortunately, Su Lu is able to interpret each one accurately, preventing Huang E from misinterpreting her feelings.

He first untied the love knot on the cover before opening the booklet, and saw Huang E's familiar, delicate, and elegant handwriting on the title page:

'A day apart feels like three autumns; every page, every thought, is as if we were face to face.'

Then Su Lu turned to the first page and saw that Huang E had used the smallest jade brush to draw a miniature version of Luzhou City on a clean sheet of Xuan paper.

The Yangtze and Tuojiang Rivers converged outside the city like two green ribbons. At Guanyizui Wharf, all the boats were moored, except for one merchant ship with its sails hoisted, which had just left the wharf.

A young man in white stood at the stern of the boat, gazing at Luzhou City, looking exactly like Su Lu now.

He followed the direction the boy was looking and saw a woman in a blue dress leaning against the railing of a high-rise building in the city, gazing into the distance. Their eyes met across the layers of buildings...

A poem was also included in the blank space of the painting:

"I lean against the carved railing atop the embroidered tower, my gaze following the returning boats across the river's current. The white-clad figure fades into the distance, the evening river growing cold."

A thousand sails have passed, yet you have not seen them; a single glance pierces through ten thousand mountains.

The clouds are light, the water flows gently, and the autumn man returns early with the white gulls.

The poem ends with the seal "Hongxiu Tongxin Yin" (meaning "Seal of Shared Hearts and Destiny"), next to which are three dried osmanthus petals, their tips stained with vermilion, like a burning thought in the eyes of a departing person.

This page encapsulates the sentiment of "You gaze at the city, I gaze at the boat" on a small piece of paper. The paper is as moist as autumn dew, and the drawing is as delicate as silk threads, filled with Huang E's deep reluctance to part...

After reading it, Su Lu was deeply moved and remained so for a long time. He cupped his hands around his mouth, faced the direction of Luzhou City, and shouted, "Xiu Mei, I will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a scholar!"

"..." The family was heartbroken to see this. These two children were so pitiful; they hadn't been able to see them since the Mid-Autumn Festival...

"That damned Huang Bingxian, even if we become in-laws in the future, I won't give him a second glance," Su Youcai said indignantly.

"Father has to pass the imperial examination to become a scholar. Otherwise, when we come to propose marriage next year, we won't even get a seat in front of him." Su Tai reminded him in a low voice, "If he asks you to kneel down, you'll have to kneel down obediently."

"I don't need you to remind me, I'll get back to studying right now!" Su Youcai finally got motivated!

Although he had worked hard before, it was far from being considered a desperate effort. After Su Tai's reminder, he realized he had no choice but to work harder, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand up straight in front of that Huang guy!
After saying that, Su Youcai went into the cabin and began to study hard!

The proprietress secretly gave Su Tai a thumbs up, never expecting that this simple-minded boy was such a good troublemaker.

Su Tai scratched his head. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're absolutely right," the proprietress said with a smile. "If your father passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar in the future, you'll definitely have a part in it."

~~
That afternoon, the boat arrived at Hejiang.

Uncle, younger uncle, elder brother, and Jinbao'er were already waiting at the dock.

"Sanguo! Sanguo is back!" Little Jinbao rode on Su Youjin's shoulders, waving his short, chubby arms.

As soon as Su Lu got off the boat, she jumped from her uncle's shoulder into his arms.

"Ouch!" Su Lu quickly hugged her six-year-old sister tightly. Goodness, it felt like she'd been hit by a cannonball. "That's quite a weight."

The eldest and second eldest brothers, along with Youli and Youxi, loaded the gifts and New Year's goods from the boat onto the carriage, and the family chatted and laughed as they headed into the city to go home.

On the street, many shopkeepers came out to greet Su Youjin, who was dressed in casual clothes.

Su Youjin greeted them with a smile, his demeanor already displaying the air of an official.

"So, Lord Centurion, you've brought the stall fees to the county?" Su Lu asked jokingly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I don't even charge the stall fees in town anymore." The uncle paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, looking dignified. "For a family like ours, it would be beneath us to accept that kind of money."

“Yes, yes, Lord Centurion must maintain a certain official appearance,” Su Lu said with a smile. “Nonsense, is it for my sake? It’s for yours!” the uncle retorted with a laugh, “Who in Hejiang County doesn’t know the famous Prodigy Su these days? Everyone calls me ‘Uncle Prodigy.’ Would it be appropriate for me to go back to doing that extortionate stuff?!”

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Uncle," Su Lu said with a forced smile.

"No, that's not it. It's just that I've got a new job now," the uncle said with a smile.
"Isn't it because the higher-ups want to dredge the Chishui River? The Military Affairs Office has set up a River Works Bureau, with the Military Commissioner personally serving as the director-general, and the heads of one county, one department, and three guards all serving as deputy directors-general."

He paused for a moment and said, "Of course, the people below are the ones doing the work. I'm a member representing the Qianhu Office, and I've been stationed in the county for two months now, so they all know me."

As his status rose, my uncle's social skills became increasingly formidable...

"So it's Committee Member Su, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner." Su Lu cupped his hands in a playful gesture and asked with concern, "Are you sure you want to do it? When will construction begin?"

"It's still early," my uncle said with a wry smile. "It's still in the discussion and coordination stage. To put it bluntly, the higher-ups are desperately assigning tasks to the lower levels, while the lower levels are trying to take on as few tasks as possible. It took two whole months of wrangling to finally finish the allocation."

He sighed and said, "But the wrangling in the county isn't the hardest part. The real headache is when we go back next year to get things done. We'll have to make sure everything is in place, and we'll be grateful if construction can start on time next autumn."

"It's really not easy to get things done," Su Lu remarked.

“Of course,” the uncle said. “Besides, it’s such a huge project! It involves so many aspects, just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle…”

Then, with a look of admiration, he said, "Huang Bingxian is truly a man of great courage!"

"What happened to that old thief?" Su Youcai, who had been pondering the article, responded sharply upon hearing the question.

“What did you hear that? I said Huang Bingxian,” the uncle said.

"I'm talking about that old scoundrel!" Su Youcai snorted. "He's really tormented our Qiu-ge'er these past six months!"

"What's the story behind this?" the uncle asked in surprise.

"Let's talk about it when we get home," Su Lu quickly interrupted, turning to his uncle and saying, "Uncle, keep up the good work! Our Erlangtan is counting on you!"

"Hahaha," the uncle said happily, "I only took this job so that I could contribute to my hometown."

~~
After walking through the bustling long street, the family returned to their new house in the north of the city.

Turning past the screen wall, the old man heard the noise and led the old woman out to greet them.
The three siblings, Su Lu and his sister, quickly stepped forward and kowtowed to their grandparents in the courtyard.

"Oh my, the children are finally back!" The old lady was overjoyed and pulled the children up to look at this one and that one.

"Oh my, little Tiantian, you've become so beautiful, like a young lady all grown up." The old lady cupped little Tiantian's face in her hands and said with a smile.

"How is Grandma's health?" Although Xiaotian still calls Su Youcai "Uncle," she has long since changed her address to "Grandpa" and "Grandma."

"Yes, yes, I eat my fill every day." The old lady smiled and shifted her gaze, looking up at her towering second grandson.

"Xia-ge'er, how come you've gotten so strong again?"

"Grandma, I practice every day," Xia Ge'er grinned, demonstrating a few moves.

"You're always in love?" the old lady asked happily. "Why haven't you brought your wife home yet?"

"Grandma, you misheard me, I meant to say practice..." Xia Ge'er was very embarrassed.

Fortunately, the old lady had turned to Su Lu. "Qiu-ge'er, you've grown taller, but why aren't you getting any meat on your bones?"

"Grandma, don't worry, with bones, there's no need to worry about meat." (Thinking to myself, now you can't mishear, right?)
"Oh? You're so worried because you can't see your wife?" The old lady stroked her third grandson's face and said, "You're all growing up and missing your wives now?"

"..." Su Lu was speechless for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right."

"Hmph, you two traitors," Chun Ge'er snorted. "We agreed to stay single together."

"What? Chun-ge doesn't want to delay any longer? Then hurry up and find him! Grandma is waiting to hold her great-grandson!" The old lady was overjoyed.

~~
Aunt and younger sister led Xibao and Dongge out; the two of them could already run, jump, and call out "brother."

The two little ones are blessed; they've been raised in good times, and their skin is fair and tender, making them look like dolls from a traditional Chinese New Year painting.

"Why haven't I seen Auntie?" Despite her aunt's constant nagging, Su Lu actually missed her quite a bit.

"You've got a conscience, kid!" Auntie finally arrived, wearing an apron. "It wasn't for nothing that Auntie made you such a delicious meal!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Auntie." Su Lu noticed that her aunt had clearly lost weight, obviously taking much more effort than before to manage such a large household.

Putting everything else aside, just look at how clean the house is; the daily cleaning alone is exhausting.

Since the family hasn't hired anyone, it's all up to my aunt and my younger sister, and they're really struggling to keep up.

As for my aunt, it's good enough if she doesn't cause any trouble...

P.S. I haven't checked the next chapter yet~~
(End of this chapter)