Top Scholar

Chapter 69 Difficulty Traveling

Su Lu originally thought that the people of the Ming Dynasty were still relatively honest and simple, and that the imperial examination should be relatively fair, but he did not expect that all crows under heaven are black.

There's nothing new under the sun...

"Sigh..." He exhaled a long breath of stale air. It wasn't that he was not used to this environment, but he just lamented that there was no pure land anywhere.
Ultimately, you can't expect others to be fair to you; you have to rely on yourself to get what you want!
He secretly pondered, "It seems that just studying hard isn't enough; I need to do both things well." Although he had made a good deal with his older brother, the talk of being the top scholar in the county exam and becoming famous throughout the prefecture was all unrealistic; he was still pinning his hopes on someone else…

How do you know that the top scholar in the county who can be directly recommended for the provincial examination is not involved in any shady dealings?

How can I guarantee that I'll gain a good reputation throughout Luzhou, instead of becoming a laughingstock? Even if I do gain a good reputation, how much is enough? It all depends on the governor's mood. What if his advisors insist on writing a calligraphy piece for me? Wouldn't that make me a complete clown?
So the most reliable thing to do is actually to earn more money and follow the rules...

There was no need to explain this to his older brother. He didn't want his brother to become a complete pragmatist like himself.

While the world is certainly run by pragmatists, it is the existence of idealists that prevents it from becoming too repulsive.

So the issue comes back to money.

Su Lu naively believed that with his incredibly capable godmother, the small share of Sweet Water Restaurant would be enough to cover his tuition fees. He thought he only needed to ignore everything else and focus solely on his studies...

But it seems that this is far from enough; we need to increase our efforts!

"Brother," Su Lu asked softly to Su Tai, who was clearing the way for him, "Do you know how to brew wine?"

“I know the basic procedures, but the key steps, such as adding the yeast and mixing the liquor, are all in the hands of the master craftsman.” Su Tai said in a muffled voice, “The liquor I brew is at best drinkable, but definitely not good, and no one will buy it.”

"Of course, teaching your apprentices is like starving yourselves. There are so many workers in the distillery, if you all learned the trade, how would the business operate?" Su Youcai laughed upon hearing this, "In recent years, I've only heard of the He brothers succeeding. But they had a main business that could support them for several years. What other family has that kind of opportunity?"

"I heard their wine is pretty amazing," Su Lu said.

"Indeed, I even tried it back then. Although it can't compare to Kunsha liquor in terms of taste, it's smooth and mellow, with a hint of soy sauce and caramel flavor. It's definitely a good liquor," Su Youcai exclaimed.
"Its greatest strength is that it can produce wine in just one or two months after the initial fermentation, and it produces a large quantity of wine. Therefore, it can be sold at a very low price."

“Our head chef also said that He’s wine can be sold at a low price and in large quantities, and can earn more than our Kunsha wine. It’s a pity, alas…” Su Tai sighed sympathetically: “If Boss He were still alive, my godmother wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Su Youcai gave his eldest son a rare glare.

"What nonsense did I talk about?" Su Tai scratched his head.

"It's alright, Dad's afraid of ghosts, let's not mention it again," Su Lu said softly to comfort his second brother.

"Oh," Su Tai replied.

The father and his two sons walked on in silence for a while longer when suddenly a pheasant took flight. In the blink of an eye, Su Tai drew his bow and shot the pheasant down from mid-air with a whoosh.

"Hehe, we'll have roast chicken for dinner tonight." Su Tai happily picked up the pheasant, pulled out the arrow, and handed it to Su Lu.

"Second Brother is really amazing." Su Lu absentmindedly praised, then exclaimed in surprise, "I know how He Ji's liquor is brewed."

"Really?" Su Youcai and Su Tai both exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't they say that only the He brothers knew the secret recipe?"

“Yes, if his brother were still alive, no one would ever know, but they are gone, and the secret they left behind can no longer be kept.” Su Lu didn’t keep them in suspense and asked in a deep voice, “Do you still remember those broken sorghum grains in your godmother’s storeroom?”

"Of course I remember, how many meals I ate there, and later your second brother even made sweet rice wine for me." Su Youcai said, "Could the secret be in those broken sorghum stalks?"

"I thought they were going to make sorghum noodles..." Su Tai said innocently.

"Who would grind a thousand kilograms of sorghum flour? Are they going to sell it as pancakes?" Even Su Youcai thought it was impossible.

“They are going to use crushed sorghum to brew wine, a process called ‘crushed sand’,” Su Lu explained. “As I understand it, this method saves time and produces more wine, all because the sorghum is ground into small pieces.”

"Why does grinding it up save time?" Su Youcai asked.

"I estimate that after the sorghum is ground, the starch inside can be fully exposed and come into more contact with the yeast in the yeast starter, so fermentation is faster. Unlike whole sorghum, which ferments slowly, this kind of fermentation can be completed in one or two months."

"Then why does the same sorghum produce more alcohol?" Su Tai asked.

"I guess broken sorghum absorbs more water and yeast, ferments more thoroughly, and produces more alcohol." Su Lu wasn't entirely sure. But who cares? Knowing how it happens is enough; why bother knowing why?

Actually, he was completely reversing cause and effect. The reason he was so certain was because someone who played Taiwanese computer games was also at the age of drinking some baijiu (Chinese liquor) before he time-traveled.

In later generations, high-end sauce-flavored liquor used Kunsha (a type of raw liquor), while mid-to-low-end sauce-flavored liquor used Suisha (another type of raw liquor). This is the most basic knowledge about baijiu (Chinese liquor)...

~~
“If what you say is true, this could be a way to make a fortune!” Su Youcai patted Su Lu on the shoulder and added, “But we can’t keep this from your godmother, can we?”

"Father is so kind." Su Lu turned around and gave Comrade Youcai a half-smile. Who said only girls are attracted to outsiders? "We're all family, it's not good to keep it a secret. If we keep it a secret, we'll become enemies." Su Youcai coughed and said seriously.

“I didn’t originally intend to keep it from my godmother. Father, go back and discuss it with her properly. If she doesn’t want to do it, that’s fine, but please don’t force her.” Su Lu then said, “If she agrees, let my second brother try it first. If he can really brew wine, then we can discuss it in detail…”

“But I’m sure I won’t be able to brew it well.” Su Tai felt immense pressure.

"Just treat it as a game, it won't use much sorghum anyway," Su Lu laughed. "Tell me how much you want..."

"Don't worry about the money. The book box for your classmate Ma has already been packed," Su Tai said with a smile. "One tael of silver is enough for one try."

"A tael of silver for a book box? That's really rich..." Su Youcai exclaimed, but then, remembering that it was Ma Qianhu's grandson, he thought it was quite normal.

"Don't complain about the price. Several other classmates also want the bookcase my brother made," Su Lu said proudly. "I didn't accept any of them because I was afraid of tiring my brother out."

"Let them come at me, I'm not afraid of getting tired!" Su Tai perked up at the news. For him, making book boxes was much easier than brewing wine.

~~
Although the three men were eager to get home, they didn't need to rush as much as they had come. Before dark, they found a dry, flat spot on a hillside to camp, planning to continue their journey the next morning.

The three of them split up to gather firewood, fetch water, and pluck chicken feathers. They were busy all day, and finally sat down by the campfire before dark to boil water, roast chicken, and bake dry rations.

But real camping is anything but pleasant. The mountains and forests are gloomy and dark after dark, with unknown animals roaring all around, seemingly ready to rush out of the darkness and attack them at any moment.

Thankfully, there were still stars in the sky. If it had been cloudy and rainy, this day would have been unbearable...

"Now I understand why my elder brother preferred to take a boat rather than travel by land when he went to take the imperial examination." Su Lu hugged his arms, goosebumps rising on his skin, unsure whether it was from the cold or from being frightened.

“Be content. In the early years, our Yongning Guard belonged to the Guizhou Military Command, not the Sichuan Military Command, so we went to Guizhou to take the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai.” Su Youcai told his son while roasting chicken, “If you passed the Xiucai exam, you would have to go to Kunming to take the Juren exam.”

"So much trouble?" Su Lu exclaimed, "If you're not in good health, you might die halfway through."

“You’re only half right, because even the healthy ones die.” Su Youcai chuckled. “It’s said that only half of the students from each cohort make it to Kunming alive. Some are knocked down by miasma on the way, some are bitten to death by poisonous snakes and wild beasts, and some are captured by the Miao people and disappear without a trace.”

“Our garrison is 500 li away from Guizhou. It’s better for the candidates. It’s said that only a third of them will die…” Su Youcai tore off a chicken leg and gave it to his two sons. “So every time a candidate goes to take the exam, it’s like going to war, and they have to say goodbye to their families.”

"Even on the battlefield, the casualty rate isn't this high, is it?" Su Lu complained.

“That’s true.” Su Youcai nodded and said, “They were defeated before even losing a tenth of their men.”

"And then?" Su Lu asked.

"Later, the imperial court couldn't stand it anymore. After the Sichuan Military Command took over the administration of the Three Guards, they graciously allowed us to take the exams nearby. We could take the county exam in Hejiang and the prefectural and provincial exams in Luzhou." Su Youcai sighed and said, "So we are still being favored by the imperial court. Alas, it is really too difficult for us to become students."

"I now have the utmost respect for Minister Cheng," Su Lu sighed.

“Indeed, you don’t know how difficult it is until you take the exam yourself. The court has left far too few openings for us commoners on the frontier…” Su Youcai sadly tore off a chicken butt and began to eat it with relish.

“It’s good enough if there’s any opening at all.” Su Lu said, “A good government is one that leaves openings for the common people.”

“That’s true,” Su Youcai nodded. “Compared to the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, this is practically a paradise for ordinary people.”

The father and son consoled themselves in this way, and then they no longer felt that their situation was so bitter...

The three of them shared a roast chicken, ate some dry rations, and then Su Lu and Su Youcai went to sleep.

Su Tai, holding a bow and arrows, sat warily by the fire. When spending the night deep in the mountains, someone had to keep watch.

While lighting a campfire can protect against wild animals, it can also attract bad people...

Su Youcai took care of his son, letting Su Tai keep watch for the first half of the night while he kept watch for the second half. The two of them also took care of Su Lu, not letting him keep watch...

After an unknown amount of time, Su Lu and Su Youcai were curled up in a ball, fast asleep, when they were suddenly woken up by Su Tai.

"Shh." Su Tai shushed them softly, signaling them to be quiet, and then drew his bow and aimed at the darkness.

The two were startled awake by the scene and then heard the sound of hurried footsteps in the direction Su Tai was pointing.

The campfire had been extinguished by Su Tai, but it was still hissing and emitting wisps of smoke. Su Youcai and Su Lu gripped their whistle sticks tightly, hiding in the darkness, not daring to breathe.

(End of this chapter)