“With a fortune of a hundred thousand strings, riding a crane to Yangzhou”—since ancient times, the Jiangnan region has been exceptionally prosperous.
Though Danyang County is merely a county town, it is classified as an upper-grade county with thriving commerce and affluent residents. Today happened to be the market day on the fifth, with bustling crowds and lively surroundings.
Vendors sold fruit soups and beverages, acrobats performed tricks, herbal medicine peddlers hawked their wares, and fortune-tellers offered their services. Skillful women from surrounding villages who excelled in spinning silk and weaving brocade carried their finished silk fabrics to sell.
It was a scene of prosperous harmony in a golden age.
Seated in a blue-cloth carriage, Landlord Xu watched with amusement as his beloved grandson eagerly peered out the window.
“After Yue Ge’er pays respects to your teacher, Grandpa will bring you here to explore, alright? Not now though.”
Xu Yue nodded rapidly, then asked curiously:
“Grandpa, who is this teacher I’m going to pay respects to? How did you get to know him?”
It wasn’t that Xu Yue looked down on his landowner grandfather, but in this era where all occupations were considered inferior except scholarship, a Jinshi held extremely prestigious status in local prefectures and counties.
As a mere country gentleman, Landlord Xu typically only had access to scholars at the Juren level. The only Jinshi he might encounter would be the county magistrate.
Danyang being an upper-grade county, its magistrate held the seventh rank and was indeed a proper Jinshi-appointed official.
After all, in the original story, even the teacher who instructed the prefect’s descendants in the private school attended by the male protagonist was merely a Juren who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations.
Landlord Xu’s eyes darted around, his old face flushing slightly as he coughed and said:
“You’ll find out when we arrive. This Jinshi gentleman’s surname is Feng, from a recent examination cycle. You should address him as Teacher Feng.”
Since he passed the Jinshi examination, why didn’t he become an official?
Official-obsessed Xu Yue voiced the question. Landlord Xu explained with amusement:
“You don’t understand. Among our wealthy and influential families in Jiangnan, while our descendants must pursue education and official careers, even after succeeding in examinations, we consider factors like whether they’re too old, whether their temperament suits officialdom, or if their ranking was poor.”
“For such reasons, if they recognize they won’t achieve great success, rather than remaining in officialdom and causing trouble, it’s better to earn a reputation for not coveting fame and fortune, and return home to enjoy life.”
Indeed, coming from a wealthy family while holding Jinshi status that commands universal respect… damn, what a delightful life.
Xu Yue felt deeply envious. The Xu family certainly didn’t have the means to allow a Jinshi descendant to return home and live leisurely.
“Scholar Feng’s wife is originally from Danyang. He brought her back to visit relatives and plans to stay in Danyang County for a few years. Finding life boring, he decided to take on some disciples…”
Just as Landlord Xu was speaking with enthusiasm, he noticed Yue Ge’er whispering to him in a hushed tone:
“Grandpa, what was the reason Teacher Feng didn’t become an official?”
“You little rascal.” Chuckling and scolding, Landlord Xu felt his childish side emerge as he covered his mouth with his hand and replied:
“I heard that during the palace examination, Scholar Feng ate something that upset his stomach. His exam answers suffered, causing him to drop from the Second Class ranking to Third Class Jinshi. In frustration, he resigned from official position.”
Ha ha ha ha ha… Xu Yue couldn’t help but laugh. That was just too unlucky.
…
Scholar Feng was only temporarily residing in Danyang, so naturally he didn’t need to buy property, merely renting a residence instead.
The two-courtyard house had a continuous stream of carriages at its entrance. Many people with young children gazed eagerly inside, constantly trying to engage with the gatekeeper in conversation.
Occasionally, those holding invitation cards could enter directly. No matter how desperately others pleaded, the gatekeeper remained polite but firm—entry was not permitted.
A middle-aged man in silk clothes was pulling his child along while slipping silver to the gatekeeper:
“Please make an exception. My son is clever—he’s only eight but has already mastered the Three Hundred Thousand Characters. Scholar Feng would surely take a liking to him upon meeting…”
“Ah, ah, ah, please don’t make things difficult for a mere gatekeeper like me. Today is my master’s disciple selection day, and he’s given strict orders not to admit any outsiders.”
The gatekeeper found it amusing. Mastering the Three Hundred Thousand Characters at eight? What was so remarkable about that? His own master had been able to read through the Four Books at that age.
This time, the master was accepting four disciples. Magistrate Wen’s third son was taken partly out of obligation—though the boy was clever enough.
Then there was the second legitimate son of the He family. Though they were merchants, his mother was the daughter of a major salt merchant, spending money as if it were dirt.
The remaining disciple was the Xia family child from a rural farming background—bright, diligent, and persevering. Even while tending cattle outside the village school, he’d sneak lessons and never gave up. The master took an immediate liking to him and decided to accept him as a disciple after testing him.
Just look at the qualifications of those chosen to be the master’s disciples!
Influence, wealth, talent—how could these people waiting outside the gate compare?
“Alright, alright, let me advise you all: don’t harbor false hopes. Don’t waste your time at the Feng residence. There are many renowned teachers under heaven—please seek instruction elsewhere.”
Seeing the crowd growing larger and refusing to disperse, the gatekeeper feared trouble might arise and loudly urged these parents with high hopes for their children to leave.
How could the parents resign themselves to this? Renowned teachers?
Were renowned teachers within their reach? Scholar Feng was the finest teacher they could ever hope to engage.
Even if there was only a sliver of hope, they refused to give up.
From the crowd, an unwilling voice shouted:
“If you’re not accepting our children, why is the main gate still open? Clearly, you malicious servant are obstructing us!”
Hearing this, the others grew agitated and joined in, pressuring the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper was both angry and anxious. This was pure nonsense, completely unfounded. Just consider one point: why would he go out of his way to obstruct them?
The master’s other three disciples had already entered, but one hadn’t arrived yet—how dare he close the gate!
Summoning his patience, the gatekeeper mustered his breath and carefully explained the situation. Unfortunately, the crowd had no intention of listening, and the uproar grew louder.
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats approached. The gatekeeper glimpsed the character “Xu” hanging in front of the carriage and his eyes lit up—merciful heavens, they’d finally arrived.
“Make way, everyone! The master’s final disciple has arrived. If you continue causing a disturbance, I’ll have to report to the master. Consider whether it’s worth the consequences!”
The gatekeeper had completely lost patience, his tone threatening. What insolence! He’d been tolerating their parental devotion, but they insisted on being unreasonable.
The crowd gradually quieted and turned to look at the carriage, eager to see what kind of person Scholar Feng’s chosen disciple was.
They saw a man of about forty-two or forty-three step down from the carriage first. Though he wore silk clothes, the style was outdated—clearly a country landlord.
Some even recognized him—a moderately wealthy local landlord.
Had a descendant of the Xu family caught Scholar Feng’s favor?
That old fool actually had such luck!
The crowd stirred, everyone wanting to know how the utterly ordinary Xu family had managed to attract Scholar Feng’s attention. Were their descendants exceptionally outstanding?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Landlord Xu turned back and reached out, lifting out a jade-like, snow-white child—delicate, lovely, and exquisitely fair.
A tiny little thing, no more than three years old at most.
They probably don’t even recognize the characters!