25: The Day of Judgment Arrives
As he recited the final line of the Chapters and Sentences of the Doctrine of the Mean—’The profound care with which it repeatedly admonishes people is extremely deep and earnest. How could scholars not devote their utmost effort?’—Su Lu finally completed the monumental task of memorizing all six years of elementary education textbooks within one hundred days! He achieved this seemingly impossible feat through extraordinary perseverance, superhuman energy, and scientific methods!
His father and brothers stayed by his side throughout. Even Su Tai, who normally fell asleep easily, persisted until this moment just to witness his younger brother’s achievement.
Second Brother tightly embraced Su Lu, crying like a 160-pound child. “Wuwu, Autumn Boy has truly had such a difficult time…”
Su Youcai’s nose also tingled with emotion as he said huskily, “To be honest, I never believed you could persevere until the end. Let alone accomplish such a magnificent feat!”
“Without your all-out support, how could I possibly have completed this?” Su Lu, moved by his family’s excitement, replied with a thick nasal tone: “Thank you, Second Brother. Thank you, Father. Thank you all…”
He truly owed his family profound gratitude. Over these hundred days, his father taught during daytime and still gave him lessons every night. During the final half month, he practically sacrificed himself to accompany his son, with dark circles deepening under his eyes. One could say he exerted himself to the utmost and deserved the highest credit!
While working at the winery, Su Tai took over all of Su Lu’s original chores. He also found time to gather nourishing ingredients from mountains and seas, making pine oil lamps, Pine Soot Ink, and Banana Leaf Paper for him…
Moreover, he had to listen to Su Lu’s lectures and even snore for him at night. Without Second Brother, how could he have studied?
And it wasn’t just Second Brother—Eldest Brother’s contributions were equally significant. Without reiterating previous assistance, just in these final two weeks, Su Man not only completely yielded his room to Su Lu but also provided him with a jin of vegetable oil and bought a chi of lamp wick. This allowed Su Lu to study by oil lamp instead of having to open windows during the harsh winter, preventing potential illness.
Then there was Younger Aunt, who from the very first day supplied him with one egg daily, totaling a hundred eggs. These were all secretly saved from her chicken feeding. Because of this, the family’s “old non-laying hen” endured countless scoldings from Aunt.
Later when Aunt went to the county to care for Youngest Aunt, Younger Aunt finally took charge of cooking. She went all out nourishing Su Lu, making him eat three eggs daily—one boiled, one in soup, and one fried with lard!
And little Jinbao remained consistently sensible, never disturbing his studies. For a three-year-old without self-control, this was truly remarkable.
Oh, and let’s not forget Uncle, who authorized his release from work to focus on studying…
After mentally thanking everyone, Su Lu suddenly laughed aloud: “I haven’t even taken the exam yet. Isn’t it too early to get excited?”
“Haha, seems that way,” Second Brother said sheepishly.
“No, not early at all!” Su Youcai firmly grasped Su Lu’s shoulders, gazing deeply at his son with panda-like dark circles: “Regardless of whether you pass tomorrow’s exam, I believe with your perseverance and capabilities, you’ll surely distinguish yourself in the future!”
“This son thinks so too,” Su Lu nodded emphatically. “But we’d still better try our hardest to pass.”
“Of course! What has my son been working so hard for these past hundred days?” Su Youcai laughed heartily. “Isn’t it precisely to get into Taiping Academy?”
“You’ll definitely make it!” Su Tai cheered with a low, enthusiastic wave of his arm.
~~
Su Youcai then opened the schoolbag he had prepared for Su Lu, displaying each item to his son one by one: “This is the copper ink box I used when I took the county exam back in my day. It’s already filled with ink.”
As he spoke, he opened a small square copper box containing dark, glossy ink that didn’t smell as strongly as usual.
“This is my treasured first-press tung oil ink. It produces deep, luminous black characters that last without fading easily, and the ink doesn’t settle much after grinding.”
“Don’t fasten the lid tightly. When you need to use it, flip the lid over and pour some ink onto it—it can serve as an inkstone. Just be careful not to pour too much at once, or the writing will come out too dark.” He then took out half an ink stick and added:
“The ink in the box should be enough, but take this remaining tung oil ink along too, just in case.”
“What about water?” Su Lu asked. “Aren’t we bringing a water bottle?”
“No need for extra water.” Su Youcai replied. “We must adapt to circumstances—saliva works just as well.”
“That’s true.” Su Lu nodded, thinking to himself that if one could overlook the gross factor, the stuff did resemble a water pourer quite well…
Just then, Su Youcai picked up a brand new brush, removed its cap, and handed it to Su Lu: “This is a White Cloud Brush, perfect for writing small regular script. I’ve already prepared the tip for you—give it a try.”
Su Lu hurriedly took it with both hands. Spreading out a sheet of yellow earth paper as if in an exam, he opened the ink box, dipped the brush, and began writing. The brush glided as smoothly as silk, with the tip staying perfectly aligned and no drag at all—his characters looked much more beautiful! He couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise:
“There are brushes this good? Father, why didn’t you bring it out earlier?”
“Haha…” Su Youcai chuckled evasively. “No choice—we’re poor. The best steel should be used for the blade’s edge.”
“True.” Su Lu agreed wholeheartedly, unaware that he’d been tricked.
He would only learn later that worn-out brushes could actually be repaired… and that his father knew how to do it…
“Alright, hurry up and wash up for bed. We need to get up early tomorrow.” Su Youcai said with a big yawn.
“Right.” Su Lu responded, quickly packing his bag. Instead of going straight to bed, he seized the moment to review for one final half-hour.
He still had his last night of sleep memory to utilize. Every bit of extra memorization counted—it might just be on the exam.
Not a single second before the test should be wasted…
~~
The first rooster crow the next morning woke Su Lu—the day of the entrance exam had finally arrived!
He had struggled to fall asleep for a long time last night, feeling even more nervous than before his college entrance exams in his previous life… which made perfect sense. In this era, opportunities were far too scarce—this was the only narrow path leading toward a glimmer of light.
If he failed today, he might never have another chance at that bright future…
Yet once awake, rationality regained control. Su Lu closed his eyes for another half-hour, reinforcing the memories from the previous night.
After that, completely calm, he got up promptly.
By the time he finished washing up, his younger aunt had already brought breakfast.
Examinees received special treatment: a steaming bowl of egg noodles glistening with oil, and a piece of Zhengzheng cake for good luck.
Zhengzheng cake was a local specialty made from sorghum and glutinous rice steamed together, with sweet red bean paste inside.
Students in Shu always eat a piece of Zhengzheng cake before exams, seeking the auspicious meaning of ‘striving to excel’…
Even the accompanying stir-fried winter bamboo shoots carry the symbolism of ‘rising higher with each step’. The careful thought behind Aunt’s preparations was evident.
As Su Lu ate his meal, Aunt laid out the clothes he was to wear.
Today the Academy would begin with an oral examination, which also served as an interview, so appearance certainly mattered.
Su Lu directly put on his New Year’s clothes. They weren’t actually new garments, but rather a cyan cotton zhiduo that his eldest brother had made for the New Year two years prior. Since childhood, he had always worn hand-me-downs from his two older brothers – having grown this tall without ever wearing newly made clothes…
However, Chun Ge’er took good care of his clothes, and Aunt had starched and laundered them meticulously. When the zhiduo was properly arranged on his frame, it still presented a quite respectable appearance.
Aunt helped him comb his hair and tied it with a black soft headscarf. Stepping back two paces to examine her nephew, she clicked her tongue in admiration: “Whose handsome young man is this? You’d rank among the finest in all the surrounding villages.”
Su Lu touched his slender chin and smiled wryly: “Aunt, you jest. Eldest brother is the handsome one in these parts. I have enough self-awareness about my own appearance.”
“Suit yourself if you don’t believe me.” Aunt adjusted his jade silk sash at the waist and encouraged him: “Do well in your exam! We’ll be waiting for your good news!”
Su Lu nodded firmly and left the study to bid farewell to his grandparents in the main hall.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, your grandson is off to take the examination!” Su Lu bowed deeply.
“Go on, go on.” Grandmother, having one of her rare clear-headed moments, smiled kindly: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t pass, you’ll still be Grandma’s good grandson.”
“What kind of talk is that?” Old Master shot his wife a disapproving look and slapped the table: “Don’t be timid! If you’re timid, don’t even step out this door!”
Raising his voice, he demanded: “Do you have confidence!”
“Yes!” Su Lu immediately responded with boosted morale, his clear voice echoing across Erlang Beach.
~~
After paying respects to his grandparents, Su Lu turned and left the main hall.
The sky was barely light, the morning star shining coldly in the dawn. Su Lu took a deep breath of the crisp air carrying the scent of fermented grains and descended from the Diaojiaolou.
His father, brother, and Uncle set out together with him, creating quite the picture of family solidarity – like brothers hunting tigers or father and son going into battle.
Su Youcai was accompanying him to the exam – today wasn’t just Su Lu taking the test, as many children from the clan school were also going.
Uncle was going to pick up Chun Ge’er… The students of Taiping Academy were starting their New Year holiday today, vacating the classrooms just in time for the entrance exams.
As for why they didn’t schedule the holiday a day earlier or the exams a day later to avoid the overlap – it was naturally to use students as free labor. The older students had to stay an extra day after their holiday began to help organize the exams before they could return home for the New Year.
Only Su Tai was purely accompanying Su Lu as moral support. He carried Su Lu’s bookbag slung across his shoulder, with a bamboo basket on his back containing water containers and lunch for four people.
The town being small, the four of them quickly reached the clan school entrance. They saw a large crowd already waiting there – men and women, old and young, whole families gathered together, creating a festive atmosphere reminiscent of New Year celebrations.
Su Lu couldn’t help expressing surprise: “Why are there so many people?”
“With no fieldwork at year’s end and the winery shut down, everyone’s idle and wants to accompany their children to the exams.” Su Youcai smiled wryly. This wouldn’t do – he wasn’t leading a group to market. Raising his voice, he announced:
“I said yesterday – only one adult per family may accompany examinees!”
After taking roll call, he counted nine children in total. Including Su Lu, the Su clan had a full ten candidates taking the Taiping Academy entrance exam this year…
“The clan school only has twenty children in total?” Su Lu asked in confusion, “Why are half of them leaving?”
“The Taiping Academy is too difficult to get into. Who would wait until the final year to take the exam like you did?” Uncle explained, “Most people take the exam two years earlier. The first time unfamiliar, the second time accustomed—taking it a couple more times might just lead to success.”
“That makes sense.” Su Lu nodded. Being able to take the exam twice was such a blessing; even if he failed this time, the experience gained would surely be useful next time.
Then Uncle sighed and added, “Besides, in earlier years, everyone was quite enthusiastic about sending their children to study. But later, when they realized it was nearly impossible to pass the Xiucai exam, many became unwilling to let their children continue. At most, they’d study for a year or two to learn some characters before dropping out to work.”
“So, as time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer children. Once this batch stops attending, it’ll be a question whether the clan school can even stay open.” Uncle worried on behalf of his second brother.
P.S. Qiu Ge’er’s hundred days of intense study have ended, and the thrilling martial arts tournament has begun!