Gu Chenxiao’s acceptance did not mean Master Wen felt the same way.
Although he served as a strategist, his strategic talent and brilliance were not particularly outstanding. Of course, he was not entirely a drag either, having managed to pass the provincial imperial examination on his own merit. However, his conduct was somewhat pedantic and rigid. Coming from a wealthy background and holding the title of a provincial scholar, he possessed a rather haughty demeanor and found it difficult to lower his head.
At over forty years of age, he was accustomed to a life of luxury and ease. Expecting him to show genuine warmth toward a country boy in a remote village of an exile zone was simply out of the question.
Even so, he did not show his disdain outwardly, merely maintaining the airs of a teacher.
Inside, however, he did not particularly care for Xu Qiu.
For no other reason than this: Xu Qiu knew their true identity, yet did not treat them any differently because of it. Instead, he treated them like ordinary people and interacted with them on equal terms. To Master Wen, this in itself was a form of great disrespect.
Furthermore, they occasionally had to ask others for favors and supplies. Begging for help always felt difficult to broach. Although Xu Qiu agreed readily without making things difficult and even helped them think of things they had overlooked, Master Wen still harbored quiet resentment.
He was teaching Xu Qiu to read, making him Xu Qiu’s teacher. Xu Qiu ought to treat him with utmost respect and deference. Forget about everything else, every time Xu Qiu came over, he should have helped prepare their meals instead of just waiting around on the side.
If this were back in the capital, there would be no need for them to speak of such chores; people would have already taken care of everything meticulously.
Yet, despite his inner thoughts, Master Wen was well aware of their current predicament. He did not voice his complaints aloud, but he stopped putting his heart into his teaching.
Gu Chenxiao noticed this as well, but after attempting to persuade him to no avail, he let it go for the time being. He figured he would slowly address it later when time permitted; after all, there was still plenty of time ahead.
He needed this somewhat talented youth to eventually make his way into the imperial court.
Xu Qiu was unaware of these arguments after his departure. He knew Master Wen had a distant attitude and was not easy to get close to, but they were engaged in a mutually beneficial arrangement. Why force intimacy as long as the man taught him his studies earnestly?
Leaving the area, Xu Qiu retraced his steps along the original path. By the time he reached the riverside, however, Lin Qu was nowhere to be seen, having wandered off to parts unknown.
Xu Qiu glanced around for a moment before turning back toward home.
Upon returning, Lady Li heard the commotion and called out, “You’re back?”
“Yes.” Xu Qiu sat down beneath the grape trellis in the courtyard and took out his book to continue reading.
Seeing him like that upon stepping outside, Lady Li couldn’t help but remark, “You’re already this old, are you really planning to take that imperial examination?”
When she heard her son mention studying a couple of months ago, Lady Li hadn’t taken it seriously. Being eager to learn wasn’t a bad thing, so she let him study. But seeing her son persist day after day made her somewhat incredulous. After all, while she didn’t know much about the imperial exams, she was well aware that the difficulty was immense.
Those who studied from early childhood spent ten or twenty years without necessarily passing, let alone her son, who was already this old.
Xu Qiu said with a hint of grievance, “Mother, I’m only seventeen this year. Please don’t make me sound like I’m seventy or eighty.”
Lady Li chattered on, “Is seventeen not old? You’re already of age to marry. You can’t possibly be taking exams until you’re thirty or forty, can you? I hear those things cost a fortune! Look at your two older brothers; they’re getting on in years, yet whenever marriage is mentioned, they vanish without a trace. They say no one is willing, and if you ask too much, they just get annoyed.”
According to the local customs, young men could marry at seventeen or eighteen, and unmarried youths in their twenties were quite common, while young women and ge’er could generally be betrothed around sixteen or seventeen. After a match was made, families who cherished their children could keep them at home for a few more years.
Xu Qiu’s two older brothers weren’t much older; they were twins and twenty-one years old this year.
It was just that their reputation wasn’t particularly good. Both brothers worked as enforcers in the gambling dens, and with their heavily muscled frames, fierce appearance, and intimidating aura, people were terrified just looking at them. There were countless bizarre rumors circulating outside about their family, and ordinary households wanted nothing to do with them. Meanwhile, those who weren’t afraid of them and knew their background didn’t have a family status high or low enough to match.
On top of that, his two brothers had very high standards.
Finding a suitable match on short notice was truly no easy task.
Hearing Lady Li nag about this every day, coupled with the fact that people feared them, his two brothers simply couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore.
Xu Qiu had heard these complaints countless times. Seeing that his mother spent her days worrying endlessly about the marriage prospects of all three brothers, he himself felt no urgency and replied leisurely, “I have an intended spouse anyway. Should I just get married first?”
Lady Li glared at him. “You just live to aggravate your mother, don’t you? Out of all three brothers, not a single one gives me any peace of mind.” She knew full well how much Third Uncle Lin’s family and Lin Qiong annoyed her, yet he deliberately brought it up.
However, she added, “No, I still need to go over and talk about breaking off this engagement. Even though you have two older brothers ahead of you, you’ve reached the right age, and I need to start looking around early. We need to clear up the cancellation of this engagement in the open so that families in the village with marriageable youth can openly communicate, lest all the good maidens and ge’er get betrothed to others by then.”
The more she thought about it, the more sensible it seemed.
Xu Qiu had no objections. He didn’t necessarily have to wait until the transmigrated protagonist and the protagonist gong fell deeply in love, wished to take things further, and initiated the breakup themselves, as that might have made things slightly more convenient, though thinking about it, his mother would probably be furious if things played out that way. He had regained his memories two months ago, and Lin Qiong hadn’t come looking for him in over two months either; by that point, the plot was already well underway.
With one instance of love at first sight and another close to it without realizing it, the two of them should have interacted numerous times by now, harboring mutual affection and a lingering, hazy ambiguity.
Since his mother wanted to call off the engagement early, it suited him just fine.
Their family had justice on their side, so calling off the engagement wouldn’t cause any problems.
Xu Qiu expressed his agreement, but Lady Li didn’t plan on going today. The Lin family had just had a massive argument, and Old Madam Lin was probably still cursing up a storm. Once that young ge’er returned home, there would likely be another scene, so it was best she stayed out of it for now.
Once the Lin family household quieted down another day, she would simply go speak directly with Third Uncle Lin and his wife, and the two sides could coordinate their official explanation.
After all, she had watched Lin Qiong grow up since he was a child, and Lady Li didn’t want to make too big a fuss and ruin the young ge’er’s reputation, even though Lin Qiong truly didn’t have much of a reputation left to ruin.
Xu Qiu spent the afternoon studying and even finished the assignments Master Wen had given him. By the time the sun was setting near the horizon, the sound of voices drifted in from outside the courtyard gate.
He stood up and looked toward the entrance. “Father, Big Brother, Second Brother, you’re back.”
Three tall, muscular figures appeared in the doorway together. Though they were all sturdy men, his father looked noticeably more formidable, yet as soon as he spoke, a smile broke across his face. “Sanwa, come here and see what Dad brought you.”
Xu Qiu walked over with a resigned smile.
Their family had produced three boys, but his father had always secretly wished for a soft, gentle little daughter or ge’er. Obviously, that wish had fallen through, as the eldest and second sons were both exceptionally mischievous, constantly fighting and stirring up trouble, and had eventually grown into hulking brutes. Only Xu Qiu, the youngest, had been sickly since childhood and possessed a relatively well-behaved and sensible temperament.
Xu Father’s paternal affection finally had a place to rest.
“What did you buy, Father?” Xu Qiu took the package from his father’s hands, and upon feeling its texture, he asked with surprise.
Could it be?
Opening it up, sure enough, it was a few books accompanied by a thick stack of paper.
Xu Father said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to take the imperial examination? I asked around, and these are the books you need to study. Take these and read them first; I’ll look for more for you later.” People of their ethnic background didn’t usually pursue imperial examinations. Because of their distinct facial features, whenever they went outside, others easily singled them out.
Many people faced exclusion and discrimination when they ventured out.
Consequently, everyone placed very little importance on the imperial exams. They were naturally tight-knit and insular; rather than striving to pass exams and leave for the outside world, they preferred staying right where they were.
Besides, Beiyue was so impoverished that supporting a scholar was even more difficult.
Therefore, it was completely normal that their town’s bookstore carried barely any books related to the imperial examinations. The only books Xu Qiu currently had were the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and a few medical texts and travelogues. The medical books and travelogues had been acquired long ago from the doctor who taught him medicine, and his early education had started with holding those medical texts.
Xu Qiu jumped for joy. “Father, you really are my biological father! I’m so happy; I was just lacking these books!” How could anyone take the imperial exams without studying the Four Books and Five Classics?
He knew these items must have cost his father a fair amount of silver. Although their family wasn’t poor, they weren’t wealthy either, and they always needed to save some silver for emergencies, not to mention the upcoming expenses for his two older brothers to take wives. These books, along with the supplies he had been sending to Gu Chenxiao over the past two months, all cost money.
Gu Chenxiao’s group still needed a batch of cotton-padded clothes and quilts for the upcoming winter, and the spending hadn’t even reached its end.
He wasn’t the only child in the family, and spending this much all at once actually left Xu Qiu feeling a bit at a loss for how to handle it.
Xu Father didn’t overthink things. Seeing his son so happy, he was naturally happy himself. Chuckling, he effortlessly hoisted his son up with one hand and gave him a playful bounce on the ground. “What kind of nonsense is that, you rascal? If I’m not your biological father, could I be your stepdad?”
Xu Qiu chuckled heartily.
His two older brothers stood nearby with smiles on their faces.
His eldest brother, Xu Sen, handed over the package he had been carrying. “These are pastries from the gambling den today. Take them and eat them with Mother.”
“Thank you, Big Brother and Second Brother,” Xu Qiu said with a smile.
There was a four-year age gap between them, but his two older brothers took very good care of him.
Both Xu Sen and Xu Zhou worked as enforcers at the gambling house, where Xu Sen also functioned as a supervisor. A whole crew of enforcers answered to him, and he spent his days stationed directly at the establishment to prevent anyone from causing trouble.
“We’re brothers in the same family, what’s there to thank us for?”