Early the next morning, Lin Sanyong arrived at the county town and headed straight for the docks where Lin Dayong and Lin Eryong usually worked hauling cargo.
The docks were already bustling with activity. Muddy river water slapped heavily against the stone embankment with dull crashing sounds. Large and small cargo boats crowded tightly together along the shore. The coarse shouting of boatmen, the muffled thuds of heavy goods hitting the ground, and the neighing of livestock all blended into one noisy chaos. The air was thick with the fishy smell of river water, sour sweat, animal dung, and the mixed scents of countless goods.
Lin Sanyong’s sharp eyes searched through the moving crowd. Near a pile of freshly unloaded salt sacks, he spotted the two familiar figures.
“Big Brother! Second Brother!” Lin Sanyong squeezed through the crowd toward Lin Eryong.
“Sanyong? Why are you here? Did something happen at home?” Lin Eryong quickly set down the sack in his hands and asked anxiously. Lin Dayong also hurried over, equally worried.
“Nothing happened—no, wait, something did happen.”
“What exactly? You’re making us panic!”
“It’s good news. Fourth Brother passed the exam and became a xiucai!”
“What? Really? Fourth Brother actually passed? Our Xiyong… is a scholar now?”
Lin Sanyong nodded vigorously and urged the two brothers to go ask the foreman for leave.
Leaving behind the noisy docks and foul air, the three brothers passed through several quieter alleyways toward the residential area of gray brick houses behind the county school.
“This is the place,” Lin Sanyong said, stopping in front of an unremarkable black-painted wooden gate.
The doorway was modest, and the metal ring handle looked old, but the door itself was kept fairly clean. Compared to the crowded communal shacks where dock laborers lived, this small private courtyard could already be considered respectable. After Lin Xiyong married Chen Shuyun, she had used part of her dowry to rent this place.
Lin Sanyong stepped forward and lightly knocked on the door ring.
The door creaked open halfway, revealing Fourth Sister-in-law Chen’s somewhat pale yet delicate face. She wore a light green cotton blouse that looked half-new. The fabric was clearly finer than what ordinary farming families could afford. Around the sleeves were subtle but elegant embroidered flowers stitched with matching silk thread.
Seeing the three men outside, Madam Chen smiled warmly and quickly opened the door fully.
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother! Please come in! My husband said this morning that you’d probably come today.”
Her voice was soft and refined, carrying the cultured grace typical of scholarly families. Even her movements reflected the calm composure of a well-bred young lady.
The courtyard was small and simple at a glance. Facing the entrance stood the main room, which doubled as a study. Small side rooms sat to the east and west. The yard was spotless, with neatly stacked firewood in one corner.
Madam Chen led them into the main room.
Though simply furnished, the room carried an air of elegance everywhere. Near the window stood an old desk. Lin Xiyong was facing away from the door, packing things up. He wore a faded blue scholar’s robe. His figure was upright, his profile thin and refined.
Several books and scrolls lay spread across the desk as he carefully packed them into the familiar bamboo exam basket.
“Husband, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother are here,” Madam Chen called softly.
Lin Xiyong turned around immediately.
“Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother—you’re here. I was just packing and thinking you’d probably arrive within a day or two.”
“I’ll go prepare some tea,” Madam Chen said as she headed toward the kitchen.
“No need to trouble yourself, Sister-in-law,” Lin Dayong said. “If you’ve already packed, let’s head back to Taohua Village first.”
“That works, Big Brother. We’ve already packed everything. I was just gathering a few books to bring home. We’re planning to stay at home for quite some time. Wife, bring the food you prepared this morning. We’ll set out now,” Lin Xiyong instructed.
This time, the couple brought quite a lot of belongings: a large bundle of clothes, a camphorwood chest full of books, several boxes of pastries, an exam basket, and Madam Chen’s small cloth bundle.
“Let’s go,” Lin Eryong said first, hefting the heavy book chest as he walked out the gate.
The ox cart creaked along the road the entire way until it finally turned onto the dirt path leading back to Taohua Village.
Under the old locust tree at the village entrance—the village’s unofficial news center—a group of idle men and women spotted the Lin family ox cart from afar.
“Hey, look! The Lin brothers are back!”
“Scholar Lin, come visit our house sometime!”
“I heard Fourth Brother’s wife is the daughter of a scholar family!”
“Sanyong, when is your family holding the celebration banquet?”
The villagers chattered nonstop.
Driving the cart, Lin Sanyong answered vaguely with things like, “Sure, sure,” “Hello, uncles and aunties,” and “We’ll notify everyone when the banquet is decided.”
Inside the cart, the others sat silently. The villagers’ sudden enthusiasm was honestly a little overwhelming.
Meanwhile, everyone in the Old Lin household had gathered together. Even Lin Fuping and Lin Fu’an, who normally loved running around everywhere, were obediently crouching in the corner playing with ants alongside their younger sister Lin Sui’an.
Country children either played with mud and pee or with bugs. Lin Sui’an decided bugs were the better option.
As soon as the ox cart stopped outside, Fuping ran out immediately.
“Dad! My scholar uncle is home!”
“You brat, where’d you learn to talk like that? Speak properly,” Lin Sanyong scolded while pinching his son’s cheeks.
“But isn’t everyone in the village calling him ‘Scholar Sir’ now?”
Lin Xiyong, climbing down from the cart, couldn’t help laughing awkwardly at the remark.
“Call me the same way you always did,” he said helplessly.
“Father, Mother, we’re back. Sorry to have made you worry.”
“Good, good! It’s enough that you’re home!” Old Master Lin and Old Madam Lin nodded repeatedly, their eyes sweeping over their sons and daughters-in-law.
Everyone crowded into the main hall and sat down.
Old Madam Lin grabbed Madam Chen’s hand while busily pouring hot water for the sons, muttering all the while:
“You’ve all gotten thinner, every one of you! Eldest and Second must’ve exhausted themselves at the docks. Fourth studies too hard and tires his mind… Fourth Daughter-in-law, thank you for taking care of him…”
Madam Chen smiled gently.
“Thank you for your concern, Mother. My husband studies very hard. What I do is nothing.”
Because Lin Xiyong had passed the examination, Old Master Lin had even dug out the long-unused tobacco pipe he had not touched in over ten years.
Now he sat on the edge of the heated brick bed silently smoking. Since it had been so long, he coughed violently after taking a few hurried puffs.
“Fourth,” Old Master Lin finally spoke, his voice hoarse from smoke, “what are your plans from here on?”
“Father, my father-in-law originally wanted me to stay at his family school as a teacher,” Lin Xiyong replied carefully. “But I feel his school already has enough instructors, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to replace any of them. However, before the exam, the education official mentioned the possibility of arranging something at the county school. Nothing is certain yet though—we likely won’t know until after the new year.”
Old Master Lin nodded.
“Then when do you think we should hold the celebration banquet?”
“Father, you can decide that. I’ll send invitations to a few classmates, and my father-in-law will also attend.”
“Fine. Old Sun helped me choose an auspicious date. Five days from now is said to be favorable for everything.”
As he spoke, he glanced toward his fourth son.
“That’s fine, Father. We’ll do as you say. Also, I brought back a chest of books. They’re all copies I transcribed myself. They can be used to teach Dahe, Fuping, and the others. I’ll probably stay home until the end of the year and return to the county afterward. During this time, I can personally teach them.”
Immediately, Madam Liu chimed in from the side:
“Dahe, did you hear what your Fourth Uncle said? If you dare not study properly, your father and I will break your legs!”
“Mother, are you really my biological mother? Why do you always threaten to break my legs?” Lin Dahe protested loudly.
“Mother, will you break my legs too? Then how would I walk?” the mischievous Lin Fuping immediately added.
Tian Guihua rolled her eyes at him.
“Yes, yours too.”
“Ahhh, how tragic!” Fuping wailed dramatically.
“Fourth Uncle, can I study too? Suisui is very smart!” Lin Sui’an quickly squeezed forward to make herself noticed.
After transmigrating here for an entire year, Lin Sui’an still did not know what dynasty this was, what the emperor’s surname was, which prefecture her hometown belonged to, or even what the writing system looked like in this era. Since Fourth Uncle had brought it up himself, she would be foolish not to seize such a good opportunity.
“Oh? Our little girl is that smart?” Lin Xiyong teased with a smile. “But if you don’t study seriously, Fourth Uncle will use the ruler on your hands.”
“Can you hit only the older brothers and not me?” Lin Sui’an asked nervously while poking her fingers together.
“Fourth Brother… could the girls in the family also learn a few characters?” Li Xue asked hesitantly from the side.
“The girls are already this old. There’s no need for them to learn to read, right?” Lin Eryong said casually.
Hearing that, the excitement in Lin Yuxiang, Lin Yufeng, Lin Yulan, and the other girls instantly cooled like cold water had been poured over them.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Old Madam Lin shot Lin Eryong a glare before turning smilingly toward Fourth Son. “Since you’re already planning to teach the children during this period, include the girls too. Even if they only learn to recognize their own names, it’s still a rare opportunity.”
“Mother, I understand. That was my plan as well,” Lin Xiyong replied with a smile.
Standing nearby, Lin Chunxia and Lin Chunyan were equally excited.
In the village, aside from the village chief’s daughters, no girls knew how to read. And now, they too finally had the chance to learn characters.