Chapter 529: Soy Sauce Is Minor, the Examination Is Major

“It’s already afternoon—you’ll be setting out soon. Eldest, have you finished packing your things?” Old Master Zhu interrupted Zhu Shouren’s confident boasting. He tapped the bowl of his pipe lightly against the table, the dull knock, knock punctuating his words, and looked at him with a probing gaze.

“Father, more or less, everything’s been packed,” the eldest uncle replied.

“Food, clothes, daily necessities—what about your brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone? Have you prepared those as well?” Old Master Zhu asked again, still not entirely reassured.

“The writing things… I’ll just buy them when I get to Yingtian. It’s troublesome to carry them on the road,” Zhu Shouren answered after a brief pause, as if the matter were trivial.

Troublesome?

Zhu Ping’an felt a flicker of speechless disbelief. Those items together hardly took up any space at all. And besides, merchants were never fools—during the examination season, the price of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in Yingtian would soar to several times their usual cost.

Judging by his uncle’s casual tone, he had probably been doing this every time he took the exams—buying everything only after arriving. If he chose even a slightly better inkstone, he would be wasting nearly a tael of silver each trip.

“Why wait until Yingtian to buy them? Isn’t that just wasting money? Take the ones from home with you,” Old Master Zhu said at once, shaking his head firmly. His tone left no room for argument.

At that moment, Old Madam Zhu, who had been standing to the side, suddenly interjected, as if recalling something important.

“Oh, right—just now, Zhi’er’s wife brought quite a bit of food with her. Pastries, bird’s nest, and the like. Eldest, take more of it along for the journey.”

“Bird’s nest?” Zhu Shouren raised his brows slightly in surprise, then narrowed his eyes with interest. “That’s fine stuff.”

“Mother, bird’s nest nourishes the blood and qi—it’s especially beneficial for women, particularly those who are pregnant.” Fourth Aunt deliberately stretched out her words, her tone tinged with a subtle insistence. As she spoke, she straightened her back and gently cradled her swollen belly with both hands, as if presenting it for inspection. Her narrow eyes remained fixed, unblinking, on the box of bird’s nest.

“I’ve heard that wealthy families in the county eat bird’s nest to strengthen the body. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it… I wonder what it tastes like.”

“Nourishes the blood and qi? Perfect then—your eldest brother will have a hard journey ahead. It’ll do him good,” Old Madam Zhu said without hesitation. With a swift motion, she scooped up the box of bird’s nest and stuffed it straight into Zhu Shouren’s hands.

“Mother—” Fourth Aunt clutched her belly, her face immediately falling into a look of grievance and reluctance.

“Alright, alright, we’ll leave you two pieces,” Old Madam Zhu relented after catching sight of her pregnant belly and thinking of her yet-unborn eldest grandson. She hesitated briefly, then reached out and took the box back from Zhu Shouren.

Zhu Shouren’s face betrayed a flicker of reluctance. Bird’s nest was a precious thing—if he brought it along and used it to curry favor with the beauties along the Qinhuai River, he might very well earn himself a moment of intimate companionship.

One, two, three, four… Only four pieces?!

Old Madam Zhu opened the box and counted carefully. Seeing that such an elaborately packaged box contained only four small pieces, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The box looked so large from the outside—why was there so little inside? What was the point of wrapping it in so many layers of cloth?

If she gave two pieces to Fourth Aunt’s household, then the eldest would only be left with two…

This Zhi’er’s wife… how stingy, she thought, her dissatisfaction growing. Only four pieces of bird’s nest? Who is that enough for? Such tiny bits—barely enough to fill the gaps between one’s teeth! And she dares present this as a gift?

Closing the box, Old Madam Zhu cast a glance at Li Shu, her tone carrying a trace of reproach.

“Zhi’er’s wife, is there more bird’s nest at home? Bring ten or eight jin for your eldest uncle to eat on the road.”

Ten… eight jin?

Li Shu slowly turned her head, the tassels of her hairpin swaying gently with the motion. Her watery eyes curved into a faint, ambiguous smile, as though she hadn’t noticed the displeasure in the old woman’s expression at all.

“Yes, Grandmother, there is… however—”

Before she could finish, the young maid standing behind her could no longer hold back. Her face twisted into open scorn, as though she were looking at a country bumpkin. Indignation filled her voice as she spoke out sharply:

“Old Madam, bird’s nest isn’t cabbage—ten or eight jin? Not to mention the premium-grade bird’s nest our young miss brought, even ordinary bird’s nest costs about one tael of silver per qian! Ten or eight jin would cost at least several hundred taels!”

Her tone dripped with dissatisfaction, every word laced with mockery. To her, the old lady’s demand sounded nothing short of absurd—such ignorance could only come from someone who had never seen the world.

“So expensive? Even one qian costs a tael of silver?” Old Madam Zhu’s mouth fell open in shock.

“Of course! And that’s just ordinary bird’s nest. The one our young miss brought is top-grade, shipped all the way from the Southern Seas,” the maid added proudly, lifting her chin high, her expression brimming with self-satisfaction.

At once, Old Madam Zhu felt the box in her hands grow inexplicably heavy. She hadn’t imagined it to be so valuable—just these few pieces were worth several taels of silver. When she looked at Li Shu again, her gaze was entirely different from before.

“Besides,” the maid continued, unwilling to let the matter drop, “while bird’s nest is indeed nourishing, eating ten or eight jin of it would overdo it—it could even harm the body. That’s no small matter.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Zhu smacked her lips thoughtfully and abandoned the idea of demanding more. After a moment’s consideration, she opened the box again, took out one piece to keep, and pushed the remaining three into Zhu Shouren’s hands.

“Take these along. You can nourish yourself when you get to Yingtian.”

Nearby, Fourth Aunt’s lips puckered into a deep pout, her displeasure impossible to hide.

Old Madam Zhu then gathered up the bird’s nest along with various pastries and tonics, packing quite a number of items together. She handed them all to Eldest Aunt, instructing her to organize everything properly so that Zhu Shouren could take them when he departed.

Zhu Shouren cast a glance at Zhu Ping’an and Li Shu, then gave a deliberate cough. Turning to Old Master Zhu, he spoke in a measured tone:

“Father, for this journey to Yingtian for the examinations, everything is prepared… except that my purse is somewhat lacking.”

“Lacking? How can it still be lacking? The family already gave you over ten taels of silver!” Fourth Aunt burst out, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

“Why isn’t it enough?” Old Master Zhu frowned, fixing his gaze on Zhu Shouren. He knew perfectly well that nearly all the family’s money had been handed over to his eldest son.

“Father, when I arrive in Yingtian, I’ll need to host Lord Liu for a meal—it concerns your son’s future. And there are my fellow disciples, as well as my teacher’s benefactor… these social obligations all require money. The travel funds you gave me are enough if I spend only on myself, but once these necessary courtesies are added…” He shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. “It’s difficult—truly difficult.”

“But there’s no money left at home,” Old Master Zhu said, his brows knitting together. He drew deeply on his pipe, exhaling a cloud of smoke that lingered in the air.

“Father, how about this—your son can first borrow some travel money from Zhi’er,” Zhu Shouren said after a moment, as though he had carefully weighed the matter for the family’s sake. Then, without missing a beat, he turned to Zhu Ping’an and voiced what was clearly his long-prepared intention:

“Zhi’er, we’re family—no need for formalities. Your uncle has everything ready for the examination journey, except that my funds are a bit tight. There’s no need to trouble your grandfather further—lend your uncle ten taels of silver for now, and I’ll repay you once I return from the exams.”

‘No need to trouble Grandfather’?

Zhu Ping’an almost let out a cold laugh.

With just a few words, his uncle had shifted the pressure onto him, making it seem as though refusing would be unfilial. Asking in front of Grandfather like this—this wasn’t borrowing money at all. It was forcing it out of him.

His uncle truly had a knack for leveraging situations.

If he had asked properly, perhaps it would have been another matter. But this kind of coercion stirred nothing but distaste in Zhu Ping’an’s heart.

And when he recalled his uncle’s indulgent behavior during the last examination trip—drinking, carousing, chasing pleasures—and then thought of the recent attempt to seize their family’s land… any inclination to lend money vanished completely.

The fact that he hadn’t pursued the matter already was generous enough.

From Fourth Aunt’s earlier words, the family had already given his uncle more than ten taels of silver. That was more than sufficient for the journey to Yingtian.

“Ahem… Uncle, if this had been a few days ago, there would have been no need for you to ask—I would have gladly lent it to you.” Zhu Ping’an gave an apologetic smile and shook his head lightly.

“But not long ago, I met with misfortune at sea—you’ve heard of it, I believe. I was fortunate to escape with my life, but all my belongings were lost to the ocean. I’m left with nothing to my name.”

As he spoke, his lips curved slightly, as if suddenly remembering something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handful of copper coins—barely ten or so—and pressed them warmly into Zhu Shouren’s hand with exaggerated generosity.

“Oh, that’s right—this morning, my mother gave me ten coins to buy soy sauce. The soy sauce can wait, but Uncle’s examination is far more important. Please, take this for now to tide you over.”

The gesture was earnest. The words were polite.

Yet beneath them lay a sharp, unmistakable edge of mockery.