Kays Translations

Chapter 180: How About We Don’t Take the Exam?

Once the date of the special provincial examination was announced, the qualification examination could not be far behind.

Zhu Ping’an therefore shifted his studies toward the qualification examination. Its curriculum followed that of the county and prefectural schools, centering on the Four Books, the candidate’s chosen Classic, the Great Compendium of Human Nature and Principle, and Zhu Xi’s historical compendium. Rites, music, and calligraphy were no longer a focus because the qualification examination did not test them. The question types broadly covered the Classics, interpretations, memorial-style compositions, and policy essays, with memorization occasionally required. Zhu Ping’an practiced accordingly.

In addition, Zhu Ping’an’s study intensity increased significantly. He woke up about half an hour earlier than before and stayed up half an hour later in the evening.

Although the qualification examination was normally presided over by the Education Commissioner as he toured the counties and prefectures, he could also use the diaokao and leikao methods. In a diaokao, shengyuan from another prefecture were transferred to the prefecture where the commissioner was examining candidates. In a leikao, county or prefectural officials conducted an initial screening before sending the candidates on for the commissioner’s assessment. Diaokao could force candidates into exhausting travel, while leikao could foster corruption because local officials handled the preliminary screening. The ideal arrangement was still for the Education Commissioner to preside in person.

Between studying and reviewing, Zhu Ping’an continued writing several thousand characters of The Heaven Sword and Serpent Slayer for the scheming girl. It took time, but he treated it as calligraphy practice.

His mother, Chen, also made a variety of delicious dishes for Zhu Ping’an—stews, boiled dishes, steamed, fried, grilled, pickled… She employed all sorts of cooking techniques, making sure Zhu Ping’an was always well-fed, concerned that he might not be getting enough nutrition.

“Zhi’er, how about we stop taking the exams?” Chen suddenly said one day at the dinner table.

This caught Zhu Ping’an off guard, and even Zhu Ping’an’s father and eldest brother, Zhu Pingchuan were shocked.

Only a few days earlier, Chen had been happily telling everyone that her son was going to compete for juren in the provincial examination, with even more enthusiasm than Zhu Ping’an himself. Chen loved to show off; whether he passed or not, merely being qualified to attempt it was enough to make her proud.

So, when she suddenly said this, everyone was surprised.

“What’s wrong, Mother?” Zhu Ping’an asked, surprised, as he swallowed a piece of chicken.

Chen looked at him with deep concern. “I see you’re studying too hard. These days, I’ve been making all sorts of delicious food for you, but instead of getting fatter, I’ve noticed you’ve lost weight. Let’s stop the exams, okay?”

Hearing this, Zhu Ping’an felt both touched and amused by his mother’s overwhelming love.

“Why should a boy get too fat?” Zhu’s father casually said, taking a bite of meat pie, not paying much attention.

This remark stirred up a hornet’s nest.

“Zhu Shouyi, it’s not your flesh that’s falling off, so of course, you don’t care!” Chen slammed her chopsticks onto the table and gave Zhu’s father a stern glare. She then noticed the meat pie in his hand and snatched it away. “This meat pie is for Zhi’er and Da Chuan, not for you!”

Then, Chen placed the half-eaten meat pie in front of Zhu Ping’an.

Cough, cough, cough… Looking at the piece of meat pie that Zhu’s father had bitten into, Zhu Ping’an couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Mother, I’m growing. The meat is going to my height. Look, I’ve grown a lot taller these days,” Zhu Ping’an said as he stood up from the table and gestured above his head, indicating that he had grown taller.

“You can’t be growing that fast,” Chen chuckled, her mood lifting after his lighthearted comment. She smiled and teased him.

“Zhi’er, you really have grown taller.” His elder brother Zhu Pingchuan spoke at just the right moment, entirely sincere. It really did seem as though his younger brother had grown taller over the past two days.

“Really?” Their mother, Chen, lit up with excitement. Her eldest son was just like his father—he never lied.

“Really.”

Zhu Ping’an and his eldest brother, Zhu Pingchuan, spoke in unison.

Only then did Chen feel much better, no longer insisting that Zhu Ping’an refrain from taking the exam.

Zhu Ping’an then placed the meat pie, which had a missing corner, back into his father’s bowl.

Father Zhu glanced at the meat pie, then at Chen, but he didn’t dare say a word.

“What are you looking at? Just eat your pie. Who else would eat something you’ve already bitten?” Chen rolled her eyes at Father Zhu and scolded him playfully.

Hearing her teasing, Father Zhu grinned foolishly and began eating.

“Look at you!” Chen couldn’t hold back her laughter.

The atmosphere at the dining table instantly became warm and harmonious. The family enjoyed their breakfast together. Over the years, the Zhu family’s living standards had visibly improved. Father Zhu made good earnings transporting goods with his ox cart, eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan had plentiful harvests from the mountains, and Chen’s needlework often supplemented the household income. Last year, Father Zhu even purchased ten mu of paddy fields and ten mu of dry farmland in Xiahe Village. Combined with their original land, the Zhu family was now considered well-off in the village.

Especially after Zhu Ping’an became a xiucai, the Zhu family’s standing in Xiahe Village rose sharply. Whenever Chen went out now, people greeted her eagerly, leaving her cheerful every day.

Elder brother Zhu Pingchuan’s marriage was settled as well; they were simply waiting for the twelfth lunar month to formally bring Sister Juan into the family. Zhu Ping’an, constantly buried in his studies, had never met his future sister-in-law, but he had heard she was a good person. Zhu Pingchuan was especially pleased with his future wife and often found excuses to spend time near her. Her father had once strongly opposed the match, but after Zhu Ping’an became a tongsheng and especially after he became a xiucai, the future father-in-law no longer objected and would occasionally even take a casual stroll outside.

In short, everything was looking up for the Zhu family.

In contrast, the old Zhu family at the ancestral home felt somewhat bitter. Although Grandpa Zhu and Grandma Zhu were still treated with respect when they went out, they could sense a hint of mockery in the villagers’ compliments.

Grandpa Zhu often sighed in the courtyard, thinking about how great it would have been if he hadn’t separated his second son’s family back then.

“I heard from Second Son’s family that Zhi’er is going to compete for juren in the provincial examination,” Grandpa Zhu remarked to Grandma Zhu, who was picking vegetables.

“It’s not even close yet, but the second son’s family is acting like he’s already passed,” Grandma Zhu scoffed.

“What do you know? Just being qualified to sit the provincial examination is impressive.” Grandpa Zhu took a deep pull from his pipe.

“You should smoke less. You coughed so much last night.”

Grandma Zhu was stunned for a moment. She looked up to see Grandpa Zhu lighting his pipe again and immediately put down the vegetables to persuade him.

“Just a couple of puffs,” Grandpa Zhu muttered, pursing his lips.

The old Zhu household returned to its usual quiet, with only the sounds of chickens, ducks, and pigs filling the air.

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