TTLJDFL Chapter 68

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Finally, after finishing the county examination, Chen Xiran shed all his psychological burden and slept until midday.

When he woke up, his young attendant finally dared to step forward and ask, “Young Master, how did the exam go?”

Chen Xiran replied, “Not bad, I suppose.”

“And what about Young Master Li?”

“That, I don’t know. But he submitted his paper half a day early.”

By the time Chen Xiran sat down for his meal, the young attendant had already hitched a ride back to town with others to deliver the news to the master and madam.

The young attendant had originally wanted to ask about Li Jin’s performance as well, so he could pass the message along, but Li Jin had gone out early in the morning. Then, after returning for a meal, he left again.

He never found the right opportunity to ask.

When Mr. Song saw that Master Chen (Chen Xiran's father) had arrived with the young attendant, he knew they had come with news.

He quickly stood up and asked, “How did they perform?”

Master Chen was both excited and somewhat… melancholic.

Mr.Song sensed that something was amiss.

Master Chen let the young attendant repeat Chen Xiran’s words.

“Young Master said he did fairly well, but as for Young Master Li, he submitted his paper half a day early.”

Mr. Song nearly dropped his cup!

“Li Jin—he, he didn’t know how to answer?”

It was a well-known assumption that students who submitted their exam papers an hour early tended to rank high in the imperial examination.

This was because it meant they had finished writing but were so well-versed in their knowledge that they completed the exam faster than others.

On the other hand, students who turned in their papers at the very last moment usually had more average performances, and whether they passed was uncertain.

However, submitting the paper in just half a day could only mean two things: either the student was incredibly brilliant, or they had handed in a blank paper.

At the time, even the county magistrate, upon seeing Li Jin submit his paper at noon, had secretly glanced at it, worried that this extraordinary-looking young man might have left it blank.

Mr. Song only received that one piece of information, but it was enough to make him feel deeply disappointed. After all, he had high hopes for Li Jin.

Master Chen, though feeling a little regretful for Li Jin, was more concerned about his own son, Chen Xiran. So, he still had a hint of joy on his face.

But Mr. Song clearly favored the diligent and intelligent Li Jin.

So his disappointment was even more evident. That evening, he barely ate and, before going to bed, kept muttering, “How could Ah Jin not know the answer?”

All the subjects covered in the county examination had been thoroughly taught, and Li Jin had flawlessly memorized them.

Mr. Song’s wife consoled him, saying, “Maybe Ah Jin just writes very fast. Don’t worry too much.”

Even so, her words didn’t bring much comfort to Mr. Song. He hardly slept that night, and the next morning, when he gave his lecture, dark circles hung under his eyes.

Meanwhile, Scholar Huang received news that all three of his students had performed well. That noon, he specially visited Mr. Song to share the good news.

Mr. Song’s anxiety was evident, and any observant person could see it.

Scholar Huang asked about it twice, but Mr. Song only waved him off without answering. Sensing that Master Song’s student must have done poorly, Scholar Huang refrained from pressing further.

He just didn’t know whether it was Li Jin or Chen Xiran who had performed badly.

The county examination results were something everyone eagerly anticipated. The contrasting expressions of the two scholars—one anxious and one pleased—conveyed different messages.

Many parents who had been hesitant about choosing a teacher immediately decided to send their children to Scholar Huang.

Three days later, when the students returned, the two scholars finally learned what had happened—the last round of the exam had consisted of only three math problems!

Huang Yiling, upon seeing his teacher’s slight smugness—believing that Master Song’s student had performed poorly—felt helpless and said,

“Teacher, Li Jin handed in his paper half a day early, not because he didn’t know how to answer, but because he got everything right.”

He then explained that the day after the exam, they had visited a teahouse and overheard a group of scholars from the county discussing the answers to the three math problems.

By the end of the discussion, Huang Yiling’s face had turned pale because he realized he had made a mistake on the second problem.

Among the five of them, only Li Jin had gotten it right. Chen Xiran had also made a mistake in his answer, though his process was correct.

As for the third problem, many county students hadn’t been able to solve it either. But after an entire afternoon of collective discussion, they had finally figured it out.

Huang Yiling had quietly asked Li Jin about his answer.

Li Jin had not lied. He had simply said that his answer was the same as theirs.

Huang Yiling chuckled bitterly and added, “I don’t know if I will pass, but Ah Jin definitely will. And he’ll rank among the top.”

The county exam results would be announced in about twenty days since the ‘prefectural exam’ was scheduled for April in the prefectural city.

The ranking for the county exam was not displayed in a straightforward list from highest to lowest. Instead, it was presented in a ‘wheel chart’ format, where candidates’ seat numbers were written in a circular pattern.

At the center of the chart, in red ink, was the word ‘中’ (meaning ‘passed’). The vertical stroke of the character was longer at the top and shorter at the bottom, and the topmost seat number belonged to the highest-ranking candidate.

The other names were arranged counterclockwise, with the fiftieth-ranked candidate positioned directly to the right of the top scorer.

So, while the county exam results seemed to be arranged without a clear ranking, those who understood the format could still discern the relative rankings.

Scholar Huang was momentarily stunned by Huang Yiling’s words. He looked at the many tuition gifts he had received over the past few days and suddenly felt his right eyelid twitching uncontrollably.

He knew very well that people had observed his and Mr. Song’s expressions, mistakenly believing that his students had performed well, which had prompted them to come and enroll their children.

But if Li Jin ended up as the top scorer… it would be extremely embarrassing for him.

Still, since the rankings hadn’t been released yet, all Scholar Huang could do was wait.

He no longer had high expectations for Huang Yiling. Xu Zifan, who had taken the county exam before, would most likely pass again this time.

Scholar Huang could only hope that Xu Zifan would achieve a decent ranking.

As for the position of the top scorer, Scholar Huang had never even considered it. Could their small town really produce a top scorer? How was that possible?

However, from then on, whenever someone came to the Huang residence seeking to become his student, Scholar Huang would tell them in advance:

"Mr. Song's two students performed exceptionally well in this exam. You should think carefully before making your decision."

Li Jin returned to the village. Qin Muwen had been waiting for him for nearly ten days. When he heard the courtyard gate creak open, he rushed out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula.

"Ah Jin!"

Li Jin didn't even bother putting down his backpack. He stepped forward, wanting to embrace him. But Qin Muwen said, "I'm cooking, I'm covered in oil…"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jin had already pulled him into a hug. "I missed you, Wenwen."

After dinner, the village chief came by upon hearing that Li Jin had returned. He asked how he had done on the exam.

Li Jin smiled and said, "Not bad."

Seeing the smile on his face, the village chief knew the results must have been quite good. He said, "The letter of appeal you left with me…"

Li Jin replied, "Burn it. The villagers have already accepted him."

"Good!"

Qin Muwen didn't know what they were talking about. He was in the inner room, carefully tending to their little bun.

Recently, the little bun had another tooth coming in. He occasionally babbled, saying "ya-ya."

While Li Jin was away, Qin Muwen took every opportunity to teach the little bun to say "daddy." But clearly, the child wasn’t at the right stage for speaking yet. Maybe in a little while, he would be able to say it.

Li Jin had been gone for ten days, yet surprisingly, the little bun still recognized him. As soon as he was held in Li Jin’s arms, he started giggling.

Li Jin couldn’t resist kissing his son's chubby cheek.

The little bun called out, "Ya-ya!" while simultaneously reaching out to grab Li Jin’s hair.

Li Jin’s hair was long now, and before he realized it, the little bun’s chubby hands had already clenched a strand.

Fortunately, this child wasn’t too mischievous—he didn’t yank his daddy’s hair outright. But that didn’t mean he was being entirely well-behaved either, because he immediately tried to shove the hair into his mouth.

Qin Muwen rushed over to rescue Li Jin’s hair and quickly stuffed a small cloth toy into the little bun’s hands.

But the little bun was still fixated on Li Jin’s hair, trying his best to grab it again, completely unfazed by his serious-looking daddy.

Li Jin held the soft little creature in his arms. Finally, just as the little bun was about to cry, he relented and let him have a strand of hair.

Qin Muwen watched all this unfold, carefully guarding the little bun’s hands to keep him from eating the hair. With a sigh, he said, "Ah Jin, you're going to spoil the baby rotten."

What kind of child was allowed to grab the head of the family’s hair so recklessly?

Traditionally, it was the grandparents who doted on the children, while fathers had to be strict, ensuring their children respected them without question.

Li Jin simply said, "The little bun is my first child. I saw him born with my own eyes. How could I not spoil him?"

Besides, the child had a striking red birthmark between his brows, making him so adorable that one couldn’t help but want to hold and kiss him.

By the time the little bun’s second tooth had fully emerged, the results of the exam were finally released.

Since Qin Muwen had to take care of the baby, he couldn't accompany Li Jin to town. Knowing how important the announcement was, Li Zhuzi set out early in the morning with his ox cart to take Li Jin.

Li Jin was the only student from Hongyan Village who had taken the county exam. If he passed, the village chief would also receive a reward, proving his leadership was effective.

But to the village chief, the reward was secondary. If Hongyan Village could produce another scholar, it would be a great honor!

By the time Li Jin arrived in town, the officials responsible for announcing the results were already there. However, the list of names was covered with a red silk cloth and would only be unveiled at the hour of Si (around 9 AM).

The area was packed with three or four layers of onlookers. Some weren’t even related to any of the candidates but had come just to bask in the excitement.

Chen Xiran’s servant spotted Li Jin and quickly pointed towards his master's location.

"Young Master Li, my master is waiting for you at the tea house across the street. From there, you'll have a clear view of the announcement."

Li Jin looked up and saw Chen Xiran waving enthusiastically at him from the tea house.

"Ah Jin, come up here!"

Li Jin informed Li Zhuzi before heading upstairs.

As he drank his third cup of tea, the officials began striking a gong and setting off firecrackers. The crowd erupted in excitement.

Then, an official grasped a corner of the red silk cloth, raised his arm, and with a swift motion—

"The results are out!"

The crowd roared, "The results are out! The results are out!"

Chen Xiran held his breath as he stared at the list, clutching his tea cup so tightly that he hadn't even taken a sip.

Li Jin’s heart pounded as well. Although he wasn’t originally from this era and could have found other ways to make a living without taking the imperial exams, at this moment, he couldn’t help but stare intently at the long list.

Wait, what was his candidate number again?

One hundred thirty-two.

Li Jin scanned the list anxiously, his heart pounding, but before he found his number, Chen Xiran suddenly shouted in excitement, abandoning his tea cup.

"Ah Jin, Ah Jin, I passed! I passed!"

Li Jin paused for a moment and said, "Congratulations."

But Chen Xiran continued cheering. "Ah Jin, you got first place! How can you be so calm?"

Author’s Note:

Li Jin: I couldn’t even find my own name…

T/N: I'm so proud of themmm😊😊😊