TTLJDFL Chapter 20

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Since Mao Bian paper was three feet in size, it was smaller than the four-foot-long Zhu Ye paper.

The storage cabinet at the foot of the bed was just large enough to hold it.

Although the young man still seemed a bit unsteady in his movements, he endured the discomfort without saying a word, quickly helping Li Jin clear off the cabinet.

Li Jin said, “Wenwen, I’ll do it.”

The name “Xiao Wen” sounded too delicate, so he decided to call the young man “Wenwen” instead.

With his back to Li Jin, Qin Muwen replied seriously, “These are all my tools. I need to organize them myself so I can find them easily later.”

Looking at the old but clean jars and bottles, Li Jin could tell the young man often wiped them down.

Li Jin was pleased. As a doctor, he had developed a slight obsession with cleanliness—being in constant contact with patients made personal hygiene essential.

It was just like how, on his first day after arriving in this world, he had washed his vomit-stained clothes immediately. The idea of leaving them unwashed for days just because the young man was too weak to do laundry was simply unbearable.

Qin Muwen was clearly used to tidying up. In no time, he had moved everything and wiped the cabinet down twice.

Under the candlelight, when he lowered his gaze, his eyelashes were long and thick, like a little comb.

When he turned back, his eyes sparkled as he smiled sweetly and said, “All done!”

Li Jin placed the Mao Bian paper and rabbit-hair brush on the cabinet. Then, he noticed that the sewing basket was already full of finished sachets and handkerchiefs.

He remembered that the young man had said he would finish the sewing in seven days. Yet, only five days had passed, and everything was already done.

…How heartbreaking.

After tidying up, the young man’s legs were trembling.

Li Jin frowned at the sight and, without a word, carried him to the bed. Then he knelt down and removed his shoes and socks.

The young man gasped in shock, but the sound got caught in his throat, leaving only a soft intake of breath.

Li Jin tucked him into the blanket and said, “You’re done walking for today. From now on, unless you need to get up at night, stay in bed.”

He had realized that Qin Muwen only listened when given direct orders—one command, one action.

Otherwise, the young man had no concept of resting.

Sure enough, after hearing those words, the young man obediently lay down.

He didn’t look at Li Jin, though. Instead, he turned to gaze at the baby sleeping soundly beside him.

In Li Jin’s eyes, both of them were his little ones.

And when little ones misbehaved, he had to take charge.

===

The two little ones lay quietly on the bed, and only then did Li Jin grind the ink, preparing to practice calligraphy in the style of Liu.

He vaguely recalled fragments of the original owner's handwriting practice in his mind, but the original owner's handwriting was truly awful. No wonder Mr. Song had bluntly declared that he would definitely fail the upcoming tongsheng exam.

"A person's handwriting reflects their character."

The tongsheng exam did not demand candidates to write with great artistic flair, but at the very least, their handwriting had to be presentable.

Fortunately, Li Jin had previous experience practicing calligraphy, so it was much easier for him to pick it up again than learning from scratch.

But when it came to writing, there was no shortcut—just practice, and more practice.

In one night, Li Jin focused solely on basic strokes—lifting the brush, pressing it down, and finishing strokes—filling five sheets of rough-edged paper.

And he had written on both sides.

Though these were just fundamental exercises, as someone who had lived for nearly thirty years, Li Jin knew that only by building a solid foundation could he write both quickly and with elegance.

A bundle of paper cost forty pennies. If he were to truly dedicate himself to studying, he would need at least twenty sheets per day.

A bundle contained a hundred sheets—only enough for five days.

With this calculation, he realized—studying was truly expensive...

For a poor scholar to rise in status in ancient times, none had it easy.

After finishing his writing practice, Li Jin stretched his arms and went out to wash up. By the time he returned, the young man was already fast asleep.

He blew out the oil lamp, and the room instantly darkened, leaving only the moonlight filtering through the window.

Amidst the rhythmic chirping of cicadas outside, sleep soon overcame Li Jin.

Even as rational as he was, he hadn't realized just how much he was adapting to this world and this era.

The next morning, as usual, Li Jin fed Baozi with a mixture of goat's milk and rice paste. Meanwhile, the young man got up, washed up, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

By the time Baozi had eaten his fill and dozed off again, Qin Muwen had also finished preparing their meal.

The rice and flour that ordinary farming households ate in ancient times were vastly different from modern versions.

Rice still retained much of its husk, and the wheat flour contained a significant amount of bran. Ancient methods of manually processing crops simply couldn’t achieve the refinement of modern technology.

However, the young man had excellent cooking skills. He controlled the heat well when making porridge, and paired it with a dish of wild vegetables, making for an appetizing meal.

After they finished eating, the young man packed two roasted potatoes and two boiled eggs into Li Jin’s backpack.

Lately, he hadn’t had time to make flatbreads or steamed buns, otherwise, Li Jin’s meals could have been even more substantial.

Li Jin smiled and said, “Mr. Song’s class only lasts for the morning. I’ll be back by noon, no need to pack so much.”

However, with inconvenient transportation and relying solely on foot, by the time he returned, it would already be past noon.

Li Jin then added, “I mentioned it yesterday—this afternoon, I’ll make hongshao rou (braised pork) for you. Wait for me.”

The young man’s lips curled into a smile, revealing shallow dimples.

Just hearing the words “wait for me” made him feel that this place was truly a home.

Li Jin packed ten sheets of zhuyé paper, along with a brush and an ink block, and set out.

After long holiday breaks or when first apprenticing to a teacher, students would bring gifts as a gesture of respect. However, it wasn’t necessary to bring a gift every time they visited.

This time, instead of buying vegetable-stuffed buns, Li Jin headed straight to his teacher’s home.

A seven-year-old child opened the door for him. Clearly, he had been instructed beforehand and led Li Jin directly to Mr. Song’s study.

“These books were chosen by my father. You can copy them here.

Father said that since you’re preparing for the tongsheng exam, you can take your time before resuming classes. Once you finish copying these books, he will give you private lessons specifically for the exam.”

Li Jin acknowledged the instructions, and the child, following proper etiquette, excused himself and even closed the door on his way out.

Li Jin thought to himself—fortunately, Mr. Song’s students came and went quickly, and the original owner often skipped classes, leaving him with no close relationships here.

Otherwise, facing his classmates, he might genuinely fear exposing himself.

Having left early, the morning air was still cool, and Li Jin had walked briskly, so it wasn’t even si hour (9 AM) yet. That meant he had a full two hours to copy the texts.

Zhuyé paper had a smooth surface and excellent ink absorption, but the only drawback was that it dried slowly.

Each time Li Jin completed a sheet, he had to lay it flat on the ground and let it dry for a long while to prevent smudging.

Mr. Song’s study was separate from the side room where he usually taught students. However, shortly after si hour (9 AM), Li Jin could already hear the sound of students reading aloud from the other side.

Even without distinguishing the individual voices, he knew they were all young men.

This gave Li Jin a sense of urgency. Since he had to farm and support a family, he had far less study time than others. He had to put in even more effort to succeed.

If he could at least pass the xiucai exam, he would be exempt from land taxes and gain higher social status. This would also improve life for the young man in their village.

As for whether he could continue advancing to the juren, gongyuan, or jinshi levels, Li Jin felt it was a long shot.

The higher the exam level, the more it tested a person’s grasp of current affairs. As a transmigrator, he still struggled to fully adapt to a society governed by monarchy.

He did not feel a genuine sense of reverence for the reigning emperor.

If he advanced too far and made it to the dianshi (imperial palace examination) stage, his lack of true respect for the ruler might be detected—and that would be a disaster.

Moreover, his family was too poor. If he passed the juren exam, he would have to travel to the capital for the huishi (provincial examination). He couldn’t just leave his fulang and child behind in the village—that would make him uneasy.

Unconsciously, Li Jin had already finished copying one sheet. He set it aside to dry and moved on to the second.

Each zhuyé paper sheet was four feet long. Since Li Jin wrote relatively small, in two hours, he had only managed to copy seven sheets.

When Mr. Song entered the study, the ground was already covered with neatly arranged sheets of copied text. From them, he could see that Li Jin had struggled with keeping the size consistent at first.

But by the later sheets, every character was uniform and well-formed. The clean, precise strokes emerging from his brush made Mr. Song increasingly satisfied.

When Li Jin finished another sheet and was about to lay it out to dry, he turned around—only to find Mr. Song standing behind him.

He hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting. “Teacher.”

Song Yuan said, "Your Liu-style calligraphy has improved greatly, very good, very good."

He repeated "very good" twice, clearly in a great mood.

Then he asked Li Jin how far he had copied. Li Jin felt a bit ashamed and said, "I just finished copying the Sacred Edicts and Amplified Instructions."

Thinking about Li Jin's background, similar to his own as a child of a humble family, Song Yuan asked, "Which chapter does 'Emphasizing agriculture to ensure clothing and food' come from?"

The purpose of copying books was not just to review them later. The process of copying itself was a way to strengthen memory and understanding.

Fortunately, Li Jin was not an ordinary teenage boy. As a medical student, he had spent eight years in university memorizing countless cycles and terminology. He was already accustomed to trying to understand and memorize as he copied.

Of course, classical Chinese was more difficult to grasp, but he marked everything he didn’t understand so he could ask questions later.

Song Yuan’s question was quite practical, so Li Jin quickly gave the correct answer.

Song Yuan immediately praised him, saying, "Excellent!"

After that, he explained the main themes conveyed in the Sacred Edicts and Amplified Instructions, then instructed Li Jin to memorize it that night and come back early the next day for a written test.

Li Jin: "…"

Even though he had mentally prepared for it, he still felt a headache coming.

But then again, was the imperial examination something one could pass easily?

Without effort, he would never stand a chance.

Seeing the roasted potatoes in Li Jin’s basket, Song Yuan felt a bit sorry for his student and asked if he wanted to stay for a meal.

However, Li Jin politely declined, saying, "My husband and child are still at home. I’m worried about them."

===

By the time Li Jin got home, it was already past 4 p.m.

He was starving, having eaten the potatoes and eggs on the way. Now, he was planning to cook braised pork for the young man.

But there were still many villagers returning from town, and since Li Jin had a better reputation now, they were happy to greet him.

"Li Jin, why are you eating potatoes again? Why not bring your husband and child over to my house for dinner tonight?"

Li Jin: "…"

If only they had seen him eating eggs earlier.

Tl Notes:

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