Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 28 Qingming Festival

After Sixth Uncle and Clan Chief Lu Deshou left.

Seventh Uncle sat on the broken bench in the Lu family home and began to test Lu Chuan's knowledge.

Listening to Lu Chuan's clear and fluent answer, Uncle Qi's wrinkled face relaxed into a deep smile.

He stroked his sparse beard and sighed, "I was classmates with Zhao Shide, a cunning old fox with an arrogant air. The fact that he awarded you the pen is enough to show that you are a promising candidate for the imperial examinations."

Uncle Qi gave a few more instructions before leaving the earthen house.

No sooner had Uncle Qi left than Mother, who had been busy in the kitchen, came out carefully carrying a large, rough pottery bowl with a chipped rim.

It was a stewed pheasant, cooked until very tender, its golden fat glistening in the dim light, looking incredibly delicious.

This was obtained by Lu Shouye while hunting in the mountains. He had never wanted to eat it and insisted on saving it for Lu Chuan.

"Chuan'er, hurry, eat it while it's hot." The mother placed the bowl steadily in the center of the rickety old wooden table, rubbing her hands hastily on her patched apron, her face full of smiles. "You are the hope of our family, and the teacher values ​​you highly. You must first get your body strong so that you can study properly."

Lu Chuan stood up and took three chipped, broken bowls from the kitchen.

He moved swiftly, first tearing off a large piece of chicken breast and placing it in front of his father, his tone calm yet authoritative: "Dad, we still have to work in the fields tomorrow, and we won't have the strength to plow that hard soil. You must eat this meat."

Then, he ladled a bowl of the richest chicken soup for his mother: "Mom, drink this soup. Don't let yourself faint from hunger in front of the stove just to save a little food."

Finally, he picked up a plump chicken leg and stuffed it into his younger sister Xiaoman's hand.

"Eat." Lu Chuan looked at his sister. "After you eat the meat, if anyone in the village dares to bully you, just tell them loudly that your brother is highly regarded by the teacher at the academy, and no one has the right to look down on our family."

The mother panicked and tried to snatch the chicken leg back from her daughter's hand and return it to Lu Chuan: "Chuan'er, how can this be! You are destined for great things; your health is the most important thing."

"Mother, if I eat the rest of this chicken leg, I'll have enough strength to study." Lu Chuan pressed his mother's hand down.

Lu Xiaoman was holding the plump chicken leg, taking small bites, when she heard her mother's words. She immediately looked up, her little face still smeared with oil, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lu Chuan.

"That's right, Mom is right, my brother is the best."

Xiaoman quickly swallowed the meat in her mouth, as if she had remembered something amazing and proud. She waved her little hand and said, "Last time, those bad boys at the village entrance tried to steal my firewood. As soon as I said that my brother was studying at the school, they were so scared that they ran away."

The little sister puffed out her chest, looking as proud as if "my brother is a reincarnation of the God of Literature."

Looking at his daughter's proud expression, Lu Shouye couldn't help but laugh and said, "So you're already starting to rely on your brother."

"Of course! When you become an official, I'll manage your accounts, and no one will be able to take a single copper coin from you!" Lu Xiaoman said with her head held high and a serious expression. Her greedy and arrogant little face made the dull atmosphere in the room much more cheerful.

Looking at his son's overly composed demeanor, Lu Shouye felt both gratified and heartbroken.

His rough hands rubbed his knees, and he finally just smiled憨厚ly: "Alright, if your brother really passes the imperial examination, I'll build him a spacious study so you can grind ink for him too."

Lu Chuan silently bit into the golden chicken leg in his hand, savoring its delicious flavor.

The news that Lu Chuan had been praised by Master Zhao and even given paper and pen spread like wildfire throughout the small Lu Family Village.

The way the clansmen looked at Lu Chuan had completely changed.

And so, the news of a child who had won the favor of a scholar spread quickly throughout this poor mountain village.

As a result, in the following days, the threshold of the Lu family's house was almost worn down by the villagers.

"This is to give Chuan-ge'er some brain-boosting nutrition." The auntie handed over the eggs, her eyes filled with a hint of flattery.

"Nothing special, just something for the kid." The uncle from the landlord brought over a small piece of his own pickled vegetable, smiling憨厚ly, but his words were full of inquiries about the school in town.

Lu Shouye and his mother couldn't refuse, so they gratefully accepted the food. The once empty kitchen was now unusually filled with food. Madam Lu carefully prepared these dishes and cooked them for Lu Chuan in different ways every day.

Every time Lu Chuan received something, he would personally thank the person who delivered it.

He was humble and polite, showing no sign of pride.

Around the time of Qingming Festival is the busiest time for spring plowing.

The day after Lu Chuan returned, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Shouye went out with a hoe on his shoulder.

Lu Chuan got up as well. His mother was boiling water in the kitchen. Seeing him come out, she stuffed a cold, hard coarse rice cake into his hand and whispered, "Your father went to turn over the soil in the field to the east. Go and lend a hand."

Lu Chuan took the pancake and started eating it as he walked eastward.

The spring rain had just stopped, and the mud on the field ridges was as soft as tofu; you would sink halfway down if you stepped on it.

Lu Shouye had already turned over a small portion of the land. His back was hunched as he dug with a hoe, his movements steady, but you could tell that he was breathing more heavily than before.

Lu Chuan walked over, stuffed the flatbread into his pocket, bent down to pick up another hoe that was placed on the edge of the field, and stood side by side with Lu Shouye to turn the soil together.

In the afternoon, Lu Xiaoman came to deliver water.

She carried a chipped, rough porcelain bowl and walked carefully along the ridge of the field, afraid of slipping and falling.

She walked up to him, handed the bowl to Lu Chuan, then squatted down on the edge of the field, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him work.

"Brother, your hand is cut." She pointed to the red marks on Lu Chuan's hand.

"fine."

Lu Xiaoman pulled a small strip of tattered cloth from her pocket and handed it to him: "My mother asked me to bring this. She said your hands are too soft, so she wants you to wrap them."

Lu Chuan took it, wrapped the strip of cloth around his hand, and continued working with his head down.

Lu Xiaoman was still squatting on the edge of the field, not leaving. She watched him for a while, then asked softly, "Brother, are you homesick while you're in the county?"

Lu Chuan turned over a handful of soil, thought for a moment, and said, "I want to."

Lu Xiaoman's eyes lit up, and she asked again, "Did you miss me?"

"think."

Lu Xiaoman's lips curled up, she lowered her head, drew two lines on the muddy ground with a twig, and muttered softly, "I miss you too."

She rowed for a while, then looked up and said earnestly, "Brother, you must eat well over there."

Lu Xiaoman stood up, patted the mud off her skirt, picked up the empty bowl, and started walking back along the paddy field ridge. After a few steps, she turned back and called out, "Mom said she'll steam sweet potatoes tonight, so she wants you to come home early!"

Lu Chuan watched his younger sister skip away into the distance, and paused in his hand as he turned over the soil.

When I got home, the kitchen was already filled with the slightly sweet aroma of sweet potatoes.

"Chuan'er, you've had a long day. Go wash your face and get ready for dinner." Mother Lu handed over a basin of warm water, her eyes full of heartache.