Chapter 200: 199: All Approved

Words : 1465 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 200: Chapter 199: All Approved After a decade of arduous studying, who doesn’t dream of passing the imperial examination in one attempt, bringing glory to their family, and soaring to great heights? Some students have long been prepared for this, eagerly awaiting the day to shine brilliantly in the examinations, but just when their spirits were high, suddenly someone tells you, you needn’t bother, you won’t pass. Is this not like having a bucket of ice water dumped over your head, chilling you to the core? Standing before Qin Liuxi, the scholar named Lin An thought exactly this and immediately his face fell, filled with annoyance, and he silently cursed his bad luck. He glanced at Qin Liuxi and then at her companion, Yu Changkong, noticing the slightly curled and slightly cracked calloused hands, he attempted to hide them. The two in front of him, judging solely by their attire, were clearly not ordinary individuals, and their distinguished and noble demeanor especially could not be compared with someone of a poor scholarly background like himself. Was this young master mocking him because he found the days boring and decided to make a joke out of him? Lin An, wary of their statuses, didn’t dare to make a scene loudly and suppressed his anger, saying, “Young master, please don’t make fun of me. If I have displeased you by blocking your way, I will make amends with an apology.” As he spoke, he stepped back and gave a deep bow to Qin Liuxi. Qin Liuxi laughed, turning to Yu Changkong, saying, “He thinks we’re playboys. I never thought I had the potential to be taken as a playboy.” Yu Changkong: It’s not me, it’s you! And, what is with this child seeming proud of it? Lin An was already struggling to hold back his emotions, and as he walked past her, Qin Liuxi then said, “I didn’t say those unlucky words just because you were in my way.” Lin An paused in his steps. “Although you’ve become a scholar, you come from a poor family with scant resources. I see the callouses on your fingers, indicating you often copy books to earn some small money. Logically, with the title of scholar, copying books to make some money should suffice for daily expenses. However, the scent of medicine on you, the furrowed brows, and the signs of evil spirits and mourners in your parental palace suggest diseases affecting your parents, and your Sun Star having fallen indicates the loss of your father. Therefore, it must be your mother who is currently ill, am I correct?” Lin An’s face turned pale, his fingertips trembling. “The scent of medicine on you likely comes from boiling remedies for your mother. The money you earn from copying books barely covers the medicine expenses. Financial difficulties along with concerns for your mother’s health are the reasons behind your distressed expression. I said you will not pass the examination because the presence of evil spirits and the Mourner’s Star in your parental palace suggest your mother might not live to see you glorify your family name.” Yu Changkong listened and looked across at him, his eyes showing a flash of sympathy, which quickly disappeared. “The sorrow of a child willing to provide care but whose parents are not there to receive it is a profound grief. If you were to wear mourning clothes, how could you possibly go to sit the exams? And if you did go, with your mind preoccupied, how could you possibly pass?” Lin An staggered, his lips trembling as he said: “A child should not discuss strange forces and gods; you, you’re spouting nonsense. If you want to scold me, just scold me directly, why must you bring my mother into this?” “Whether I intentionally brought it up or whether what I said was true, you know in your heart.” Qin Liuxi took a peace charm out from her sleeve and handed it over, “Your mother is exhausted, her days are limited. This peace charm, if worn on her, will make her last days a bit more comfortable, at least she won’t suffer too much from the illness. Consider this a small blessing from our encounter today.” Lin An did not take it, so Qin Liuxi placed it on a nearby book and added, “Scholar, if you take the examination again in three years, you will surely pass. And your sister, make sure in the future she does not marry far, especially to a family by the water.” After hearing this, Lin An trembled again, finding himself unable to speak. Qin Liuxi had already ascended the staircase with Yu Changkong, and they quickly disappeared around the corner of the building. Lin An looked at the peace charm in the book, his eyes hot and teary. He took a deep breath, gripped the peace charm, and bid farewell to Mr. Wang. Yu Changkong asked Qin Liuxi, “The scholar’s mother just now, is she incurable?” Qin Liuxi replied, “From the scent of medicine on him, I can distinguish a few herbs; they are all for soothing the nerves and preserving health, with conservative treatment as the main approach. There’s also one being mountain ginseng. Seeing the patches on his clothes, it’s clear his family is not well-off. Although mountain ginseng is not as expensive as ginseng, it’s still costly and not affordable for ordinary families.” She slowly ascended the stairs, continuing, “Judging by such herbs, once he can no longer afford them, he is just waiting for death. If you ask whether it can be cured, it’s hard to say without seeing the patient, but looking at his face, he is not far from losing his mother. Li City is about to enter winter, and an old woman, already frail and depending on medicine to survive, will meet her end if the weather changes and she can’t get her medicine.” Qin Liuxi lowered her eyes and said, “Such a life, even if snatched back, won’t last long; why bother? The living are lodged here, the dead return to the earth; sometimes, a body that suffers immensely is better off liberated.” Her tone was slightly harsh yet also carried a sense of indifference towards life and death. Yu Changkong sighed deeply. Meanwhile, Lin An, distraught, returned to his small courtyard clutching several books. Seeing the courtyard somewhat in disorder, he panicked and shouted, “Ni’er.” “Brother, you’re back.” A thin, petite girl with slightly dry and yellowish hair dressed in coarse clothes walked out from the house. “What’s with this mess? Where’s Mother?” Lin Ni’s face fell, and she pursed her lips, “Mr. Zhu and his family came. They said this year’s harvest was mediocre, and Mr. Zhu is getting married, so they asked us to repay our debts.” Lin An also pursed his lips, looked her up and down, and asked, “Are you hurt?” Lin Ni shook her head, “Mother handed over the silver hairpin that was kept for emergencies.” “That was supposed to be for you,” Lin An said, anxious. Lin Ni bitterly smiled, “Brother, what’s there to keep? We are in debt, and mother needs money for her medicine.” Seeing Lin An’s distressed look, she quickly added, “Don’t worry too much, just focus on your studies. Aunt Jiang next door has already found me some work laundering clothes.” Lin An looked down at his little sister’s hands, rougher than his, not knowing quite how to feel. Inside the house, a woman’s voice came through. Lin An hurried in, only to see an old, emaciated woman lying in bed, trying to sit up as he entered. “Mother, don’t move,” Lin An rushed to help her up. Aunt Lin coughed a few times, “Mr. Zhu came. The silver hairpin was worth five pieces of silver, and I handed it over... cough, cough...” Lin An quickly soothed her back, “Mother, no more talking, it’s done. I’ll copy more books and pay them back as soon as possible.” Aunt Lin shook her head, “I’m not going to make it. It’s you and Ni’er who suffer. Mr. Zhu mentioned his great-aunt has a good eligible bachelor at the south, a fisherman who makes a few Silver a year, and he wants to set Ni’er up with him...” Lin An’s head buzzed—the distant marriage, the fisherman’s family—it all made sense! But that wasn’t even the main point; if what that young master said was true, and she said he would lose his mother, would his mother not...? Lin An felt a great anguish in his chest, knelt down, grasped his mother’s hands, and tears streamed down.

Chapter 200: 199: All Approved

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