Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 58 Revealing One's Edge

After spending two more days at Qingyang Academy and handling the follow-up matters of the gathering, Lu Chuan enjoyed a rare vacation.

Before the oxcart even entered Liutang Village, a dark mass could be seen from afar under the big locust tree at the village entrance.

My parents, my younger sister, clan chief Lu Deshou, my sixth uncle, and all the clan elders whose names I could name in the village were all waiting there.

"Here he comes, Chuan'er is back."

Some mischievous child, with sharp eyes, shouted out.

In an instant, cheers erupted one after another in the quiet mountain village.

Uncle Liu cracked his whip, and the slow-moving ox seemed to sense the joy and started to stride forward.

As soon as the oxcart came to a stop, Lu Deshou, leaning on his cane and supported by Lu Shouye, quickly walked up.

"Chuan'er, well done! This is the first time in a hundred years that our Lu Family Village has produced a county school champion." Lu Deshou was so excited that his beard trembled and his wrinkled face beamed with joy.

The surrounding villagers completely surrounded the oxcart.

These days, news of Lu Chuan's outstanding performance at the county literary gathering, which outshone the city's talented young men and impressed the old instructor, has already spread far and wide through the mouths of the town's peddlers.

"Brother Chuan'er, I heard that the county magistrate has bestowed a treasure upon you. Come and show us!"

"Yes, I heard that the ink smells like medicine, and the inkstone can hold water. Is that true?"

Lu Chuan jumped out of the car and first bowed to Lu Deshou and his parents. Seeing that he could not refuse the villagers' enthusiasm, he generously took out the Duanzhou green stone inkstone and the bundle of Huizhou pine soot ink from his book box.

As soon as the inkstone appeared, a collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the surrounding area.

The inkstone was as smooth and lustrous as jade, gleaming in the setting sun. Even a country bumpkin who didn't know its value could tell that it was precious.

"Oh my, this is a Duan inkstone? Look at the patterns, they're like water ripples."

"Smell it! This ink really does have a pleasant fragrance. Is this what scholars use?"

Lu Chuan didn't show off for long before putting the items away and said seriously, "These rewards are a token from the county school, an affirmation of the scholars in Liutang Village. But the most valuable thing is actually this access token."

He patted the heavy bronze plaque in his arms and whispered to Lu Deshou, "Sixth Master, with this plaque, I can enter the county school's library in the future. There are many books there."

That night, for the first time ever, the ancestral hall in Lujia Village was opened, and the whole village gathered together for a big pot meal.

Lu Shouye sat in the crowd, chuckling foolishly, and just kept drinking in silence.

Lu's mother was busy taking care of everything. Although she was so tired that her back ached, she felt sweeter than if she had eaten honey when she heard the neighbors praising her as "a literary star descended to earth".

Amid the bustling crowd, Lu Chuan sat beside his father, looking into those expectant eyes.

He knew in his heart that being the top student in the county was just the beginning.

The next morning, the thin fog had not yet dissipated.

Lu Shouye and his sixth uncle had prepared the oxcart early on, with dozens of bundles of processed Pinellia ternata neatly stacked on the cart.

These are the first batch of medicinal herbs after the start of spring, and they are of excellent quality.

In the past, Lu Shouye would have been full of worry, fearing that the county's herbal medicine shops would lower his prices; but today, he patted Lu Chuan on the shoulder, his voice much clearer: "Chuan'er, you're going to the county to deliver medicine today, you'll come with your father."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Lu Chuan knew in his heart that his father wanted to take him along to keep order.

The oxcart came to a steady stop at the back door of "Ji'antang," the largest medicinal herb shop in Qingyang County.

Manager Lin of Ji'an Hall has always been a kind and honest man, and the shop assistants are mostly honest young men. In the past two years, most of the medicinal herbs from Lujia Village have been sent here, and the two sides have built up a considerable relationship.

As soon as the car came to a stop, the shop assistants rushed out to greet him. Seeing that it was Lu Shouye, they greeted him with a smile from afar: "Uncle Lu, you've finally arrived! The shopkeeper was just saying yesterday that the first batch of Pinellia ternata after the start of spring is the best quality from your Lu Family Village."

Lu Shouye chuckled, stopping the oxcart as he pulled Lu Chuan from behind him to the front, his voice brimming with undisguised pride: "I brought Chuan'er with me today. The boy just finished his break from the county school, so he's accompanying this old man on this trip."

The waiter looked closely and saw Lu Chuan dressed in a blue robe, with a tall and straight posture and a calm and composed expression.

"Oh! This...this is the famous Mr. Lu from Qingyang?" The shop assistant's eyes widened in surprise, and he almost dropped the ledger in his hand.

Although they had a good relationship in the past, he never imagined that the Wenquxing who had overwhelmed everyone and won first place at the county school gathering two days ago was actually the biological son of Uncle Lu in front of him.

"Quickly, Uncle Lu, young Master Lu, please come in." The waiter deftly took the cow rope while shouting at the backyard, "Boss, Uncle Lu and young Master Lu have arrived with medicine."

Manager Lin was sitting in the accounting room working on his abacus when he heard the shout, and he moved all the abacus beads to the wrong positions.

He hurriedly got up, not even bothering to straighten his coat, and rushed across the threshold to greet them.

"Oh dear, Brother Lu, you really kept this from me for a long time!" Manager Zhou's hearty laughter rang out even before he arrived.

He strode up to Lu Chuan and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "I had heard that a remarkable prodigy had emerged at this year's literary gathering. I was wondering which family's outstanding talent it was, but I never expected that it would be a long-time customer of our Ji'an Hall."

Lu Chuan smiled and returned the greeting with neither arrogance nor servility: "Manager Zhou, you flatter me. No matter how much I study, I am still a child of the Lu family once I return to the village. I am grateful for your care of my father in the past, and I have come today to express my gratitude."

Manager Zhou's face turned bright red with excitement—look at that, that's the demeanor of a champion! He's gained such a great reputation yet he's not arrogant at all, and his words are impeccable; he truly has a bright future ahead of him.

"Quickly, come inside and have a seat. Serve some good tea!"

Manager Zhou pulled Lu Shouye's hand and led him to the private room, his attitude even more intimate than usual.

He personally inspected the batch of Pinellia ternata, praising it repeatedly. He not only offered the highest market price but also added a bonus.

"Brother Lu, from now on, send as many medicinal herbs as you can. Ji'an Hall will never shortchange you." Manager Zhou said to Lu Shouye in a low voice, but his eyes kept glancing at Lu Chuan. "With a son like this, you can just wait to enjoy a life of leisure for the rest of your days."

The workers worked extra hard when unloading the goods, moving things very quietly, as if afraid of disturbing the future official.

Lu Chuan sat to the side, quietly sipping his tea.

Shopkeeper Lin specially took out several packets of fine candied fruit and pastries from behind the counter, stuffed them into Lu Shouye's hands, and then pulled Lu Chuan aside to ask him many interesting stories about the county school gathering.

Lu Shouye listened from the side, his chest puffed out high. The humility of his life, toiling in the soil, seemed to vanish without a trace in the sound of Manager Zhou calling him "Brother Lu."