Chapter 16: Nephew and Uncle
The next day, Li Xuedong, wearing the indigo blue and white-trimmed second-hand fine cloth long gown his third uncle had bought, and a sash Li Jinzhu had sewn overnight, arrived at the academy entrance on time, standing among a group of people in indigo blue long gowns.
Li Xiaonan, linking arms with Li Jinzhu, stood in the crowd watching the spectacle, chatting as they observed the uneasy Li Xuedong.
Li Wenhua, hands clasped and craning his neck, smiled at his Xiucai Scholar, occasionally saying to those nearby, “That one! That’s my eldest nephew! See him? That one, my eldest nephew! Only seventeen!”
Two rows of servants emerged from the academy, bowing to the newly qualified students, bypassing the screen wall from both sides and entering the ceremonial gate, first to pay respects at the earth shrine by the Pan Pond.
Gu Yan, dressed in a silver-white long gown and a jade belt, stood by the examination room door, idly fanning himself with a folding fan, watching Li Xiaonan, who was chatting and laughing.
This little girl was so thin and dark, dressed in coarse cloth clothes, it was hard to tell if she was a little girl or a little boy, but her liveliness, so bright and clear, was like dew drops rolling on lotus leaves.
Compared to now, Lu Xiu in the past was too reserved.
“Master, the maternal uncle has sent someone to urge you again,” the head eunuch Shi Gun reminded him cautiously.
His Young Lord had been standing here, looking at something, for over fifteen minutes.
Alas, they all said that after his Young Lord’s serious illness, he had become much more sensible, but why did he always feel that after that illness, his Young Lord had become strange and eccentric?
Especially the matter of changing his name!
His former name was so pleasant, Han Yue, so poetic! The name Han Yue was also given by the Young Lord, but now, alas, Shi Gun!
“Let’s go,” Gu Yan closed his folding fan, walked through the examination rooms, and entered the academy.
Li Xuedong followed in the crowd, moving forward, stopping, kneeling, bowing, and rising. As he crossed the stone bridge, he carefully glanced at the semi-circular pool beneath it, which was filled with unknown flowers, so beautiful and fragrant.
This Pan Pond is so sacred!
Yesterday, he had heard countless rules and legends about this Pan Pond, and it was truly beautiful!
It should be A Nan crossing this bridge…
“Silence!”
Li Xuedong quickly collected his thoughts and followed the others without a single misstep.
The newly qualified students lined up, ascending the steps of the Great Accomplishment Hall one by one, receiving two new books from the Wei Educational Commissioner, who then placed a red silk flower on their headwear.
Gu Yan stood beside the Wei Educational Commissioner, fanning himself, casually observing the newly qualified students.
Li Xuedong, nervous and sweating on his forehead, took the new books from the Wei Educational Commissioner and bowed deeply with his head lowered.
The Wei Educational Commissioner had just picked up a red silk flower when Li Xuedong’s deep bow caused the Wei Educational Commissioner’s hand, which was about to place the flower, to miss.
The Wei Educational Commissioner chuckled, “Li Xuedong, don’t be nervous, lift your head.”
Li Xuedong quickly looked up at the Wei Educational Commissioner.
Li Xuedong did not have headwear, so the Wei Educational Commissioner had to tuck the red silk flower into Li Xuedong’s hair bun.
Gu Yan carefully examined Li Xuedong.
He indeed resembled his sister by five or six parts.
Similar eyes, brows, nose, and mouth; his sister was sweet and lively, while he had a face full of simple honesty, which was truly miraculous.
Around noon, Li Xuedong, mixed among the newly qualified students, had just turned past the screen wall when Li Wenhua, who was craning his neck to look at everyone, quickly waved and shouted, “Da Lang! Here, here!”
Li Xuedong, holding his new books, jogged over.
………………………………
The Wei Educational Commissioner walked through the examination rooms and stood beside Gu Yan, following Gu Yan’s gaze forward.
“What are you looking at?”
“The local customs and sentiments.”
Gu Yan withdrew his gaze from Li Xiaonan and pointed with his folding fan at a few women not far away, holding their children.
“Look at these women, they are already teaching their children, who are still in their arms: ‘Study hard, and also achieve such glory as to become a Xiucai scholar.’ The literary atmosphere in Jiangnan is flourishing, truly living up to its reputation.”
“Indeed! It is very rare for you to observe the local customs and sentiments in such detail!” The Wei Educational Commissioner looked at his nephew with immense relief.
“I plan to set off tomorrow and go to Pingjiang Prefecture to have a look,” Gu Yan changed the subject.
“I was just about to ask you, your aunt said you would be staying in Pingjiang City for the year you are in the south?” the Wei Educational Commissioner asked.
Gu Yan hummed in agreement.
“Why would you want to stay in Pingjiang City? What’s wrong with Hangcheng?” The Wei Educational Commissioner frowned.
“Hangcheng is of course good. I’m going to Pingjiang City because my maternal uncle is in Hangcheng,” Gu Yan said with a smile.
“If your maternal uncle is in Hangcheng, shouldn’t you be staying in Hangcheng? Could it be that you are so old now that you are afraid of your maternal uncle watching you study and write? Do you still want to hide from your maternal uncle?” the Wei Educational Commissioner said, half-jokingly.
“When I was young, studying and writing, I never hid from my maternal uncle,” Gu Yan said, turning around after Li Xiaonan and her group had disappeared from view.
“Your maternal uncle, as an Educational Commissioner, is also assigned the task of observing local sentiments. My trip here is also to observe local sentiments. If we are both in Hangcheng, wouldn’t that be task upon task? That’s definitely not appropriate. Since it’s inconvenient for you to move around in Hangcheng, then I can only go to Pingjiang Prefecture,” Gu Yan said with a smile, looking at the Wei Educational Commissioner.
“What kind of talk is that!” The Wei Educational Commissioner chuckled. “Observing local sentiments requires traveling around. Jiangnan Lianglu and Liangzhelu are not that large. You, who have practiced martial arts and ridden horses since childhood, can go anywhere conveniently. This is just an excuse!”
“If my mother heard what you said, she would definitely scold you,” Gu Yan said, patting his uncle’s arm with his folding fan. “Riding a horse and taking a quick look, what can you see? For local sentiments, you need to live among the people, buying things every day, looking at the prices of vegetables, grains, cloth, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. You need to be in restaurants and tea houses every day, observing customs and listening to gossip. Only then can you see the true local sentiments.”
“This is your excuse!” The Wei Educational Commissioner glanced sideways at his nephew.
Although he didn’t know why his nephew wanted to stay in Pingjiang City, and although his nephew’s words were grand and impeccable, he felt intuitively that this was nonsense!
“Your aunt is worried about you living alone in Pingjiang City. Your aunt said that if you insist on staying in Pingjiang City, she will bring your sister to look after you, and leave your maternal uncle here in Hangcheng all by himself!” the Wei Educational Commissioner tried to persuade Gu Yan in another way.
“Aunt is a little worried, but Aunt doesn’t plan to go to Pingjiang City to look after me,” Gu Yan said with a smile.
“Even if your aunt doesn’t plan to, I have to let her go and look after you, otherwise, I definitely won’t be at ease,” the Wei Educational Commissioner said, his brows tightly furrowed.
“I fought battles in the north for five or six years with Uncle Wen’s family. For one or two years, I didn’t even have a servant by my side.
“And you, Uncle? When you took office in Weinan County, your aunt arrived two months later. I heard that when you saw your aunt, you cried loudly in her arms, saying that if your aunt had arrived a few days later, you wouldn’t have seen her.
“Someone like you, Uncle, is worried about me?” Gu Yan said, patting the Wei Educational Commissioner’s shoulder with his folding fan, smiling.
“Look at you, child! You’re talking nonsense. Your mother too, why did she tell you these things! You were too young then.
“Let’s not talk about that. Even if you want to live in Pingjiang City, you don’t need to be in such a hurry. Gao Shuai Division and Jiang Cao Division, they send people to ask me every day when you’ll be free. They must give you a welcome feast…”
The Wei Educational Commissioner looked around, changing the subject.
“It’s precisely because they want to have a welcome feast that I need to leave quickly. I won’t come to bid you farewell tomorrow. Uncle, you’re busy, I’ll be going now,” Gu Yan interrupted the Wei Educational Commissioner and cupped his hands in farewell.
In the blink of an eye, our A Nan’s story has been going on for more than ten days. I heard that tomorrow is double monthly ticket day, so I must work hard and strive! I must wash away the unreliable legend of Xiao Xian not adding extra chapters!
During the double ticket period, 500 monthly tickets add one more chapter. I just checked, 240 tickets on Qidian （ to round it up ）, 100 tickets on the book city （ to continue rounding up ）. After deducting the base, if there are enough tickets, I’ll add more!
You can’t say Xiao Xian never adds extra chapters, I do, really!
（ Final clarification, in the unlikely event, with a limit of ten chapters, Xiao Xian has draft manuscripts, but the manuscripts are really limited and also need to be used to ensure regular updates without interruption. I have no choice but to be poor in manuscripts and short of ambition. ）
