Shi Huai sat at the table eating breakfast, taking his time. Not a hint of emotion showed on his face.
When Qinghe carried the empty bowls to the kitchen, she ran into Nanny Zhou at the doorway.
The two exchanged a glance, and both saw the same emotion in each other’s eyes.
Nervousness.
They were even more nervous than Shi Huai himself.
A burst of hurried footsteps came from outside. Old Liu came running in, panting heavily, his face flushed with excitement and nerves.
“Young Master! Young Master! The results are out! Steward Zhao sent someone back with the news! You passed! You passed!”
Shi Huai set down his chopsticks and looked up at Old Liu’s flushed face.
“Passed? What place did I get?”
Old Liu opened his mouth, then realized that the messenger had only shouted the words “He passed” before riding away. He had never said what place Shi Huai had ranked.
The smile froze on Old Liu’s face. He stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
Shi Huai glanced at him, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
“Then we’ll wait for Steward Zhao to come back.”
Qinghe came rushing out, still holding a cleaning cloth.
“Young Master, you really passed? You really did?”
Shi Huai nodded.
“I passed, but I don’t know what place I got. We’ll know when Steward Zhao returns.”
Qinghe nodded vigorously and stuffed the cloth into Nanny Zhou’s hands.
She ran to the entrance of Shou’an Hall and craned her neck to look outside. After watching for a long while, she ran back, muttering, “Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
When Shi Youlan ran into the courtyard, she nearly tripped over the threshold. The maid behind her hurriedly caught her before she fell.
She pushed the maid away and rushed up to Shi Huai, grabbing him by the sleeve. Still out of breath, she asked, “Little Brother, you really passed? You really did?”
Shi Huai looked at her face and nodded solemnly.
“I really passed. Steward Zhao sent someone back with the news.”
Tears instantly spilled from Shi Youlan’s eyes. She crouched on the ground and began crying like a child, not even bothering to wipe her nose.
Shi Huai bent down and pulled her to her feet. He took a handkerchief from his sleeve and held it out to her.
“Second Sister, don’t cry. If anyone sees you, they’ll think I didn’t pass.”
Shi Youlan took the handkerchief and wiped her face, sniffing hard.
By the time Steward Zhao returned, it was nearly noon.
There had simply been too many people.
When he jumped down from his horse, his legs were trembling. By the time he reached the entrance to Shou’an Hall, he nearly collapsed to his knees. He had to brace himself against the doorframe to remain standing.
After taking a deep breath, he spoke in a trembling voice.
“Young Master, you placed second. Second place!”
The courtyard fell silent in an instant.
Shi Huai stood at the entrance to the study and looked at Steward Zhao’s smiling face, his eyes nearly disappearing into his cheeks. He was silent for a moment before asking, “Who placed first?”
“Lu Zhiyuan of Wen’an Academy.”
There was a trace of disappointment in Steward Zhao’s voice, as though he were saying, Why wasn’t it someone from our household who came in first?
Shi Huai’s heart stirred faintly.
The name passed through his mind once and was gone, leaving little trace behind.
The news spread faster than the wind.
By the afternoon, people had already begun sending congratulatory gifts.
The first to arrive was the Lin family. They sent an inkstone from Duan, several Huzhou brushes, and an exquisite brocade box containing a piece of calligraphy.
The calligraphy had been written personally by Lord Lin. It bore the four characters: “A Future of Limitless Promise.”
Madam Liu received Madam Lin in the front hall, her expression far more complicated than it had been the last time.
Though she spoke polite words, she was thinking privately that the Lin family’s reach had grown far too long.
Shi Huai had only passed the provincial examination, yet they had already sent such a lavish gift. Anyone who did not know better might think Shi Huai was already the Lin family’s son-in-law.
The Shen and Fang families’ congratulatory gifts arrived as well.
The Shen family sent the Four Treasures of the Study, while the Fang family sent an antique painting. Every item was worth a considerable sum, and every gift conveyed the same message:
Our family is very interested in Shi Huai.
There were gifts from other families too.
After dealing with wave after wave of guests, with one person on her left calling Shi Huai a “unicorn among men” and another on her right telling her how blessed she was, Madam Liu’s legs had gone weak. Even the polite smile on her face had stiffened.
Shi Yuanzhi stood at the corner of the corridor, clutching a newly opened letter. The edges of the paper had been crushed into several deep creases beneath his fingers.
On his way back, he had passed through the garden and happened to overhear two young maids whispering behind a rockery.
They were saying things like, “The Lin family’s gift is the most generous,” and “The Shen family’s isn’t modest either.”
His steps had changed direction, and he had ended up standing in the corridor outside Shou’an Hall.
In the courtyard of Shou’an Hall, Shi Youlan had just learned that Shi Huai had come in second. She was astonished and delighted by the excellent result, and was still clutching his sleeve.
“Second Sister, if you keep crying, outsiders will think I bullied you.”
Shi Huai’s voice drifted out from the courtyard, carrying helplessness and a faint indulgence.
Shi Youlan sniffed, her voice muffled.
“I’m just happy. You placed second! This is the best news our family has had in years.”
Shi Yuanzhi stood in the corridor, his fingers tightening around the letter until the paper grew even more wrinkled.
He remembered the first time he had passed the provincial examination. His father had also stood in a corridor like this, holding a letter in his hand.
At the time, there had been no joy on his father’s face, only a lightness born of relief.
Back then, he had not understood why his father was not happy. Now he did.
When the hopes of an entire family rested on one person’s shoulders, the weight of it was beyond words.
Shi Yuanzhi drew a deep breath and stepped into the courtyard of Shou’an Hall.
Everyone in the courtyard turned to look at him.
Shi Youlan froze for a moment, then quickly released Shi Huai’s sleeve and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. She called out properly, “Father.”
Shi Huai stood beside the stone table. When he saw Shi Yuanzhi enter, his expression did not change. He merely inclined his head slightly in greeting.
Standing in the courtyard beneath the gaze of several pairs of eyes, Shi Yuanzhi felt as though something had lodged in his throat. Not a single word of the speech he had rehearsed over and over on the way there would come out.
He held out the letter in his hand. His voice was hoarse enough that it scarcely sounded like his own.
“It was sent from the estate. Your Second Uncle wrote it.”
Shi Huai accepted the letter. He glanced at the handwriting on the envelope, then looked up at Shi Yuanzhi before opening it and drawing out the paper.
There were only a few lines written on it.
“Second place in the provincial examination. You have lived up to everyone’s expectations. The next step is the palace examination. Prepare well, and do not slacken.”
Shi Yuanping’s tone did not sound like congratulations. It sounded more like an order.
Shi Huai folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope. Then he looked up at Shi Yuanzhi.
“Did Second Uncle say anything else?”
Shi Yuanzhi shook his head.
“That was all. The person who delivered the letter said your Second Uncle has been very busy lately. He’ll come back to see you once things settle down.”
Shi Huai nodded and placed the envelope on the stone table. He reached out and stroked Tangerine’s head as the cat came over.
Watching his indifferent expression, Shi Yuanzhi could not stop himself from blurting out, “Huai’er, is there… is there anything you want? I’ll have someone prepare it for you.”
His voice was quiet, and his tone held a tentative, almost cautious note.
Shi Huai’s fingers paused beneath Tangerine’s chin. He raised his eyes to Shi Yuanzhi.
“Do you want to reward me, Father?”
Those two words brought a flush to Shi Yuanzhi’s face. His lips moved, but he wanted to say something and had no idea where to begin.
He stood in the courtyard, looking at the youth before him—half a head shorter than himself—and suddenly felt like an outsider.
An outsider who had no business being here.
“You did well on your exams this time. Your father is pleased and wants to give you something. Choose whatever you like; don’t worry about the cost.”
Shi Huai thought for a moment, then let the corners of his lips curve faintly upward.
“Then please have the woodshed in the side courtyard torn down, Father. That way, there won’t be anywhere to dump anything shameful again.”
