CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 7: THE SECOND SON FAILS THE EXAM

"Brother He, did you complete all the questions this time? I still have one question unfinished. What is the meaning of ’Finger of the Scale’ in the text? I forgot, it seems I hadn’t read this annotation before!" Gu Wanhua was a bit worried. In fact, it wasn’t just this question he couldn’t answer; there were two other questions he wasn’t sure about. He was eager to go back and check his books.

"I’ve been pondering that question for a long time as well. It’s said that the ’Finger of the Scale’ text is not often tested in the county examination. I didn’t expect the questions to be so tricky this time. I, too, haven’t fully mastered the Four Books and Five Classics. Who knows if I can pass this time?" He Shunian was also concerned. He felt somewhat confident about the other questions, but this one indeed left him stumped, and he couldn’t recall its meaning.

"Father! Is the second son still not out yet?" Gu Chengyu saw that the second son’s figure was missing from the side. The last hour for the release of candidates was approaching, and it seemed the second son’s chances were slim. Last time, he also barely passed, and this time the exam was even harder, with the final results to be announced the next day.

He distributed the steamed buns in his hands to everyone. No one spoke much, and the atmosphere was quite heavy.

After another quarter of an hour, the last batch of examinees arrived late, but most of them didn’t look good. Gu Wanjiang was among them, and as soon as Gu Chengyi saw his son, he immediately stepped forward to inquire. From a distance, Gu Chengyu and the others could only see Gu Wanjiang’s face looking a bit defeated, as if he was shaking his head and saying something. After that, Gu Chengyi didn’t ask any more questions.

When the two approached, everyone said nothing and headed towards the inn.

"Huh? Isn’t this yesterday’s top scorer? Why does he look so down?" As they entered the inn, the students on the first floor also noticed Gu Chengyu and the others. It couldn’t be helped; they were a large group, and Gu Chengyu naturally stood out in the crowd.

The student who spoke was the same one who had argued with Gu Chengyu before.

Gu Chengyu wanted to roll his eyes. Will it ever end? Instead of studying properly, he kept focusing on this child. His narrow-mindedness was truly remarkable.

"Indeed, it is!" someone immediately echoed beside.

"Could it be that he’s feeling discouraged, thinking he won’t pass this time? Does this kid really think he’s some prodigy?" That person didn’t hold back and directly mocked.

Actually, Gu Chengyu thought this person was truly foolish. Not knowing the details, he started offending people. Who knows what heights these students here might reach in the future?

"Whether one can pass or not, does it depend on what I say? Or what you say? The results haven’t been announced yet, and you’ve already decided who can pass? Brother, let’s go! Let’s head back to study early. Instead of wasting effort on senseless chatter, it’s more practical to go back and read some books."

The more you respond to such a person, the more excited he gets. In the end, it’s better to beat him with results. Critics always come down to jealousy, after all!

The second son looked a bit frustrated, uncertain if he could pass this time. He silently walked ahead. Gu Chengyi also hurried in front, and the two went past everyone, entering their room first and then closing the door behind them.

On the following day, the results were posted, and indeed, the second son didn’t pass. Gu Wanhua barely made it to the bottom, and he was still feeling fortunate. The others’ scores were quite decent, with even He Shunian ranking within the top forty, but the number of people admitted this time was reduced by nearly half, with only a little over eighty people being selected.

Everyone returned to the inn, and apart from the Gu Family, the others went back to their own rooms. The members of the Gu Family gathered in Gu Chengyi’s room to discuss the next steps. Staying in the upper rooms of the inn wasn’t cheap. Since they didn’t pass the exam, there was no reason to stay longer and it was better to save on room expenses.

However, no one felt comfortable bringing this up now until Mr. Gu broke the silence first. "Second, you take the second son back first! I’ll stay here with Xiao Bao!"

Although Gu Chengyi was a bit reluctant, he also knew that staying longer was pointless.

The second son’s eyes were still a bit red. The heavens were indeed unfair. He considered himself more diligent in his studies than his Little Uncle, yet his Little Uncle could easily pass the exams. Was talent truly so crucial?

Or if, back then, he had attended Mr. Wen’s private school, would things have turned out differently? Why else could Gu Wanhua pass while he couldn’t? He was the only one who wasn’t a student of Mr. Wen, and also the only one who didn’t pass. The more he thought, the deeper the frustration in his heart grew.

"You can take the ox-cart back, and when we return, we can just rent another cart," Mr. Gu glanced at the second son, feeling a bit regretful. If his family had produced two Scholars in a row, it would have been a monumental fortune indeed. What a pity!

But the second son, despite some talent, was impulsive and quite similar to the temperament of the second child. Mr. Gu recalled last year’s incident and looked at the seemingly indignant second son, secretly resolving that this time he must make sure things are settled, so as not to let them burden Xiao Bao again!

Gu Chengyu watched all this without interjecting. If he spoke up now, it would only deepen the second son’s resentment towards him. Yes, he felt the second son, like the second brother, harbored some resentment towards him. He believed he hadn’t wronged them, yet they didn’t like him, disliked him, and even resented him.

Perhaps their personal chemistry was just mismatched! Their natures were naturally repellent to each other, so he wouldn’t force it. Despite years of effort, instead of bringing them closer, they grew farther apart. Gu Chengyu closed his eyes. So he agreed with what Mr. Gu suggested before the New Year.

"Little Uncle! Could you speak to Mr. Wen for me? I want to attend his private school."

The second son wanted to seize this opportunity to bring it up, believing so many people present would make it hard for Little Uncle to refuse.

Gu Chengyu frowned after hearing this. He didn’t expect the second son to still be fixated on this matter.

"Second son! I remember I mentioned before that even before you joined the private school, I talked about this with the teacher. The teacher said he already had many students in his private school and was finding it challenging to teach. He wasn’t planning to take any more students for the next couple of years."

"That’s right, Wan Jiang. The teacher really said this, and bringing it up with Little Uncle won’t help. Little Uncle has no say in the matter either," Gu Wanhua, having just passed an initial review, felt more relaxed and in a good mood, spoke a couple of fair words for Gu Chengyu.

"Mr. Niu is a very responsible person, and his teaching is thorough. It’s not that his students have never become Scholars. If you study diligently, you will definitely become a Scholar. Moreover, since you are already attending Mr. Niu’s private school, switching to Mr. Wen’s school may not be agreeable to Mr. Wen either."

If he agreed, wouldn’t that be a slap in Mr. Niu’s face? Shanhe Town isn’t big, and there are only a few private schools. Although the teachers don’t meet often, they are still familiar with each other. How could Mr. Wen ever do such a thing?

"Alright! Second son, your Little Uncle is right. Since you’ve already joined Mr. Niu’s private school, you can’t switch to Mr. Wen’s now, and Mr. Wen wouldn’t agree either." This reasoning was something even an uneducated person like him understood. Did the second son not know?