After Wang Qingchen finished harvesting the grain at home, he headed to the academy, as the break during the busy farming season could never last too long.

Recently, Wang Qingchen had discovered something deeply frustrating at the academy: his once effortless dominance in the basic class had been utterly shattered since Zhao Cheng arrived. At first, it wasn't obvious, but now Zhao Cheng’s scholarly talent shone through more intensely each day. His very first attempt at calligraphy was excellent, and when it came to reading, he memorized quickly and grasped the meanings thoroughly—this man seemed born for the Imperial Examinations.

If not for the advantage of his past life’s university education, Wang Qingchen would have been completely routed. Although to the other students, they both appeared to be promising talents in the master’s eyes, only Wang Qingchen knew how much effort he exerted just to maintain parity.

It seemed the path to official success was far more arduous than he had imagined. Wang Qingchen glanced over at Zhao Cheng, who was practicing calligraphy. The sweat beading on the tip of his nose attested to his diligence. Wang Qingchen sighed; setting aside raw talent, such focused effort alone guaranteed one would not stray far from success.

While Wang Qingchen contemplated this, Wang Qingtong, sitting beside him, also watched Zhao Cheng’s intense concentration and felt a pang of disappointment. Alas, a peer close to his age had finally arrived, and he thought he’d have someone to play with, only for him to turn out to be a bookworm who never parts with his texts. The master dotes on him! Perhaps it was a common affliction of youth, this feeling that an unbridgeable chasm separated the studious from the idle.

After observing Zhao Cheng for a while longer, Wang Qingtong turned back over and resumed his nap.

The master spotted the sleeping Wang Qingtong and felt an intense urge to kick him. It was bad enough that he was inattentive during lectures, but now, instead of practicing his writing, he was sleeping. Yet, after a moment’s thought, he restrained himself. While the boy disliked studying, the two beside him were truly gifted talents; he couldn't risk disrupting those two promising students just to punish one mischievous rogue.

The thought of those two fine students brought the master great satisfaction; they were his pride. Though their talent was innate, the master’s guidance was certainly not negligible. Thinking this, the master felt a share of the credit was due to him—after all, without his instruction, how could they have excelled so much?

Meanwhile, the sleeping Wang Qingtong was entirely unaware that he had just narrowly escaped a forceful correction, saved entirely by the strategic position he chose.

After school, as they walked home together, Li Yuntai noticed that Wang Qingchen seemed unusually subdued today, lacking his usual energy, which puzzled him.

“Qingchen, you aren't rushing home today, are you? I just acquired a rare, excellent book. Would you like to come over and look at it?” Li Yuntai suggested.

Wang Qingchen, still dwelling on the blow to his ego, had little appetite for reading, but looking at Li Yuntai’s expectant gaze, the refusal caught in his throat, and he agreed as if compelled by an unseen force.

Li Yuntai’s eyes flickered toward Wang Qingtong and Wang Qingyi. The two flinched instantly. “We’re in a huge hurry to get back!” they exclaimed. It was no joke; neither of them enjoyed studying—one simply couldn't grasp it, and the other was too young to settle his mind. Forcing them to look at books would be pure torture.

Li Yuntai didn’t press the matter. His primary objective for the day was to inquire about Wang Qingchen’s troubles, not genuinely invite them for a reading session. This brought a wave of relief to the two who wished to decline.

Upon arriving at Li Yuntai’s house and greeting his family, the two entered the study. Li Yuntai cut straight to the chase, asking Wang Qingchen directly if something troubling him was the cause of his distraction.

Hearing the direct question, Wang Qingchen realized the true purpose of Li Yuntai’s invitation and felt a surge of gratitude. “Ah, it’s nothing major, really. I just realized the path to officialdom isn't as easy as I thought. So few people actually attain rank; I doubt I have much hope.”

Wang Qingchen had been severely disheartened today. He, a former university student from a reputable school, might not even pass the lowest level of examination here, a gulf of expectation that was vast. Especially encountering someone like Zhao Cheng, who seemed tailor-made for the civil service, his own chances appeared slimmer than ever.

Li Yuntai was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected Wang Qingchen, after only a short time studying, to already be worrying about success in the examinations. Recovering, he lightly slapped Wang Qingchen’s shoulder. “You rascal! You’ve only been studying for a few days, and you’re already fretting over whether you’ll pass the exams? Isn't that like trying to run before you’ve learned to walk?”

Hearing this, Wang Qingchen felt a little sheepish; perhaps he had overthought things. But then he thought of Zhao Cheng, and his worries seemed entirely justified. “Ah, you don’t understand. That new boy in our basic class, Zhao Cheng—he’s simply born for scholarship. He never touched these books before, and now, after just a few days of study, he’s already catching up to me.” Wang Qingchen trailed off, disheartened.

“Even if he is a genius, what does that have to do with you? If you spend your time being depressed, you can’t change that fact. You’d be better off spending that energy reading!” Li Yuntai retorted.

“That’s logically sound, but when I think about the kind of people I’ll face in the actual exams, what hope do I have left? Doesn’t that mean all my studying has been for nothing?” Wang Qingchen grew more convinced of his bleak prospects as he spoke.

“I seriously feel like hitting you just to clear your head.” Li Yuntai analyzed the situation. “First, geniuses aren't common; we don't even know if one appears in every examination. More importantly, should you give up just because you encounter someone stronger than you? Think about it: when I first taught you to recognize characters, I saw you had immense potential. Should I have lost heart then and abandoned my studies? I certainly never gave up!”

Ugh, I seem to have gotten stuck in a rut again, Wang Qingchen thought, feeling embarrassed. Perhaps since arriving in this world, Wang Qingchen had fixated on improving his social standing as the prerequisite for a good life. For a commoner, that path led exclusively through the examinations. Encountering a genius like Zhao Cheng made that hope feel distant, causing him to momentarily lose his composure.

“I apologize. Perhaps I was overthinking things… Thank you for talking me through that; otherwise, I don’t know how long I would have moped,” Wang Qingchen said, still a little self-conscious, given that he was chronologically older than Li Yuntai, yet acting like a child in front of him.

Seeing that Wang Qingchen had come to terms with it himself, Li Yuntai dropped the matter. They chatted for a while longer, and then Wang Qingchen headed home.

Upon returning, Wang Qingchen overheard Wang Youfu and Yang Shi discussing the marriage arrangements between the eldest branch’s Wang Qingyun and the eldest daughter of the Luo family; it seemed the wedding was approaching soon.

The couple were discussing what sort of gifts would be appropriate, making Wang Qinghua listen in. After all, dealings involving mutual favors and social obligations were something Wang Qinghua would certainly need to know once he started his own family, lest he make a foolish mistake later.

Wang Qingchen listened in for a moment before returning to his studies. Having realized the gap between himself and others, he now approached his reading with renewed vigor.

Wang Youfu and Yang Shi transitioned from the general topic to Wang Qinghua’s potential marriage. The second eldest Luo daughter was the same age as Wang Qinghua, fourteen. The wedding couldn't happen until the bride reached her coming-of-age ceremony (jī jì), which fell in the third lunar month. They were thinking of consulting a temple master soon to select auspicious dates after the third month.

Wang Qinghua, listening nearby, felt his face burn scarlet. They were supposed to be discussing Wang Qingyun’s wedding, yet somehow the conversation had turned to him! In the end, the honest young man couldn't bear the embarrassment and fled under the pretense of going to Wang Qingchen to learn characters.

On the day of Wang Qingyun’s wedding procession, everyone from the third household traveled to the main ancestral home. Wang Qingchen, Wang Qingtong, and Wang Qingyi all requested leave from the master, which delighted Wang Qingtong, who cheerily remarked how wonderful it would be if weddings happened every day.

Wang Qingyun that day wore a bright crimson wedding robe, adorned with a large red flower pinned to his chest—much like the ancient groom attire Wang Qingchen recalled from television in his past life, though this groom looked somewhat simple-minded in his beaming smile.

After Wang Qingyun escorted the Luo eldest daughter into the house, Wang Qingchen and the other children squeezed in behind. Naturally, Wang Qingchen was only interested in witnessing the customs of an ancient wedding, while the other children were focused on the treats waiting in the bridal chamber.

It wasn't long before Wang Qingchen and the cluster of children were ushered out by the Luo family relatives and the matchmaker, each receiving a handful of snacks.

Wang Qingchen felt a touch of annoyance. He hadn’t come for the food! He had been hoping to witness the traditional nao dongfang (teasing the newlyweds). How was he supposed to watch now that he was outside the chamber? Unbeknownst to Wang Qingchen, the nao dongfang among these rural families was merely a cursory affair, nothing like the elaborate spectacles he remembered from his television viewing in his previous life.

“Second Brother…” Caiyun looked at Wang Qingchen, who stood there in a daze, then glanced at the handful of snacks he held. “Wow, Second Brother, you squeezed into the bridal chamber? You’re amazing! I wanted to go too, but I couldn’t get through.” Caiyun looked genuinely regretful.

Wang Qingchen snapped out of his thoughts. Seeing Caiyun’s wide eyes fixed on the snacks, he presented them to her with a smile. “Here, take it all.”

“Thank you, Second Brother, hehe…”

However, Caiyun’s hands were small, and she couldn't hold everything securely. Wang Qingchen helped her by lifting the front of her blouse slightly and tucking the treats safely inside.

“Caiyun, where did Mother, Father, and Eldest Brother go?” Wang Qingchen asked. He had been so focused on observing the ancient wedding ceremony that he hadn't noticed where the rest of his family had gone.

“Mother went to help check the food. Father is busy greeting the guests. Eldest Brother went with the welcoming party, but I don’t know where he is now,” Caiyun reported.

Wang Qingchen ruffled Caiyun’s hair. “Alright, I understand. Go play!”

Hearing this, Caiyun clutched the snacks inside her clothing and went off to find her friends, likely with a bit of showing off in mind.

Wang Qingchen paused to think. Where would his Eldest Brother have gone? Probably off to help somewhere. Just as he considered looking for Wang Qingtong, he overheard a group of nearby guests murmuring.

“The Wang eldest branch marries into the Luo eldest branch, and the Wang second branch marries into the Luo second branch. Do you think the Wang third branch will end up marrying into the Luo third branch someday?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? The Luo third branch only has a young son, maybe five years old, right? The Wang third branch doesn't have a daughter that young.”

“Haha… I was just joking.”

“But I heard the Luo eldest daughter has a better reputation than the Luo second daughter. Still, looking at who they married, any sensible person can see the Luo second daughter found the better match.”

“True. I heard my wife say that the Luo eldest wife regrets that decision endlessly. If they hadn't been so eager to settle their daughter’s betrothal, perhaps she could have married into the Wang second branch.”

“Oh, heavens above, you mustn’t speak such things casually! If someone overhears, it’ll stir up trouble.”

“Am I that foolish? I only tell you because we’re close.”