The companions who traveled to the county seat with Wang Qingchen, likely influenced by his diligent study habits, became completely absorbed in reading upon arrival, putting aside all other matters.

The County Examination was fast approaching. In the Great Yin Dynasty, these examinations were administered by Imperial Examiners appointed by the Emperor, held twice every three years. The top scorer in the County Examination was called the Anshou, a title Wang Qingchen dared not aspire to. His sole goal was to pass, thereby becoming a Shengyuan—a scholar, or Xiucai—thus gaining official status and entering the ranks of the literati.

Compared to the calm demeanor he maintained during his first two trips to the examination hall, Wang Qingchen felt a definite tremor of nervousness this time. The County Examination took place in the Examination Compound (Gongyuan). After passing the inspection to ensure no prohibited items were brought inside, Wang Qingchen took a deep breath and stepped into the examination hall.

Despite the initial tension, Wang Qingchen settled considerably once the examination questions were distributed. Thankfully, these were topics he had focused on, making much of the material feel familiar. While he might not be writing as if divinely inspired, at least he wouldn't miss the central points.

Meanwhile, back in Wangjiacun, everyone was bustling with activity, as the season for the autumn harvest was drawing near. The Wang Youfu household, besides preparing for the harvest, also needed to organize the Zhuazhou ceremony for their youngest son; Little Qinghe was turning one year old.

Presently, household matters concerning the fields rarely caused the family worry. During busy seasons, Wang Youfu preferred to hire temporary laborers. Ever since their land holdings suddenly increased by over fifty mu, Wang Youfu had been intending to hire a permanent farmhand, but he hadn't yet found a suitable candidate, so he relied mostly on day laborers. Now, with the imminent autumn harvest demanding much labor, Wang Youfu secured several short-term workers in advance, fearing a shortage that might impede the gathering of the crops.

Little Qinghe had now reached the stage where he was beginning to speak, and the family members constantly teased him into talking. Caiyun was the most enthusiastic about teaching him, after all, she had spent the longest time with him. Often, Little Qinghe would be on the kang while Caiyun watched over him or played with him.

What frustrated Caiyun, however, was that no matter how she coached him, Little Qinghe simply could not pronounce "Sister" correctly. He spoke "Dad" and "Mom" with perfect clarity. Caiyun was quite put out. She was the one who spent the most time with her younger brother; how could he call someone else first? Thus, the daily scene began anew.

"Come, little brother. Say sister! Say sister, and I’ll give you rice flour." Caiyun tempted him with a bowl of mixed rice flour.

Seeing the flour, Little Qinghe grew excited, shouting "Ah, ah!" and even managing a sound close to "Eat."

But Caiyun remained unmoved. "Come. Say sister!"

"Jee... jee..." With that, Little Qinghe crawled over, gripping Caiyun’s frame to stagger to his feet, then reached out for the bowl of rice flour.

Caiyun quickly lifted the bowl high. "No. You just said it wrong. Say it again. Say sister."

"Jee..." Believing he had completed his task, Little Qinghe continued to reach for the bowl, growing frantic and crying out when he couldn't grasp it.

"Still wrong. Say sister one more time so I can hear. Listen carefully. It’s sister, not jee." Caiyun was deeply dissatisfied with his persistent mispronunciation.

"Jee... Waaah..." Unable to reach the bowl any longer, Little Qinghe finally lost patience and burst into tears.

Now Caiyun was at a loss. She quickly offered him the bowl, but the child was being stubborn and refused it. When Caiyun brought the bowl close, he batted it away, crying loudly, unconcerned that this was his favorite food.

At this moment, Yang Shi and Luo Qing, who had been observing the siblings, were doubled over with laughter; it was too amusing.

Yang Shi, still chuckling, came over and picked up her younger son. "There, there, don't cry. Let's eat the rice flour and grow big and strong."

Upon seeing Yang Shi holding him, Little Qinghe cried even more pitifully. Yang Shi, though aware that laughing out loud at that moment wasn't ideal, simply couldn't stop herself. She buried her face in her son’s chest, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Caiyun looked at the laughing Yang Shi, feeling wronged herself. "Mother, what if my brother never learns to call me sister?"

"Don't worry, he’s still young. He’ll learn when he gets older," Yang Shi replied with a smile.

When Little Qinghe finally stopped crying, Yang Shi took the bowl and fed him spoonful by spoonful while he occasionally let out small sobs.

Luo Qing, watching Little Qinghe, felt a pang of longing, thinking whether she too could have such a cute boy. With this thought, Luo Qing asked, "Mother, what should we prepare for Qinghe's Zhuazhou ceremony? Since the busy farming season is coming up, shouldn't we prepare things early?"

"Yes, we must prepare ahead of time, otherwise, who will have the free time? But there are many things to prepare. We'll have Caiyun make a list, and then we'll get them one by one to ensure nothing is missed," Yang Shi told Luo Qing.

Luo Qing nodded, thinking this was a good plan to prevent errors. At the same time, Luo Qing envied Caiyun for having the opportunity to learn to read. It was rumored that her husband and younger sister-in-law were taught by their youngest brother-in-law, which is why her husband could so easily learn bookkeeping. She decided that when she had more free time, she would ask her husband to teach her to read too; after all, literacy was useful, and for a farming household, a literate woman was quite rare.

Upon hearing that she needed to make a list, Caiyun immediately sprang into action, pulling out the set of brushes, ink stone, paper, and ink that Wang Qingchen had gifted her. She then pressed Yang Shi and the others to decide what items were needed right away so she could compile the list.

Seeing Caiyun’s excitement, Yang Shi couldn't bear to dampen her spirits, so she and Luo Qing began discussing the necessary preparations, while Caiyun took charge of writing it all down.

Although Caiyun’s handwriting wasn't as fine as Wang Qinghua’s, it was still quite presentable. Watching Caiyun write the list, Yang Shi was reminded of the scene when Wang Qingchen taught his older brother and sister to read, and then she wondered how Wang Qingchen was faring in the county seat, hoping nothing untoward had happened.

After finishing the list, Caiyun read it aloud to Yang Shi and Luo Qing, then asked, "Mother, is there anything missing that I should add?"

After hearing the list, Yang Shi couldn't think of anything to add. She looked at Luo Qing, who also seemed to have nothing more to suggest, so Yang Shi said, "This will do for now. If we think of anything later, we can add it."

Caiyun nodded and tucked the list away. As the family began gathering the items, they would report to Caiyun once something was ready, asking her to record it and also reminding her what still needed attention. This streamlined the preparation process significantly.

Caiyun felt quite proud that she could be of real help to the adults; see, she was already proving quite useful.

Over in the county, after leaving the examination hall, Wang Qingchen felt as if he was no longer himself. Putting aside the fact that his appearance was hardly presentable, his mind felt fuzzy and muddled, utterly incapable of tackling any complex thought. Following his instincts, Wang Qingchen returned to the inn and requested hot water and light fare be sent to his room. After washing up, he ate a little, then promptly collapsed onto his bed and slept soundly.

The inn worker was initially surprised, wondering if something had gone wrong with Wang Qingchen after the exam. Fortunately, when other scholars returned with similar requests—hot water and simple food before collapsing—the worker dismissed his concerns, feeling he had learned something new about scholars.

Wang Qingchen slept until noon the next day before feeling slightly better, though still fatigued. Despite this lingering exhaustion, he didn't want to keep sleeping. Once he felt marginally refreshed, he climbed out of bed and walked downstairs to the common hall.

Seeing Wang Qingchen descend and take a seat at a table, the worker hurried over. "Oh, sir, are you rested now?"

Wang Qingchen nodded vaguely. "Yes. Bring me some plain dishes and a bowl of porridge."

The worker agreed and headed toward the back.

Only when the throbbing in his head subsided did Wang Qingchen begin to survey his surroundings. The hall was still sparsely populated; likely many other examinees were still recovering. After gauging the situation, Wang Qingchen decided filling his stomach was the priority. After eating, he planned to check on Li Yuntai and Liu Hao. He realized he had been so exhausted yesterday that he hadn't even greeted them before going to sleep.

Perhaps because the hall was so empty, the worker soon returned with the porridge and dishes Wang Qingchen ordered. "Sir, enjoy your meal!"

As the worker turned to leave, Wang Qingchen stopped him. "Little brother, may I ask if the other scholars are still resting and haven't come out yet?"

Hearing the question, the worker’s spirits lifted, and he launched into a detailed account of how the scholars had behaved since arriving yesterday: how they mostly washed up, ate briefly, and then went straight to rest, some even skipping food entirely. The worker then offered Wang Qingchen a few compliments, implying that since the others were still resting, Wang Qingchen was the earliest to reappear.