The County School was originally established for the shengyuan, that is, the xiucai scholars, to study. After passing the Children's Examination, the successful xiucai would enter the County School to prepare for higher-level examinations, such as the Provincial Examination (Xiangshi).

Of course, not every xiucai chose to pursue further studies at the County School; it was not mandatory. Many xiucai opted to study at home or hired private tutors for instruction.

The County School served as a place of learning for xiucai. Now that Wang Qingchen and Zhao Cheng were already juren candidates, they were not strictly required to attend the lectures given by some of the instructors there. However, if they wished to attend, they certainly could. At this time, Wang Qingchen and Zhao Cheng were selectively attending only certain instructors' lectures, skipping others. During the time they were not in class, they mostly consulted books or read the materials recommended by the Headmaster (Shanzhang). Occasionally, the two would visit the Headmaster together to ask for advice, listen to his perspective on certain matters, or seek clarification on difficult points.

Thus, several days passed until Xia Wentao, whom Wang Qingchen had momentarily forgotten, finally returned to the county seat with his maternal uncle’s family.

Upon arriving in the county seat, Xia Wentao accepted his uncle's invitation and brought his sister to stay at their home. After putting down their luggage and instructing the servants to organize everything properly, he immediately set out to find Wang Qingchen's address, which had been given to him previously.

Xia Wentao was fortunate; during these days, Wang Qingchen and Zhao Cheng spent most of their time at home and did not frequently attend the County School lectures.

After asking for directions several times, Xia Wentao finally located the address Wang Qingchen had provided. Confirming he was at the right place, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Since both Wang Qingchen and Zhao Cheng were currently reading, the person who opened the door for him was Madam Huang.

Xia Wentao had naturally never met Madam Huang before. Seeing a woman opening the door, he paused, momentarily taken aback.

Madam Huang observed the visitor—a young man around the same age as Li Yuntai and the others—and assumed he was looking for her sons. She took the initiative and asked, "Are you looking for..."

"Uh, I'm looking for Wang Qingchen. Is he living here?" Xia Wentao asked, uncertainly.

"Oh, you’re looking for Qingchen! Quick, come in, he’s actually home right now. I'll go call him right away!" With that, Madam Huang ushered Xia Wentao inside and promptly hurried toward Wang Qingchen's room.

When Wang Qingchen heard Madam Huang say someone was looking for him, he wondered who might be visiting at this hour. To his surprise, when he went out to look, it was Xia Wentao.

"Hey, when did you get to the county seat?" Wang Qingchen asked.

"I just arrived in the county seat, that's how immediate it is! As soon as I got here, I came looking for you. How about that? Loyal friend, right?" Xia Wentao laughed.

"What? You just arrived?" Wang Qingchen had assumed Xia Wentao had arrived yesterday or perhaps that morning, never imagining he had only just reached the county seat, "Since you just got here, have you eaten yet?"

Xia Wentao nodded. "Don't worry about that; I ate inside the carriage." Then he added with a smile, "I'm completely new here, don't know a soul. You need to show me some proper host hospitality! I plan on trying everything delicious and fun this place has to offer! The rest is up to you to arrange."

Wang Qingchen nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "Naturally. Oh, Zhao Cheng is also home. Have some tea first, and I'll go call him over."

Saying this, Wang Qingchen went to fetch Zhao Cheng.

When Zhao Cheng heard that Xia Wentao had arrived in the county seat, he was momentarily slow to react. These past few days, his mind had been completely absorbed in his books and the Headmaster; he had almost forgotten that Xia Wentao had mentioned coming to town.

Zhao Cheng felt a bit embarrassed; he had completely forgotten about Xia Wentao's impending arrival. But Xia Wentao was unconcerned. "Eh, that’s nothing to worry about, I don't mind. But as compensation, you have to show me around the county seat properly during these days."

Zhao Cheng readily agreed, "Of course. Since you've gone to the trouble of coming all this way, we absolutely must show you around. There are many wonderful places to visit in the county seat."

Xia Wentao was satisfied then. The three of them chatted warmly for a while longer and agreed on a plan to start sightseeing the next day. Only then did Xia Wentao contentedly take his leave.

After Xia Wentao returned, he found his sister, Xia Wanting, waiting for him. Seeing him return, she immediately stood up, sounding slightly displeased. "The moment you got to the county seat, before even unpacking anything, you rushed out alone to play, leaving me behind at Uncle's house. Now that I’ve finished arranging your things, I have to deal with yours too."

Hearing his sister's words, Xia Wentao felt a bit sheepish. "Well, look at me, a grown man—I’m not good at these domestic things, am I? Anyway, the servants are handling the organization; it makes no difference whether I’m here or not! Did my sister get tired today helping your brother organize things?"

Xia Wanting became even more unhappy upon hearing this. In truth, she wasn't complaining about being tired; rather, she was upset that her brother had gone out to have fun without taking her along. She recalled that when she previously visited the county seat with their mother, her mother would sometimes take her out sightseeing. She hadn't expected that now, traveling with her brother, he would only focus on his own outings, completely forgetting he had a sister traveling with him! Or perhaps, in her brother's mind, there wasn't even a thought of bringing her along?

Thinking this, Xia Wanting grew anxious. This was a rare opportunity for her to get out. She could perhaps overlook it in the provincial capital, given its vast population and mix of people—one could easily cause a disturbance on the street. But now she was in the county seat! When she came here with their mother before, her mother had certainly taken her out!

The more she considered it, the more justified she felt, so Xia Wanting decided to voice her feelings directly. If she waited for her brother to figure it out, who knew how long that would take!

"Brother, when Mother and I came before, Mother often took me out to see the sights!" Xia Wanting said, looking pleadingly at Xia Wentao.

"Oh, is that so? Then my sister must know some fun places around here, right? Quick, tell your brother where you went before so I can check it out too. I only visited this place when I was very young, and I’ve forgotten where we went back then." Xia Wentao thought this was a perfect windfall—he had been wondering where Wang Qingchen and Zhao Cheng might take him sightseeing, and now his sister mentioned having explored the area before. This way, he could use his sister’s knowledge to find places to go.

Hearing her brother’s question, Xia Wanting didn't know what expression to put on her face. Had she not made her desire to go out obvious enough? How could her brother have missed the subtle meaning behind her words?

After asking, Xia Wentao noticed his sister’s conflicted look and grew confused. "What's wrong? Did you forget too, and can't remember any fun spots? It’s fine, if you can't recall, we can ask someone else later."

When Xia Wanting heard her brother’s comforting words, her entire face nearly crumpled. After looking up at her brother for a moment, she sighed and decided to be more direct. "Brother, you are planning to go sightseeing, aren't you? Staying in all day is quite boring for me too. Why don’t you take me along? I haven't been out to enjoy myself in ages! You know, when we were in the Capital, even though we visited other noble residences often, we were always in a sedan chair!"

Hearing his sister, Xia Wentao’s heart became conflicted. How could he not understand the meaning behind her previous words? However, he instinctively believed that women should remain behind closed doors. Especially for an unmarried young lady, going out and potentially encountering trouble would be disastrous. Although bringing his sister this far had been unavoidable, that was different, wasn't it? Furthermore, he was planning to go out with Wang Qingchen and Zhao Cheng. If he brought his sister along, it would certainly be inconvenient, and what would others think of his sister, what would they think of the Xia household? It was highly improper for a young lady from a distinguished family to show her face in public.

"Uh, you must be weary from the journey. You should rest more here at the residence; it’s better not to go out," Xia Wentao advised gently.

Hearing this, Xia Wanting knew her brother didn't want to take her. But she didn't lose heart and continued, "But Brother, when I came here with Mother before, we went out, and there were no issues."

Xia Wentao found himself unsure how to refuse. Finally, he decided to tell the truth. "Sister, I came to this county seat this time because I made plans with two close friends to go sightseeing together. If you came along, what would they think when they saw you? Wouldn't they laugh at you?"

Xia Wanting looked crestfallen. It was true; if her brother were going alone, it might be fine, but accompanying him and his friends was awkward. Although her reputation in the Capital wasn't the best, she couldn't just give up completely, could she? She still needed to protect her standing.

"Then forget it, I won't go," Xia Wanting said, her voice filled with disappointment.

But hearing his sister's dejected tone, Xia Wentao didn't feel relieved; instead, his heart ached. His sister had already lost so much, and now he couldn't even fulfill her simple desire to go out.

Thinking this, Xia Wentao said, "How about this: on another day, I will take you out for an outing by myself, how does that sound?"