The End

Wen Yuan smiled: "Mother sure is open-minded!"

Wen Die quietly prayed that Xu Wenwu would get a good score this time.

The next day after lunch, Grandpa took them to the entrance of the exam site. When they arrived, they found several people already waiting there, mostly just there to watch the spectacle.

They waited until the sun was setting in the west, when the heavy iron gate slowly opened from the inside.

The examinees rushed out. Some had pale faces, others looked drained. Most didn't seem in good shape.

"Gate's open!" Grandpa said: "Look, see if you can spot Wenwu and Xuedong!"

Big Uncle Xu craned his neck to scan the crowd, and quickly spotted his son and Qian Xuedong. He waved his hands and shouted: "Wenwu, Xuedong, we're over here!"

Hearing his dad's voice, Xu Wenwu turned and looked. He took Qian Xuedong with him and pushed their way through the crowd.

Qibao saw that her older brother and Qian Xuedong were okay, except for a bit of messy hair. She stepped forward, spread her arms and...

Xu Wenwu smiled, picked her up, and spun around a few times.

Grandpa nodded with a smile: "Xuedong, your dad is pretty busy today, so we came to fetch you instead."

Qian Xuedong smiled: "Gramps, it doesn't matter who picks us up. Besides, I know the way home."

The Dean spoke with excitement: "Wenwu, Xuedong, are you confident about your performance this time?"

Xu Wenwu and Qian Xuedong exchanged glances before Xu Wenwu replied: "I think we did fine, but let's not jump to conclusions."

Qian Xuedong added: "I feel like it was decent, not terrible, not great. Bit hard to get into the top ranks though."

The Dean nodded: "Doing your best is all that matters. Let's head back. Master Sun and the others are waiting for you at Juxiang Pavilion!"

"Right, right!" The old man chimed in: "We should go. You two probably haven't eaten properly these past few days. Time to catch up on sleep and food."

The group rushed back to Juxiang Pavilion.

Upon entering, they saw Boss Qian pacing near the door. Relieved to see them return, he quickly approached and asked: "Xuedong, are you alright?"

"Father." Qian Xuedong replied: "I'm afraid I may have disappointed you this time."

"Son, I'm not disappointed." Boss Qian said: "Even if you didn't do well this time, there's always next year."

"I managed to answer all the questions." Qian Xuedong explained. "However, I still feel it wasn't my best work. Give me another year, and I'll definitely work harder!"

Boss Qian patted his son on the shoulder: "Don't worry, you did your best. There'll be another chance next time."

The hall was filling up, and the door wasn't a good place to talk. So the group moved back to the courtyard.

Mrs. Zhang noticed her son returning with messy hair and wrinkled clothes. Her eyes softened as she spoke: "Wenwu, you and Xuedong go take a hot shower and change your clothes. I've heated the water in the small kitchen already. There's plenty of food. Once you're cleaned up, we'll eat."

Xu Wenwu hugged Mrs. Zhang: "Thanks, mother."

Mrs. Zhang tried to stroke her son's head, then realized he was already taller than her by more than a head. She said with pride: "Silly child, I'm your mother. There's nothing to thank for."

Grandpa added: "Your mother is right. You two go take a bath. The dry provisions you brought have no grease at all. Tonight you need to make up for it."

"Thank you, Grandpa Xu."

After the two were cleaned up, Mrs. Zhang had prepared a whole table of dishes, all their favorites.

"Xu and Qian, how did it feel?" One of their classmates asked.

Qian Xuedong replied: "Apart from the oppressive atmosphere, it was all right. You didn't know? There were two soldiers watching each candidate at all times because they were afraid of cheating."

"Wow! That's so strict!"

Qian Xuedong nodded: "Yes, at first I felt uncomfortable with everyone watching me all the time. But I got used to it after a while."

"How hard are the exam questions?"

"Hard." Qian Xuedong replied: "Some questions we haven't even studied before. Luckily, I read a lot and enjoyed learning from old books. That helped me a lot."

"So, are you confident in passing this time, Qian?"

The Dean shook his head: "It's hard to say. Even though the questions are the same for everyone, each person has their own unique way of answering them. It depends on whether your answers will impress the examiners. If Qian Xuedong's answers happen to match what the examiner is looking for, he might get a surprise good score!"

"I see!" The students nodded in understanding.

"Qian Xuedong will definitely do well." Master Sun said: "I've been watching his hard work all these years. He's determined and smart."

The old man smiled: "I'm glad to hear that, Master Sun. My grandson isn't just my opinion: he's truly very hardworking. I often see the light on in his room late at night. It nearly breaks my heart watching him push himself so much."

"Let's stop talking while standing." Mrs. Zhang said: "Hurry up and sit down to eat."

Qian Xuedong dug into his food like it was the best he'd ever tasted, exclaiming about how delicious everything was. Mr. Qian's heart ached seeing his son eat so fast.

"Slow down, Xuedong." He said: "Make sure you don't choke."

Xuedong kept eating as he talked: "Father, you just don't know. Some people passed out during the test. I was wondering if I could even make it through. But except for not sleeping well, I felt just like usual. Out of all the candidates, only Wenwu and I were in the best physical condition. It's normal for someone like Wenwu, who practices martial arts, to have a better build than most. But that I was as energized as him... that surprised me."

"Wait, Wenwu, you know martial arts too?" Master Sun asked, clearly surprised.

The other students also looked at Xu Wenwu, shocked.

"Yes," said Xu Wenwu: "I've studied some martial arts, mostly to stay fit. I train at home, but I haven't told anyone about it before."

Master Sun smiled: "That's impressive! People always say scholars can't handle physical labor, but you're different."

The Dean said: "This is great. In the future, he'll be able to protect himself in dangerous situations."

Grandpa Xu asked: "Do you know when the results will be announced, Dean?"

The Dean replied: "The soonest will be half a month from now."

Grandpa Xu said: "Well then, when do you plan to leave?"

The Dean suggested: "Let the two children rest tomorrow. We can leave the day after tomorrow. There's no need to wait for the results. If he passes, someone will come to deliver the good news anyway."

Grandpa Xu nodded: "Sounds good. We'll leave for Xujia Village the day after tomorrow, as you said."

The next day, Mrs. Zhang started packing for their return, including more items than when they arrived—all gifts for their family back home.

Meanwhile, at the Wen Manor...

"Yuan'er, Master Xu is about to leave Qingyun City. He just sent a messenger inviting me to dinner at Juxiang Pavilion tonight. You're welcome to come along. Your mother has filled me in about your sister's situation; this will be a good chance to see what these Xu youngsters are like." Said Magistrate Wen.

"Sounds good, Father. Will my sister be joining us?" Wen Yuan asked.

At that moment, Madam Wen walked in: "I'll be joining you, of course. And since your sister is going, I might as well see if the Xu Family lives up to all your praise."

"Madam, don't you know me by now? My judgment of people is always spot-on!" Magistrate Wen declared, pounding his chest.

Madam Wen gave him a sidelong glance: "I know you well indeed. As long as someone serves you good wine, they're good in your eyes! So, go ahead and say it: Will you bring me along?"

"Alright, alright, alright!" Magistrate Wen exclaimed: "I'll bring you too—everyone's coming!"

Madam Wen nodded: "Excellent. Since we're going out, I need to prepare properly with Die'er." With that, she set off to find Wen Die.