FIMA Ch52: Missing You

Xie Changyue widened his eyes: “You saw it, really?”

Wang Xu, however, was shocked: “Standing here, you can see the characters on the board on the opposite wall? What kind of eyes do you have?”

Gu Siyuan: “Human eyes.”

Wang Xu didn’t argue with him: “Since that’s the case, my seat number is Sixty-Seven. Help me take a look while you’re at it.”

Gu Siyuan didn’t even move his eyes and said directly: “I saw it.”

Wang Xu rolled his eyes, quite angry at his friend’s nonsense: “You didn’t even look down.”

Gu Siyuan said flatly: “Because it was close to mine, I swept over it at the same time earlier.”

Wang Xu: “Then tell me, what place am I?”

Just then, the two servants who had been looking at the board below rushed up: “Young Master, Young Master, you are in second place…”

Wang Xu’s mouth twitched, looking like he wanted to laugh but forcefully held it back. He covered his face with his folding fan, coughed lightly, and said: “It’s alright, just average.”

The other waiting students on this floor cast sidelong glances over. Was he asking for a beating or what?

Wang Xu asked the servant again: “What about Brother Gu?”

The servant glanced at him before saying softly: “Eldest Master Gu is the Anshou (First Place).”

“Damn,” Wang Xu swore.

Although he had some guesses upon learning he was in second place, he still felt inexplicably unwilling to accept it.

He looked at Gu Siyuan’s cold, stern, and calm face, asking in doubt: “Did you really see your ranking just now, and saw that I was right next to you?”

Gu Siyuan took a sip of tea, his tone as cold as always: “Why would I deceive you over such a matter!”

“Damn,” Wang Xu swore for the second time, “Are you even human? You took first place in the County Exam, yet your face still looks like it’s grown ice blocks, not changing in the slightest.”

Gu Siyuan: “It was expected to begin with. If it wasn’t, that would be surprising.”

At this point, Wang Xu was completely speechless.

Meanwhile, Xie Changyue and the couple Gu Er and Mu Xia beside them recovered from their shock.

Xie Changyue suddenly threw himself onto his husband: “Husband, it’s first place! I knew it, you are the most amazing.”

Gu Siyuan hurriedly reached out and caught him.

Standing right by the window and daring to lunge like this. If he accidentally slipped down, then…

Gu Er and Mu Xia’s bodies were almost trembling. Tightly holding hands, they continuously sighed with emotion: “Yang-er, so good, so good!”

Gu Siyuan nodded to the two: “These past years, Papa and Father have worked hard.”

The two hurriedly shook their heads.

Wang Xu reminded them from the side: “Brother Gu, it’s best if you return home first at this time. The County Anshou is certified by official documents. The county magistrate will send yamen runners to your door to deliver the good news.”

Gu Er hurriedly said: “Right, right, let’s go home, go home. Thank you, young master.”

Wang Xu shook his head.

Gu Siyuan cupped his fist at him: “See you at the academy.”

“See you at the academy.” Wang Xu also cupped his fist and reminded him: “No need to rush too much on the road. By convention, the yamen runners will wait until noon to visit.”

“Alright.”

Since he said there was no need to rush, Gu Siyuan went to Anping Academy first. Since it was conveniently on Book Market Street, he needed to pay respects and thank his teacher.

The students participating in the County Exam had been given a holiday, but the others at the academy still had normal classes.

Gu Siyuan went straight to see Master Chen. Although Master Chen had some expectations and guesses about him taking first place in the County Exam, hearing it with his own ears now still filled him with uncontrollable joy.

He rarely praised him for a few sentences, and later encouraged him not to get carried away from now on, as he still had to return to the academy for classes in a few days.

Gu Siyuan agreed to everything one by one.

Afterward, Gu Siyuan and his family hurried back toward Huangyang Village.

Although he knew they had enough time, when Gu Er drove the ox cart, he was noticeably faster than usual.

The four had left home in the morning to go to the county town to check the rankings, then visited the academy, and rushed back from the county town. Astonishingly, when they arrived outside the Gu family courtyard, the Si hour (9-11 AM) hadn’t even passed yet.

“Oh, you’re back. Making such a huge fuss with so many people, wouldn’t you be embarrassed if you didn’t get first place?” Li Xiangtao sat at the doorway and mocked.

Xie Changyue looked up at her and suddenly let out a weird laugh: “No wonder. It seems we must thank Eldest Aunt for your auspicious words before leaving home this morning.”

Gu Er and Mu Xia also smiled lightly.

Seeing them like this, Li Xiangtao was stunned: “What… what do you mean?”

Xie Changyue said sincerely: “Aren’t we thanking Eldest Aunt for her prayers? Husband really did take first place in the County Exam.”

“Haha…” Li Xiangtao was first shocked, then suddenly burst into loud laughter: “Just him? He can take first place? You don’t even prepare a draft when lying.”

Her Zhen-er had been praised for his intelligence by his teacher since childhood, and he only got third place in the County Exam. Gu Yang—a person who wouldn’t even let out a muffled fart if you beat him with three sticks, and who had never been praised by a teacher—how could he possibly get first place?

And she heard that the first place in the County Exam didn’t need to participate in the Prefectural Exam and could directly obtain the scholarly title of Tongsheng. If it were true, wouldn’t Gu Yang be exactly the same as her Zhen-er?

How was this possible?

Hehe, too fake…

Xie Changyue glanced at her lazily: “Laugh, go ahead and laugh. Anyway, the official document for first place will be delivered soon. Eldest Aunt, remember to start cooking early at noon and eat two extra bowls of rice, lest you be so infuriated later that you lose your appetite.”

Seeing him still so certain, Li Xiangtao’s expression couldn’t help but change.

Could it be, re… really…

The Gu family courtyard was close to the village entrance.

At noon, just as Gu Siyuan and the others finished lunch, they heard the clop-clop sound of horse hooves and the dong-dong sound of a copper gong coming from the village road.

Immediately after, they heard a loud question: “Is this Huangyang Village?”

Someone replied that it was.

The voice was heard shouting loudly again: “Great joy to Master Gu of Huangyang Village! I have come on the orders of the County Magistrate to report the good news. May I ask where Master Gu Yang’s home is?”

Gu Siyuan led his family out to welcome them, but Old Master Gu’s pace was surprisingly faster than his. By the time they went out, the Old Master was already leading the two yamen runners delivering the good news toward the house.

As soon as he saw Gu Siyuan, the Old Master pointed at him and said: “This is this little old man’s grandson, Gu Yang!”

The two yamen runners, who had red cloth strips tied on their bodies and were holding a copper gong and an official document, immediately shouted loudly: “Congratulations to Master Gu for achieving first place in this session’s Wuqing County Exam!”

Gu Siyuan cupped his hands: “You two have worked hard.”

After speaking, he handed over two items wrapped in red paper.

The two yamen runners squeezed them, smiled brightly, and handed the document over with both hands: “Master Gu, please keep it well.”

Afterward, they mounted their horses and left directly.

After the yamen runners left, the surrounding neighbors finally dared to come out to spectate in succession, their mouths filled with endless words of congratulations.

After Gu Siyuan finished thanking everyone one by one, he walked back into the courtyard.

His eyes met Li Xiangtao’s peering and completely incredulous expression, but he simply pretended not to see it.

Old Master Gu said with a trace of fawning: “Yang-er did so well on the exam. Let’s all have a meal together tonight to celebrate, alright?”

Gu Siyuan shook his head: “It’s only the County Exam. Let’s wait until after the Academy Exam to celebrate.”

Old Master Gu’s expression stifled.

But Gu Siyuan paid no more attention and headed straight back to his own house.

However, he wasn’t doing this to intentionally anger the Old Master; it was the truth. It was already early March, and the Prefectural Exam would begin in mid-April. But registration had to be done a month before the exam.

In other words, in a few days, he would have to make a trip to Tongzhou City.

Xie Changyue had clearly also thought of this: “Husband, when are you going to Tongzhou?”

Gu Siyuan said: “I will return to the academy for classes tomorrow, and when the time comes, I’ll travel together with the classmates who acted as mutual guarantors during the County Exam.”

Xie Changyue nodded and set his heart at ease.

The next day, Gu Siyuan went to Anping Academy at his usual time.

This time, over ten people from the academy had participated in the County Exam, and five had passed the primary session. The ratio was quite high.

With exactly five people, they could mutually guarantee each other during the Prefectural Exam without needing to find other students outside.

And among these people, Gu Siyuan and Wang Xu happened to be the first and second place in the County Exam, which was quite eye-catching.

Presumably, by next year, or perhaps not even waiting until next year, the number of people registering at the academy would see a massive leap.

Therefore, Juren Qi also specially invited them to his study. Upon learning that Gu Siyuan, despite being the County Anshou, still planned to participate in the Prefectural Exam, his expression was indiscernible. He only said: If the two of them still ranked high in this Prefectural Exam, he would personally teach them upon their return.

Gu Siyuan naturally thanked him. For a Juren to teach a Tongsheng was naturally an elevation in status. Even after they passed the Xiucai exam and entered the Prefectural School, the ones teaching would still be Juren.

A few days later, the group traveled by horse carriage to Tongzhou. It was already noon when they arrived. After finding an inn to rest briefly, they went to the prefectural office to register.

Afterward, they rushed back in the horse carriage. By the time Gu Siyuan arrived home, the sky was completely dark.

Xie Changyue was alone, sitting on a chair at the doorway waiting for him.

Gu Siyuan walked over, scooped the person into his arms, and walked into the house: “The weather is still cool, why were you staying outside? Didn’t I say I might return late?”

Xie Changyue pouted: “But I just wanted to wait for you.”

Mu Xia made a gesture from the side: “Changyue hasn’t eaten dinner yet.”

Gu Siyuan gave his bottom a light pat: “You’re not allowed to do this next time.”

Rarely feeling shy, Xie Changyue buried his head into his husband’s shoulder. Hmph, honestly, such a grown adult and still getting spanked…

Taking out the food kept warm in the pot, Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue finished eating, taking turns feeding each other bite by bite.

Lying on the kang after washing up, Xie Changyue tugged at his sleeve and asked: “Husband, what day does the Prefectural Exam start?”

Gu Siyuan: “April thirteenth.”

Xie Changyue counted on his slender, lustrous fingers and began to tally: “Exam is on April thirteenth, then you have to go to Tongzhou by at least April eleventh. The Prefectural Exam has a total of three sessions. The first two take one day each, and the third takes two days. Then you still have to stay in Tongzhou and wait for the Prefectural Exam rankings to come out. Like this… you’ll be away from home for over ten days…”

The more he calculated, the more stifled Xie Changyue’s heart felt.

Going to Tongzhou this time, the place and people were unfamiliar, and his husband wasn’t at ease bringing him along.

Gu Siyuan pinched his cheek and said softly: “So reluctant to part with me?”

“Mm.” Xie Changyue nodded vigorously: “You came back late today, and I missed you so much in my heart.”

His feelings had always been straightforward, passionate, and unreserved.

Gu Siyuan’s heart contracted slightly. He reached out and pulled the person into his arms, tapping his forehead lightly: “Be good.”

Xie Changyue also tilted his head up, kissing his chin and Adam’s apple little by little.

In the end, all the sorrow of parting ultimately dissolved into dripping lovemaking and sweat.

Gu Siyuan restarted his academy life.

The Prefectural Exam consisted of three sessions. The first two were fill-in-the-blank classics and miscellaneous essays, while the final session, which lasted two days, was on policy essays.

Gu Siyuan was already as familiar with the classics and miscellaneous essays as could be. Therefore, during the month before the exam, he basically focused primarily on policy essays every day at the academy.

Wang Xu did the same.

Both of their improvements were very considerable. By the end, even Master Chen found it difficult to pick out any errors, frankly stating that after the Prefectural Exam, the two could probably go directly to take the Academy Exam.

The two exchanged a glance; this was exactly their plan.

After hearing about this, Juren Qi simply started instructing the two of them early.

Meanwhile, Xie Changyue temporarily had other matters to divert his attention.

In late March, corn could begin its first planting season of the year.

Having divided the family this year, their Second Branch received five mu of dry land and one mu of paddy field.

Gu Er was very optimistic about the corn yield, so he generously allocated three mu of land for Xie Changyue’s experimental use. The remaining two mu of dry land were planted with wheat as usual, and the one mu of paddy field was used to raise seedlings, waiting to be transplanted in May.

The branches and leaves on the trees finally sprouted, and over a night of spring breeze, slowly turned from tender green to deep green.

In the blink of an eye, it was April, and the temperature had warmed up.

The clear fragrance of locust flowers could be smelled everywhere in Huangyang Village. Children hung from the trees like swings, casually grabbing large handfuls of pure white locust flowers and stuffing them directly into their mouths, the sweet juice flowing down the corners of their mouths straight into their collars.

The tenth of April.

Because they would set out for Tongzhou the next day, Anping Academy gave the five of them a holiday on this day, allowing them to rest at home and build up their energy.

Xie Changyue was in the room helping Gu Siyuan organize the things to take to the prefectural city.

Actually, he had already organized them multiple times starting a few days ago. However, he was always uneasy, afraid of missing something, so he checked it over and over again.

Outside in the courtyard, Gu Er handed an item to his son, casually reminding him: “Don’t hurt your hands at a time like this.”

Gu Siyuan took the small knife and shook his head: “I won’t.”

After speaking, he went out mysteriously.

In the evening, while Xie Changyue lay in Gu Siyuan’s arms, puffing his cheeks in a daze, he suddenly noticed a cold sensation in his hair.

He quickly reached up to touch it and felt a cool, slender object. Bringing it before his eyes to look: “It’s a hairpin…”

A wooden hairpin, polished smooth, with a simple half-moon shape at the head.

He immediately turned his head, looking happily at his husband: “You’re giving this to me?”

Gu Siyuan nodded and recited softly: “With what to console our parting? A tortoiseshell hairpin behind the ear. Although it’s not tortoiseshell, I made it with my own hands.”

“Husband…” Xie Changyue immediately got red-eyed, pitifully hugging Gu Siyuan tightly: “Husband, I love you to death.”

Gu Siyuan touched his face: “Eat well and sleep well at home. Look out for each other with Papa.”

“Mm-hm.” Xie Changyue nodded.

After nodding, he grabbed Gu Siyuan’s large hand and placed it on his own body, rubbing it around haphazardly, humming and whining: “Husband, come on. I know you like doing this. Soon you won’t be able to for over ten days. I definitely won’t cry tonight. You can take as long as you want.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Don’t talk nonsense, was he that kind of person?

However… With such a beautiful person extending such a generous invitation, how could he dare not comply?

Gu Siyuan flipped over and pressed him down, blocking Xie Changyue’s mouth, which was sometimes pitiful and cute, and sometimes made him not know whether to laugh or cry.

Perhaps they had truly indulged too much the night before. The next day when Gu Siyuan left, Xie Changyue still hadn’t woken up.

For this Prefectural Exam, Gu Er accompanied him to Tongzhou. The two first walked to the academy to meet up with the other four classmates taking the exam.

Aside from Wang Xu who brought two servants, the other three also only brought a family member or a study boy. The group of over a dozen people hired three horse carriages and set off grandly toward Tongzhou.

Because they had arranged for someone to book an inn in the prefectural city in advance, the group’s destination was very clear upon entering the city.

After eating lunch and resting briefly, they set out to look at the provincial examination hall venue.

After returning from the examination hall, they rested at the inn for a day on April twelfth.

In the early hours of April thirteenth, everyone got up early, carrying their exam baskets, and lined up in the long queue of candidates outside the examination hall.

Huangyang Village.

Looking at his son-in-law running out the door again at high noon, Mu Xia couldn’t help but smile. Young people really had vitality. Actually, it had been over ten days since he had separated from his husband too.

Villagers carrying hoes returning from the fields happened to pass by the village entrance. They gathered together and muttered: “It’s the twenty-seventh today, right? It’s been fourteen days. It’s not easy for scholars either, leaving home for so long at once.”

“Yeah… Brother Changyue has come here to wait every day for the past few days!”

“The young couple has a good relationship!”

At first, Xie Changyue wasn’t quite used to it, but now he was able to turn a blind eye to these discussions.

He squatted beside the familiar large rock, his gaze burning as he stared at the official road ahead.

Last summer, when his husband had just started going to the academy, he had also waited here every day for two months.

It was just that after autumn arrived, his husband didn’t allow him to wait anymore out of concern for him.

Thinking of this, a sweet smile rose on Xie Changyue’s face.

Just then, the rumble of a horse carriage suddenly came from the official road.

Xie Changyue’s eyes lit up. He saw that the carriage was indeed heading in the direction of their village.

With another neigh, the horse slightly raised its front hooves and came to a direct stop. A tall, familiar figure then jumped down from the carriage.

Gu Siyuan looked at his little husband standing blankly at the village entrance and opened his arms: “Come, let me hug you. I missed you to death.”

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