Chapter 648 - 238: Changsi
Chapter 648: Chapter 238: Changsi
But obviously, she felt the same as Chen Wanqing, both finding it extremely pleasant to chat with each other. She told Chen Wanqing, "I’ll come find you for a chat when I’m free, and I won’t bring my sister along next time."
Chen Wanqing chuckled softly. "Chang Nian heard that."
"It doesn’t matter if she did. That girl..." Xu Changsi shook her head at the mention of her sister. It was clear that this overly vivacious sister had caused her no small amount of headaches.
After seeing the two sisters off, the Xu family’s steward arrived at the door. He brought a new contract, which bore the official seal of the government. With the contract taking effect, from this day forward, half the shares of Kangning Fragrance Workshop belonged to her. Holding the contract, Chen Wanqing could not contain the joy overflowing from her expression. This was partly because she suddenly possessed such great wealth, and partly because this wealth was closely related to her passions. She recalled what her mother had called "a job that can bring a lifetime of joy," and suddenly felt that this must be exactly what she meant.
By the time Zhao Jing and De’an returned, the sky had already grown dim. They had taken Xu Yanlin’s carriage and arrived home together with him. The three walked and talked. Upon closer inspection, Zhao Jing was in high spirits, his eyes shining with a striking, sharp light, while De’an looked like a frostbitten eggplant, completely wilted and devoid of energy.
It was dinner time. The old master rarely returned from the palace on time, and the family gathered for a quiet meal together. Therefore, even though they noticed De’an’s unusual expression, no one pressed him with questions.
After the meal, they shared a cup of tea before the old master got up to head to the study. Before leaving, he took Zhao Jing away with him alone.
The others left the reception hall and returned to their respective rooms to rest. De’an deliberately took a detour to walk a distance with Xu Su Ying, Chen Song, and Chen Wanqing. Yao’an, unwilling to return to his courtyard alone, tagged along as well.
"It’s too demoralizing," De’an said. "The students at Imperial College, even those in the lowest-ranked Yellow class, actually have some real skills."
Before going to Imperial College, De’an had assumed that since it was full of supervisors and imperial scholars, and also took in the descendants of court officials of the Sixth Rank and above, the academic level of the students there would be a mixed bag. He had indeed guessed right. The academically excellent students there had previously emerged as the top scorer in the provincial examination across various regions. He roughly counted, and just from the past few years alone, there were twelve or thirteen top scorers in the provincial examination. These top scorers in the provincial examination all made sure they were fully prepared before entering the examination halls, lest a moment of carelessness cause them to fall into the same degree category, leaving them with a lifetime of regret.
Let’s not even talk about these individuals of towering intellect. Let’s just look at Imperial College as a whole. There were indeed some students admitted through hereditary privilege—the "second-generation officials," as his mother usually called them. They were just there to coast through, leading very idle lives every day. But even among these people, most held the title of Scholar. The title of Scholar! They were actually Scholars, just like him! It was too demoralizing!
Thinking of the scene he had witnessed, De’an was filled with a sense of defeat. "I used to only hear people say that the scholars of the world gather like clouds and scatter like mist. I also thought that in Xinghuai Prefecture, I had seen the heroes of the realm..."
But compared to Capital City, the number of heroes in Xinghuai Prefecture was simply like an unremarkable swarm of tiny shrimp merging into the vast Dahai. There were small shrimp and big fish in the sea, but these were all just at the very bottom of the food chain. With the slightest lack of attention, they would become prey in the mouths of others, or get crushed to death on the beach by the wind and waves. And he was just one of those unremarkable tiny shrimp. The reality was too brutal. If he did not go all out, he really might end up an unknown nobody for the rest of his life.
Suddenly realizing this cruel fact, De’an finally crushed whatever little trace of complacency remained in his heart. He wiped his face and said to his mother, "Forget it, I won’t say anymore. I’m going back to study."
Xu Su Ying grabbed him by the back of his collar. "What about Jing? How did Jing do today?"
De’an curled his lips and shot his mother a glance. "Mother, can you not ask questions you already know the answers to? With Jing’s level of knowledge, he belongs to the absolute top tier no matter where he goes. He could even sit and discuss academics with the Deans and Doctors of Imperial College, who treated him as a kindred spirit..."
Meanwhile, not only was he unable to get a word in edgewise, he couldn’t even understand a lot of what they were saying. Oh, the gap in their lives! They had obviously both started their schooling at around the same age back in the day. But now, one of them was still a Scholar, while the other had become the top scorer in the provincial examination and was setting his sights on becoming the Metropolitan Examination Champion. He wasn’t considered particularly lazy either, yet the gap between them was growing wider and wider. What was the reason? It could only be his genetics holding him back!
De’an looked at his father resentfully. "Father, you really messed me up!" With that said, he turned around and headed back to his courtyard, sighing with every step he took.