Time always flew by when you weren’t looking, and today was already the eighth day of the imperial examination.

The morning had started out clear, but in the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour began.

’I wonder how Wenheng is doing...?’ Jin Qianqian watched the relentless downpour, anxiously pacing back and forth along the covered walkway.

’I wonder if Ancient Wen Heng was assigned to one of those temporary thatched huts.’

’They had gone to see them during construction. No matter how well-built they were, they were bound to leak in a rain like this.’

...

Inside his examination cell, the moment Ancient Wen Heng heard the rain start to DRUM against the roof, he moved quickly. He gathered his completed exam papers and wrapped them in several layers of the oil paper he had brought.

Fortunately, he had already finished the papers distributed that morning. The ink was dry, so it was no issue to roll them up.

He glanced at the white-robed scholar in the opposite cell and saw him doing the exact same thing. Ancient Wen Heng smiled in understanding, then simply took out his earthenware pot and began to brew a cup of tea.

In stark contrast to his own comfortable situation, he soon heard faint cries from other cells. Listening closely, he realized they must be from unprepared candidates whose papers had been soaked by severely leaking roofs.

Then came the harsh shouts of the proctors, threatening to drag out anyone who caused more trouble.

Ancient Wen Heng sighed. He looked up at his own roof, which had also started to leak. He had no choice but to stand up, convert his desk into a bed, and stuff all of his belongings underneath it.

The scholar opposite copied his actions. Once he was finished, he gave Ancient Wen Heng a wide grin.

Ancient Wen Heng nodded back. He shifted to a dry spot, cupping his teacup to ward off the encroaching chill.

＆

"It’s pouring out, and you three didn’t think to come home earlier?" Wang Caiyue muttered as the father and his two sons ran through the door.

"The roof is leaking everywhere! How are we supposed to live in this place?"

Hearing his wife’s incessant complaints, Gu Yuanmu silently turned, hoisted the ladder from the corner, and went to fix the roof.

"I wonder when the Xu Family is going to give us the Silver. I can’t stand this house for another second. It’s small, it’s filthy, and it can’t even keep out the rain."

"That’s enough! Stop your nagging," Gu Yuanmu said impatiently. "The boys and I have at least made sure you haven’t starved. You’re home all day, but you couldn’t even climb up and do some patching?"

"How am I supposed to know how to do that? What if I mess it up and make the hole even bigger? Then we’d really be done for," Wang Caiyue retorted, pouting. Inwardly, however, she was thinking, ’Why is that Matchmaker Lao so unreliable? It’s been so many days, why hasn’t she given us an update?’

Gu Lehuan held the ladder steady while Gu Lexi helped by passing up straw. After they shifted positions a few times, the dripping inside the house finally seemed less severe.

Looking at the complete mess inside the house, Gu Yuanmu suppressed his rage. "Fine, you can’t fix the roof, but you couldn’t even be bothered to tidy up inside?"

"What’s the point of tidying? It’s just going to leak everywhere anyway. Besides, with the few things we own, what difference does it make?"

Seeing Wang Caiyue standing there so defiantly, Gu Yuanmu clenched his fists, barely restraining himself from slapping her.

’He didn’t know when this woman had changed. Now she refused to lift a finger for anything and couldn’t even manage the household for a single day.’

"Le Huan, go start a fire. We’ve worked all day, and we’re all hungry." Glancing at the cold pots and stove, Gu Yuanmu ignored Wang Caiyue and began preparing a meal with his two sons.

"I suppose I don’t get hungry when I’m home alone," she muttered. Unfortunately for her, the complaint received no response. The father and his sons continued their work in silence.

When the rain finally stopped, Matchmaker Lao, who hadn’t been seen for days, walked in with red-rimmed eyes.

"Oh, my dear sister, you’re finally here!" Wang Caiyue rushed to greet her, taking her arm to lead her inside.

"Don’t trouble yourself, I’ve just come to say a few words." The moment Matchmaker Lao opened her mouth, a sense of foreboding washed over Wang Caiyue.

"I’m afraid the marriage for your boy is off." Sure enough, Matchmaker Lao’s words made Wang Caiyue’s knees go weak.

"What happened? Is something wrong?"

Matchmaker Lao glanced at the father and his two sons standing off to the side and sighed. "My old friend... she passed away a couple of days ago. The family is in the middle of funeral preparations."

"I tried to convince Xu Nuo to hold the wedding quickly, during the initial mourning, but the girl is stubborn. She insists on observing the full mourning period for her mother."

"If it were any other delay, we might be able to work something out. But this is a matter of filial piety. An outsider can’t say a word against it."

"How could this happen?" Wang Caiyue clutched her chest. ’I had already looked into it. There were two courtyard houses for sale nearby, and I was just comparing them... now it’s all for nothing.’

"There’s truly nothing to be done. Thankfully, Miss Xu knows that she’s the one at fault, so she asked me to come and tell you the engagement is off. This is a small token of her apology. As for the original agreement, consider it null."

With that, Matchmaker Lao pressed two silver ingots into Wang Caiyue’s hand, nodded to the stunned father and sons, and turned to leave.

"Why is my life so miserable?" Wang Caiyue suddenly collapsed onto the floor and began to wail, much to the bafflement of the father and sons.

’Wasn’t this a good thing? They got ten taels of Silver for doing nothing. Where else could you find a deal like that?’

’Besides, with these two silver ingots, life would be a little less tight. If they could find others from their hometown, they’d now have enough for provisions for the journey back.’

Gu Yuanmu walked over, took the Silver from her hand, and tucked it into his robes.

Wang Caiyue panicked. "What do you think you’re doing? Give that Silver back to me!"

"I used to give all the Silver to you," Gu Yuanmu said, "but look at the state you’ve let this family fall into."

"I’m holding onto this Silver for now. This is our family’s last hope."

After saying this, he called to his two sons, "The rain has stopped. Let’s go out and see if we can find any work."

Watching the father and sons leave together, Wang Caiyue stared blankly into the distance.

＆

On the final day, Ancient Wen Heng laid out all his exam papers neatly. Only after a proctor came by to collect them did he begin to pack his belongings.

He meticulously packed each of his belongings, then sat quietly on his bed, waiting for the signal to leave the examination grounds.

The scholar in the white robes copied him once again, restoring his own cell to the state it was in when he had first arrived.

"You may now exit!" When the long-awaited announcement finally came, Ancient Wen Heng shouldered his belongings, nodded to the scholar across from him, and strode out.

Because he had prepared ahead of time, he was the very first candidate to emerge as the main gates were opened.

"They’re coming out!" The crowd waiting outside grew agitated, starting to surge forward, only to be forced back when the guards drew their blades.

Ancient Wen Heng scanned the crowd and immediately spotted the unique mark on his carriage roof. He began pushing his way through the people toward it.