Chapter 25: A Youth Vows to Reach the Clouds

In the following days, Lu Beigu went daily to Erlang Beach to seek out Lu Guangyu, and through diligent study, his understanding of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites grew ever deeper.

Eventually, many of Lu Beigu’s questions left Lu Guangyu utterly unable to answer.

This period of diligent study came to a temporary halt on the Qingming Festival.

Lu Beigu planned to rest half the day at home, finish packing his belongings, and do extra physical labor—especially fetching water and chopping firewood—since he would be away for a long time attending county school and needed to stockpile enough wood for cooking.

In the small courtyard of their home in Gulin Town, Lu Yuchi and Lu Yanxi waited eagerly as their mother divided the last bit of dessert.

“The ice is melting—do either of you still want snow cream?”

“I—I want snow cream!” Lu Yanxi clapped his tiny hands eagerly.

In his heart, nothing in the world could match the taste of snow cream—the soft, glutinous texture infused with a faint milky fragrance, sweeter even than the honey he’d ever eaten!

“But what if your sister wants some?”

At that moment, Lu Beigu, who had been packing, walked over and interjected.

Lu Yanxi fell silent.

He swallowed hard, then whispered, “Then I’ll let her have it.”

Pei Yan couldn’t help smiling, lifted the rope from the well, and retrieved the two remaining pieces of snow cream stored inside.

“Here—one each. No fighting, understood?”

“Understood!”

Lu Yanxi answered loudly, his small hands already reaching for the bowl.

The snow cream glistened in the sunlight; he carefully licked it, then closed his eyes in bliss.

Lu Beigu smiled at the scene, then turned back to packing, carefully wrapping the two notebook-style books, the Chunqiu Jizhuan Zuanyi, and his handwritten half-volume of Guliang Buzhu, placing them at the very bottom of his satchel.

To him, these books were his most precious personal possessions.

He didn’t know the names of the previous scholars who had written the notebook annotations, but they had undeniably helped him greatly; though Tang Dynasty imperial examinations differed greatly from today’s, the Five Classics Orthodoxy remained the authoritative reference, and diligent study was always right.

“It’s a pity these books are so old—if I get the chance, I should buy some Confucian texts by the ‘Three Masters of Early Song.’”

Lu Beigu, isolated in this remote region, didn’t know which of these three pioneering Confucians had passed away and which still lived—even if alive, he had no chance to consult them in person.

But he was certain their scholarship was most aligned with the current imperial examination standards.

Thus, studying only the Tang-era interpretations of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites, while useful for returning to the original sources, was still somewhat outdated.

But all that was for the future—his current books were sufficient to prepare for the county examination.

Then Lu Beigu pulled half a jiaozi note from deep within his satchel and handed it to Pei Yan.

“Leave ten guan at home—renting a house and transferring our household registration isn’t urgent; we can handle it after returning from Chengdu.”

Pei Yan didn’t take it, only saying, “Renting a house will cost five guan, and when traveling, it’s better not to rely on the County Magistrate’s funds—spend your own if you can. Take more.”

After thinking, Lu Beigu put three jiaozi notes into his satchel and left one for Pei Yan.

“Then leave five guan at home—I’ll take fifteen. Do we have any spare coins?”

“Yes,” Pei Yan nodded. “We have copper and iron coins—enough scattered change to get by.”

“Uncle Lu, are you leaving?”

Lu Yuchi, having finished her dessert, suddenly ran over and looked up at him.

Lu Beigu knelt down to meet her gaze. “Yes, Uncle Lu is returning to county school.”

“Then when will you come back?”

The girl’s eyes were reddening; it was clear she didn’t want him to go.

“I’ll be back in two months,” Lu Beigu ruffled her hair. “When I pass the imperial examination, I’ll take you and Yanxi to Kaifeng to see the Daxiangguo Temple—how’s that?”

Lu Yuchi nodded vigorously, then pulled from her robe a small pouch embroidered with a crooked peach blossom pattern: “Here! I picked these pretty little stones with my brother—we put them inside to bless your exam!”

The stitching was crude, yet it warmed Lu Beigu’s heart.

He fastened it solemnly around his waist; just then, a breeze stirred, and several petals fell from the old peach tree in the courtyard—one landing precisely on the pouch, complementing the clumsy embroidered blossom.

After chopping several more piles of firewood, Lu Beigu washed the wood shavings and dust from his hands and was finally ready to depart.

From Gulin Town, taking the Anle Creek waterway downstream would get him to Hejiang County in half a day—much easier than the return journey.

At that moment, Doufu, having just returned from fighting with the neighbor’s cat, dropped a small fish beside Lu Beigu’s luggage, then sat nearby, tail curled elegantly around his paws, amber eyes fixed unwaveringly on him.

“A farewell gift?”

Lu Beigu chuckled, gently scratching under the cat’s chin.

The white cat closed its eyes in delight, purring softly.

High noon arrived; though Lu Yuchi, still growing, usually napped at this hour, she stayed awake to wait for Lu Beigu, nodding off despite herself, her head bobbing like a sleepy sparrow, while Lu Yanxi slept soundly on her lap.

Seeing Lu Beigu step out, Lu Yuchi snapped awake, stood, and held her brother’s hand as they walked their uncle to the door.

“I’ll see you to the ferry.”

Pei Yan returned from the house carrying a blue cloth bundle, her voice soft.

“All right.”

Qingming in Gulin Town was quiet and serene; dew still clung to some of the cobblestones.

At the dock, several passenger boats were moored; farther off, a few men panned for gold.

“Stop here.”

Lu Beigu took the bundle—it felt heavy in his hands.

“It’s getting hot—besides your short tunic and undergarments, there are several pairs of hemp socks. School isn’t like home—remember to wash and change often.”

Her fingers brushed the bundle, then added, “I sewed eighteen copper coins into the lining—for emergencies.”

Pei Yan looked up at Lu Beigu; her cheeks had grown thin.

“We can’t sell the ancestral home—our ancestors’ graves are here. If things go well for you, once you rent a house, we’ll move to Hejiang County. I might find work there too, save enough to send Yuchi to a private school so she learns to read—so she won’t be looked down on by her future in-laws.”

Pei Yan smoothed his collar. “I’ll manage everything at home. Don’t worry.”

Lu Beigu opened his mouth as if to speak, but finally only nodded.

As the passenger boat pushed off, Lu Beigu stood at the stern, watching the figure at the dock shrink until it vanished.

The mist gradually lifted; sunlight spilled across the water, shattering into countless golden sparks.

He pulled out the peach-blossom pouch at his waist, held it gently in his palm, then took a deep breath and turned toward the rushing current.

Ahead lay Hejiang County, Luzhou, and a wider world.

The river surged, carrying a small boat—and the heavy hopes of his family—toward the rising sun.

Gazing at the distant sky, Lu Beigu’s eyes were unwavering.

“A youth must vow to reach the clouds, determined to become the finest in the land!”

(End of Chapter)