Chapter 12

“Song Sheng? It really is you! School hasn’t even started yet and you’re already here to buy books?” The tone was rising, sounding less like a friendly greeting between classmates and more like mockery.

By coincidence, Song Sheng had come into town to sell a few books and happened to run into several classmates from the county school.

These people were He Rong, son of Master He from the county; Chen Yan, son of Master Chen; and their follower Li Hongyun from Gaojia Village.

The one who had just spoken was He Rong.

Chen Yan added: “Buying books? You must be here for storybooks, right?”

Li Hongyun sneered: “Brother, that’s not right. He’s such a pauper, how could he afford storybooks? If he can buy a few sheets of paper, that’s already good enough.”

The three mocked Song Sheng in chorus.

The original owner had a very strong sense of pride. At school he was solitary, rarely interacting with others, and hated being looked down upon.

In the original story, every time he came home from school he would vent his anger on Lu Qing, often beating him. Much of this was because he was bullied at school and took it out at home.

Most students at the county school came from well‑off families. To attend, one needed either wealth or genuine talent.

Since the county school was far from the villages, daily commuting was inconvenient. Most village scholars rented rooms in town to study.

Song Sheng did not. His family was poor, and supporting his studies was already a struggle. They had no spare money to rent a room in town.

Families who could afford education usually could also afford lodging. So in his class, most students either lived in town or rented rooms there. Few, like Song Sheng, traveled twenty li every day to and from school.

Because of this, wealthy classmates often mocked him openly.

Over time, the original owner grew more withdrawn and eccentric. At home, even small displeasures led to smashing things or scolding others. Eventually, he even developed a drinking habit.

From memory, Song Sheng could feel the original owner’s dislike for these classmates. By chance, on his first trip into town since arriving, he ran into them.

Song Sheng did not want to engage. He pulled Lu Qing to go around them, but they deliberately blocked his way.

“Where are you going? It’s just about noon. Why not join us for a meal?” He Rong said.

But his words did not mean a friendly invitation. He meant that Song Sheng should pay for their meal.

Song Sheng ignored him and said coldly: “Move aside.”

Lu Qing clutched his sleeve tightly, hiding his small head behind Song Sheng. The men across looked fierce, and he was frightened.

He Rong was surprised. Normally Song Sheng was like a closed gourd, never daring to talk back no matter how much he was bullied. Why was he showing backbone today?

“Heh, what’s this? Our faces aren’t worthy enough? Brother Song won’t even give us the honor of joining us?”

“No. I fear my clothes today might dirty your seats. I have business to attend to, so I cannot accompany you.”

Unexpectedly, after just one farming break, Song Sheng had become far more articulate, even daring to retort. This shocked the three.

He Rong glanced at Lu Qing and said: “Song Sheng, weren’t you the one who hated ge’er the most? Whose little husband is this, that you’re so close with?”

He Rong and Chen Yan, living in the county, did not know that during the farming break Song Sheng had married, and married a young husband.

Li Hongyun, however, knew a little. He was from Gaojia Village, not far from Li Family Village, and had heard about Song Sheng’s marriage. 

Although Li Hongyun’s family was poor, he followed He Rong and Chen Yan around every day, so his life was much easier. Seeing that He Rong and Chen Yan wanted to mock Song Sheng, he bluntly said: “Song Sheng, so this is your newly married little husband, huh? He looks decent enough, more than good enough for a pauper like you, hahaha!” 

Lu Qing was furious. These were supposed to be scholars, yet they spoke this way about his husband. 

Summoning courage, he stepped forward, frowned, and said fiercely: “You are not allowed to speak about my husband like that!” 

Lu Qing’s cute appearance made his harsh words less intimidating. 

He Rong laughed as if watching a joke: “Tsk tsk, look, we haven’t even said much and he’s already protecting him.” 

“This gē ér, you probably don’t know. Our Song Langjun usually despises gē ér the most. If you don’t believe me, ask him.” 

Song Sheng’s heart trembled. The original owner had indeed looked down on gē ér, ignoring them even when passing by in the village. 

But he was different. He would treat Lu Qing with care, and none of the unpleasant things from the book would happen. 

Still, hearing others say such things worried him, afraid Lu Qing would feel hurt. 

Song Sheng quietly squeezed Lu Qing’s hand, ready to explain, but Lu Qing spoke first: “I know what kind of person my husband is. You don’t need to waste your breath! Instead of gossiping, you should read more books and learn some manners!” 

Song Sheng was stunned. His little husband was usually tongue‑tied, but for his sake he was now talking back. Not only did Lu Qing trust him, he defended him, filling Song Sheng’s heart with warmth. 

After speaking, Lu Qing’s cheeks puffed with anger, his ears turned red. Song Sheng found it unexpectedly adorable. Leaning close, he whispered with a smile: “My husband is amazing.” 

Lu Qing’s face flushed instantly. Embarrassed, he stammered: “Hu... husband!” 

Hearing a gē ér dare to accuse him of lacking manners, He Rong’s calm expression cracked. 

The Jing Dynasty had only been founded for a few decades, but etiquette was highly valued. Being told by a gē ér that he lacked propriety was both a loss of face and dignity. 

Looking up, he saw the pair ignoring him, openly showing affection. He Rong grew angrier. But since they were on a busy street and his family lived in the county, he feared being recognized. If word reached his father, his allowance would be cut again. So he held back his temper. 

He Rong had a bad temper, and Li Hongyun, as his follower, often suffered from it. 

Afraid He Rong would vent on him later, Li Hongyun quickly said: “Lu Qing, what nonsense! Don’t think I don’t know who you are. Aren’t you that little jinx from Upper West Village? How dare you talk about manners? You and Song Sheng are just a broken pot with a broken lid, destined to be poor forever!” 

Hearing Li Hongyun call Lu Qing a “little jinx,” Song Sheng grew angrier than when they mocked him. 

He said coldly: “Li Hongyun, you’ve gone too far!” 

Finally seeing anger on Song Sheng’s face, He Rong felt satisfied. He thought Li Hongyun knew quite a lot and decided to reward him with a chicken leg next time they ate together. 

He Rong said: “Too far? Where? I don’t think so. Chen Yan, do you think it’s too far?” 

Chen Yan replied: “Not at all.” 

Encouraged, Li Hongyun grew bolder: “Song Sheng, you should just go back to farming. Why study? People called you a prodigy, and you actually believed it? Now you’re just like us, stuck in school. Oh, I forgot, you’ve already failed three times. Still not a licentiate? Soon there will be the monthly exam after school starts. Let’s see how well the prodigy does!” 

Li Hongyun was eighteen, but only passed the child‑student exam at sixteen. His test scores at school were much better than the original owner’s, giving him confidence to mock. 

He Rong and Chen Yan laughed loudly at his taunts. 

Song Sheng frowned. He remembered Li Hongyun’s grades were above average, while the original owner’s last test before the farming break ranked dozens of places lower. 

No wonder Li Hongyun felt confident. 

“Then let’s compete. We’ll see who scores better in the monthly exam,” Song Sheng said. 

Young scholars were competitive, and Li Hongyun, convinced he was far superior, immediately agreed: “Fine! But don’t cry when you lose.” 

For the past two years, Song Sheng’s exam results at the county school had never once surpassed Li Hongyun’s. This made Li Hongyun proud and very confident.

Beside them, He Rong and Chen Yan did not join in the talk about grades. As mentioned earlier, students at the county school fell into two categories: those with money and those with genuine talent. He Rong and Chen Yan belonged to the former.

Their families were wealthy, but their grades were very poor. Their parents sent them to study at the school in hopes they would improve. Unfortunately, both were idlers, hopeless at learning but first‑rate at causing trouble.

Chen Yan said: “Since we’re going to compete on grades, there should be a wager, right?”

He Rong perked up at the idea and said: “Chen Yan is right! I think the wager should be this: Song Sheng, if your grades are worse than Li Hongyun’s, you must quit the school and hurry back to farming. How about it?”

His words carried clear contempt. Song Sheng looked at him calmly and replied: “Fine. But if Li Hongyun’s grades are worse than mine, then what?”

“Then of course he quits school,” He Rong said.

Hearing this, Li Hongyun grew nervous and looked at He Rong. He Rong patted his shoulder and said: “What’s wrong? Afraid to bet? Do you lack confidence, or are you scared of him?”

“Of course not! How could I be afraid of him? Let’s bet. Who’s afraid of who!”

Spurred on by those words, Li Hongyun agreed immediately.

He was certain he would not lose. Song Sheng challenging him to a contest of grades was laughable. Did Song Sheng still think he was the ten‑year‑old prodigy who never forgot anything? This time victory was guaranteed. Song Sheng would be forced to leave school.

Since the wager was set, there was no point in talking further. The three turned and headed toward a restaurant in town.

Song Sheng and Lu Qing were also preparing to eat. If not for He Rong’s interruption, they would have already finished their meal by now.

“Let’s go, let’s eat,” Song Sheng said.

He naturally took Lu Qing’s hand and headed toward the bone‑broth noodle shop.

The bookshop’s shopkeeper was still at the counter by the door, calculating accounts. He had overheard everything that had just happened at the entrance. At this moment, he shook his head helplessly and sighed: “Still too young and hot‑blooded!”