I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 8: Don’t Compare Answers After the Exam

Madam lay lazily on the low couch, flipping through a few exam papers that Steward Wu had brought in.

Steward Wu lowered his head and reported, "As per Madam's instructions, all Zhao family's servants aged sixteen to eighteen from around Jingzhou City have been gathered. There are a total of forty-seven people."

"After Mr. Shen's selection, these five test papers belong to the ones with better answers."

The person on the couch didn’t respond, only the sound of turning paper filled the room.

After a long pause—

Clink~

The sound of a tap echoed again.

Steward Wu immediately said, "One of them, named Zheng Fa, is the one Mr. Shen believes has the most potential."

"I’ve checked—Zheng Fa only attended elementary studies for a year, so he doesn’t recognize many characters. Although his paper is filled with errors, he managed to remember about ninety percent, more than double the others."

Madam sat up, placed the papers to the side, and finally spoke:

"So, you think Zheng Fa is the best?"

Her voice was even more clear and pleasant than the sound of the gold hairpin striking the jade ring.

"My humble opinion is limited to what I can see," Steward Wu bowed and replied, "Compared to others, he has his shortcomings. The other candidates have more knowledge, some have even achieved academic success. As for Zheng Fa, he may have a slight edge in talent, but he still needs refinement; he’s not quite ready for use."

The shadow behind the curtain nodded, seemingly agreeing with his reasoning.

After a while, she let out a soft laugh, "This neatest handwriting—was it from Gao Yuan, aside from Zheng Fa? I remember him being the son of Steward Gao from the Second Branch?"

"Madam sees clearly!"

A cold sweat broke out down Steward Wu’s spine.

"Very well, these three." Madam selected Zheng Fa’s paper and two others, handing them to a maid nearby, "Send them to Xu Zheng to review."

"Understood!"

Steward Wu accepted the papers from the maid, lowered his head, and slowly exited the small building. Although a warm breeze blew outside, a chill crept over him. ŖᴀＮＯBËṩ

Though Madam rarely involved herself in matters, usually reclining all day and speaking only when necessary, she was keenly aware of everything. Just one remark from her left him trembling. Steward Gao of the Second Branch and he had long-standing issues, yet few knew of it. Even after all these years, he’d spoken up for Zheng Fa partly to edge out Steward Gao, thinking it subtle and unnoticed.

Madam…

Steward Wu shook his head, realizing that as she still entrusted him with tasks, he hadn’t completely lost her confidence.

---

In the waterside pavilion, the young men gradually began to chat with each other.

Being in the Zhao family’s courtyard, they dared not roam freely, but their youthful impatience made waiting difficult.

Initially, they were wary of Mr. Shen and Steward Wu, but seeing Steward Wu leave and then Mr. Shen ambling away, they felt less restrained and gathered around, chatting about the test one by one.

As the test mostly involved copying, everyone had a sense of their own performance.

When they handed in their papers, they could tell who had the best chance.

At that moment, half of them were gathered around a youth wearing a scholar’s headscarf.

"Brother Gao, I’m sure the position of study attendant is already in your hands," a young scholar said with slight reluctance, cupping his hands respectfully.

"You can’t say that for sure." Gao Yuan quickly shook his head, but couldn’t fully hide the grin on his face, "Chen, your talent is no less than mine; are you trying to flatter me?"

Chen, the scholar, shook his head, "I spend all my time reading the Confucian classics. I’ve never studied Daoist texts before, so The Classic of Purity and Tranquility sounded overly difficult to me. In this regard, I’m not as proficient as you."

Hearing his sincere admission, Gao Yuan wasn’t sure how to modestly respond.

After all, he himself felt he was likely the best among them.

The other young men also noticed his confidence. Seeing Chen, one of their strongest, concede only reinforced their belief that Gao Yuan had the best chance.

Zheng Fa observed the group. Though none were over eighteen, they were clearly more mature than teenagers in another world.

They surrounded Gao Yuan, a bit clumsily flattering him. It didn’t take long before they stopped viewing each other as rivals—or rather, they swiftly came to terms with their standings and adjusted their attitudes accordingly.

They were remarkably adaptable.

"When this is over, let’s go to the Juxing Tower to celebrate for Young Master Gao!"

Some even started addressing him as “young master.”

"Yes, we’re all in this together; it’s fate."

"Count me in!"

Huang Yu, initially joining in with the flattery, soon slipped away and walked to Zheng Fa’s side, looking enviously at the crowd surrounding Gao Yuan.

Zheng Fa glanced at him with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Huang Yu’s face turned red with embarrassment and reluctance, "They’re going to drink at Juxing Tower… Gao Yuan isn’t paying; they’re all chipping in. I—my family has money… but I didn’t bring any."

Got it.

Even flattery requires a certain threshold.

Zheng Fa nodded and naturally replied, "Well, I can’t go either; my family doesn’t have money, so I wouldn’t even be able to bring any."

Huang Yu looked at Zheng Fa, then at the others who didn’t seem to notice him.

Earlier, he thought Zheng Fa was a bit too aloof. But now, in contrast, he found Zheng Fa’s presence quite comforting and grew a bit closer to him.

"How’d you do on the test?" Huang Yu immediately regretted asking.

Zheng Fa shook his head without answering.

He held a personal rule: never compare answers after a test—something he saw as a pointless yet high-stakes gamble.

Seeing him remain silent, Huang Yu assumed he understood Zheng Fa’s sentiment.

After studying for five years, he himself only managed to complete about ten percent.

Naturally, Zheng Fa likely fared worse.

It made sense he didn’t want to discuss it.

"No worries, I didn’t do well either!" Huang Yu slapped Zheng Fa’s shoulder in genuine encouragement, "I might’ve done a bit better, but just a bit! Not that it matters, we definitely didn’t get chosen!"

Then he leaned close to Zheng Fa’s ear and whispered, "I’ve already figured it out. Gao only has an edge because his family’s a bit wealthier. If you had his resources, you’d do just as well!"

Watching Huang Yu’s envious expression, Zheng Fa mentally rephrased his last line, swapping all mentions of “you” for “I,” realizing his true intention.

As the two chatted, Zheng Fa suddenly noticed a few youths near the window sitting up straight, evoking a sense of “the teacher is here.”

Sure enough, Steward Wu approached the pavilion.

Beside him, Huang Yu enthusiastically proposed, "If we’re dismissed after this, why don’t you come over to my house today?"

Before he could finish, Steward Wu entered the room.

"These three, come with me. The rest of you may leave." He held three papers in his hand.

"Gao Yuan."

"Han Cheng."

Then, after a brief pause, he called the last name: "Zheng Fa."

Huang Yu turned, staring at Zheng Fa in shock.

Standing up, Zheng Fa responded to Huang Yu’s earlier invitation with a hint of sincere apology, "I probably won’t have time today; shall we reschedule?"

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