Jiang Wenyuan smoothly completed the exam paper with the help of the Duke of Protector's Mansion.
Among the candidates in the same major, two lacked the psychological composure. One fainted at the first sight of the imperial majesty, while the other spilled the inkstone.
Losing manners in front of His Majesty resulted in them being dragged out immediately. They were then barred from the bureaucracy for life, which was truly regrettable.
After the palace examination ended, the papers were reviewed the next day and the results posted the day after. Jiang Wenyuan’s name was highlighted in red as the Third-place winner in imperial examination.
This was followed by the street parade on horseback.
The new top scholar was a middle-aged man over forty. The second place was also over thirty.
By contrast, Jiang Wenyuan, the Third-place winner in imperial examination, was naturally handsome and in the prime of his youth. As expected, countless young ladies and married women rushed to pursue him.
Flower petals and sachets flew towards him like snowflakes.
Jiang Wenyuan remembered his dear mother who was still waiting for him at home. Naturally he refused to indulge in these distractions.
As a result, he fled rather awkwardly, much to the amusement of the top two scholars.
After the imperial drinking party, official appointments were assigned.
According to the regulations, the top three in the highest category could remain in the capital as Imperial Academy. The top scholar was assigned as Compiler at Imperial Academy, 6th rank.
The second and third place were assigned as Compilers, 6th rank.
Jiang's family did not have connections in the capital. Entering the Imperial Academy meant slowly rising through the ranks, with no telling how long that would take.
Moreover, the top three scholars were selected every three years. Before one could rise in ranks, the new batch would come in.
Hadn't one seen how many previous top scholars later faded into obscurity despite their momentary glory?
It would be better to be assigned to a local post, where one might still build a career.
When the Duke of Protector's Mansion learned of his intent, they made no comment for or against it.
Within two days, he was granted an official appointment.
Looking at his assignment after the initial shock, Jiang Wenyuan burst out laughing like a silly three-year-old.
He was to take up the post of county magistrate in his hometown of Qingzhou County! This must be the result of the arrangements by the Duke of Protector's Mansion.
His servant A Ping nearly twisted his mouth laughing, muttering that the ginseng was well worth it after all.
Jiang agreed with this sentiment.
Otherwise, with just the gratitude for previous assistance, the mansion had already sent over boxes of gifts. How could there be more that followed?
He had to thank his darling daughter for bringing over those wonderful gifts.
After receiving his appointment decree, Jiang Wenyuan sent over a notice to the Duke of Protector’s Mansion to express his thanks in person.
He then purchased local specialties and curios from the capital to bid farewell to classmates and fellow townsmen.
On a fine sunny day, he left the capital and rushed straight towards Qingzhou, traveling nearly two hundred miles in one day. He was indeed buoyed by the tailwind of spring.
The new graduates had one to three months to return home and visit parents. This was the so-called “returning home in splendor”.
However, due to poor transport and long distances, many could not make it back to their hometowns. They had to depart straight from the capital to their new posts.
Jiang Wenyuan's assigned date to take up post was May 28th.
Strictly speaking, time was very tight.
For other places, he definitely could not make it home. Fortunately for him, his new assignment was in his hometown.
Qingzhou, Xijin ferry.
April 28th. A rare clear day without rain.
Early morning, the magpies in the big tree outside Lu's window broke into song.
Jiang Yuqing looked at the few birds on the tree, none of which she recognized. She asked them, "Do you know Xi Xi?"
The birds looked at each other for a while before replying, "Little human child, are you talking to us?"
"Yes! Have you seen Xi Xi? Xi Xi is also a magpie. She has some black feathers on her head."
"Oh, it's her! She's a mother now, busy feeding her babies."
Delighted by the good news, the little dumpling happily gave the birds a cup of spring water and some millet seeds from her spiritual space to entertain her new friends.
After breakfast, Jiang Yuqing merrily followed Old Lady Hu to the backyard vegetable garden to set up trellises for the cucumber and beans.
Since learning to walk, aside from reading and spending time with her elders, her favorite activity was coming to the vegetable garden to see her vegetables.
It was late spring. There weren't many vegetables ready for harvest in the garden yet. Most were newly transplanted seedlings like chili peppers, eggplants, beans and cucumbers.
The perimeter of rose bushes along the walls were blooming, clusters of pink, white and deep red covering the entire wall, their fragrance filling the air beautifully even if not in full bloom yet.
When Jiang Yuqing and her grandmother arrived, Lin and Lu were already weeding and had finished a small patch.
Due to days of rain, the weeds had grown even taller than the vegetables.
Old Lady Hu brought over a bundle of thin bamboo poles over ten feet tall. One pole was inserted per cucumber seedling, with four poles forming a trellis tied together at the top with strips of rag.
Jiang Yuqing enthusiastically volunteered to help, but her short arms and legs were more hindrance than help despite bustling around busily for a while.
The elders teased her for a bit before she sadly abandoned the arduous task for the time being. She suddenly remembered her purpose for coming to the backyard today.
A few days ago, she had found a sack of fresh sweet potatoes in the storeroom on the second floor of the hospital.
She didn't know if a patient's family had gifted them or if the cleaner brought them from her hometown.
Anyway, they were hers to enjoy now.
From her observations over the past days, agricultural output in this fantasy ancient Da Xia dynasty was extremely low.
Even the finest farmland painstakingly tended could only yield 200-300 catties of grains per mu annually.
After paying the grain tax, what was left to mill into coarse grains could barely feed a family.
That was in a good year with ideal weather. In a bad harvest, starving people selling their children was commonplace.
Sweet potatoes were also called yams, or red/purple potatoes in some northern regions, and red shao in parts of southwest.
This crop once played an extremely important role in Chinese history.
Its high yields sustained countless lives until modern times when it remained one of the staple crops.
In her previous life, the backyard of the welfare home that raised her was planted with sweet potatoes every year by the matron.
Harvest time was the happiest time for the children.
If she could promote its cultivation in this world, it wouldn't be in vain to relive this dynasty.
Finding a patch of soil not planted yet, she dumped out the sack of yams and called out loudly to Lu, "Mom, plant yam yams!"
Seeing the pile of red roundish tubers of various sizes suddenly appear out of nowhere, Lu knew they must be another item from her daughter's "fairyland".
Curiously picking one up, she asked, "Sweetie, what is this?"
"Sweet potato. Yam yams, plant many many. Tum tum, not hungry!" Her enunciation was clearer after turning one.
Of course she was still limited to three syllables. More would tie her tongue in knots.
"Sweetie, you mean this thing called sweet potato will bear a lot of fruit?"
"Yes yes! Many many, very many!" She gestured a big round with her hands to convince the adults. "Sweet!"
The elders laughed affectionately at the cute gestures.
Lu kissed her chubby cheeks and indulged, "Alright, plant yam yams to feed our sweetie."
Anything the precious girl brought from "fairyland" surely wouldn't be wrong. May as well plant them.
The two aunties swiftly prepared the plot and planted the sweet potatoes as Jiang Yuqing instructed.
The yams didn't look like much, only filling up half the plot.
No worries. Once the sprouts grew, they could be propagated by cutting and replanting the vines.
This crop was hardy, not picky about soil, and could be planted anywhere.
With a little management, yields of 4,000-5,000 catties per mu would be no problem.
In China, average yields reached 7,000-8,000 catties, and some well-managed plots exceeded 10,000 catties.
After planting the sweet potatoes, Old Lady Hu also finished setting up most of the bamboo trellises for the cucumbers.
They were still busy when suddenly the sound of suona horns and drums rang out, approaching from the distance. After exchanging looks, the women dropped their work and ran towards the front yard.
The little dumpling was left standing alone in the vegetable patch, tufts of grass poking out of her hair and a plump green inchworm still wriggling in her hand.
Staring after her departing mother, grandmothers and aunties, she sank into deep suspicion and self-doubt.
Did you forget something?
What about the once in two hundred years promise?
That's it?
So is love fleeting after all?
Jiang Yuqing sighed and shook her head.
Putting the fat green caterpillar into his pocket, he walked carefully to the edge of the ground. He rubbed his shoes on the edge of the green bricks, scraping off the mud from the soles, before slowly ambling towards the front yard.
When he got to the front yard, he happened to hear someone singing in a loud voice: "Congratulations - Qingzhou County Jiang Wenyuan , Jiang Old Master, has come third in the imperial examinations." The song was repeated twice.
Oh, so my father came third in the examinations.
Came third.
Third place?
Ah - my father came third in the examinations! You not only have to be very learned but also look good to come third.
In other words, coming third means you're the best of the best!
Father is the mightiest third placer! That makes me the daughter of the mightiest third placer.
In other words, I'm the mightiest daughter!
Milk dumpling [term of endearment for a young girl] was already mad with joy. So mad that she started calling herself all sorts of ridiculous yet highly amusing titles.
She looked just like those celebrity-obsessed teenage girls in her past life.
Her mother, Lu, was already weeping for joy. She hugged Milk Dumpling and cried, "Daughter, did you hear that? Your father came third in the examinations. He's a third placer!"
Milk Dumpling's grandma also cried, "My son has made something of himself. He's a third placer. I'm the mother of a third placer!"
Then, her grandfather, her uncles and aunts, her brothers who had rushed home from school, her paternal grandparents, her maternal grandparents, her uncles...were all overjoyed....
After Lu had seen off the messenger bearing the good news and the neighbors who had come to join in the excitement, she calmed down and remembered that she had let her precious daughter run off to the vegetable garden at the back.
Alarmed, she hurriedly turned around to look for her, and as soon as she did so she saw her darling daughter sitting in a corner with a dazed look on her face and green juice smeared all around her mouth.
Little Milk Dumpling looked up at her innocently, with half a fat wriggling caterpillar still hanging from the corner of her mouth.
Could she say this was a misunderstanding?
She had been watching the excitement with gusto and had habitually taken a bite from the winter melon snack she kept in her pocket. Only after biting down did she realise it didn't taste right - she had forgotten that she had also put the vegetable caterpillars in her pocket earlier.
These creatures were high in protein, so other than the taste there was no harm in eating them.
Moreover, she had already bitten halfway through, so spitting it out now as if she was afraid would be too pretentious. She might as well just finish eating it.
And so Lu watched helplessly as her cute, adorable, soft and chubby darling daughter stuck out her little tongue and rolled the rest of the caterpillar into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it down.
