Wen Qing was strolling through the garden with Yuan Hao, casually chatting. Although their personalities matched well, Wen Qing couldn’t shake off those strange dreams. In those dreams, Yuan Hao seemed to be the only one different.

He abruptly asked, “Yuan brother, you’re quite talented. How many times have you taken the academy exam?”

Without thinking, Yuan Hao answered, “The tenth time.”

Wen Qing stopped in his tracks, looking at Yuan Hao in shock. They were about the same age, how could it be the tenth time? Was his question too rude, and Yuan Hao just gave a random answer?

Wen Qing hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly said, “Yuan brother… slow and steady wins the race.”

He wanted to move past this topic, but Yuan Hao immediately changed his answer, saying, “The third time.”

Three times? If it was three times, it matched the dreams. Wen Qing nodded, wondering if Yuan Hao really took the exam three times or, like himself, had taken it twice in dreams. But since they had just met, asking such a strange question was too abrupt. It was better to think it over later.

Finally, there was some clarity, and Wen Qing felt relieved. He cupped his hands and said, “I haven’t studied much. Since we’re classmates, I hope to learn a lot from you in the future. Please don’t mind.”

But Yuan Hao didn’t respond, instead he changed his answer again, “The first time.”

Wen Qing’s eyes widened in shock and anger. He was sure Yuan Hao was teasing him on purpose. But since he was the one who was abrupt first, he couldn’t blame him.

Feeling a bit sullen, Wen Qing repeated his polite words about learning from him.

After this round of exchange, Wen Qing lost interest in chatting. Conveniently, they arrived at the study, and he remembered the article he wanted the teacher to review was still unorganized on the desk.

It wasn’t appropriate to let the guest dine alone, so Wen Qing invited Yuan Hao to sit and have some tea and snacks while he organized the manuscript. After that, he would accompany him to the front courtyard.

Yuan Hao seemed oblivious to their earlier friction and was very interested in the snacks, eagerly asking about each one.

Wen Qing, being good-natured and the host, naturally answered everything with enthusiasm.

“What’s the first plate?”

“Horseshoe cake. Our new cook is great at making horseshoe cake, especially paired with tea.”

“And the second plate?”

“Osmanthus cake. There’s an old osmanthus tree in the backyard. Now that it’s blooming, the servants like to pick some for making cakes. Dried petals also make great sachets.”

“And the third plate?”

“Poria cake, which calms the mind. My mother often encourages me to eat some. If you like it, feel free to take a box when you leave.”

After asking these, Yuan Hao fell silent, leaving only the sound of pages turning and cake being chewed in the room.

Wen Qing secretly laughed at Yuan Hao’s childlike nature, lowering his guard a bit more.

When he came out with the manuscript and invited Yuan Hao to the front hall for the banquet, he couldn’t help but glance at the table. He expected a mess, but only the osmanthus cake was touched, and just one piece at that. The table was spotless, indicating Yuan Hao had very elegant manners.

Thinking about how he had secretly mocked him earlier, Wen Qing felt a bit ashamed. Reflecting on himself, he felt even more embarrassed. With a sense of making amends, he not only took great care of Yuan Hao during the feast but also specially prepared a box of snacks for him when he left.

Yuan Hao was delighted to receive the box, accepting it without hesitation, which made Wen Qing even more fond of him.

This good mood lasted until he saw his mother’s pale face, which instantly cooled down.

“Mother, are you alright?! I noticed you didn’t look well yesterday. Did you not take your medicine on time?”

Madam Wen coughed lightly into her handkerchief, forcing a smile, “I’m taking it. It’s an old ailment, don’t worry.”

“Then the medicine isn’t effective. We should get some fresh ones. I’ll go to the pharmacy now.” Wen Qing rushed out, ignoring Madam Wen’s attempts to stop him.

He hurried to the pharmacy, arriving out of breath. Seeing a familiar face, the young clerk quickly went to fetch the person in charge.

The door curtain lifted, revealing a delicate face that softened upon seeing Wen Qing, “Young Master Wen?”

“Miss Yun,” Wen Qing nodded in greeting, “I’m here to ask if there’s any fresh stock of the herb my mother regularly takes?”

Yun Ling, the pharmacist’s daughter, shook her head, explaining, “That herb is hard to find. The mountain girls who usually sell it haven’t come for a while.”

Wen Qing frowned, his worry unabated.

Yun Ling offered comfort, “But yesterday, a gentleman came asking about herb prices. Though he only mentioned common ones, he seemed interested in selling herbs regularly. I’ll inquire next time he comes, and won’t let Madam Wen run out of medicine.”

“That’s all we can do,” Wen Qing forced a smile, “Thank you for your trouble.”

“You’re welcome, Young Master Wen,” Yun Ling replied softly.

Though he didn’t gain anything, he couldn’t trouble her for nothing. Wen Qing took a thin booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Yun Ling, “I found this in the library. No one at home knows medicine, so it’s perfect for you.”

“This, this is too much…” Yun Ling looked excited but hesitated out of modesty.

Wen Qing placed the booklet on the counter, “Take it. I’m counting on you to become the best doctor and ensure my mother’s long life.”

Yun Ling held the booklet with both hands, suppressing her excitement, “Thank you, Brother Wen~”

Wen Qing smiled and nodded, “I’ll leave you to your work.”

“Alright, take care, Brother Wen.” Yun Ling saw him to the door.

“Take care, Young Master Wen~” said the clerk watching the scene.

The clerk mimicked Yun Ling, pinching his voice, “Brother~ Wen~ take~ care~”

“Li San! Are you looking for a beating?!” Yun Ling dropped her gentle demeanor, picking up a medicine box to throw at the clerk.

Apparently used to being hit, the clerk yelped and dodged, laughing and pleading, “Don’t hit, don’t hit, your Brother Wen might see… Hey! Not the head!”

After leaving the pharmacy, Wen Qing didn’t head home but wandered the streets to clear his mood.

The street vendors had set up their stalls, energetically shouting,

“Sweet rice balls, ten coins a bowl~”

“Spring noodles, fresh out of the pot!”

“Freshly roasted duck, half a duck for sale~”

…

Out of habit, Wen Qing found himself at the bookstore entrance. The bookstore wasn’t as quiet as usual, with people gathered discussing something.

At the center, the bookstore owner was awkwardly explaining to the crowd, “This really is Scholar Yuan’s handwriting. A top scholar, I wouldn’t dare fake it… Besides, if I were to fake it, I’d find someone with neat handwriting.”

Wen Qing peered inside and saw the book in the center, laughing out loud. The reason? The handwriting was atrocious, wobbly and shaky, like an old man drawing with a cane.

The bookstore owner heard the laughter and, seeing it was Wen Qing, looked as if he’d seen a savior, “Young Master Wen, come over here.”

The owner stood next to Wen Qing, “Didn’t you invite Scholar Yuan to your banquet the other day? Tell everyone, is this Scholar Yuan’s handwriting?”

“I did invite Yuan brother yesterday, but… I haven’t seen his calligraphy.”

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,” the crowd burst into laughter, not believing the owner’s words, leaving him red-faced and dispersing.

At this point, the owner started to doubt himself, asking Wen Qing if the person he saw yesterday was really Yuan Hao.

The owner angrily described, “A young man, tall and handsome, dressed in rags, loves to chatter, asked around but bought nothing, claimed to be the top scholar, and wanted to sell his book here. I went to see the results the day before yesterday, thought he looked familiar, shouldn’t be wrong, so I said no commission, I’d promote it for free, we chatted well. But when I opened the book, look at this… it’s worse than my writing!”

“Hahahahahahahahahaha,” Wen Qing couldn’t stop laughing, thinking to himself, he did say he took the exam ten times and failed every time, with this terrible handwriting, it makes sense.

“Oh dear, please… give me some advice.” The owner helplessly spread his hands.

“Hahaha, cough, hearing you say that, I also think it’s probably Scholar Yuan.”

The owner stood there, mouth agape, as if wondering how the empire could choose such a person as the top scholar.

“How much is he planning to sell this book for?”

The owner pouted, “100 coins.”

Wen Qing pondered for a moment, then said, “Scholar Yuan’s family is not well-off. With the academy starting soon, he must be in a hurry to gather funds, hence the rushed handwriting. But it’s not good to spread this, it would damage his reputation. So, I’ll buy it for 500 coins. You don’t need to tell him who bought it, just say it was sold. If he wants to sell more books, please inform me, and I’ll buy them as well.”

“Sigh, Young Master Wen, you have a kind heart, preserving Scholar Yuan’s reputation and helping him without letting him know. This… this is truly…” The owner sincerely wanted to praise him, but ran out of words, realizing his own writing was indeed worse than Yuan Hao’s.

Wen Qing waved his hand, “Just quenching someone’s thirst for a moment.”

Wen Qing tucked the masterpiece into his sleeve, bid farewell to the owner, and headed home.

He left with a book, and returned with one in his sleeve, so the library’s gap could be filled. It wasn’t a fruitless trip after all.