Chapter 50: Eldest Brother's Treat

After catching his breath, he began to pack up his examination basket.

The residual ink in the inkstone had already dried and solidified, and the tip of his writing brush was slightly split—these were the traces of his battle.

Much like that full drawer of spent neutral pens at the end of his college entrance examinations in his past life, they were symbols of past efforts.

Placing everything back in its proper place one by one, he secured the lid of the basket, then grabbed the wooden partition to steady himself as he stood up with some difficulty.

Having been curled up for over a day, his legs and feet felt somewhat numb. He stamped his feet slightly until he felt the blood circulating again.

Following the stream of people ahead, he slowly walked toward the exit of the examination shed.

He had been among the first batch to enter, and now the earliest group was heading out.

As he passed the "stinking cells" located near the latrine area, an indescribable stench mixed with the smells of sweat and ink assaulted his senses, churning his stomach violently.

He instinctively held his breath and quickened his pace, though his eyes involuntarily swept over the haggard examinees in the neighboring cells.

One figure caused his footsteps to pause slightly.

It was Zhang Yun.

That fellow student from Yongle Town who had been somewhat arrogant yet possessed brilliant literary skills, and who had subsequently placed second in the county examination.

Where was there any trace of Zhang Yun’s former elegance now?

His complexion was as sallow as a layer of yellow paper, his lips were chapped and pale, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken.

The entire person slumped limply in the cell, staring listlessly at the ceiling, as if his soul had been sucked out.

The location of his cell was despairingly close to the source of the foul odor—the pit latrine.

Wang Mingyuan’s heart skipped a beat, immediately followed by an indescribable surge of relief.

Fortunately, fortunately his luck hadn't been too bad; the examination cell assigned to him was far enough away from that place.

Daring not look any longer, he quickly withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and squeezed out through the massive gates that symbolized the end of the ordeal, trailing behind the crowd.

Outside the gates of the prefectural academy, the scene was already a boiling sea of humanity.

Family members, friends, and servants picking up the candidates blocked the entire street completely.

Cries, inquiries, complaints, and cheers upon finding relatives merged into a massive wave of sound that battered the eardrums of the examinees who had just emerged from the silent testing grounds.

Wang Mingyuan stood on the stone steps, his gaze scanning eagerly through the shifting crowd.

With almost no effort, his sight firmly locked onto a target—a figure standing out a head taller than those around him, towering like a moving little hill at the edge of the throng.

With a dark complexion and a robust build, wearing a faded black coarse cloth tunic, the man was stretching his neck and anxiously peering toward the exit of the examination sheds.

Who else could it be but his eldest brother, Wang Daniun?

The corners of Wang Mingyuan’s mouth curved up involuntarily. Just as he was about to wave and call out, he noticed another person standing beside his brother.

That person was slightly slender, dressed in a washed-out fine cotton robe—it was none other than Li Minglan, his childhood classmate who had come to send him off for the prefectural examination the day before!

Wang Mingyuan felt a warmth in his chest, and his nose suddenly stung with a trace of sourness.

Minglan-xiong had actually come as well! He must have specifically asked for leave to be here!

They had agreed beforehand that sending him into the examination grounds would suffice so as not to delay his work, yet unexpectedly, he had come today too.

He forcefully pushed aside the crowd in front of him and squeezed toward those two familiar figures.

"Eldest Brother! Minglan-xiong!"

"Sanlang!" Hearing the voice, Wang Daniun turned his head abruptly, a huge, honest smile instantly blooming on his face, revealing two rows of white teeth.

He strode over in a few steps, and with a hand as large as a cattail leaf, he snatched the examination basket from Wang Mingyuan’s shoulder. The heavy basket felt as light as a small toy in his grasp.

"You're finally out! Must be exhausted, right?" He looked his younger brother up and down, his eyes brimming with care.

"Mingyuan!" Li Minglan also walked up with a smile, patting Wang Mingyuan on the shoulder. "How do you feel? You look like you're in decent shape."

"Minglan-xiong, why are you here?"

Without even answering, Wang Mingyuan asked first, "Don't you need to go to work at the pawnshop today? Did you specifically ask for leave to come?"

The smile on Li Minglan’s face faltered for a fraction of a second before he waved his hand and vaguely replied,

"Ah, it's nothing. The shop... the shop isn't busy today, and the manager gave me half a day off. I just came to check on you."

Clearly unwilling to dwell on taking leave, he shifted the topic and pressed, "Quickly tell me, how did the exam go? Were the questions difficult?"

Wang Daniun immediately pricked up his ears as well, his bell-like eyes fixed intently on Wang Mingyuan.

Facing his two closest companions, Wang Mingyuan did not put on a false show of modesty. He rubbed his throbbing temples and spoke the honest truth:

"The questions... were indeed not simple, especially the policy essay and that final poetry and fu composition. However,"

he paused, a somewhat relaxed expression appearing on his face,

"I feel that... I answered everything that needed to be answered, without making any major mistakes. What Instructor Liu taught us on ordinary days was basically all put to use. Judging by my usual performance at the prefectural academy, passing as a licentiate... shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Good! That's wonderful!"

Wang Daniun slapped his thigh fiercely, his booming voice startling the people nearby. His dark face flushed with a radiant glow due to excitement.

"I knew it! I knew my Sanlang has what it takes! Haha!"

He rubbed his hands together in excitement, then feeling that his voice had been a bit too loud and fearing he might attract unwanted attention from others like last time, he quickly reached out to cover his own mouth, though the corners of his lips beneath his hand still refused to stop curling upward.

Inwardly, however, he grew even more convinced: Father must have gone ahead with the plan we discussed before setting out and made some moves today! When the time comes, I'll have to take a good look at the "energy" of our Wang family ancestors! After all, smoke really did rise from our ancestral graves!

Li Minglan also let out a breath of relief, genuinely happy for him: "That's fantastic, Mingyuan! With your talent, you'll definitely pass! This is wonderful!"

Wang Daniun made a bold, sweeping gesture with his hand, cutting off Li Minglan's words:

"Let's go! My treat, we're going to a restaurant! Meat will be served until you're full!"

With another wave of his large hand, he prepared to part the crowd and head outward.

Li Minglan quickly waved his hands in refusal: "Hey, we can't do that! You brothers should just spend some time together. I... I won't go, I still have to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his arm was grabbed by Wang Mingyuan.

"Minglan-xiong, what are you saying?" Wang Mingyuan looked at Li Minglan with sincere eyes.

"You were able to specifically ask for leave to come pick me up today, and I hold this sentiment deep in my heart.

Besides, if it weren't for your help in introducing Old Fourth Zhou back then, the two of us brothers would have spent no telling how much effort just finding a place to live in Chang'an City.

You must grant me the favor of sharing this meal! Consider it a token of gratitude from me and my eldest brother!"

Wang Daniun also stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said in a booming yet equally sincere tone:

"Brother Li, don't stand on ceremony! Sanlang is right!"

Looking into the sincere and eager eyes of the Wang brothers, Li Minglan found it impossible to utter any further refusals.

Being naturally sentimental, a warm feeling welled up in his heart, leaving him no choice but to smile and nod:

"Well... then I must respectfully obey instead of declining. Thank you, Eldest Brother, thank you, Mingyuan."

"Good!"

Wang Daniun broke into a wide grin, turned around, and used his robust physique to literally plow a path through the crowded human tide.

Wang Mingyuan and Li Minglan followed closely behind, saving a great deal of effort.

With a clear destination in mind, Wang Daniun led the two through streets and alleys, heading straight toward the vicinity of the East Market.

Soon, a two-story restaurant with an imposing facade and a golden signboard reading "Fulai Tower" appeared before them.

Since it was right around lunchtime and the prefectural examination had just concluded, the entrance of the restaurant was bustling with a constant stream of carriages, horses, and patrons. The calls of the waiters echoed back and forth in a lively and bustling symphony.

"Right here!" Wang Daniun pointed at the restaurant with a hint of small triumph in his tone.

"I work near the East Market every day and pass by here going back and forth. There are always tons of people here every day, so the food must be good!"

Wang Mingyuan looked at the imposing storefront, estimated the prices in his mind, and couldn't help teasing: K

"Eldest Brother, are you sure? This place doesn't look cheap at all. Don't tell me a single meal here is going to wipe out more than a month of your wages—are you really going to 'bleed a river'?"

Wang Daniun glared playfully, waved his cattail-leaf hand dismissively, and said without a care:

"What's there to worry about?"

He looked at Li Minglan, his dark face filled with rustic gratitude. "We've got to properly thank Brother Li as well!"

Though the eldest brother didn't say much, his words carried real weight, warming Li Minglan’s heart yet again.

As the three of them stepped into Fulai Tower, a wave of heat mixed with the rich aromas of food, wine, and bustling humanity rushed over them.

The main hall was indeed clamorous and buzzing with noise, almost every table occupied. Most of the diners were scholars who had just finished the exams, along with their families and friends. Each person wore an expression of excitement, exhaustion, or lingering nervousness, loudly discussing the examination questions and their experiences.