58: We must go out

The night was as dark as ink, completely enveloping the Su Family's Small Courtyard. In the main hall, a dim bean oil lamp cast the family's long shadows on the mottled earthen wall, swaying unsteadily.

The bowls and chopsticks on the dinner table had long been cleared, but no one had gotten up to leave.

An unusual silence hung in the air, so oppressive it was almost suffocating. Chen's eyes were red, and she occasionally wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. Eldest Brother Su Feng and his wife Wang Chuntao kept their heads down, lost in thought. Second Brother Su Yang sat close to Su Ming, their shoulders almost touching, like a silent wall.

Su Shan sat in the main seat, puffing on his dry pipe, one drag after another. The embers in the pipe glowed erratically, reflecting on his deeply lined face, his expression obscure and hard to read. The strong smell of tobacco mingled with the lingering warmth of the meal, forming the entire atmosphere in the Su Family's main hall at that moment.

It was Su Ming who broke the silence.

He stood up, walked to the center of the main hall, and bowed deeply and solemnly to his parents, performing a grand present.

"Father, Mother."

His voice was clear but carried a barely perceptible tremor.

Chen's tears could no longer be held back and streamed down. "You child, what are you doing..."

Su Shan tapped his pipe, finally speaking, his voice hoarse as if abraded by sandpaper: "Speak your mind, say what needs to be said! Stand up straight!"

Shan's movement of tapping the pipe paused, and his cloudy eyes lifted from behind the smoke to look at his youngest son.

Su Ming straightened up, his gaze clear, meeting his father's eyes: "Father, Mother, Master Zhou of our village school is very learned, but I... I have learned almost everything I can. Going to the County School to study is something I have considered deeply, and even going to the prefecture city for further studies."

"I want to take the imperial examination."

These six words, like a stone thrown into a calm pond, instantly stirred up a thousand ripples.

"What? Go to the prefecture city?" Wang Chuntao exclaimed, then realizing her slip, quickly covered her mouth.

Su Feng also looked up, his face full of surprise: "Little Brother, this... this is not a joke. From here to the prefecture city, it takes several days to walk, and you'll be in an unfamiliar place..."

"Xiao Ming!" Chen could no longer sit still and quickly walked to his side, grabbing his arm, her eyes tearful, "Did you listen to storytellers outside and get possessed? Why leave a perfectly good home to go to such a distant place? How old are you? Mother is worried!"

Su Ming held his mother's rough hand in return, clearly feeling its tremor. A pang of sadness hit him, but he forced himself to continue speaking.

"Mother, I'm not acting on a whim. I've learned almost everything the teacher at our village school can teach. Staying here longer would be like working in isolation, wasting time. I want to see a bigger world, visit better teachers. Only then can I truly have a chance to pass the imperial examination and bring glory to our Su Family."

He spoke the explanation Lin Yu had given him, word by word, in his most sincere tone.

"Pass the imperial examination... pass the imperial examination..." Chen murmured to herself. This term was both sacred and distant to a farmwoman like her. Of course, she wanted her son to succeed, but the thought of him traveling far away drowned that pride in a flood of worry.

"Easier said than done!" Su Shan took another heavy drag from his pipe, smoke puffing from his nostrils. "Do you know how much money it costs to go to the prefecture city? Food, lodging, brushes, ink, paper, inkstones—which one doesn't cost money? Do you think an imperial title is like a cabbage in the field, something you can just pick up?"

"You don't have to worry about the money, Father." Su Yang suddenly spoke in a muffled voice. "Our family made some money from papermaking. Xiao Ming has to go try, no matter what!"

Su Ming looked at his Second Brother gratefully.

He took a deep breath and looked at his father again, his eyes filled with unprecedented determination: "Father, do you still remember our family's life before?"

Su Shan's movements paused.

"Eldest Brother's wedding emptied our family savings. For me to buy a few sheets of paper for my studies, Second Brother had to risk his life in the mountains. Our family rarely saw meat all year round. Mother and Sister-in-law's clothes were patched upon patched."

"Now, life is a little better. But how did all this come about? It's because we can make paper!"

"But this papermaking formula, I accidentally got it from a book. What does this mean? It means studying is useful! Books not only contain the wisdom of sages but also methods that can keep our family fed and clothed!"

"I'm going out now not to enjoy myself, but to learn more skills! If I can pass the Xiucai examination, even if it's just a Xiucai, our family will never have to bow to Village Head Zhao again! I can speak with my head held high even in front of the County Magistrate!"

"By then, who would dare bully our Su Family? This is true security!"

His words, powerful and resonant, echoed in the small main hall.

Everyone was stunned. They had never seen their youngest son like this; his words no longer held the usual youthful immaturity, but instead, a touching sense of responsibility and foresight.

The pipe in Su Shan's hand had gone out at some point. His cloudy eyes stared intently at Su Ming, as if trying to see through him.

After a long while, he placed the cold pipe heavily on the table, stood up, and walked out the door without a word.

"His father!" Chen called out anxiously.

Su Shan did not turn back, leaving only a stiff remark.

"This path is your own choice; even if you have to crawl, you must finish it!"

With that, his tall figure disappeared into the night outside the door.

Silence filled the room.

A few seconds later, Su Yang slapped his thigh hard and excitedly whispered: "It's done! Father agreed!"

Chen's tears welled up again. She hugged Su Ming tightly, sobbing, "My son has grown up... grown up..."

Su Ming's eyes also grew moist. He gently patted his mother's back, a heavy weight finally lifting from his heart.

(Inner thoughts: "Excellent! This combination of arguments was well-reasoned, emotional, and sensible. First, the economic calculation, then the emotional appeal, and finally, painting the grand vision of 'passing the imperial examination, the whole family rises.' Teachable, truly teachable!")

Lin Yu "nodded" contentedly inside the ring. He had finally helped this kid take the first step out of the Beginner Village... Over the next few days, the Su Family was filled with a strange atmosphere, both excited and sentimental.

Chen and Wang Chuntao began preparing Su Ming's travel provisions, sewing new clothes stitch by stitch, and repeatedly baking dry rations that could be stored for a long time. Su Feng and Su Yang worked even harder, one hunting in the mountains, the other toiling in the fields, hoping to accumulate more family wealth before their younger brother left.

Su Ming, meanwhile, secluded himself in a corner of the backyard.

He called Su Yang aside separately.