Chapter 107: Intent to Journey to Chang'an

Liu Yitiao picked up a piece of prime meat, chewed it slowly, and glanced at Du Xian and his son, who were now slumped over the wine table. A faint smile crossed his lips.

“Trying to get me drunk with such a small amount of wine? What a joke.” With that thought, Liu Yitiao raised his cup and took another sip. Then he stood, apologized to Du Ji, who was attending nearby, and went to fetch his donkey. Leading it out of the Du estate, he prepared to leave.

At the gate of the Du residence, as Liu Yitiao mounted the donkey, his body began to sway slightly; his head felt somewhat dizzy. Seeing this, Du Ji hurried forward to steady him, concern evident in his voice. “Young Master Liu, you seem a bit intoxicated. Why not rest here for a while before you leave?”

“No need!” Liu Yitiao waved dismissively from atop the donkey, his head spinning but voice steady. “There’s no way such a small amount of wine could bring me down. No need to worry, Steward Du. I bid you farewell.”

Perched on Liu Wuhen’s back, Liu Yitiao gave Du Ji a graceful salute, patted Wuhen’s head, and then set off.

Du Ji stood at the estate’s entrance, watching Liu Yitiao’s retreating figure, admiration swelling in his heart. This young master truly had a vast capacity for drink—after consuming two jars of fine Pear Blossom Spring wine, he remained as composed as if nothing had happened. Quite impressive, especially compared to their own two young masters, who were already senselessly drunk before finishing even one jar. Pondering this, Du Ji turned back to tend to Du Xian and Du Zigui.

Liu Wuhen galloped through the county town, the cold wind ruffling Liu Yitiao’s slightly fevered head, bringing a momentary clarity. But soon, a strong drowsiness surged from the top of his head. Having learned from his previous drunken experience, he recognized the onset of the wine’s effect. Forcing himself awake, he tapped Wuhen’s head gently and murmured, “Wuhen, let’s go home.” Then he rested his head on Wuhen’s back and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

As if understanding the command, Liu Wuhen snorted softly, stopped, turned, and headed straight for the northern gate of Sanyuan County. Though they had only traveled this route twice, Wuhen had memorized the way home.

Within moments, Wuhen and Liu Yitiao appeared before the old Liu family’s gate. Their appearance startled Old Liu, who was feeding cattle in the yard. He quickly set down the fodder and opened the door to greet them.

Catching the strong scent of wine on Liu Yitiao, Old Liu shook his head in dismay. How did the boy get so drunk? He led Wuhen into the yard and then carried Liu Yitiao inside.

“What’s wrong with Yitiao?” Liu Heshi came out from the house, still holding her sewing—she had been tailoring garments for Liu Yitiao’s upcoming wedding.

“Big brother drank and smells terrible!” Liu Xiaohui, who had just run up to Liu Yitiao, pinched her nose and backed away, clearly unsettled by the strong odor.

“You little imp!” Liu Heshi chuckled, patting Xiaohui’s head gently. She handed the sewing to Xiaohui and said, “Xiaohui, be a good girl and put these away inside. I’ll make your brother some sobering soup. Judging by his state, he had quite a bit to drink.”

“Got it, Mother!” Xiaohui obediently took the sewing and skipped into the inner room.

Old Liu nodded approvingly, then carried Liu Yitiao into his own room. He removed his shoes, socks, and clothes, covered him with a quilt, and then turned to tend to his working cattle again.

Thus, Liu Yitiao lay there, sleeping through the entire afternoon until Liu Ertiao returned from school at dusk. Only then did he awaken, rubbing his head, stretching, and sitting up. Glancing out, he saw that the sun was already setting.

“Have I slept this long?” He shook his head, got out of bed, and went out. He saw Liu Heshi arranging the evening meal in the living room and instinctively moved to help. But just as he reached out, Liu Heshi slapped his hand away.

“In our household, this is women’s work. You’re a grown man—no need to meddle,” she said, then sent him off to wash his hands and face and change clothes. After drinking and sleeping, he was drenched in sweat, and the smell was quite unpleasant.

Feeling the sting of her slap, Liu Yitiao’s mind cleared. This was the Tang Dynasty, where men and women had distinct roles—men outside, women inside—an unspoken rule not to be crossed. Unlike modern times, where men cooking was almost a full-time job. Apparently, Liu Yitiao had once been a skilled chef, capable of producing dishes worthy of a national-level second-grade chef in both flavor and presentation. But sadly, in this feudal society, his culinary talents would likely never be put to use again. This much he could tell from Liu Heshi’s attitude toward his offer to help.

Yet, to be honest, Liu Yitiao rather liked this traditional division of labor. As Liu Heshi put it, a woman should have the demeanor of a woman; if she can’t cook, sew, or tend silkworms, can she truly be called a woman?

He sniffed his arm and grimaced at the odd odor before returning to his room.

“Big brother!” At that moment, Liu Ertiao pushed open the door. Seeing Liu Yitiao changing clothes, he casually sat on the bed, wearing a troubled expression. “Big brother, I’m taking the local imperial examination in mid-June. If I’m lucky enough to pass, there’s the provincial exam in August. The local exam’s manageable—I have some confidence—but the provincial exam is quite difficult. I feel no assurance at all. I know you always have a way about things. Could you perhaps give me some guidance?”

“Oh?” Liu Yitiao buttoned his clothes, looking at Liu Ertiao with surprise and puzzlement. “Ertiao, if this were some other matter, maybe I could help. But for the local and provincial imperial exams? You’ve got the wrong person. I’m a total outsider—don’t even know what they test for those exams, much less how to help.”

Asking a modern man to coach on imperial exams? That’s a joke. Who knows if the tests require Classical Chinese or eight-legged essays? It would be a death sentence.

Seeing Liu Ertiao’s worried face, reminiscent of a high school senior before college entrance exams—anxious, gloomy, even slightly fearful—

“But it’s not completely hopeless,” Liu Yitiao pondered briefly before speaking. “Don’t you still have a mentor? In a few days, I’ll go with you to Chang’an to pay him a visit. It’s been a long time. As a student, you should properly maintain that relationship. Don’t let this hard-earned mentor-student bond grow cold.”

Mentioning relationships reminded Liu Yitiao of Wang Zhihong, who had been gone for nearly a month. Wang was Liu Ertiao’s mentor. Even if he refused to open a door for Liu Ertiao directly, simply being an imperial examination graduate himself made him akin to a doctoral advisor guiding a young pupil. A few words from him would surely mean a great deal to Liu Ertiao.