The carriage slowly set off, and Lin Yan sat quietly inside.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go out?" Du Mengzhou asked, seeing that Lin Yan hadn't spoken.
"I was actually wondering why Teacher never takes Madam with him when he goes out."
"Sister is about to reach her capping ceremony. Mother needs to supervise her needlework, so she can't possibly accompany him out." Of course, Lan Zhi had to learn not only needlework but also how to manage household affairs and bookkeeping.
Since she would be of age next year, Madam Du wanted her daughter to marry somewhere close by. She was recently preparing for some banquets, intending to work with her sister-in-law to find suitable matches for the younger members of the family. How could she go on a long trip?
"That makes sense." Lin Yan actually knew the reason, but she mainly wanted her junior sister to relax a bit before marriage, as life in another household would never be as carefree as before.
After that, Lin Yan stopped talking about matters concerning women and instead asked her teacher about some academic difficulties she was facing.
Her junior brother also raised his questions, but after he asked, the teacher first let Lin Yan answer, and then he would add to it.
In just one morning, Lin Yan felt she had gained a lot. At noon, they hadn't reached the next town, so they prepared to cook by the roadside.
Despite having lived through so many worlds and learned so many skills, Lin Yan had never mastered cooking.
Of course, it wasn't that she couldn't cook at all; it was just that the food she made could only be described as cooked. As for the taste, it was barely edible.
In fact, Lin Yan's cooking had improved. From being completely unable to eat it to being barely edible, it was a significant progress.
Seeing the attendants preparing to boil porridge with the portable stove they had brought, Du Mengzhou told them about his experience in the provincial examination.
"At that time, I knew nothing. My family brought me some long-lasting pastries. But the student next to me had dried meat and raw rice. When it was mealtime,
I gnawed on dry pastries, smelling the fragrant porridge from next door. The sweet pastries in my hand became difficult to swallow."
Then, Du Mengzhou used every beautiful adjective he could think of to describe the aroma of the meat porridge. He even said he had never smelled such fragrant porridge since.
"There were three rounds in the provincial examination, a total of nine days. I kept smelling that aroma. Although it was all porridge, the taste of the porridge was different every day. After the exam, I got to know that scholar and learned how to cook porridge from him."
At this point, he had to sigh about his foresight.
"It was fortunate that the provincial examination was held in autumn and it wasn't too cold. During the metropolitan examination, I asked that friend to prepare a portion of his provisions for me as well.
During the days of the imperial examination, we drank warm porridge and ginger soup, which greatly envied the scholars around us. Especially during that year's metropolitan examination, it was very cold, and many people couldn't persevere due to colds.
If not for this, I wouldn't have so easily achieved the highest rank in the metropolitan examination, and finally become the top scholar. By the way, my friend Yan'er, you know him." He looked at Lin Yan.
Although he achieved the highest rank in the metropolitan examination and even became the top scholar...
Lin Yan thought about her and her teacher's circle of acquaintances and thought of the gentleman from the library of Maolin Academy.
"Is it Mr. Zhu?"
"It is him, but he is a pleasure-seeker. He resigned from his official post much earlier than me, and is now living a life of ease at Maolin Academy with the title of 'Chu'n Lu' scholar."
Although Du Mengzhou's evaluation of him was dismissive, his face was smiling when he mentioned Mr. Zhu.
Her younger junior brother had never heard his father talk about such things before and found it very interesting, wanting his father to say more.
His path to officialdom had just begun, and everything related to it was worth his attention.
Du Mengzhou then recounted other incidents that occurred during the imperial examinations, some of which were his personal experiences, and others were heard from other people.
Afterward, he also had his son and apprentice try to cook a pot of porridge together. They were not in a hurry to travel. By the time their porridge was ready, it was past noon.
The porridge Lin Yan cooked was acceptable, just a bit too watery and thin.
Du Zihui, Lin Yan's junior brother, on the other hand, had burned the bottom of his porridge.
"Hui'er, you were too impatient and didn't observe carefully how to do it." Du Mengzhou analyzed in detail why Du Zihui's porridge had such a problem, using the act of cooking porridge to discuss Du Zihui's personality flaws.
"Anything done with only half-knowledge will not be done well, just like cooking porridge. It's simple to just watch others do it, which leads to underestimation and a lack of detailed observation, resulting in an outcome inferior to your senior brother's."
Although he was talking about cooking porridge, he was actually referring to Du Zihui's studies. His learning had been too smooth sailing; he had been praised as a little genius since childhood.
Poetry and literature came effortlessly to him. At the mere age of eight, he had passed the preliminary examination for a scholar, becoming a true "child scholar."
In fact, even if he were to take the prefectural and academy examinations now, he would still pass.
However, he feared that if such a young scholar of eight or nine years old were to pass the higher examinations, his son would become too conceited.
"Father, I understand. Your son was too arrogant." Although Du Zihui was only 8 years old, he understood what his father wanted to tell him.
Along with Lin Yan, his senior brother who was a few years older than him, he also noticed the difference between them.
He didn't know if he would know as much as Lin Yan at her age, nor could he imagine if he, who ranked twenty-something in the preliminary examination, could pass the subsequent academy examinations.
Abandoning the subsequent prefectural and academy examinations was a decision he made himself after his father had a detailed discussion with him.
He had also actively pleaded with his father to bring him on this trip. Du Zihui wanted to see more scenery and witness more geniuses.
However, he still considered himself a genius. As long as he gained enough experience and witnessed enough, he believed he could also achieve the top scholar's position and continue his father's legacy.
Hearing his father and senior brother's words, he suddenly became curious about some academies. When they returned this time, he would ask his father to let him study at an academy for two years.
In the clan school, everyone was family, so winning was meaningless. It would be more interesting to win against outsiders at an academy.
Seeing his son receptive to the advice, Du Mengzhou didn't say any more. Excessive talk was useless and might stir up rebellion in the child.
The burnt porridge was still shared among them. Although Du Zihui tried his best to stop his father from eating it, he couldn't prevail against him.
"Father, you don't need to drink it." Du Zihui felt very guilty.
"The fault of the child is the fault of the father. I must bear your mistakes. Furthermore, this is the first porridge my son has ever cooked, so of course, I have to try it."
"Then Senior Brother, you shouldn't drink it either." He tried to stop Lin Yan again.
"As a senior brother, I failed to supervise and remind you, so I should share the responsibility with you."