Mu Dade has been in the county town for some time now, spending quite a bit of silver every day, yet he’s never seen the so-called teacher.
Another day went by, and Mu Dade was left hanging, feeling a bit discouraged, sitting alone in the inn, depressed.
Mrs. Jin approached him, massaging his back and neck gently, exceedingly tender.
"Yinyin, tell me, I’ve been in this county town for so long; when will this end?"
The imperial examination isn’t held in the county town but a hundred miles away at the Qianzhou Prefecture. Mu Dade came to the county town with the aim of finding that so-called teacher.
"Dade, I say, this matter can’t be rushed. Think about it, if this person is as capable as they say, of course, not everyone can meet them. If it were that easy, why would so many people fail every year?"
Mu Dade thought about it and agreed, the more difficult it was to meet him, the more it showed those test questions were valuable.
"Why don’t you ask around again and see if the person is willing to meet us?"
"I’ve already sent someone to inquire. We might have results in the next couple of days." Mrs. Jin said with a radiant smile.
These are the most comfortable days for her, with no need to face Old Mrs. Mu’s old face, or to deal with Mu Danian’s leering eyes, nor Mrs. Lin’s stingy nature.
"That’s good, that’s good! This time, the family has great expectations for me. If I fail the exam, the family will probably go mad." Mu Dade sighed.
"Dade, don’t overthink it. If they go mad, that’s their business! Regardless of the outcome, once we’re living a good life, we mustn’t take them along." Mrs. Jin reiterated.
These days, apart from trying to find the teacher, her only task was brainwashing Mu Dade. Making him understand that, whether good or bad, he ought to forget about the rest of the Old Mu Family.
Her good days are not for others to partake!
"Master, Madam, there’s a letter for you!"
Outside, a waiter gently knocked on the door, reminding Mu Dade and Mrs. Jin inside.
Mrs. Jin’s face immediately lit up with joy. She had made arrangements with acquaintances to write to her if a meeting was possible.
It seems now they can meet that esteemed teacher.
"Come in, quickly." Mrs. Jin said as she moved to welcome the waiter. As soon as he stepped out, she rushed up and grabbed the envelope.
She tore open the envelope gently and eagerly read its contents, finally jumping up in delight.
"Dade, I told you we could; we can finally meet the teacher."
"Now?" Mu Dade widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Yes, right now, let’s go."
Mu Dade and Mrs. Jin changed their clothes. Particularly Mu Dade, who wore the attire from his last outing, went to meet the famed teacher at the residence.
The place was indeed concealed, twisting and turning before arriving after much effort.
It wasn’t his first visit, so he was quite familiar with the way, and fortunately, the doorman didn’t trouble him further after seeing the letter.
Carrying a sense of excitement, Mu Dade entered the courtyard and saw the legendary Mr. Wu, who was younger than he’d imagined, sitting upright before an Eight Immortals table.
Upon seeing Mu Dade, without even raising his head, he spoke directly, "Are you here for the test questions?"
Mu Dade nodded timidly.
"Yes, I beg for the questions, and I’d be forever grateful."
Mu Dade bowed, addressing Mr. Wu at the higher seat.
"I have a rule: I like to take something from others when they take something from me."
"Isn’t that natural? Yinyin, quickly bring the silver over."
"Alright!" Fifty taels of silver were handed over by Mrs. Jin without batting an eye, but Mr. Wu, indifferent, didn’t even look up, seemingly dismissing the money.
Mu Dade panicked and signaled to Mrs. Jin, who added another twenty taels.
Still, Mr. Wu remained silent.
"Sir, to be honest, I left in a hurry this time and didn’t bring much silver; the remaining silver is reserved for the exam trip."
Mu Dade would never admit he had no money, merely claiming he didn’t bring enough due to the rush.
Perhaps moved by his seemingly sincere words, Mr. Wu finally glanced up at him.
"I wasn’t referring to money when I said I wanted something from you. Originally, even without giving me silver, I would have given you the test questions." Mr. Wu’s leisurely words nearly drove Mu Dade to rage.
This man was downright shameless, claiming he didn’t need silver, yet accepting it before saying so?
Mu Dade’s expression slightly changed, yet he maintained a respectful demeanor: "Sir, you’re right. However, this silver is nothing; if I can pass, it would all be worth it."
"As long as you understand. So, I won’t beat around the bush. Leave me the jade token on your head, the boots on your feet, and the golden waistband around your waist; these will be what I take from you." Mr. Wu said meaningfully, eyeing Mu Dade.
Both Mu Dade and Mrs. Jin were shocked by this request.
Mrs. Jin had never heard of anyone asking for such things.
"Dade..." Mrs. Jin couldn’t help but call out, seeking her husband’s opinion.
Unexpectedly, Mu Dade began indeed, undoing his hair and fulfilling Mr. Wu’s requests for all the items one by one.
Once he placed the items on the table, Mu Dade transformed from a well-dressed man to a disheveled wanderer.
He stared at Mr. Wu, longing for the test questions in his hands.
Mr. Wu glanced at the items on the table, then took out a set of test questions from his sleeve.
"Keep it well. If anyone finds out, you know what awaits you."
Selling test questions is a grave offense, possibly negating exam eligibility and even landing one in legal trouble.
Mu Dade nodded quickly, and beside him, Mrs. Jin was equally elated—the thing that could change their fate was finally in their hands, soon...
The two exchanged a look and sprinted out immediately.
Once they had left, the once-proper Mr. Wu was no longer composed; he lay back on the bed, rolling comfortably.
Just then, a servant-like person emerged in the room, addressing Mr. Wu.
"Wu Youcai, you’ve fooled another one, and they’re grateful! How did you come up with such a great scam? Look at those fools throwing money without a blink.
The last one was even funnier, almost losing his pants, yet thinking he got a great bargain."
"But what if none of them pass? Aren’t you afraid they’ll trouble you?"
Wu Youcai climbed off the bed, rolling his eyes at the gossipy person, "Why are you so concerned? It’s their test questions they wanted. I provided them! If I guaranteed they’d all pass, would I only charge this little?"