Jiang Chan was impatient with dealing with people. She was willful and didn’t like to force herself to cater to others. It wasn’t that no one had sent her invitations, but unfortunately, Jiang Chan knew that she and others were not on the same wavelength.
Ordinary young ladies discussed jewelry, dim sum, and gossip. Jiang Chan thought this was purely a waste of time. With that time, she’d rather read more books.
She could only stay in this time for a few short decades, and every minute was extremely precious. Moreover, the ocean of knowledge was vast, and she wished she could imprint all knowledge in her mind. Where would she find time to accompany others talking about trivial matters?
Besides, did these people truly invite her sincerely? Mostly, they just wanted to see a good show, right? Jiang Chan was not stupid and wouldn’t walk into a situation just to be ridiculed.
Although she was confident that no one could bully her face to face, Jiang Chan was unwilling to spend energy dealing with these matters.
Jiang Chan refocused her mind and continued to stare at the question on her desk, already thinking about how to approach it. She stayed there until late at night, with the candle in the study burning for a long time.
Lin Shi, being heavy with pregnancy, also gradually became drowsy. Jiang Sen had been moving around in the courtyard for a long time before Lin Shi groggily woke up. Not seeing a familiar figure in the courtyard, Lin Shi immediately became alert.
“Where’s Xiao Chan? Is she feeling unwell?”
Wang Ma supported Lin Shi. “Madam, don’t worry. I just checked on her. When I got up in the night, I saw the study was still lit. She stayed up late last night, so she didn’t wake up today.”
Only then did Lin Shi feel at ease. “It’s all your fault, giving Xiao Chan assignments that tire her out so much she didn’t sleep well.”
Jiang Sen rubbed his nose and said nothing, but he was pondering in his heart. From the looks of it, the girl probably finished the assignment last night. He was eager to see Jiang Chan’s work.
It was only after breakfast that Lin Shi, seeing Jiang Sen’s restlessness, finally let him go. “Look at you, go to the study. I’ll walk around the courtyard to digest.”
Jiang Sen, as if receiving a special pardon, rushed out immediately. Lin Shi watched his hurried back and smiled, dimples appearing on her cheeks.
“When Xiao Chan wakes up, be sure to tell her not to stay up so late in the future.”
Wang Ma quickly added, “Only you can say that, Madam. The girl listens to you the most.”
Without mentioning Jiang Sen’s praises in the study, Jiang Chan slept deeply. She had initially thought to draft an outline at night and write the essay in the morning, but inspiration struck in the night.
Jiang Chan persevered until well past midnight before finally managing to finish all the papers. Among them, there was one question that consumed countless brain cells of Jiang Chan’s, because a new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the country was in need of various reforms.
The exam question asked the candidate’s views on the four occupations: scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant. Typically, scholars would favor farming and look down on commerce, and prioritize learning over practical skills. But Jiang Chan did not think this way.
Coming from modern times, she understood the principle that economic foundation determines the superstructure. She knew the importance of having money, understanding it deeply.
So, Jiang Chan didn’t explicitly say that emphasizing farming was bad but listed the important roles of commercial development in society, arguing logically and persuasively. Some parts made Jiang Sen ponder deeply, finding Jiang Chan’s ideas quite impressive.
After spending about an hour, Jiang Sen finally finished reading Jiang Chan’s three exam papers. He was thrilled; if Jiang Chan were a boy, he would be bragging already.
But Jiang Chan is now a girl. In order to avoid causing trouble for Jiang Chan, Jiang Sen could only bury this joy in his heart. When he saw that it was getting dark, Jiang Sen finally walked out of the study.
As soon as he came out, he saw Jiang Chan walking with Lin Shi in the courtyard. Jiang Sen’s beard was raised high. “Not going to the shop today?”
Seeing Jiang Sen’s expression, Jiang Chan knew her work was acceptable and felt relieved. Her eyebrows softened. “Today is your day off. It’s rare for our family to be together. I’ll stay home and cook something delicious for lunch.”
Jiang Sen was immediately pleased but kept a straight face. “That sounds great.”
Seeing only close family members in the courtyard, Jiang Sen smiled. “I’ve read your papers. They’re very good, but your writing lacks depth. Many parts are in plain language. From today on, you must write an essay every day and give it to me.”
Jiang Chan frowned slightly. Asking someone used to writing in plain language for over ten years to master classical Chinese in less than a year was too demanding.
Those essays had cost her many brain cells, barely managing to complete them with multiple drafts. Yet, Jiang Sen was still unsatisfied. However, understanding Jiang Sen’s high expectations for her, Jiang Chan could only agree. “I understand, Father. Writing essays is really hard.”
She didn’t think she was a bad student, but writing in classical Chinese had made her pull out much of her hair—it was that difficult.
Jiang Sen was calm. “It’s fine. Write more, and you’ll get better. Take your time. One essay a day, and I’ll check it daily. It can be a review of what you’ve read or a comment on current events.”
Jiang Chan thought this was just like a diary. Father, you’re really talented!
Lin Shi watched Jiang Sen and Jiang Chan tease each other, mostly Jiang Sen “bullying” Jiang Chan with assignments.
“I haven’t seen Xiao Chan’s essays. Can I take a look?”
Jiang Sen glanced at Jiang Chan. “Go, bring them for your mother to see. I’ve made notes on them. After your mother reads them, you can reflect on them.”
Jiang Chan went to the study and quickly returned. Uncle Zhong came over, saying that Jiang Mu’s family was at the gate waiting.
Jiang Sen, in a good mood, waited in the courtyard with Lin Shi for Jiang Mu’s family.
Originally, Jiang Mu didn’t want to come out of pride, but Wang Shi persuaded him with a grand vision.
Wang Shi painted a big picture: once they got some dim sum recipes from Jiang Chan, they could open their own dim sum shop. Then, money would flow in, and Jiang Miao could go for the imperial exam without financial constraints, and Jiang Xing could find a good family.
Jiang Mu was tempted by this grand vision and, in the morning, went out with Wang Shi, even taking a day off from private school for this.
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