Fang Yu was cleared of all charges and allowed to leave. As he departed, the dean, with a hint of reluctance, praised his essay once more, stating that he would commend him to Master Zhang. He also extended an invitation for Fang Yu to visit the dean's office alone for tea whenever he had the time.
Fang Yu wanted to say it was completely unnecessary. Who would want to go to the dean's office for tea for no reason? It sounded suffocating. He respectfully took his leave. Not many steps out, he actually ran into Master Zhang, who was waiting for him at a corner.
He quickly bowed. Master Zhang, seeing him emerge composed and unruffled, also relaxed his tense expression slightly.
"Zhao Luo is Master Dai's prized student. He may have handled this matter inadequately. Don't take it to heart or let it disturb your studying mood. If you encounter such matters again in the future, come and tell me."
Fang Yu felt a warmth in his heart. Master Zhang was always stern, yet now he spoke such comforting words. Anyone would feel differently upon hearing them. He cupped his hands respectfully. "Thank you, Master."
"Go on."
This exam concluded with this minor incident. Fang Yu returned to the examination hall. The other two did not return. Naturally, everyone had figured out what happened, and so their looks towards Master Dai carried an extra layer of scrutiny.
Master Dai, seeing Fang Yu, just covered his mouth and coughed dryly a couple of times, not saying anything. For the remaining invigilation time, he stood by the doorway, as if he also had no face to stand inside the examination hall.
When the bell rang, Fang Yu left the academy without delay. The exam was over, and it was almost Minor New Year. The results would be posted in a few days, when all scholars would return to the academy to check.
Students streamed out of the academy. Among the crowd, Fang Yu spotted Qiao Hezhi, who had been waiting for him outside early on. He smiled and waved.
In the past couple of days, the accounts from several family shops had been submitted. Fang Yu now had a bit more money on hand. He and Qiao Hezhi had agreed to go to the city's horse market to buy a horse after the exam today.
Fang Yu was quite looking forward to it. He had wanted to practice horsemanship for quite some time. Now that the exam was over, he finally had time to practice riding and exercise.
"How did the exam go? Were the questions difficult?"
As soon as Qiao Hezhi saw Fang Yu come out, he couldn't wait to ask about the situation.
"Alright, not particularly difficult."
Seeing him so confident,Qiao Hezhi felt relieved.
In Yuncheng, there were no dedicated horse ranches. Horses were all brought in from elsewhere to the horse markets.
Fang Yu and Qiao Hezhi browsed around a horse market for a while. They took a liking to a sturdy black horse. The horse market attendant immediately launched into a stream of boasting, saying this was one of the best horses in the market, that he had good taste, etc. It was quite persuasive. However, upon asking the price, it was over thirty taels.
He knew horses were more expensive than people, but Fang Yu hadn't expected them to be this expensive.
Although he had some spare money now, it exceeded the budget. Fang Yu patted the horse, somewhat hesitant.
Qiao Hezhi, standing beside him, felt the horses at this market were generally of mediocre quality. He could easily ask his father to bring back a couple of good horses from horse-producing regions on his business trips. But Fang Yu was eager to ride and probably couldn't wait that long. Buying one here for him to ride and satisfy his craving would do. The advantage of this horse market was its cheap prices.
Just as he was about to decide, Fang Yu changed his mind and chose a small, thin, brown horse instead. Qiao Hezhi was startled for a moment and advised, "This horse doesn't look very spirited. Better to take the previous one."
"Since I'm just learning to ride for now, getting a horse of ordinary quality is fine. I can switch to a better one once I know how."
"These horses are already quite ordinary to begin with, why choose an even more ordinary one?" Qiao Hezhi reached for his money. "We'll take that black one."
Fang Yu grabbed Qiao Hezhi's hand. Qiao Hezhi whispered, "It's my personal savings."
Fang Yu shook his head. Of course he also wanted a good one, but his financial means did not allow it. He had already made a firm decision not to depend on others financially, even if Qiao Hezhi were to offer it to him directly. A man must stand by his word.
Seeing his insistence, Qiao Hezhi had no choice but to drop the matter. However, he felt somewhat unhappy inside. Why did they have to draw such a clear line between yours and mine?
Fang Yu suppressed his distress and handed over twenty taels. It was no wonder people said that nobles and gentlemen were proficient in the six arts. It wasn't that ordinary families lacked skill; they simply did not have the means to afford such learning.
But regardless, they finally had a horse, and a matter weighing on Fang Yu's mind was settled. He couldn't wait to ride it around the streets, but given his limited prior experience, riding in a bustling market was too dangerous and unsuitable for a novice. So, he had the servant lead the horse back first.
After leaving the horse market, Qiao Hezhi simply had the servant drive the carriage away as well. He still wanted to stroll on the street with Fang Yu. Although riding in a carriage was warm and convenient, when the streets were crowded, Fang Yu would hold his hand while walking. Comparing the two, walking was naturally better.
Fang Yu was unaware of all these thoughts in his mind, but he did indeed grant his wish by holding his hand as they walked. In Fang Yu's view, when going out with one's partner by their side, it was natural to hold their hand—all the more so if it was one's wife.
Leaning close to Fang Yu, Qiao Hezhi brushed away his earlier displeasure: "There's green silk cake up ahead. Would you like to try it?"
"Green silk cake?" Fang Yu looked in the direction Qiao Hezhi indicated. It was a pushcart stall with quite a few people gathered in front; business seemed good. "Let's go take a look."
Upon closer inspection, Fang Yu realized that what was called green silk here was actually Chinese chives. Because new chives that grow after being cut once are tender and soft, resembling a woman's hair, they gained this elegant name.
At the small stall, chives were stir-fried with eggs for the filling, then wrapped in dough skin like dumplings and pan-fried in a pot. Both sides of the skin were fried golden and crispy; biting into it revealed the fresh, tender chive and egg filling. It was quite flavorful, somewhat similar to a chive box.
Fang Yu ordered two, but Qiao Hezhi stopped him: "One is enough. We can't finish two, and dinner time isn't far off."
Saving money was always good. Fang Yu nodded: "We'll share one."
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