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The villagers of Nine Houses Village were gathered at the village entrance, all buzzing with excitement over a momentous occasion. The young man from Lao Gu's family had passed the imperial examination and achieved the rank of Second Place Scholar. Although no one quite understood what that meant, it was clear that it was a significant achievement. At that moment, Lao Gu was sitting on the kang at home, eagerly awaiting his son's return, as the official announcement from the court had already reached the village via swift horse riders delivering notices to various post stations.
The atmosphere in the village was lively, yet Lao Gu did not seem overly joyful. Instead, he sat there with his trembling legs, rolling a cigarette made from a piece of fine paper that had once been used for writing by the village's private school. To Lao Gu, it was merely cigarette paper; after just two or three puffs, it would turn to ash, which was likely its original purpose.
A long scar resembling a centipede ran down Lao Gu's left cheek, a result of being scratched by branches while gathering firewood in the mountains. His right leg bore a large scar from a wolf bite. Despite these marks of hardship, he had devoted over forty years of his life to raising a good son who had brought him honor by becoming a Second Place Scholar. It felt as if his ancestors were smiling down on him.
No trace of joy could be seen on Lao Gu's face. After taking a deep breath from his cigarette, he extinguished it and slipped on his straw sandals before heading toward the village entrance. He calculated that his son would be returning soon.
As he approached, he saw a long procession stretching several hundred meters at the village head. In the center was a large red bridal sedan chair; it was obvious that it carried Lao Gu's Second Place Scholar. Some villagers were curious about what this title meant and asked the private school teacher for clarification. They learned that "second" referred to being second in rank, prompting others to wonder why no one aimed for first place.
One villager remarked jokingly about why they didn't strive for first place themselves.
It dawned on everyone that even being second could be looked down upon. They all eagerly awaited to see what this newly minted scholar would be like and resolved to encourage their own children to study hard in hopes of achieving similar success in the future.
As the sedan chair drew closer, Lao Gu felt a pang of emotion in his heart. After so many years of struggle, it seemed worth it. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he fought to keep them from falling; he didn't want to lose face in front of his neighbors and friends. However, when the chair finally arrived before him and he saw the young man dressed in a Peacock Cloud Robe, he couldn't hold back any longer—tears streamed down his face.
The young man embraced Lao Gu and whispered softly in his ear, "Let's go home."
Lao Gu stared at him for several seconds before nodding in agreement.
The young man climbed back into the sedan chair, and their relatives were too captivated by the splendid Peacock Cloud Robe and grand sedan chair to notice much else as they made their way home.
At home, Gu Tianiang was busy serving dishes and felt overjoyed knowing her son had passed the examination. She brought out all the good food they had at home. Just that morning, she had sent Lao Gu out to catch a fish for dinner; now her son was returning with such great news—what mother wouldn't be thrilled?
When Lao Gu entered the house with the young man, Gu's Mom couldn't bring herself to smile. Lao Gu held onto the young man's sleeve as they walked over to the kang, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy with silence.
Initially, Lao Gu couldn't help but ask, "Ergou, is my brother going to be okay?"
The young man shook his head. "I don't know either. He didn't say anything, just changed his clothes and took some money and a few books before leaving in a hurry."
Gu's Mom heard this and didn't ask any more questions. She sat alone on the edge of the kang, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't worry, Auntie. My brother wouldn't have changed his clothes if he knew there was danger. Once he changed, everything would be fine. By the day after tomorrow, who knows how far he could have gone? Who could catch up with him?" the young man tried to comfort her.
The young man, known as Er Gouer in the village, was often called Ergou by everyone else because he was a wild child without parents, raised like a stray dog by the villagers. Whenever someone had food, they would feed him a little, but Gu Keke had always been the one to feed him the most.
Ergou knew that many looked down on him; their gazes were filled with pity. But in Gu's eyes, Ergou saw no disdain—only dignity. So when Gu found him and asked to exchange clothes, Ergou didn't question it. Even though he understood that it might be a dangerous move for Gu, he knew that for Gu to ask meant there was no need for further justification. Gu needed him, and that was enough for Ergou.
He remembered how he used to fight with other children for food when he was younger. After being beaten up by them, Gu would always give him a few words of encouragement afterward. In winter, Gu would let him come inside to warm up. Gu never looked down on Ergou for his filth; instead, he made Ergou feel what dignity truly meant.
Even if that person was a beggar or had nothing at all.
Now, Gu made Ergou feel something else—a sense of being needed. Ergou felt that after all these years of struggling to survive, at least someone needed his help. That person had become quite an important figure, although Ergou didn't know exactly how significant.
The room fell silent again as Lao Gu rolled another cigarette and lit it, exhaling clouds of smoke into the air.
"Where is Gu Na right now?"
"Hey, we should get going. I've already wasted quite a bit of time." A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard nudged a beggar beside him as they looked out over the village.
Wait, he took one last look, knowing that after this, Coco would never have another chance to see it. What if he could never see it again? The beggar Ergou, the newly appointed Second Place Scholar, just conferred as a Third-Rank Official, had been at the village entrance, changing clothes with his childhood friend Ergou in the mugwort field by the roadside, transforming into the beggar Gu. No one was surprised because the Commander of the cavalry had denied the Emperor's Imperial Guard. Before setting off, Gu had made a single request to the Emperor: for that Imperial Guard to unconditionally cooperate with him. Now that request was coming into play.
Although some in the cavalry had noticed and asked the Commander not to intervene, those people pretended not to know. Perhaps that was also a form of reproach towards Easterners.
Gu You took a deep look at his thatched cottage, with its familiar haystack. The willows by the road rustled softly. He had originally thought he would return in glory, fulfilling his parents' hopes and basking in the admiration of neighbors and friends. But now...
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