Clang! Clang! Clang!
The school bell rang out, and the classroom doors opened one after another. The teachers emerged first, followed by streams of students pouring out into the open.
"Come on, I'm going to get some candied sweet potatoes—you in?"
"Count me in, I love those."
"Let's go, the sooner we eat, the sooner we can get over there. Put in a few extra hours this afternoon and maybe we'll earn four coins today."
"There's an exam this afternoon, so I'll pass. I'm not the sharpest, so I'll just sit through the Level Four lessons again."
"The Level Nine students have their exam this afternoon. Wonder how many of them will pass."
"Probably most of them, I'd think. Levels One through Eight are the hard ones. From what I've heard, the general knowledge exam at Level Nine is pretty easy."
"Once the Level Nine students graduate, some of them will stay on as teachers for the other classes."
"Heard the pay is excellent—top-tier wages, one yuan a day plus a twenty-coin allowance on top of that. That's basically a Grade Two salary."
"That breaks right through the ten-coin daily ceiling for ordinary people!"
"And they only work half a day. The deal couldn't be sweeter. If they're willing to hustle and pick up something extra in the afternoons, they'll be living the good life, I tell you."
"What a shame I came here late. I could've had that chance too."
"Other work isn't bad either, though. I've heard that in the Level Nine classes, the school sometimes arranges for employers to come in and talk with the students."
"Lots of people have already worked things out with employers—after graduation they'll head straight to their shops, working as managers or store chiefs or what have you. Plenty of them apparently earn more than ten coins a day."
"Some places even offer commission. You could end up making far more than a teacher at the school."
"How can you even compare the two? One means working for ordinary folk, the other means working for the master. If you had the choice, which would you pick?"
"Fair point. If it were up to me, I'd spend my whole life working for the master."
"Though I've heard the village committee also wants graduates, and the managers of the master's other ventures have their eyes on this graduating class too."
"They're in high demand. But it won't be long before we're in the same position ourselves."
"That's right, we'll get there too. Keep at it!"
That afternoon, examinations were held across all the classes.
Those who were confident they would pass sat the exam; those who were less sure chose to repeat the coursework and skipped it altogether.
This was because each student's first attempt at any level's examination was free.
Fail on the first try, and every subsequent attempt came at a cost.
There were fees for the examination papers, and allowances for the people who graded them—all of it had to be paid for.
It wasn't steep: one yuan per sitting.
Many upper-level students from struggling families could qualify to grade the papers of lower-level students and earn a small allowance in the process.
The exams were held in the afternoon; results came out the following day.
In the school's great hall, Headmaster Lin Xuejin sat at the head of the dais, and his smile had not left his face the entire day.
He was genuinely happy.
Watching a cohort of earnest young students flourish under his guidance gave him a sense of fulfillment he could not easily put into words.
After delivering a rousing speech, he stepped down from the dais and took a small red booklet from the hands of an assistant standing nearby.
"Lin Yunxuan!"
Lin Yunxuan rose and walked to his father's side, addressed him respectfully as "Headmaster," and received his diploma.
"Work hard and keep it up."
One by one, the students went forward to receive their red booklets from Lin Xuejin's hands. Many were moved to tears.
Once all the diplomas had been presented, Lin Xuejin offered a few more words of encouragement and then departed, leaving the remaining time to the students themselves.
"Yes! I graduated!"
"We did it—from now on, we get paid every day!"
"Look at you, all worked up over twenty coins."
"You're one to talk. Aren't you the one who still owes me twenty coins?"
"Oh hell, I completely forgot. Fine, say no more—drinks are on me later."
"So where is everyone heading after graduation?"
"With this little red book in hand, we can go anywhere! Though I'm thinking of staying on at the school, ha!"
"I really need the money, so I've committed to an employer. Couldn't help it—he offered too much."
"Understandable, understandable. As long as you stay in Taoyuan Village, you're still contributing to the master's enterprise."
"Understand my ass! He's showing off, is what he's doing! Do you know what that employer is paying him? Two yuan a day plus commission—he might end up being the highest earner among all of us."
"Good lord, that much? You'd better treat us!"
"Heard the village chief only makes two yuan forty a day. Not bad at all, mate."
"What do you say we make it a tradition—one gathering a month?"
"I think that works. Fifty of us, classmates all—we ought to stay in touch."
"Agreed. As long as I'm in Taoyuan Village, I'll be there every time."
"Today calls for a celebration. Dinner's on me—let's go to Sifeng Hall."
"Hell, after all this time, I had no idea you were sitting on that kind of money. The cheapest dish at Sifeng Hall is two or three yuan—with this many of us eating and drinking, won't it run two or three hundred?"
"Easy now—my family is comfortable, but only comfortable. I can stretch to one meal for everyone, but don't go expecting a second."
"I'll handle the second one—though Sifeng Hall's a bit much for me. I'll take everyone to the little place by the front gate tomorrow."
"Brother, that's no small thing either. My family's not well off, so for now I'm just going to eat and drink on everyone else's dime—but once I'm earning, the next round's on me!"
"We're all brothers here. Talk like that and you're making it weird."
Lin Yunxuan watched the others carry on and broke into a wide grin, throwing in with the lively chatter: "Then the day after tomorrow is mine. You all know what my father does—so I'll be treating everyone on his salary."
"Come on, Brother Lin—is the headmaster really pulling in that much? Ha!"
The band of young men called out to one another and made their way to the well-known Sifeng Hall on the main street, filling five tables, drinking and toasting with all the exuberance of youth.
When the meal was done, Lin Yunxuan meandered his way home, a little unsteady on his feet.
"Brother, how do you read this character— ugh, you reek! I'm not sitting near you."
Madam Lin came over and took her son by the arm with concern. "Yunxuan, how did you manage to drink so much?"
"Mother, I'm happy."
Madam Lin paused for a moment, then patted her son on the shoulder. "Happy is good. Happy is good. You and your father—two peas in a pod."
"Father— what happened to him?"
"What do you think? He's drunk too. Must have been overjoyed—I've never seen either of you like this before. Quite a sight."
"Where did Father get drunk?"
"Master Zhao's carriage brought him back—where else do you suppose?"
"Ha! Father must have used today's graduating class as an excuse to go to Master Zhao's manor and pick his brains about something. I'll have to ask him tomorrow what he asked about, once he's sobered up."
"Yes, yes, ask your father tomorrow. You've had quite a bit yourself—go lie down for a while. Mother will walk you to your room."
"Mother, I don't know why, but I feel so happy. Why is that?"
"Mother doesn't know either. Maybe you've both gone a little mad. Now stop your fussing and go to sleep, there's a good boy."