Edward Jr. Sutton hurriedly saluted the two of them: “Brother Bennett, Brother Bolton.”

These two were Edward Jr. Sutton’s friends in the county town, Richard Bennett and George Bolton, both from relatively wealthy families. However, since their homes were quite far from the county, they had to stay at an inn for the county exam.

“Ziji, you finally made it.” George Bolton sighed, “You have no idea how terrifying Brother Bennett is. While you were gone, he kept making me study!”

Edward Jr. Sutton glanced over and shook his head inwardly.

George Bolton came from a good family and had decent talent, but unfortunately, his hobby was looking at erotic pictures. Worst of all, he got caught by the teacher, and the rumor spread.

Richard Bennett was gentle in temperament, not very talkative, always courteous and well-mannered, with good self-cultivation and learning. Many people couldn’t understand how he and George Bolton became close friends.

But Edward Jr. Sutton didn’t mind either of them. One was flamboyant, the other reserved, but both were good people, and he found their company quite comfortable.

Seeing Richard Bennett shake his head helplessly at George Bolton’s words, Edward Jr. Sutton couldn’t help but advise, “The county exam is coming up soon. It’s better to read more books now.”

George Bolton wailed inwardly, but he really didn’t like reading much. Noticing that Edward Jr. Sutton looked a bit haggard, as if he hadn’t rested well last night, he said, “This is just a corridor, not convenient. Let’s go back to the room and order some breakfast. The breakfast here is quite good.”

Edward Jr. Sutton felt a bit warmed inside and followed along.

“Ziji, the county exam is about to start. Do you feel confident?” Richard Bennett asked.

“Do you want me to say yes or no?” Edward Jr. Sutton smiled, then pulled out a scroll from his robe, intending to read a bit.

George Bolton glanced at it with disdain: “That stuff is useless. These essays are all written by old students who can’t even pass the scholar exam. Each one only costs ten wen, full of pedantic air. The more you read, the more misleading they are!”

Richard Bennett kicked George Bolton and said, “George Bolton means that most of these essays are just patched together, with little real substance.”

“I understand, that’s true.” Edward Jr. Sutton agreed with their judgment. Truth must change with the times, and exam knowledge is even more time-sensitive. Reading more isn’t necessarily helpful.

But for someone from a poor family like himself, it wasn’t easy to get more useful books to read. With the county exam approaching, he could only scavenge a few barely useful ones from the bookshops.

Richard Bennett was more methodical than George Bolton. He directly handed Edward Jr. Sutton a notebook: “If you want to benefit, you have to read a successful candidate’s notes.”

Edward Jr. Sutton quickly accepted it with both hands. Looking closely, he saw that the notebook wasn’t printed but handwritten, the characters neat and all in a dignified small script.

“On the way I brought little wine, and the garden is remote, with no place nearby to buy more. Fortunately, Wuqiao is about half a li away, with several inns, so I can get there quickly even if the road is dry.”

Edward Jr. Sutton was very moved—what a good friend! He had just been thinking about gaining some experience, and Richard Bennett had delivered it right to him. He immediately opened a page and began to read softly.

This was an unconscious action, but after reading, he found that the half-piece of purple sandalwood hairpin showed no reaction.

That shouldn’t be. When he read those other essays before, it wasn’t like this.

Could it be a matter of ownership? The thought flashed by, and Edward Jr. Sutton immediately asked Richard Bennett, “Is the author of this essay a relative of yours? No, it should be your teacher?”

“Huh?” Richard Bennett looked surprised. Seeing how certain Edward Jr. Sutton sounded, he smiled and nodded, “Yes, my instructor. How did you know, Brother Sutton?”

“Recalling your insights, I found much in common with the thinking in this essay, so I guessed there was a connection.” Edward Jr. Sutton said seriously, “As the sages say, ‘When three walk together, one can be my teacher.’ Now we are three—let’s take turns reading and learn from each other, shall we?”

George Bolton thought he was joking, but Richard Bennett felt it struck a chord and nodded, “Excellent!”

“Hey, come on, if Richard Bennett is like this, Ziji, how can you go along with him!” George Bolton immediately pulled a long face, but with two friends pressuring him, he couldn’t resist and had to comply.

Edward Jr. Sutton read through once first, while Richard Bennett and George Bolton listened. At first, George Bolton was a bit impatient, but as he listened, he found that hearing someone else read was actually kind of interesting—at least much more fun than reading alone.

He rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought: “Seems like I really did pick up something.”

After Edward Jr. Sutton finished reading, he looked at Richard Bennett.

Richard Bennett took the notebook and read aloud: “The bright moon rises, flower petals drift, when the flowers bloom, the cups are always full, and everyone is drunk!”

Richard Bennett’s voice, like his personality, was gentle and unhurried, even more suited to recitation than Edward Jr. Sutton. This was clear from how much more engaged George Bolton became as he listened.

By now, there were already guests eating and talking in the inn, most of them students as well—some debating loudly, some reading quietly. Amidst the bustle, they felt at ease, finding tranquility in the noise.

“Richard Bennett is imparting you the [Tang Garden Notes]. Do you wish to learn?”

When Edward Jr. Sutton finally received the notification, he felt a wave of relief. As expected, these notes, which he didn’t own, could be acquired this way. He immediately responded, “Yes!”

A wave of dizziness hit, and a flood of information poured in. In his vision, a pale blue prompt appeared: “[Tang Garden Notes] acquired, [Experience +5], [Experience +3], [Experience +5]...”

With each line read aloud, prompts kept floating before his eyes. With each prompt, knowledge surged in, engraved itself in Edward Jr. Sutton’s mind, and began to recombine in new ways.