The boatman yawned, turned over, and drifted back to sleep in a daze.

So it wasn’t a petty thief—what was there to be afraid of! Nathan Foster straightened his back, grabbed a boatman’s coat and draped it over himself, then swaggered toward the stern.

……

At dawn, John Foster was awakened by the sound of voices. He turned over and saw Little Grace curled up in the corner, sleeping soundly, but Nathan Foster was nowhere to be found.

Startled, John Foster quickly sat up. At that moment, he heard Nathan Foster’s voice from outside: “What is this you’ve written? With writing like this, you still hope to pass the provincial exam?”

He seemed to be scolding someone? John Foster was very curious. He gently pushed open a corner of the boat’s window and saw Nathan Foster’s somewhat youthful back facing him.

He was sitting by the side of the boat, wearing a boatman’s coat, holding an essay in his hand.

Looking further down, there were five or six young scholars in blue robes standing on the shore.

These scholars looked ashamed, each one trembling with fear.

The scolded scholar argued, “I’ve shown my essay to great scholars, and the reviews weren’t bad. If you say it’s no good, at least give a reason!”

Nathan Foster snorted, “Your essay is just a pile of flowery words describing scenery from start to finish. Maybe you think that’s good, but what’s the content?”

“There’s nothing at all!”

Nathan Foster waved the manuscript, “The content is empty and pale. Good writing must have substance, and scenery should reflect emotion. Since you wrote about the Sword Pool at Tiger Hill and the strange rocks and mountains, you could have just mentioned them briefly. The key is, what did you realize from the Sword Pool? It should be about casting the sword into the pool, ending violence in the world, seeking peace for the people. You need such ambition and vision to cultivate yourself, manage your family, and bring peace to the world. Otherwise, what’s the point of taking this exam?”

The scolded scholar blushed with shame, took back his essay, and bowed deeply. “Hearing your words is better than reading ten years of books. David Bolton is deeply grateful!”

“You may go! My grandfather isn’t feeling well and can’t receive you, so I just chatted with you for a bit.”

The five or six scholars bowed deeply and turned to leave.

Nathan Foster’s words left John Foster utterly astonished. He slowly lowered the boat window, gently covered his mouth, and almost burst out laughing.

Heaven’s way is cyclical, taking from the surplus to fill the lack. Though he had suffered the cruelest setbacks in court, losing his lifelong ambitions and ideals,

Heaven had quietly opened another small window for him, letting him find an heir in his hometown.

……

The passenger boat traveled for half a month. Nathan Foster and Little Grace bickered the whole way, which truly delighted John Foster—he hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

That afternoon, the boat finally arrived at the capital, which was Dongjing Bianliang, today’s Kaifeng.

From the first house that appeared on the shore, Nathan Foster stood at the bow, eyes wide, looking around on both sides. He only regretted not having a camera to capture all the scenes of life along the riverbanks.

Both sides of the Bian River were packed with boats of all sizes, and the shore was bustling with pedestrians and merchants.

Taverns, inns, teahouses, snack shops, incense and medicine stores, pawnshops, money exchanges, cloth shops, clinics, and so on—one after another, the closer to the city, the more prosperous it became. Flags fluttered, the population was dense, and the atmosphere was lively beyond compare.

This was still outside Bianliang city, and it was already so bustling—what must it be like inside the city?

At that moment, a wooden arch bridge appeared ahead. Nathan Foster recognized it at a glance and shouted excitedly, “Look, that’s the Rainbow Bridge!”

Little Grace curled his lip behind him, eyes full of disdain. “It’s just a wooden bridge. What’s the big deal? And you call yourself a scholar? No composure at all.”

“What do you know! This bridge will be famous for a thousand years.”

Nathan Foster stood with his hands behind his back, gazing leisurely as the wooden arch bridge passed overhead. This was the very Rainbow Bridge from the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival!

Was it people who had walked into the painting, or had the painting become reality?

At this moment, John Foster stepped forward and gently put his arm around Nathan Foster’s youthful shoulders, smiling, “This is the capital. Actually, it’s not so different from our Pingjiang Prefecture.”

Nathan Foster grinned, “I don’t think I’ve even been to Wu County, and now I’ve leapt straight to the capital. That’s quite a stride.”

John Foster found his words amusing and couldn’t help but smile, then patted him on the back of the head and asked, “All the way here, you kept saying you wanted to meet famous people in the capital. Now that we’re here, tell me, who do you want to meet?”

Nathan Foster was admiring a graceful beauty riding a donkey on the shore and blurted out, “Li Shishi!”

Realizing his slip, Nathan Foster scratched his head in embarrassment and quickly explained, “Li Shishi is my neighbor. We grew up together, and last year her whole family moved to the capital. I really miss her.”

Nathan Foster thought his story was flawless, but after traveling north together, John Foster had already figured out Nathan Foster’s habits—whenever he scratched his head, he was about to make something up.

John Foster was both exasperated and amused, and knocked him on the head. “Be serious!”

“How about Su Dongpo then?”

John Foster was taken aback. “Who is Su Dongpo?”

Nathan Foster suddenly remembered—Su Dongpo was still climbing trees to raid bird nests at this time!

After a couple of detours, he finally smiled and said, “If possible, I’d like to meet Wang Anshi.”