From beginning to end, he completely ignored William Carter, not even bothering to pay him any attention.

After finishing the lesson, he said to James Carter and the others, “You stay. The rest of you are dismissed.”

It was obvious he wanted to give James Carter and the others some extra tutoring, a little private session.

Hearing that school was over, William Carter as usual grabbed his book box and dashed out like the wind. When he reached the courtyard, Charles Carter hurriedly said, “Young master, the master was invited out by the second master.”

Invited out by second uncle? William Carter had a bad feeling about this.

At this moment, Charles Carter looked even angrier and continued, “Also, just now when I went to the kitchen to get food, the meal I got was actually spoiled. Young master, someone must be up to no good—this is truly despicable.”

“Oh.” William Carter was actually quite calm. Yesterday, the people from the second branch had been dealt with so harshly; if they didn’t try some petty tricks, that would be strange. Compared to plain food, William Carter was actually more worried about his father, who had gone out with second uncle.

With some pickled vegetables, he casually ate dinner, then William Carter returned to his room, took out his writing tools, and continued practicing calligraphy.

Having lived two lives, William Carter was very clear about what he needed to do. Although he had an optical computer, he was still young, and couldn’t do anything too shocking. The only thing he could do was take the exams.

This wasn’t just his father’s expectation, nor was it entirely for the sake of becoming an official. Most importantly, in a gentry family like the Ye family, any schemes, tricks, or ridicule from others could be silenced with academic honors.

So… having beautiful small regular script was especially important.

Every night after dinner, William Carter would practice here for two or three hours before going to bed. After a period of hard work, although his running script was not yet fit for the grand stage, it was no longer immature.

Of course, the optical computer was also very useful. Practicing calligraphy wasn’t just about hard work; the most important thing was having references. A penniless boy could never see the works of famous masters in his lifetime. Working blindly, even after decades of hard practice, it would be hard to make much progress.

That’s why, throughout history, most calligraphers were either rich or noble. Their libraries were filled with authentic works and countless rubbings and copies by famous masters. As long as they were interested, they could comprehend the essence of calligraphy from these. With a bit of diligence, they could develop their own style and become a master of their generation.

In William Carter’s optical computer, there were plenty of scanned materials of various calligraphy works. With just a thought, William Carter could bring to mind the works of many masters for comparison and study, which made his progress incredibly fast—far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

Naturally… the most important thing was still hard practice.

Every stroke and every line—there were no shortcuts.

By midnight, William Carter was feeling a bit tired, but outside he heard some rustling sounds. William Carter knew his father was back, so he hurried to open the door. Sure enough, he saw Henry Carter staggering back. In the pale moonlight, he seemed drunk, his steps unsteady.

“Dad…” William Carter called out crisply.

Henry Carter looked up, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

William Carter couldn’t help but frown. How could he sleep? Second uncle had invited dad out for drinks—since when was second uncle so kind?

William Carter stepped forward to support Henry Carter and helped him into the house.

Henry Carter reeked of alcohol. “Go to sleep.”

William Carter responded, but instead went to boil water to make tea for Henry Carter. When he handed the tea to Henry Carter, Henry Carter stared blankly at the cup for a long while, then suddenly looked at William Carter with deep meaning in his eyes. “Chunqiu, you must study hard at school. Today, Mr. Harris…”

William Carter frowned. He understood now—most likely, Mr. Harris had been at the drinking table today and probably hadn’t held back on criticizing him.

“Dad, I will study hard.” William Carter had already seen the worry on Henry Carter’s face and quickly reassured him.

“I believe you,” Henry Carter said almost without hesitation.

This unprompted trust warmed William Carter’s heart.

Henry Carter sighed deeply and continued, “Son, that Mr. Harris looks down on you like this. I don’t ask for much, just one thing.”

William Carter asked, “What do you want me to do, Dad?”

Henry Carter gave a bitter smile. “I just want you to make something of yourself, to have a future. I don’t expect you to pass the xiucai exam, but at least, by the time you’re my age, you could pass the tongsheng exam. If you can do that, even after I’m gone, I’ll be able to face your mother.”

Uh… so dad’s standard for “making something of yourself” was just to pass the tongsheng exam by his age. William Carter didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was dad hoping for a dragon or just a worm?

William Carter felt like a thousand grass mud horses were galloping through his mind, and he had the urge to go bang his head against tofu and die.

After helping Henry Carter to bed, William Carter finally collapsed into sleep, exhausted.

Chapter 10: Going to the Exam

The next day, William Carter still got up early for school. As for Mr. Harris, he couldn’t be bothered to pay him any mind, but he still had to put on a show of attending school.

All the more so because today was the day for joint guarantees.

The tribute student’s guarantee was the Ye family’s business; the examinees didn’t need to worry about it, as the county’s tribute students would naturally be invited to handle it.

But the joint guarantee required five examinees to sign the guarantee form and send it to the county. This was to prevent cheating—if one person cheated, all would be implicated and lose their exam qualifications for life.