The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Inside the inn, Zhao Kuo and Li Wenchao were preparing to go out for lunch, planning to treat themselves well that day.

I'm going to the exam center tomorrow, and I'll be eating dry rations for three days straight, so I'm sure I won't be eating well.

Zhao Kuo was waiting for Li Wenchao in the corridor on the second floor. Bored, he looked out the window.

Unexpectedly, they spotted a familiar face in the crowd—Shen Chen.

He was carrying a food box and seemed to be walking towards their inn.

He was a little confused. Did Shen Chen have any friends staying at their inn?

The two had not seen each other since the last Mid-Autumn Festival poetry gathering.

Moreover, he had heard some rumors circulating about him, and he knew that Shen Chen was not the kind of person who would be easily influenced by a few words from others.

But now he is indeed a little worried. The exam is tomorrow, and if someone whispers some nonsense in his ear, it will affect him.

He pulled Li Wenchao, wanting to suggest that they go downstairs later.

At this moment, the inn's waiter led Shen Chen up.

The waiter saw the two men standing in the corridor and greeted them with a smile, "Young Master Zhao, Young Master Li, Young Master Shen are here to see you two."

Then he turned to Shen Chen and said with a smile, "Young Master Shen, what a coincidence! These two gentlemen also seem to be about to go out. If you had arrived a moment later, you might have missed them."

After thanking the waiter, Shen Chen walked up to the two men with a smile and raised the food box in his hand.

"Brother Li, Brother Zhao, I've brought you some good things."

"Are you two planning to go out?"

"I'm planning to go out for lunch. Have you eaten yet, Brother Shen?"

Shen Chen shook his head, "That's perfect. You've been in the capital for so long, and I haven't had a chance to treat you to a meal. Today, I'll treat you to dinner at Xueyuelou."

"Perfect timing, I also brought some snacks, I must try them later."

Zhao Kuo and Li Wenchao looked at each other but remained silent, knowing that Shen Chen's family was not particularly well-off.

If he's going to treat us to a meal, we can go to the restaurant downstairs, Xueyuelou. A meal there probably isn't cheap.

Shen Chen was touched by his friends' intentions; they were worried about him spending money.

Shen Chen smiled and walked forward, pulling the two downstairs. "Don't worry, I have enough money to treat you two to a meal at Xueyue Tower."

Zhao Kuo and Li Wenchao were still bewildered when they sat down in the "Spring" private room on the fourth floor of Xueyue Tower.

When they entered the Snow Moon Pavilion, the shopkeeper at the counter greeted them warmly, as if Shen Chen were a regular customer.

When the innkeeper heard that Shen Chen was going to treat the two of them to dinner, he enthusiastically led the three of them to a private room on the fourth floor.

That's a private room on the fourth floor of Xueyue Tower.

They heard that even with money, it's not guaranteed you can book one.

Shen Chen's invitation to dinner today was a last-minute decision, and the innkeeper actually led them directly to the fourth floor.

The two of them stared in astonishment at Shen Chen's face.

Shen Chen felt a little embarrassed by their stares. "Actually... my sister is the owner of Xueyue Tower."

The two were shocked by Shen Chen's words.

Putting aside the fact that this is the capital city, opening such a large restaurant anywhere in the Great Xia Kingdom would require a considerable amount of money.

Especially Zhao Kuo. When he met Shen Chen during the provincial examination, that guy was someone who couldn't even afford a steamed bun. It was Zhao Kuo who spent money to treat him to meals for several days so that Shen Chen could successfully complete the examination.

"Well, my younger sister has a knack for business, and she's a really good cook."

"Oh, right." He quickly opened the food box he had been holding and took out the Dingsheng cake from it.

"This was made by my younger sister. She said this pastry is called Dingsheng Gao, which means that you will definitely win the exam."

The two were startled at first, then looked at the red pastry in Shen Chen's hand.

It looks somewhat like a silver ingot, and the words "Determined to win" are written on its surface.

Zhao Kuo picked up a piece with his chopsticks, took a bite, and his face immediately lit up with joy.

The soft, chewy outer layer is slightly sweet, with a hint of rice aroma and a touch of milk flavor.

There was even a filling in the middle, and it was his favorite red bean paste filling.

He savored it carefully, and after taking a bite, he couldn't wait to recommend it to Li Wenchao, "Brother Li, you should try it, this pastry is delicious."

“It’s Ding Sheng Gao (a type of glutinous rice cake),” Shen Chen corrected him. “If we eat this Ding Sheng Gao, we will definitely win the exam.”

Li Wenchao also picked up a piece of Dingsheng cake, took a bite, and just kept nodding.

He was clearly very satisfied with the taste of Dingsheng cake.

Shen Chen felt a sense of pride seeing how much his two friends enjoyed Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake).

Everyone loves the food his sister makes.

Seeing that the two were about to finish the plate of Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet rice cake), Shen Chen quickly stopped them, saying, "Didn't you say you wanted to try Xueyuelou's signature dishes? You'll be full from the desserts soon."

"Don't worry, I've saved some for you guys separately."

Shen Chen opened the second layer of the food box, inside which lay several packs of oil paper.

It was clearly something Shen Chen had prepared especially for the two of them.

Because they had an exam the next day, the three of them did not drink alcohol, and Shen Chen asked the shopkeeper to prepare some tea to aid digestion.

After finishing their meal, the two finally understood Shen Chen's good intentions.

The food at Xueyuelou is absolutely delicious.

Both of them regretted the snacks they had eaten before the meal.

After finishing their meal, the three of them went to the inner room of the private room to chat while drinking tea.

"Brother Shen, those messages from a while ago..." Zhao Kuo said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Brother Zhao, don't worry, I didn't take those words to heart, but I gave it my all in this exam."

"Of course, we all have to give it our all."

After chatting for a while, Shen Chen asked the shopkeeper to prepare writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

He took a booklet out of his pocket and handed it to the two of them.

The booklet contained past years' examination questions.

The three of them spent the entire day discussing the scientific research questions, and it wasn't until after dinner that they reluctantly parted ways.

On his way home, Shen Chen looked at the starry sky and felt relaxed and confident for the first time.

The exam starts tomorrow, and he can accept whatever the result is in three days.

Just like Zhao Kuo said, the result is neither important nor unimportant; just enjoy the process.

Just like the path of studying, there can only be one top scholar in the end, but in the process of studying, he met like-minded friends and good teachers who could guide him when he was confused.

These will all become his wealth in the future; they are the fruits of his labor, and he will benefit from them for a lifetime.

Even if you're not the top scorer, the second-place finisher is fine.

Most importantly, he was the youngest of the three, and when he went on the expedition again three years later, he was only twenty-one years old.

He is still young!

On the sixth day of the ninth month, the autumn imperial examinations of the Great Xia Kingdom, eagerly anticipated by countless students across the country, were finally about to begin.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen barely slept all night. The Shen family got up before dawn to prepare Shen Chen's luggage to take into the examination hall.

As dawn broke, the Shen family escorted Shen Chen to the entrance of the examination hall.

The entrance was already crowded with students from all over the country.

Shen Chen shouldered his luggage and said goodbye to his family.

He arrived at the entrance of the Examination Yuan, looked up at the solemn and majestic gate, and gazed upwards at the cloudless sky above, where a soaring eagle flew by.

His gaze lingered on the eagle until it disappeared.

Then, he took a deep breath and strode confidently into the gates of the Examination Yuan.