Chapter 1812 - Civil Service Examination

Li Ziyu peered at the bustling construction scene inside and said: "Never mind. Brother Zhang's family is doing renovations—I'll just stand here and chat."

"Truly embarrassing. Please forgive me, Brother Ziyu..." Zhang Yu's voice was heavy with exhaustion. "These past days have been absolutely grueling. The chiefs want us to expand our production scale. They're pushing us to take out loans to enlarge our storefront, to open retail outlets with this 'front shop, back factory' model. Just reading through the loan policies is making my head spin. And our space is too cramped—we need to find a new location..."

Half a month ago, Zhang Yu's father, accompanied by Zhang Yu, had visited the Grand World—ostensibly to "pay respects." The Zhang family's walnut pastry shop was thriving now, and Zhang Yu's father wanted to express his gratitude to Chief Hong. They never got an audience with Chief Hong, but they met Zhang Yikun instead. After a brief exchange of three or four sentences, something peculiar happened: by the time they emerged, the Zhang family had somehow signed a loan agreement with Delong.

Once home, father and son sensed something was amiss. They had harbored no intention of expanding production. Even the shop renovation had been reluctant. Yet somehow they'd signed a contract in a sort of daze—not merely for renovating the old shop, but for opening new stores and workshops as well.

By then it was too late for regrets. They had no choice but to forge ahead.

Finding land proved straightforward enough—empty lots and vacant buildings abounded throughout the city. Zhang Yu reckoned that for a shop, location was paramount, and good locations were scarce. Achieving a "front shop, back factory" layout would prove challenging elsewhere. Their old family establishment boasted not only prime positioning but also three generations of accumulated reputation. Better to keep the main store in place.

Yet remaining meant expansion required additional space, plus living quarters. The current plot felt cramped, and none of the neighbors were selling. After much deliberation, father and son finally resolved to relocate the family itself, converting the entire residential shopfront into a combined "front shop, back factory" layout, retaining only simple dormitories inside for apprentices and workers.

This was a major undertaking—finding a house, moving, demolishing structures—the whole chain of tasks had to proceed while simultaneously securing temporary production facilities to maintain supply. Fortunately, Director Zhang proved extraordinarily generous, lending them a vacant space in the Grand World for production.

Beyond the transition space, the Elders' solicitude was practically meticulous: the bank loan's procurement expenses came with designated suppliers. For instance, decoration and construction work was entirely arranged through Delong—precious few contractors in all of Guangzhou understood Australian building and decorating methods. This tile work for the floors and walls, for example—only two or three contractors with connections to the Grand World and Ziji possessed the expertise. Since Delong was willing to make introductions, the Zhang father and son were happy to let matters proceed simply.

Beyond construction contractors, equipment also had to be ordered from Lingao. One thing led to another, and this loan wasn't proving generous at all.

"...The loan amount is really substantial," Zhang Yu said, worry creeping into his voice. "Though the annual interest is only eighteen percent, I keep fearing some mishap..."

In truth, he was somewhat puzzled—he hadn't actually seen the loan money itself. Delong had given him something called a checkbook, resembling an accordion-fold ledger. When contractors completed a job, Zhang Yu's father would fill in the amount according to the contract documents, sign his name, tear out the slip, and that counted as payment.

The Zhang family, as petty merchants, naturally had never dealt with bills of exchange in daily life, though they roughly understood such instruments existed. What struck them as strange was that the monetary units on these Australian notes weren't liang or wen, but "yuan."

Speaking of "yuan," Guangzhou residents had developed some familiarity with "Australian circulation vouchers." Zhang Yu naturally knew of them too, and wondered if these might be the same thing.

Whether they were identical or not wasn't too troubling, since contractors and suppliers all accepted the checks. The question was how to repay the loan—where would one obtain circulation vouchers in Guangzhou? And what was the exchange rate between circulation vouchers and silver taels? Zhang Yu had absolutely no idea.

"You know how the Australians... no, the chiefs—they favor large factories and disdain small workshops. Naturally these investments must be substantial. But since the chiefs selected your family for this demonstration..." Li Ziyu broke into a grin. "Brother Zhang, your family is about to soar! Congratulations!"

The Australians never ceased extolling "industrialization" and "scaling up." Magazines and newspapers invoked these concepts constantly. For the small circle of friends conversant with "Australian learning," this was all too familiar theory. This last remark lifted Zhang Yu's spirits somewhat, and he managed a smile:

"Ha ha, oh stop, stop."

"Young Master Zhang! Please come in a moment—can you check where to put these tiles?"

"Very well, I'm coming."

Li Ziyu saw he was thoroughly occupied and quickly said: "Go on, get back to work. I'm going to find Zeng Juan."

"Zeng Juan's been preparing for the Australian civil service exam lately. Your visiting is perfect—you can help him plan. I'll have to be a poor host today. Next time I'll treat you to tea, Brother Ziyu." Zhang Yu clasped his hands in apology as he spoke.

"Think nothing of it—don't stand on ceremony." Li Ziyu watched the family's flourishing business and, though it wasn't his own affair, felt inexplicably cheerful. How strange indeed—ever since that adventure on the West River and their desperate escape back to Guangzhou, the bond between him and these brothers seemed to have deepened immeasurably.

Zeng Juan sat in his room studying the Yangcheng Express's latest recruitment notices. Piled on the table were examination syllabi and a copy of 1635 Great Song Civil Service Exam Question Bank.

In Guangzhou's summer swelter, simply sitting on a bench constituted a form of torture for Zeng Juan. To escape the heat, he sat barefoot, feet soaking in a basin of cool water, slowly leafing through the newspaper while occasionally consulting the exam syllabus.

The setback of his previous police examination had dealt him a heavy blow. He had initially assumed that as a scholar, he could easily secure entry into the Australian authorities and claim a position. But the Australians had displayed not the slightest special interest in him. Meanwhile, Li Ziyu's news that the police bureau was staffed by instructors transferred from Lingao had instilled in Zeng Juan an acute sense of crisis. Clearly, the Australians preferred using their own trained personnel...

Someone with his scholarly frailty probably wouldn't catch the Australians' eye.

Just as Zeng Juan was sinking into despair, a Guangzhou municipal government civil service recruitment notice rekindled his hope.

"There truly is a path when all seems lost... I thought I, Zeng Juan, would spend the rest of my days making candles..."

So Zeng Juan purchased a stack of syllabi and question banks according to the notice's examination requirements. The complete set cost a full four taels of silver. Though not cheap, it wasn't significantly more expensive than the Thirteen Classics and various essay collections used in private academies. Plus Zeng Juan had pooled resources with former classmates to share certain books, so his parents' expressions hadn't soured too badly. They understood their son was seeking advancement and gritted their teeth to pay—at least they didn't have to take out "exam loans" from Delong like some unfortunate "exam friends."

The books were purchased, but reading them proved challenging. They were printed in simplified characters; even the text direction and book format differed from traditional volumes, not to mention the writing style. Many people couldn't even figure out how to read them initially. This was where Zeng Juan's previous exposure to "Australian books" proved invaluable—he read without difficulty and grasped the meaning far more thoroughly than others.

The Australian departments and positions still gave Zeng Juan headaches, however. This Australian civil service examination was unprecedented—there was no tradition to reference, making targeted preparation impossible.

"If only Big Brother Huang, who understood Australian affairs so well, were still here. Now there's nobody to consult with..." Zeng Juan sighed lightly and continued flipping aimlessly through the books.

"Brother Zeng, are you in?" Li Ziyu's voice suddenly called from outside, making Zeng Juan's face light up.

"Here! Here!" Without even bothering to dry his feet, he practically charged out to receive him. "It's been ages, Brother Ziyu! Have you been well?"

"Shamefully, I haven't visited you brothers in all this time. How has Brother Zeng been lately?"

"With Brother Ziyu serving as an official at city hall, that we brothers haven't been forgotten is precious enough."

"Brother Zeng, those words—do I, Li Ziyu, strike you as such a fair-weather friend?!"

"Ha ha ha, absolutely not. The Elder Council took over Guangzhou with a thousand things demanding attention. The police bureau must be buried in work. This Patriotic Hygiene Month alone probably exhausted everyone."

"If you understand that, why say such things? Sounds like you're itching for a thrashing!" Li Ziyu raised his fist in mock threat.

"Officer Li, I was wrong. Don't arrest me—I'm a law-abiding citizen of Great Song."

After some teasing banter, Zeng Juan invited Li Ziyu inside.

"Well now! Zeng Juan, you're really hitting the books hard! All this study material—I never saw you this diligent back at the academy!" Li Ziyu pointed at the pile of books on the table, laughing. "I heard from Zhang Yu you're taking the Australian civil service exam?"

Zeng Juan brewed a pot of cool tea and handed it to Li Ziyu, then said: "Before, I felt there was no hope. Those moral essays I wrote—thinking I could parlay them into some minor position was pure fantasy. But with the Australians' arrival, everything is new and fresh. Even this civil service examination is novel. Though I failed the police exam, I want to try again."

"Indeed, Brother Zeng is right. Great Song is truly different from the former Ming in every way, and opportunities abound. The chiefs say failure is the mother of success. With Brother Zeng's intelligence and abilities, you'll surely have a brilliant future."

"Brother Ziyu flatters me. First I need to pass this Great Song civil service exam... Brother Ziyu, I actually have some questions I'd appreciate your guidance on."

"The chiefs say we scholars are all pedants. I didn't believe it before, but now I find it unbearable myself... Ask away. Whatever I know, I'll share."

"It's the Great Song government's positions—I can't make sense of them. I don't know which to choose. This recruitment appears to be entirely for clerk-level positions. I'm uncertain which offers better prospects for advancement. I even specially revisited some Former Song historical materials, but found nothing useful..."

(End of Chapter)