Chang Xhong drank some hot water but didn't leave. The women in the yard had already returned to the house, and only a little girl was tidying up the dried papers in the yard.
The master of the house came back, standing outside the fence for a while before coming to his senses, "May I ask who you are?"
Chang Xhong put down the cup, "I was passing through this place on my scholarly travels and came to request some hot water. Forgive my intrusion."
The man, clearly only twenty-eight, looked older than his years, appearing to be thirty-five or thirty-six, unfulfilled for many years. Chang Xhong's gaze fell on the man's hands.
The man realized after a moment and became excited, "You must be the Old Graduate?"
Chang Xhong shook his head, "Just a Scholar with some family background, who enjoys traveling to study."
The man remembered he hadn't introduced himself, "I am Lau Mingsheng. Regrettably, despite years of effort, I have not succeeded."
