Tutor Ding glanced down at the roster, confirming once more. "Lillian Liew, is it? A girl?"
Deb nodded. "Yes, my name is Lillian Liew. I'm a girl."
At that, she caught the sound of a low, conflicted sigh. "Ah… a girl."
Deb tilted her head, puzzled. What was wrong with being a girl?
Tutor Cheng waved his hand. "Didn't you say you can write? There's brush and paper over there—write something."
"Yes, Tutor."
Deb obeyed, walking to the prepared desk. She knelt neatly before it, such a small figure she barely reached the tabletop. She ground the ink, dipped the brush, and began writing without hesitation.
Her characters were large, her strokes somewhat clumsy but passable. It was a short passage from the Analects.
When she came to a more difficult character she didn't know, she simply circled the spot.
Once finished, she set down the brush, resisted the urge to rub her aching wrist, rose slowly, and stepped back. "Please, Tutors, review my work."
The three tutors came over together. Deb's heart fluttered nervously—her calligraphy truly wasn't very good.
But neither her father nor mother wrote well; she'd only been taught as much as they could manage.
Fortunately, she was still young. The three tutors were lenient, nodding as they accepted her paper. "Your assessment is complete. Wait outside for the results."
Deb remembered Ryder and Rosie saying the tutors had marked checks and crosses. She longed to see what mark they'd given her.
But there was no chance. She was sent out before she could glimpse the page again.
She offered her brother a quick, encouraging look, then stepped aside.
Compared to the girl before her, who had come out in only a few moments, Deb's turn had lasted a quarter of an hour. Clearly, the tutors had asked her many questions—and she had answered many in return.
"How do you feel? Were you afraid?" Clara pulled her close, not asking about the results but about her state of mind.
A shaken heart could ruin performance.
Adam and Ben crowded around as well, promising her treats afterward.
Deb shook her head. She wasn't afraid—just uncertain about that troubled sigh of Tutor Ding's.
"Mama… I think the tutor doesn't like me," she whispered.
Clara's heart gave a jolt, but outwardly she smiled, adjusting the cloth on the little girl's head. "Feelings aren't always true, sweetheart. Let's wait for the results."
"Alright!" Deb nodded firmly.
Chad came out second to last—led by an attendant. His eyes were red, still muttering the verses he'd practiced at home. The attendant, exasperated, called loudly, "The family of Lucian Liew—come fetch your boy!"
Clara and the others rushed over. "What happened?"
The attendant explained, "He tripped when its his turn to meet the tutors just now. Best take him to a doctor, just in case."
Handing the boy over, he scurried away, as if afraid of being blamed.
Clara lifted Chad onto the cart shaft and examined him.
Sniffling, he pointed to his knee.
She pulled up his trouser leg. The skin was scraped, a little red, but no more than the tiniest surface wound. She exhaled in relief.
"Good heavens, I thought it was serious," Caleb said, patting his chest. He leaned in, curious. "So how did you fall? Was it before answering the tutor, or after?"
Chad, soothed by his mother's blowing over the scrape, finally stopped crying. "I finished answering. But when I was leaving, I tripped on the steps. It hurt."
At that, the adults relaxed. At least the exam itself had gone smoothly.
Still, Clara worried. Would the tutors think the boy had some hidden weakness, seeing him fall like that?
She glanced at Brandon and Caleb. They exchanged uneasy looks. Best not to dwell—wait for the results.
In truth, Chad had done fairly well. Though timid, he had answered each question.
And when the tutors saw him, they immediately noticed—he and Deb were twins. Identical faces with opposite temperaments. It amused them greatly.
But the boy was simply too shy, lacking his sister's eloquence.
Before dismissing him, one tutor had chided gently: "A true man cannot be so timid. Hold your head high, chest proud, and walk boldly out."
So Chad lifted his chin—and promptly tripped on the high stone step.
When Clara heard him recount this, she could only raise a hand to her forehead. These tutors—so meddlesome.
Still glum, Chad tugged at her sleeve. "Mama… am I not a man?"
Clara answered bluntly, "Of course you are. Just a special kind of man. There are many kinds—not just one."
The men standing nearby all turned their heads at once, curious. "Sister-in-law, what other kinds are there?"
Clara glared. "Ask again and I'll hit you."
They shut their mouths at once and paced back and forth by the cart, waiting for the exams to finish and results to be announced.
They waited until sunset before the final round was complete.
After another quarter-hour, the three tutors finally emerged to announce the admissions list.
First came the names of the twelve great clan children.
Then—"Ryder Liew. Lucian Liew."
Brandon nearly wept with joy.
Chad beamed for a moment, then turned anxious again, waiting for his sister's name.
But the list went on to the twenty-eighth without mentioning Lillian Liew. Clara and the children grew solemn.
"Luke Low!"
"Yes! Yes!" A parent shouted back, thrilled.
Only one name left.
Tutor Ding suddenly looked up, scanning the crowd.
Deb, sensing it, stepped forward, eyes shining with expectation.
Their gazes met. Tutor Ding narrowed his eyes, then announced the last name.
"Lillian Liew."
"Here!" Deb shot her hand up, her face breaking into a brilliant smile—radiant, proud, blazing brighter than the noonday sun.
Tutor Ding sighed inwardly. Thank goodness he'd chosen her—otherwise that light would have been lost.
"Mama, Deb made it!" Ben cried excitedly.
Lest she miss it, Chad echoed, "Mama, Deb was chosen! We can go to school together!"
Clara looked at her children's joyful faces, pressed a hand over her chest, and exhaled a long breath of relief.
Behind them, a girl burst into loud sobs. Caleb turned, heart aching, and pulled his daughter close. Stroking her cheek, he murmured, "It's alright. There's always next year. We'll try again."
Adam met Clara's gaze. Both thought the same thing—that was close.
(End of Chapter)
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