334 Finishing Early

After the Period of Destruction, people had started treating the heroes from the era as saviors as a form of religion. Festivals of worship and prayer from the Old Era were moved to martyrs' cemeteries. Every city had its own martyrs' cemetery.

Folks had stopped believing in the legends of the past and started projecting their emotions onto the martyrs' cemeteries, which became the sites where people prayed for good fortune.

Outside of Memorial Day, the martyrs' cemeteries typically didn't draw many visitors, but there were exceptions. For example, Great-Grandfather Fang and Great-Grandmother Fang had visited the martyrs' cemetery in Qi'an to pray for good luck for Fang Zhao's exam.

The idea hadn't occurred to Great-Grandfather Fang initially. When he'd been taking a walk in the garden of the retirement facility one day, he had overheard a fellow resident saying that he had obtained a good-luck charm at a martyrs' cemetery for his great-grandson, who had been about to perform his military service.

Great-Grandfather Fang had a eureka moment.

Ah... that's something I could do!

Great-Grandfather Fang hadn't known if good-luck charms were allowed at the exam venue, so he had checked with his connections at the education ministry. When he'd confirmed that they were kosher, he and Great-Grandmother Fang had quietly set off for Qi'an. 

There was a martyrs' cemetery in Yanbei, but Great-Grandfather Fang didn't think it was big enough. It wasn't that he didn't respect the martyrs who were buried there but that when it came to Fang Zhao's exam, Great-Grandfather Fang wanted to pray at the biggest martyrs' cemetery in Yanzhou. If one was going to worship, it made sense to worship the greatest martyrs. People had their own agendas.

So who was the greatest martyr at the martyrs' cemetery in Yanzhou?

This was a subject of debate.

Some said Fang Zhao, others Wu Yan. There were also other answers, but when it came to praying for good health and good luck, very few people worshipped Fang Zhao.

The reason was Fang Zhao's personal history. Many historians lamented Fang Zhao's fate and considered him a tragic figure. He had survived 99 years in the Period of Destruction but had failed to take that last step and make it into the Founding Era. His tomb was ranked second. His influence had also waned. In terms of stature, in the minds of Yanzhou residents in the New Era, Fang Zhao was even lower than the martyrs buried in tombs no. 3, no. 4, and no. 5.

Even though it was unfair to evaluate the martyrs from that era according to their tomb placement, people from the New Era made that subconscious judgment. Not everyone studied history. As time passed, few folks took the time to study the Period of Destruction. If not for the airing of "Founding Era," most born-and-bred Yanzhou natives probably couldn't have remembered who was buried in the top 10 tombs at the martyrs' cemetery.

The bottom line was that folks who prayed for good luck and health usually avoided Fang Zhao. People mainly worshipped him to ward off bad luck.

But Great-Grandfather Fang knew what he wanted. When he arrived at the martyrs' cemetery, he headed straight for Fang Zhao's plot and got a good-luck charm.

Having performed his worship rituals and mailed the good-luck charm, Great-Grandfather Fang felt much more relaxed. When he returned to the retirement home in Yanbei and was asked about his whereabouts, he didn't feel the need to lie.

The fellow resident who had suggested Great-Grandfather Fang get a good-luck charm asked, "Who did you worship?"

"Of course it was Battalion Leader Fang," responded Great-Grandfather Fang.

"All I did was suggest you get a good-luck charm. I didn't suggest you worship him!"

"I thought about it and decided that worshipping him was the best bet. We share the same surname. Who knows, maybe we are related if I go back far enough. He also shares a name with our Xiao Zhao. Xiao Zhao even played him in a TV series. It's destiny!"

"But that fella didn't have very good luck. Uhm... it's not me, it's what the experts say."

"I know." However, Great-Grandfather Fang had his own reasoning. "Back then, it was a major challenge to just get through the day. I think he had pretty decent luck to have survived 99 years during the Period of Destruction. Also, he mentored our old governor Wu Yan. Don't you think he's quite something?"

Great-Grandfather Fang felt he had made the right call, but little did he know the mixed emotions Fang Zhao felt when he received the good-luck charm.

What a magical experience.

After folding the piece of paper printed with the portrait and inserting it into the pouch attached to the necklace again, Fang Zhao chuckled. "At the end of the day, I have to rely on myself."

Even though it felt weird, Fang Zhao still followed Great-Grandfather Fang's instructions and kept the good-luck charm on him. It was a thoughtful gesture by the two elders, after all.

The day of the exam, Great-Grandfather Fang got up early. When he figured it was about time for Fang Zhao to get up and have breakfast, he sent his great-grandson a text message asking him what he was eating.

Great-Grandfather Fang was relieved to find out that Fang Zhao had a voracious appetite as usual.

Having an appetite was a good thing. It proved that Fang Zhao was in good physical shape, unlike some exam takers who couldn't eat when they got nervous.

Great-Grandfather Fang reminded Fang Zhao to bring his good-luck charm again before ending the exchange.

Great-Grandfather Fang started fretting again. "I hear the exam will take the entire day."

"There's a time limit of eight hours." Great-Grandmother Fang had done her homework too. She was familiar with the exam rules.

Great-Grandfather Fang started panicking. "Eight hours? What about lunch? Given Xiao Zhao's appetite, will a regular boxed meal suffice?"

"Don't worry. I've asked Xiao Zhao. He said you can order your meals online from approved vendors at the exam site. You can order as many meals as you like."

"Is that so? How come you never mentioned this before?"

"I did. You were wearing your headset at the time."

"You did that on purpose! You decided to tell me when I had my headset on!"

Picking a fight with Great-Grandmother Fang was Great-Grandfather Fang's way of easing his stress. If he weren't so advanced in age and physically frail and worried that he would pose a burden, Great-Grandfather Fang would have preferred keeping vigil in Qi'an instead of restlessly waiting at home for the results to be announced online.

For an exam of this magnitude, other kids typically had their parents with them. If not their parents, then other elders. It pained him to see Fang Zhao soldier on alone.

Seeing as Great-Grandfather Fang was trying to start a fight and was overthinking things, Great-Grandmother Fang shook her head. She picked up her kettle and started watering the plants.

If someone wanted to make something of themself, be it in the military or the arts, there were no shortcuts!

Great-Grandmother Fang was also delighted to see Fang Zhao blossom—she just wasn't a braggart like her husband. She was also nervous for Fang Zhao on the occasion of such an important exam.

The more Fang Zhao progressed in his career, the less the two elders would be able to help him. At the end of the day, all Fang Zhao could count on was his own talent.

At one of the exam venues, a university in Qi'an.

During the second round of security screening, one of the exam monitors asked Fang Zhao to remove his necklace for a scan to make sure it wasn't being used for cheating.

The scanner picked up the folded fragments of the Fang Zhao portrait and reassembled it on screen. 

The exam monitor was baffled when he identified the portrait.

After Fang Zhao entered the exam room, the exam monitor whispered to his colleagues, "Someone actually brought a good-luck charm with old battalion leader Fang's picture."

"What? Very few exam takers picked him in the past. Isn't it still under debate whether he brings good luck or bad luck?"

"It was Fang Zhao who brought the good-luck charm. You know, the popular actor who was assigned to our venue?"

"Interesting. Perhaps he is someone who likes to defy convention and picked a martyr that other folks avoid?"

Soon, many of the monitors knew that Fang Zhao had brought a good-luck charm with his namesake's picture on it.

The third exam didn't just cover theory. Examinees had to compose a song on the spot and analyze different pieces of music. All of this took time, so even though there were fewer questions, the exam lasted longer.

None of these questions took Fang Zhao by surprise. Xue Jing had told him that the third exam also tested analytical skills and versatility on top of theory.

These types of questions didn't pose a major challenge for Fang Zhao.

Hours passed by. When one of the exam monitors approached Fang Zhao to ask him about his lunch plans, Fang Zhao was getting ready to leave his seat.

The monitor looked at the time. It was 1 p.m. The exam started at 9 a.m. It had only been four hours.

"You're..." The surprised monitor checked Fang Zhao's exam status on his tablet. The column indicated Fang Zhao had already submitted his answers.

"I'm done. Can I leave now?" Fang Zhao asked. He was a bit hungry.

"Y-yes."

After Fang Zhao left, the monitor conferred with his colleagues.

"What do you think? Did he actually finish?"

"Probably not. I hear the third exam is the toughest. Four hours is too short."

"But he looked like he was in a good mood. He didn't seem like someone who didn't finish the exam."

"Have you forgotten that he's an actor? How can you tell what an actor is really thinking?"

"That's true. Who cares? We'll find out when the results come out. It's a shame that the results for the preliminary exams aren't ranked. Otherwise, we could find out his placement."

Having left the exam venue, Fang Zhao was oblivious to the speculation. He went home to have lunch, then briefed Xue Jing on his performance.

The entertainment journalists staking out Fang Zhao missed him again, but they managed to land two major scoops.

First, Fang Zhao had turned in his exam after only four hours.

Second, Fang Zhao had brought a good-luck charm with Fang Zhao's picture on it.

Each of these pieces of information was sufficient fodder for multiple stories!

The entertainment journalists stayed true to character, crafting their pieces in a way that catered to the curiosity and venting tendencies of the masses.

The results for the third exam took longer to process than previous exams. Candidates had to wait five days.

Candidates who sat for the HuangArt Twelve Tones exam came from all over the world, so news of Fang Zhao's candidacy soon caught notice in other continents.

The Yanzhou chapter of "Founding Era" and endorsement deals for Fiery Bird's 10th-generation consoles and headsets had boosted Fang Zhao's visibility in other continents. Readers from other continents also became fixated on the exam.

The entrance exam for a music program that had barely caused a ripple in the glamorous and messy entertainment industry in the past now became the focus of many journalists.

Fang Zhao ignored the online chatter, be it mockery or praise. He stayed home and read several books that Xue Jing had recommended. When he got tired, he taught Curly Hair new video games or fed his "rabbit" some leaves.

Five days later.

The official website of the HuangArt Twelve Tones program published the list of candidates that had passed the three exams in the preliminary round. 

The results weren't ranked. The names of the successful candidates were listed alphabetically by surname.

Fang Zhao's name was on the list, as was his six-digit candidate ID number to avoid confusion. 

Soon, Fang Zhao also received an email from HuangArt about the next round of exams.

Great-Grandfather Fang was ecstatic that Fang Zhao had passed the three preliminary exams. Despite having been hobbling from the discomfort in his legs the past few days, the old fella couldn't help leaping in joy a few times. 

"Be careful! You're not young anymore!" warned Great-Grandmother Fang.

The leg problems were genuine, tracing back to Great-Grandfather Fang's time in the military. Their condition had improved with treatment, but they still hurt from time to time because he was old.

Great-Grandfather Fang couldn't stay put even while sitting down. He clicked on a few chat groups and started sending digital red packets in celebration of Fang Zhao's results.

"Hahahaha! Our Xiao Zhao passed all of the preliminary exams! [Red packet]!"

"Did you see the news? Our Xiao Zhao was the only candidate under 30 to pass all three preliminary exams! [Red packet]."

The retired officials in the chat groups were used to Great-Grandfather Fang bragging about his great-grandsons, usually Fang Zhao. Whenever he sent red packets in his chat groups, nine out of 10 times, it had to do with Fang Zhao. 

Everyone knew that Fang Zhao was Great-Grandfather Fang's clear favorite. He viewed his other descendants with one lens and Fang Zhao another. How biased he was. With the passage of time, the prejudice got worse. Whenever he mentioned "our Xiao Zhao," it was a sign that reason had gone out the window. At times like that, there was no point in arguing with the old man. It was all in vain. All they could do was accept the red packets and congratulate him.

"Congrats!"

"He passed the preliminary round? Passing all three exams is no small feat! They're quite tough. Congrats!"

"Look forward to the time when your Xiao Zhao passes the second round of exams. Remember to send red packets then!"

"Yes! Who knows, he may be on a roll. What if he passes the second set of exams too?"

Great-Grandfather Fang responded, "I'm pleased that he's gotten this far. Even the experts are saying that for someone of Xiao Zhao's age, passing the preliminary round is a great accomplishment, enough to prove his talent. There's no shame even if he stumbles in the second round. We'll treat it as a rehearsal and a learning experience. Xiao Zhao is still young. There will be plenty of other opportunities down the road." Great-Grandfather Fang paused before adding, "But if he really passes the second round, I'll send out some major red packets to the group!"

Meanwhile, on the internet, attention was focused elsewhere.

"Did Fang Zhao really bring a good-luck charm with Fang Zhao's picture to the exam?"

"Is that why he finished in four hours and passed?"

"I think so. Didn't you read what the experts said? It's very rare for someone Fang Zhao's age to pass all three preliminary exams. Exams require luck too."

"One of my relatives told me that Fang Zhao's grandfather got the good-luck charm from a martyrs' cemetery."

This comment irked Great-Grandfather Fang.

"It was his great-grandfather, not grandfather! His grandfather is an idiot who doesn't know jack sh*t!"