Chapter 100

Mei Ruochu’s quick return naturally surprised and delighted everyone at Cuimei.

One by one, they went out to welcome him, eagerly asking what had happened. Did Qingzhu make things difficult for him?

Mei Ruochu replied, “I didn’t suffer any injustice. It’s just that I had to leave in a hurry, so Senior Ling arranged for me to stay with the other students. It just happened that I ended up staying with that Song Yao.”

Upon hearing Song Yao’s name, Wei Shu immediately asked, “Was it him who made things difficult for you?”

Mei Ruochu still denied it, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he said, “It’s my constitution… everyone knows about it. Anyway, after spending the night with him, things didn’t go well. Then he probably realized it and heard me mention that I was responsible for the fire at the Prefectural Examination, so he dragged me to Senior Ling to defend myself.”

With Mei Ruochu’s explanation, everyone became even more worried.

Mei Ruochu was too gentle. Could it be that he revealed everything directly?

Of course, it’s not that telling the truth is a bad thing. It’s just that Mei Ruochu had finally escaped from the troubles before coming to this remote place. If he revealed everything, and considering Song Yao’s unreliable character, he might spread some unpleasant rumors—unlike the fabricated ones about Cuimei, these rumors wouldn’t be entirely baseless, making them harder to refute!

Everyone’s concern was almost palpable. Mei Ruochu quickly added, “Don’t worry, I didn’t say much. I just performed divination using the Money Course derived from the Book of Changes, and the results weren’t good. I used the divination to explain that Song Yao and I clash in terms of fate and would cause harm to each other. Taking advantage of this, I asked to take my leave. Since both Song Yao and I have to participate in the examinations this year, Senior Ling couldn’t keep me here, so he personally escorted me out of the academy.”

“Good, good, good!” Luo Buyu let out a long sigh of relief. After repeating the word ‘good’ several times, he finally felt relieved. “That’s very good. Then, this matter can’t be blamed on you.”

At this point, Luo Buyu paused and immediately continued, “Of course, this matter isn’t your fault. It’s also because Song Yao has a low fortune. You’ve been here for so long, and no one else has been affected. It’s just him who couldn’t bear it… In the end, it’s all because of me, being drunk and reckless, blindly agreeing to everything.”

For as long as Mei Ruochu had been away, Luo Buyu had been blaming himself.

Mei Ruochu waved his hand, saying, “Teacher, please don’t say such things. I’ve returned unharmed, and I haven’t suffered any injustice. Let’s just forget about this matter and not mention it again, alright?”

Naturally, Luo Buyu agreed with a ‘good’. Then he added, “I didn’t expect you to return so soon. I’ll go tidy up your bedding for you.”

In fact, Mei Ruochu had only been away for two days. Although the bedding had been washed and stored away, it was simply a matter of taking it out of the box without needing any special tidying up.

But Luo Buyu was both happy and touched. If he didn’t do something, he was afraid he would start crying in front of everyone again.

Mu Erpang and the Wei brothers were also busy. They arranged Mei Ruochu’s luggage and went to fetch a cloth to wipe off the dust from his desk and chair. Even Zhou, upon hearing of his return, said she would buy more groceries from the village to celebrate his return that evening.

Mei Ruochu also wanted to help, but they wouldn’t allow it, insisting that he must be tired from his journey back. They urged him to rest.

The journey from Qingzhu to Cuimei was only about twenty to thirty minutes, and Mei Ruochu didn’t feel tired at all. However, since everyone insisted, he had no choice but to be a bystander and watch everyone bustling about.

Shen Cui was still sitting in her original spot, smiling as she continued her needlework.

Their eyes met briefly, then quickly looked away.

Mei Ruochu kept the incident at Qingzhu to himself. It wasn’t because he was afraid that revealing it would make them think poorly of him or that they would be disappointed in him. He knew they would stand by his side.

However, if he revealed everything, it would inevitably bring up his speculation—whether Shen Cui’s needlework truly brought him good fortune.

For Mei Ruochu, it was fine to know this in his heart, but it might not be good for Shen Cui if it became public knowledge. It could easily lead to discussions about supernatural powers, which were currently taboo.

Moreover, Shen Cui had made the needlework for his well-being, hoping for his improvement. She certainly wouldn’t want him to harm himself just to make Song Yao suffer a bit.

Over the past few days, Mei Ruochu had repeatedly adjusted and removed his belts, which had affected him to some extent. However, he was already accustomed to it and had developed the ability to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Of course, even if he didn’t say anything, Shen Cui probably guessed some of it. Mei Ruochu’s luck had been stable except when he adjusted his belts, indicating that even being close to Song Yao wouldn’t affect him unless he deliberately allowed it.

As Mei Ruochu came to this realization, Shen Cui also didn’t expect him to hide the matter of his belts for long. She just didn’t anticipate that he would figure out so quickly how to turn his condition to his advantage.

Since he didn’t speak up, she pretended not to know, and they tacitly agreed on this matter.

After Mei Ruochu returned to Cuiwei, there was nothing to worry about anymore, so she became more focused.

Shen Cui spent her days studying with them, taking care of Wei Xi’s health, and helping Mei Ruochu with sewing and needlework.

She couldn’t afford to be lazy now, always staying by their side at night, fearing that Mei Ruochu might kindly decide to give them another set of exam questions.

Before Wei Xi took the county exam, just like last year, the system issued a task to participate in the county exam.

The reward was practical shopping points. Along with the daily rewards from the academy, Shen Cui spared no expense and invested everything into the two of them.

Wei Xi’s physique finally reached 70, thanks to her efforts, and Mei Ruochu also received several sets of clean clothes, shoes and socks, and hairbands for tying hair.

Since there was a short interval between the county and provincial exams, before they knew it, by the end of March, Shen Cui received the task to participate in the provincial exam.

Shen Cui had confidence in both Wei Xi and Mei Ruochu. She thought that with both of them participating this time, they would receive double rewards later.

When the double rewards came, they would be shared among the young people who needed to take the academy exam.

If all three of them passed the academy exam, then they would probably get three sets of rewards, which would be distributed accordingly.

Wei Shu had already spent some time in the capital with his servants last year, so he stayed behind to prepare for the academy exam. He appointed a few particularly clever servants to handle renting a house and taking care of Wei Xi and Mei Ruochu’s daily needs.

Shen Cui was initially a bit worried when she let Mei Ruochu go to Qingzhu, but after seeing how he handled things, she realized Mei Ruochu was more capable than she thought and didn’t need to be treated like a child.

On the day of their departure, Shen Cui reminded Wei Xi to take care of himself and stay relaxed. She told him not to pay too much attention to the nasty rumors circulating outside, to avoid getting worked up over trivial matters.

Wei Xi reassured her, saying he was frugal and had a positive mindset, “Passing the provincial exam and then the academy exam will eventually bring prestige to our academy.”

After advising Wei Xi, Shen Cui also had a few words of advice for Mei Ruochu.

During the provincial exam, they couldn’t bring their own tools, but they were free to wear whatever clothes they liked, as long as they weren’t too fancy.

She told Mei Ruochu not to hesitate to wear a few different outfits.

She didn’t need to say much because Mei Ruochu, who had reached an understanding with her before, knew what to do.

After a brief conversation, they all accompanied them onto the carriage.

Mrs. Zhou was also present, her emotions complex.

Previously, because Wei Shu had been so enthusiastic about sending servants to buy things in the capital and search for Mu Yunchuan, Mu Yunchuan had been able to send monthly letters back.

Later, when Wei Shu went to the capital, it was difficult to find Mu Yunchuan because he was always with the Superintendent of Education, and Wei Shu himself had also come to terms with things, so he didn’t pursue the matter further.

As a result, Mrs. Zhou could only receive a letter every two to three months, each one filled with cheerful news but lacking in any mention of worries. The most recent letter only mentioned Mu Yunchuan’s preparation for this year’s rural exam.

Mrs. Zhou was no longer the ignorant countrywoman she used to be. She couldn’t help but feel that the words in these letters weren’t entirely truthful, and she worried about Mu Yunchuan’s true situation.

However, since Wei Xi and Mei Ruochu were busy with their exams, she didn’t want to trouble them with her own concerns, so she kept her emotions to herself.

Seeing her uneasy expression, Wei Shu spoke up, “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. My servant is accompanying them, and he’ll make sure to find out.”

Wei Shu could tell that Mrs. Zhou was worried about Mu Yunchuan, and Shen Cui could see it too.

But she didn’t want to get involved. First of all, she was following the original plot of the book, where Mu Yunchuan was fine. As for the details he didn’t want to mention in his letters, that was his business, and there was no need to pry.

If they showed too much concern, it might make Mu Yunchuan suspicious. Secondly, Wei Shu had deliberately not mentioned Mu Yunchuan in front of Mei Ruochu.

The fortunes of these two were at opposite ends, and it was better that they didn’t meet. Otherwise, if Mei Ruochu started to wonder why she deliberately kept him from meeting Mu Yunchuan, it could lead to unnecessary complications.

After Wei Xi and Mei Ruochu settled in the capital, one was already biased against Mu Yunchuan because of his elder brother’s affairs, and the other only knew Mu Yunchuan as the formidable ‘Xiao Sanyuan’ who buried himself in studying at the mansion. So, they both focused on their studies and didn’t consider visiting him.

As for Wei Shu’s servant, he did indeed go to the mansion in his spare time to search for Mu Yunchuan.

But the rural exam was in August, held at the provincial examination hall, just four months away.

Every year during the rural exam, accommodations near the examination hall were in short supply.

Mu Yunchuan had already informed the mansion of the situation and, willing to share a ride with his classmates who had agreed to take him in their carriage, he had set out for the examination hall a month ago to prepare for the exam.