Chapter 112

Before setting off, Shen Cui asked Mrs. Zhou whether they should wait at home for Mu Yunchuan to return and then go directly to the capital with him, or wait in the prefectural city until Mu Yunchuan passed by and then proceed from there to the capital.

The former option was simpler, saving Mrs. Zhou from further travel fatigue. However, Mrs. Zhou chose the latter.

She still had doubts about accompanying Mu Yunchuan to the capital for the examination.

After all, there needed to be a process of communication between them as husband and wife.

This was something they needed to discuss, and Mrs. Zhou didn’t expect Shen Cui to intervene on her behalf.

She just felt that having her around would give her more confidence.

Shen Cui also understood her. After all, as far as she knew the plot, Mu Yunchuan would stay in the provincial capital for some time after the exam.

His stay there would coincide with their enrollment in the prefectural school.

They knew nothing about the prefectural school beforehand, so it was not easy to inquire about it.

Once they entered, it would be another story. They could naturally find out who Mu Yunchuan went to the exam with, where they probably rented a courtyard, and then send someone to deliver a message to Mu Yunchuan.

After arriving in the prefectural city, they didn’t go to the small courtyard rented by Wei Shu, but headed straight to the three-compound mansion.

The servants of the Wei family had already left ahead of time.

They took the keys from Shen Cui and not only brought all kinds of luggage over but also cleaned inside and out, trimming the overgrown weeds.

It was fortunate to have them; otherwise, Shen Cui and the others would have to spend a lot of effort to tidy up such a large mansion by themselves.

Moreover, thanks to the “ominous mansion” label, the furniture inside might have been tabooed by the previous occupants and basically not taken away.

Although many of them were old pieces, because the previous owners were wealthier than Shen Cui, the furniture they left behind seemed very good to her, and there was no need to spend money to replace them.

It had been several days since the Time Gain was last utilized. Shen Cui immediately began to regulate the academy within the system.

She could already regulate the old houses in the village, and now with more houses, it became even simpler.

She regulated the academy in several adjacent houses in the middle, and then designated the main room, east and west wing rooms, and rear chamber connected to the back door for daily living and receiving guests, while assigning several back-to-back rooms near the main gate to the Wei family servants.

So, while it was said that the entire mansion was an academy, it was actually the central area recognized by the system, where outsiders were not allowed to enter.

The young men still preferred to live together. After all, it was just a rented mansion, and it was not possible to build kang beds in someone else’s house.

Shen Cui drew simple diagrams herself and had craftsmen custom-make two bunk beds, one on top of the other.

She naturally chose the cheapest wood, so she only needed to pay a little extra for the craftsmanship.

Craftsmanship wasn’t cheap, but Shen Cui didn’t skimp on it.

Furthermore, besides the simplest chores, Shen Cui didn’t constantly urge them. Occasionally, when she needed them to pass a message or inquire about something, she did so politely, without being overbearing.

They quite enjoyed being here.

At ten in the morning, Cui Wuniang arrived with a gift.

By then, Shen Cui and the others had already risen, done their morning exercises, had breakfast, and the young men had started their morning studies.

Shen Cui had also acted as a study companion for a while.

Upon hearing that guests had arrived, Shen Cui didn’t disturb the young men and went to greet them herself.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shen Cui’s gaze fell on the box held by Cui Wuniang’s maid, and she smiled, saying, “I’ve said it before, you don’t need to prepare any gifts when you visit. It’s too polite of you.”

Cui Wuniang waved her hand with a smile. “It’s nothing precious, just some books. As you know, my family runs a bookstore, and we have no shortage of books.”

As they conversed, they entered the second gate together, and Cui Wuniang immediately heard the sound of students reading aloud.

She didn’t mention wanting to see the classrooms, instead lowering her voice and saying, “Let’s not disturb them; let’s go inside and talk.”

Shen Cui then welcomed her into the main house, where Mrs. Zhou had already prepared tea—she and Shen Cui wouldn’t use the servants of the Wei family for their daily activities, and those men were outsiders, which could be inconvenient.

Therefore, they still did everything themselves, just like before.

Cui Wuniang hadn’t seen Mrs. Zhou yet, so Shen Cui introduced her, saying, “This is my eldest daughter-in-law.”

Although Mrs. Zhou was still a bit shy, she didn’t act timid in this situation.

After serving the guests tea, she gave a slight smile and bowed slightly in a gesture of respect.

Cui Wuniang smiled and said, ” Mrs.Shen is truly fortunate. Not only is her youngest son filial and progressing well, but her eldest daughter-in-law also looks very affectionate.”

Actually, discussing this topic was somewhat awkward.

After all, Cui Wuniang was around twenty-five or twenty-six, and although Shen Cui was a few years older, her excellent appearance and the skincare products she used from her previous life kept her looking young.

So, they appeared to be about the same age.

Seeing two women who appeared to be about the same age, Shen Cui already had a son as big as Mu Er Pang and now a daughter-in-law as mature as Mrs. Zhou, while Cui Wuniang still wore the hairstyle of an unmarried girl and hadn’t married yet.

But someone like Cui Wuniang obviously wouldn’t care about such trivial matters. After speaking, she continued to ask, “So, is your eldest son also in the academy now?”

Shen Cui replied, “No, he started school early. When I opened the academy, he had already passed the provincial exam and entered the prefectural school. Right now, he’s participating in the rural exam in the provincial capital and hasn’t returned yet.”

“What a coincidence!” Cui Wuniang put down her teacup and continued with a smile, “My younger brother also went to participate in the rural exam. He was also at the prefectural school before. They probably know each other. May I ask for the name of your eldest son?”

Cui Wuniang usually mentions her mischievous younger brother at home and always specifically points out that he is her cousin.

But this time, she just referred to him as “brother,” so he must be her real brother.

There was no need to hide this fact, especially since Mu Yunchuan would come later. So Shen Cui confessed, “My husband’s family name is Mu.”

The surname Mu isn’t very common, so Cui Wuniang, who had been laughing just now, turned serious and asked, “Is it Mu Yunchuan, who achieved the ‘Three Excellences’ in the imperial examinations?”

Shen Cui remained composed and nodded. Cui Wuniang smiled again and said, “What a coincidence! Mu Gongzi is good friends with my brother! He used to be reluctant to stay at the prefectural school, and he even didn’t want to take the imperial examinations before. Thanks to Mu Gongzi, he has become much more cheerful. They went together to participate in the rural exam in Lin Nan Prefecture this time. If I had known this earlier…”

As she spoke, Cui Wuniang began to assess the mansion again.

Obviously, she felt that it wasn’t right to rent this “ominous mansion” to Shen Cui.

The difference was that before, she couldn’t bear to “trick” Shen Cui, but now she felt that the friendship between the two families wouldn’t be ruined.

Shen Cui didn’t want to ride on Mu Yunchuan’s coattails. If Cui Wuniang hadn’t asked, she wouldn’t have mentioned Mu Yunchuan at all.

So she said, “Business is business, and friendship is friendship. This place is really good. You don’t need to worry about those things.”

While speaking, Shen Cui was also trying to recall the original plot of the book—Mu Yunchuan’s success was undoubtedly supported and helped by various influential figures along the way.

But in the original book plot, Mu Yunchuan entered the prefectural school together with Wei Xi after they both passed the exam.

Wei Shu was worried about his younger brother, so he frequently took leave to go to the prefectural city.

During this period, Mu Yunchuan was closest to the Wei brothers.

One supported him, while the other challenged him.

Mu Yunchuan knew that Wei Xi was exceptionally talented, and he feared that if Wei Xi became serious, he might disrupt his plans to achieve the “Six Excellences” and leave his name in history.

Therefore, Mu Yunchuan remained vigilant and didn’t slack off. He interacted less with other classmates at the prefectural school, maintaining only superficial relationships.

So, where did this young master from the Cui family come from?