Chapter 126: Wait for Me to Return

Song Erlang clicked his tongue, “Gu Huaizhi, are you planning to go take the exam?”

He brought up the past with a double meaning, “A few years ago, when you took the provincial examination, you almost died in there. Do you think you’ll have such good luck this time?”

Mother Gu’s face darkened, and she angrily rebuked, “Nothing good comes out of a dog’s mouth! You better shut up!”

Song Erlang didn’t take Mother Gu’s seriously and, with a mischievous grin, said, “I advise you not to bother. You won’t achieve anything anyway, so don’t risk your life.”

He patted Gu Huaizhi’s shoulder and mocked, “Brother, your family’s ancestral tomb must be smoking with good fortune for you to marry such a wealthy lady. Why bother struggling with your frail body? If I were you, I’d just stay at home and let a woman take care of me.”

Gu Huaizhi grasped one of his fingers and removed Song Erlang’s hand from his shoulder.

Song Erlang’s face twisted in pain, and his finger on the verge of being crushed.

“Song Erlang, you should know that disaster comes from the mouth,” Gu Huaizhi said with a faint smile at the corner of his lips. With a crisp “crack,” he broke Song Erlang’s index finger.

“Ah—” Song Erlang clutched his finger, and his face turned pale.

Gu Huaizhi’s expression was cold and stern: “Still not going to leave?”

Song Erlang glared at the calm and composed Gu Huaizhi, his teeth almost grinding into pieces, wishing he could grind his bones to dust!

But the fact that this sickly man had broken his finger without even blinking left Song Erlang feeling deeply unsettled.

Thinking of the events about to unfold, a sinister gleam flashed in Song Erlang’s eyes. He stopped entangled with Gu Huaizhi and left in dejection with his tail between his legs.

Fearing that Gu Huaizhi might go mad and break his entire hand, which would prevent him from participating in the imperial examination, Song Erlang quickly retreated.

Gu Huaizhi brushed the back of his hand over his shoulder, then took out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers clean. He turned to his mother and said, “Mother, please stay here. There’s no need to see me off any further.”

Song Erlang’s words had struck a chord with Mother Gu. The incident from years ago had left a shadow in her heart. Even though Su Wan and Gu Huaizhi had assured her that nothing would go wrong this time, she couldn’t help but worry, fearing that something might happen.

Her cloudy eyes were filled with deep concern. Several times, she had wanted to ask Gu Huaizhi not to go for the examination and to wait another three years.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would discourage Gu Huaizhi from striving for success.

She wanted Su Wan to become her daughter-in-law, and for that, Gu Huaizhi needed to be exceptional.

“Alright, I won’t see you off too far—just to the carriage,” she said, repeatedly reminding him, “Take care of yourself. Don’t push too hard. If you’re not feeling well, you must tell the examiner.”

“Alright,” Gu Huaizhi agreed. He then turned to Su Wan and said, “I’ll have to trouble you to take care of things at home.”

“This is what I should do. You can focus on your exam without worry. I’ll keep everything in order at home,” Su Wan replied, pointing to a dark blue bundle in his hand. “I’ve made your usual medicine into pills for easy daily use. Inside, I’ve also prepared some medicine for cold symptoms and a few supplements. I’ve attached small notes to each, so you can follow the instructions to choose which one to take.”

A warm feeling surged in Gu Huaizhi’s heart. He raised his hand to gently ruffle her hair, brushed his fingers against her cheek as he said in a soft voice, “Wait for me to come back.”

Su Wan was momentarily stunned—this was the first time Gu Huaizhi had touched her cheek. And an inexplicable, shy feeling began to rise within her.

She rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand and urged, “You should go now, don’t waste any time.”

Gu Huaizhi then boarded the carriage and left.

Mother Gu’s eyes reddened, silently praying for his safe return this time.

Su Wan, on the other hand, was very familiar with Gu Huaizhi’s health and wasn’t worried at all. She even had a strange confidence, never once considering the possibility that Gu Huaizhi might fail the exam.

“Stop dawdling, both of you, and hurry to the academy,” Su Wan said, removing two cloth bags from her shoulders and handing them to the siblings. She then took out four coins, giving each of them two. “There are eggs, fish cakes, and lamb cakes in the bags. You can have them as a snack on the way, and when you reach the academy gate, buy a cup of soy milk.”

The two children responded crisply, “Got it, Sister-in-law.”

They then climbed onto the ox cart waiting at the village entrance and headed for Xihe Academy.

Su Wan linked arms with Mother Gu, trying to ease her worries. “Doctor Zhou received an order from Guangling Prefecture, and it’s quite large. I’m planning to go to the prefectural city myself, deliver a batch of goods, and do some research to prepare for setting up a workshop there. Huaizhi will be entering the exam hall tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll wait for him to finish so we can come back together.”

As expected, Mother Gu felt somewhat reassured after hearing Su Wan’s words.

“Su Wan, take good care of Huaizhi,” Mother Gu said wistfully. “This year, the family won’t be able to reunite for the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Su Wan felt a twinge of emotion, as this was her first holiday here since she arrived.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, noticing Qi Fifth’s figure flash by. She quickly said to Gu Huaizhi’s mother, “You go home first; I’ll go to the field to pick some scallions. I’ll make a bowl of scallion noodles for Jiu Ge later.”

Mother Gu muttered, “That girl eats noodles every meal—how does she never get tired of it? I’ll have to talk to her, make her eat some meat, or how will she grow? She’s as thin as a reed; a strong wind could blow her away.”

With that, Mother Gu bustled off toward the Gu household.

Su Wan walked toward Qi Fifth, who was hiding in an abandoned thatched house.

“Young lady, everything you instructed has been taken care of. The boss said you don’t need to worry.”

Qi Fifth pulled Su Wan down to squat at the base of the wall, like a thief, and whispered softly, “Mrs. Hu’s wounds have healed. She said she doesn’t want to be a burden to us and wants to leave Qingfeng Mountain. The boss asked me to consult with you—should we help Mrs. Hu leave the mountain?”

“Mrs. Hu can’t return to her parents’ home, and she’s all alone—where could she possibly go? Tell her that if she doesn’t want to freeload, she should work just like everyone else.”

Su Wan thought for a moment and then said, “Once the matter with the Song family is resolved, whether she stays or leaves is up to her.”

“Got it!” Qi Fifth, having received clear instructions, knew what needed to be done.

“How are things for you all now?” Su Wan asked, noticing that Qi Fifth was wearing a new coarse cloth outfit but still had straw sandals on his feet. “The money I gave you should be enough for you to live comfortably for four or five years. There’s no need to save on my account. If you eat well and stay warm, you’ll be more efficient in your work.”

Qi Fifth’s face turned red as he scratched his now-warm ear. “The boss built new houses for us; they don’t let in wind or rain, and everyone received three sets of clothes.”

He followed Su Wan’s gaze to his straw sandals and, somewhat sheepishly, said, “We’re used to wearing straw sandals; they’re convenient. The boss said that when the weather gets colder, we’ll all switch to cloth shoes.”

Su Wan, leaving no room for negotiation, said, “Tell Qi Guang to switch to cloth shoes immediately, and when it gets cold, wear deerskin boots. If you’re working for me, you shouldn’t have to suffer. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we earn enough that you won’t be able to spend money faster than I can make it.”

Qi Fifth nodded vigorously. Following the young lady was the greatest fortune of their lives!

“Pick two people to accompany me to the prefectural city in a couple of days.”

“I’ll go with Qi Third.”

“Alright.”