Chapter 41

The county exam was the first of the Tongsheng exams, consisting of five tests in total.

Apart from the Cuiwei Academy group, this was a very important day for other academies as well.

For example, this year, the Qingzhu Academy had several students, including Mu Yunchuan, representing them.

Before the results were posted, the headmaster was somewhat absent-minded, worrying about the performance of his students and colleagues. Since the next day happened to be a rest day for the academy, he decided to give everyone half a day off in advance.

Everyone went to see the results, while Wei Shu went to find Mu Yunchuan.

The county exam was only held in the county town, so although it was tiring, Mu Yunchuan was not affected. When Wei Shu went to find him, Mu Yunchuan was still studying, preparing for the next exam in April.

“Yunchuan, you’re as patient as ever. From what I see, you’re the only one in the academy who isn’t worried about your own results.”

Wei Shu smiled as he entered and said, “Today is the day the results are posted.”

He smiled, seemingly unconcerned, “It doesn’t matter. There are many people here today. When they come back, I’ll know too.”

He was calm, which made Wei Shu feel awkward about suggesting they go together to check the results.

However, Wei Shu couldn’t sit still. Since he wanted to see the results, he stood up and said, “Wei Xi, that brat, hasn’t been home for several days. It just so happens that I’m free today, so I’ll go to Shuiyun Village to see him. Do you want me to pass on any message?”

Wei Shu had originally wanted to invite Mu Yunchuan to come back to the village with him, but considering how dedicated he was to studying for the first county exam and how he had even skipped the New Year celebrations, not to mention the upcoming second prefectural exam in April, he knew Mu Yunchuan wouldn’t be distracted at the moment. So, he changed his offer to passing on a message instead.

Mu Yunchuan thought for a moment, then said, “There’s nothing much. Just tell them I’m doing well here. After the prefectural exam, I’ll come home.”

Since it was just a few words, Wei Shu nodded in agreement and immediately left the academy.

After leaving the academy, Wei Shu still felt a bit curious, so he took a different route and went to see the exam results.

He could have chosen not to look, but Mu’s family, especially Mu Yunchuan’s wife, would definitely want to know.

The area in front of the announcement board was crowded with people, whether they were scholars or not, all gathering to see the results. It took Wei Shu some effort to squeeze in.

As expected, Mu Yunchuan’s name was at the top of the list, ranking first in this county exam!

As for the other students who took the exam with him, no one paid much attention to them. Everyone was discussing Mu Yunchuan.

Top of Form

Wei Shu and Yoruyan, after listening to the praises of Mu Yunchuan by the crowd for a while, felt a bit lighter in their steps as they left the city.

Because he had spent quite a bit of time at the announcement board, Wei Shu arrived at Shuiyun Village when the sky was already dark.

He had only been here once before, so he wasn’t very familiar with the roads. It wasn’t until he saw the large banyan tree at the entrance of the village that he quickened his pace.

However, just as he passed by, he saw a light under the tree, and upon closer inspection, he saw a face reflected in the light!

Wei Shu wasn’t superstitious, and being young, he was startled at first. However, he looked more closely and soon recognized that the face belonged to Wei Xi.

“You brat, what are you doing crouching under a tree so late at night?!” Wei Shu exclaimed, folding his fan with a snap.

Wei Xi heard the noise, looked up, and upon seeing him, instead of saying anything, he raised his index finger to his lips, gesturing for silence, and then waved to him.

Not understanding why, Wei Shu still obediently approached and crouched down next to him.

After crouching down, Wei Shu noticed a candlestick next to Wei Xi, and there was also a book on his knee.

Affected by the atmosphere, Wei Shu lowered his voice and asked him with a smile, “Are you trying to replicate the ancient story of chiseling a hole to borrow light, or catching fireflies to light up the snow? Why aren’t you reading inside?”

Wei Xi remained silent. Wei Shu then thought for a moment and his expression changed, “Is it because of Yunchuan’s stepmother mistreating you?”

Just as he said that, Shen Cui came out of the village.

She wasn’t alone; she was dragging Mu Er Pang by the ear.

Previously, she had agreement with the system to have half a month of free daily tasks means easy to complete, earning her 750 shopping points.

As expected, the system was as cunning as ever. Today was the sixteenth day, and as soon as the half-month deadline passed, it immediately asked her to cook again.

This time, she didn’t go to the old house but cooked in the kitchen at home.

She used the method she had thought of before, buying dumpling ingredients for 40 shopping points and then cooking a pot of soup.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished cooking, the people in the academy started to get active.

She quickly put down the soup and went out to catch them, but when Luo Buyu and the two children came out of the academy, they naturally weren’t on the map anymore.

Zhou Shi was in the yard collecting clothes. When she saw Luo Buyu and the two children leaving, Shen Cui came after them, she was puzzled, “I just came to collect clothes, and Master Luo came out to relieve himself.

He asked me why I wasn’t cooking. I said you were busy in the kitchen, and I would wait for you to finish before doing anything else. They went out shortly after that, and I thought they were going home to eat. How come they didn’t run into you?”

Shen Cui understood what was going on.

Luo Buyu knew she was cooking today, so he took the two children and left!

Shen Cui was not worried because cooking dumplings and soup only took about fifteen minutes. She still had plenty of time for the task, and Luo Buyu was timid and wouldn’t dare to take the children far away, especially at night.

Shen Cui opened Luo Buyu’s data panel: Mood Value: 70 (Nervous).

The academy had a map, so she didn’t need to search. She subconsciously walked towards home. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Luo Buyu’s mood change from nervous to very nervous.

Smart people always think that the most dangerous place is also the safest.

Shen Cui didn’t continue walking out. She turned around and went into the house, dragging Luo Buyu out of Mu Er Pang’s room.

Then there was Mu Er Pang. His mood was stable, but he was feeling tired.

Their chubby son needed several breaks just to walk into the city. Shen Cui quickly caught him not far from home.

Wei Xi was a bit difficult. His mood was very stable, making it hard to guess what he was thinking.

But Wei Xi was more honest and wouldn’t actually hide in a place where no one could find him.

Shen Cui thought of the large scholar tree at the village entrance, where Wei Xi and the others had become friends.

Dragging Mu Er Pang by the ear, she saw a warm candlelight from afar and indeed found him under the tree.

Wei Shu had just been reading, but when he saw Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang coming over, he closed the book and stood up.

Mu Er Pang, with his ear twisted, though his mother didn’t exert much force, instinctively tiptoed and tilted his head, walking with a lopsided posture.

Seeing Wei Shu there too, Shen Cui let go of Mu Er Pang’s ear.

Mu Er Pang covered his warm ear and first gave Wei Shu a respectful gesture of a scholar, then squeezed next to Wei Xi, picked up the candlestick from the ground, and whispered, “Junior Brother, Master asked us to hide, why did you bring the candlestick? Are you afraid my mother won’t find you?”

Wei Xi smiled and didn’t say anything.

He hadn’t actually planned to hide, but when Luo Buyu suggested skipping dinner, he and Mu Er Pang both got up. Not joining in would have made him stand out, so he grabbed the candlestick and followed.

Shen Cui was chatting with Wei Shu, and when she heard this, she couldn’t help but say angrily, “Xiao Xi has poor night vision. If he didn’t carry the candlestick, were you hoping he would fall into a pit again?”

Mu Er Pang suddenly remembered this incident. Although he had always known that Wei Xi had a weak body and couldn’t see at night, they had been living together and eating together for half a month now. He hadn’t seen Wei Xi suffering from headaches or fever lately, and he had been making rapid progress in his studies under candlelight at night. Both he and Luo Buyu had forgotten about Wei Xi’s condition.

Before Mu Er Pang could apologize, Wei Xi smiled and said, “Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother. I’ll remember not to bring a candlestick next time!”

Since Wei Xi didn’t mind, and Mu Er Pang didn’t treat him as an outsider, he didn’t continue with any apologies. Instead, he boldly patted his chest and said, “Then you should eat less later, and I’ll help you eat half a bowl more!”

Wei Xi chuckled lightly.

The two of them walked ahead with the candlestick, while Wei Shu and Shen Cui followed behind.

Wei Shu initially thought that Shen Cui had mistreated Wei Xi, leading to him reading under the tree so late at night. However, after hearing Wei Xi and Mu Er Pang chat for a while, although he didn’t know the specifics, he guessed that they were just fooling around.

As they talked, Wei Xi laughed several times in a short period of time, and Shen Cui also remembered his poor night vision. It seemed that her younger brother was doing well here.

If her brother wasn’t doing well, Wei Shu wouldn’t tolerate it. But if Wei Xi was doing exceptionally well, it made Wei Shu feel somewhat happy.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the academy.

Wei Shu saw the very cheap-looking plaque at the entrance. Although he was surprised, he didn’t show it on his face. He politely said, “When we left the city, it was still early. I didn’t expect to be delayed, and it’s already dark. I wonder if it would be convenient for me to stay overnight?”

Since the academy was closed the next day, he naturally wanted to stay and explore further.

Since the investor had spoken, Shen Cui had no reason to disagree. She smiled and agreed, “If Master Wei doesn’t mind, then it’s settled.”

At this point, Mrs. Zhou had already set the table for dinner. She knew that Wei Xi had an older brother who looked very similar to him and was a good friend of her husband.

So when she saw Wei Shu, Mrs. Zhou immediately said, “I didn’t expect Master Wei to come back. I’ll fry a few more dishes.”

Wei Shu had come to investigate his brother’s life here, and he didn’t consider himself a glutton. He waved his hand and said, “Madam, there’s no need to rush. I’ll just have a little. The food here is already good enough.”

After saying this, Wei Shu clearly felt that Luo Buyu and Mu Er Pang’s smiles became somewhat forced.

Did he say something wrong?