Chapter 211: Announcement
After the scholars’ small gathering, everyone returned to their own homes, agreeing to meet again after the posting of examination results.
There was still a month until the posting of examination results. After this month, who among them would be beaming with joy and who would be dejected would depend on whether these people’s names were on the list.
On the way back, Su Yaoguang saw that Zhang Yingdi and her husband were overly nervous, so she suggested they relax outside for a bit and go back after their moods had calmed.
Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu returned to Peach Blossom Workshop first.
After returning, Zhang Zhaodi and the others did not ask how Zhou Wangshu had done on the exam. They first booked a table at the Jiang Family Restaurant, then held a welcome banquet for Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Su Yaoguang handed the orders to Zhang Zhaodi and the others to look at, and mentioned the few big orders they needed to rush recently.
“Chun E…” Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu jogged back to Peach Blossom Workshop and saw someone squatting at the doorway. Just as they were wondering if it was a beggar or something, that person raised their head, revealing a familiar face.
Zhang Zhaodi and the others had gone to the night market.
Chun E, with her pale cheeks, smiled wearily: “I didn’t know where I should go, and before I knew it, I had walked here. I want to talk to you, Yaoguang.”
Zhou Wangshu used the key to open the door. Su Yaoguang helped Chun E up and took her into the backyard of Peach Blossom Workshop.
Su Yaoguang noticed that Chun E had been trembling.
Zhou Wangshu excused himself, leaving Su Yaoguang to take Chun E into her bedroom.
Su Yaoguang poured tea and placed it in front of Chun E, saying, “I’ll go get you something to eat.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, I’m not hungry.”
“It’s so late, how could you not be hungry? No matter what happens, your health is the most important. We can’t mistreat ourselves.”
Chun E held her hand and said tiredly, “I’m really not hungry. Yaoguang, just keep me company and talk.”
“Alright, I’m here. I’ll listen to whatever you want to say, and if there’s anything you need help with, just say it. As long as I can do it, I’ll definitely go all out.”
“We’ve only known each other for a short time, and even you treat me so sincerely. Why does that stinking man still deceive me?” Chun E hugged Su Yaoguang and burst into tears with a wail.
Chun E had been running the ready-to-wear clothing shop business for years, persisting even through the bad years, which showed she was strong by nature. But now, she was crying like a tearful mess.
“Your man treats you badly?”
“He has a woman outside, and they’ve even had a child.” Chun E said angrily, “This time he brought her back, saying he wants to take her as a concubine. He’s just a lowly guard, earning only a few crooked melons and cracked dates each month. He can’t even support one wife, and now he wants to support a concubine who’s even pregnant with an illegitimate child. Yaoguang, I really wanted to die at the time. Why do this to me?”
Su Yaoguang knew Chun E still couldn’t accept such a sudden change. She was too stimulated now; forcibly comforting her wouldn’t help and would only make her emotions worsen repeatedly.
She needed to cry it out.
Once she had cried enough and her mind calmed down, that would be the time to think about what to do next.
Su Yaoguang acted as a quiet listener, and only after Chun E’s crying subsided did she start asking what her plans were next.
The other party wanted to take a concubine and had brought back the illegitimate child. She had two choices: one was to accept them and watch their family of three be affectionate while she became an outsider. To that family, every coin they spent was earned by her. She would not only lose her husband but become a free slave for those three. The second was divorce. After so many years of grievances and living like a widow, there was no reason to let him off just like that. She needed to divide the property, and from then on, it would be a clean break.
“Of course, divorce.” Chun E said, “These years he’s been coming home less and less, and I can’t get any silver from him. I’ve been living alone for a long time now. This is just making it official.”
“Since you’ve already made up your mind, why cry? I saw you crying so heartbroken and was worried you’d do something foolish.”
“A man dying so completely all of a sudden, of course I should cry a bit for him, so he can rest in peace.” Chun E said angrily. “By the way, help me think about how much property I can divide?”
“We need to first figure out how much property he has.” Su Yaoguang said, “I heard there’s an intelligence organization here. We can find them to investigate this.”
“Yaoguang, right now I just want to get more money. I don’t ask for anything else.” Chun E said, “I was too foolish. I should have noticed earlier. I was deceiving myself and unwilling to face it.”
That night, Su Yaoguang kept soothing Chun E’s emotions. The next morning, Zhang Zhaodi and the others saw Chun E there too and thought she had come to play with Su Yaoguang.
By then, Chun E had wiped away her tears and returned to her usual generous and poised demeanor. It was just that she had cried too long the day before, so her eyes were a bit red and swollen.
Chun E ate breakfast at Peach Blossom Workshop and then left.
Su Yaoguang found Zhou Wangshu and asked him, “Do you know Ming Ye Hall?”
Zhou Wangshu was chopping wood in the courtyard. Hearing Su Yaoguang’s words, the axe in his hand veered a bit, nearly chopping his instep with a clatter.
Zhou Wangshu set the fallen log back up and split it with another axe blow, immediately turning the timber into two segments.
“Never heard of it. What is that?”
“I heard it’s an intelligence organization. From small things like finding Granny Zhang’s family cat to big things like providing clues about murderers to the county office, they’re growing bigger and bigger, and many people go to them.”
“This is for the shop owner’s matter?”
“We have what we have today thanks in part to the shop owner. Now she wants to divorce that man but doesn’t know how much property he has, so she wants to figure out his situation first before deciding.”
“Conveniently, I have a classmate who knows the background of this Ming Ye Hall. I’ll ask him and see if we can get them to look into this matter.”
“If it doesn’t work, don’t force it. I can ask Cui Rong the same way. Cui Rong runs the Cui family, and there are plenty of informants inside the Cui family. Cui Rong was very inexperienced before but suddenly became so mature; he must have had guidance from an expert. Maybe he knows some connections.”
Zhou Wangshu: “…”
His own family’s matters, and he had to ask outsiders?
“No need to ask Cui Rong. Human favors are hard to repay.” Zhou Wangshu said, “Conveniently, I helped that classmate before, and he owes me a favor. This time, he can repay it.”
“Then thank you, little Zhou.” Su Yaoguang patted his shoulder. “I can’t anymore. I made an appointment with Cui Rong to go check the workshop. No time left, I have to go first. You go back to the academy and study hard. Don’t take it lightly. After the local imperial examination, you’ll have to go to the capital city.”
A strange light flashed in Zhou Wangshu’s eyes.
Capital city…
Was he going back?
