The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 146

Unwrapping the candy wrapper, Li Mingwei popped the candy into her mouth, hearing voices outside calling people into the courtyard, saying they were going to set off firecrackers. She hurried to the bedside, intending to cover the child's ears, only to find that he was already awake.

Li Mingwei smiled as she grasped his tiny hand, shaking it gently. "Awake now?"

About to check if the baby's diaper was wet, she noticed him smacking his lips, okay, he was hungry.

"Sister-in-law."

Liu Cuicui's voice came from outside, and Li Mingwei quickly set the child down, got dressed, and opened the door.

Liu Cuicui came in carrying a tray and set the food on the table for her. "Sister-in-law, time for lunch."

Turning her head to the sound of the baby humming on the bed, Li Mingwei couldn't help but approach and take a look. "What's wrong with him, about to cry?"

Li Mingwei shook her head with a smile. "Nothing, he rarely cries."

It was just a minor interruption to his feeding, nothing worth shedding tears over.

"Is lunch ready outside?"

"Almost, Aunt asked me to bring you some first. Otherwise, once the meal starts outside, we won't have time to attend to you."

Seeing her anxious to go out and help, Li Mingwei couldn't keep her questions and had to swallow her curiosity, escorting her out and continuing to dutifully nurse the child. Only when he was full would she have time to eat her own meal.

Today's dishes were quite varied, and the taste was good too. Sure enough, they had hired a chef. Mother-in-law was really generous, paying for the chef and the helpers, not to mention how much money was spent on all these dishes and meat.

They did spend quite a bit, but they also received a lot of gifts today, mostly in copper coins. A few tens of coins added up nicely.

After lunch, Old Lady Wang sneaked in with a bag of money and stuffed it into the corner, instructing her to keep an eye on it since no one was in the other rooms at the moment.

Li Mingwei nodded and felt a little itchy in her hand. "Mother, how about I count it for you?"

"Up to you, it's all yours anyway." Old Lady Wang leaned over the bed to dote on her grandson, whispering, "I just weighed it, I reckon Yizhu will have enough money to get by in Chengzhou this time."

Today, the gifts given by Liu Laosi and his friends were quite substantial, almost double what others gave. It wasn't in vain for her to make that trip, but it was a pity for her son, still there drinking and boasting with them.

Li Mingwei chuckled, covering her mouth. "It's okay, all the money is for him to spend, he has to pay some price after all."

Indeed.

As soon as Mother-in-law took the child out, Li Mingwei's gaze fell on the bag of copper coins. Not wanting to dirty the bed, she laid a cloth on the desk, lifted the bag, and emptied it out. The copper coins spilled out in an instant.

"Wow~"

"So much money!"

Occasionally, some coins rolled off the table with a crisp sound echoing around. Li Mingwei panicked for a moment and hurriedly bent down to pick them up.

Liu Yizhu, having drunk a bit too much, pushed the door open to rest for a while, only to see a pile of money on the table. She buried her head in the ground, rummaging through it non-stop.

He closed the door behind him with a flick of his hand. "What are you doing?"

Li Mingwei lifted her head abruptly, hitting the table directly. Liu Yizhu winced at the sound of the impact, then swiftly walked over and pulled her out from under the table, her head in her hands. "Where did it hit? Does it hurt?"

"It hurts!" Li Mingwei grimaced, rubbing the sore spot on her head with one hand while placing the coins she had picked up back into the pile with the other. She couldn't help but smile; it did hurt, but she was happy nonetheless.

It was a complicated mix of emotions.

Liu Yizhu's already throbbing head pounded even more. She could have easily grabbed half a banknote from her secret stash—heck, even just taking a single one would be more than the meager amount of coins here. Why act like such a money-lover?

Li Mingwei hugged the copper coins, giving him a sideways glance. "You wouldn't understand."

Squeezing onto a chair together, Liu Yizhu nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, I don't understand. What now?"

Catching a whiff of alcohol from him, Li Mingwei wrinkled her nose and sat on the edge of the chair, picking up a coin and placing it between them. "Let's count the money you earned from keeping the guests company."

Liu Yizhu's face darkened, and she walked away abruptly. "You can count on your own. My head hurts; I need to rest for a while."

Li Mingwei hmphed twice, ignoring her. Grinding some ink, she drew a tally mark on the paper every hundred coins. By her calculation, there were over four thousand copper coins, roughly equivalent to four taels of silver.

She muttered to herself, "I wonder how much Mother spent on the banquet."

You have to deduct the costs.

"About two taels," Liu Yizhu guessed.

Li Mingwei jumped in surprise, turning to see Liu Yizhu propped up on one side, looking at her. She patted her chest. "You weren't sleeping!"

Liu Yizhu shook her head, quirking her lips. "Besides copying books, it's rare to see you so serious."

Watching her, Li Mingwei suddenly didn't feel like sleeping anymore.

Rolling her eyes, she tied the money bag shut again and sat down at the edge of the bed. "Mother said..."

Liu Yizhu reached out and cupped the back of her head, planting a soft kiss on her lips, pressing tightly against her cheek. It was a while before she reluctantly let go, her voice a little hoarse. "What did Mother say?"

"Mother..." Li Mingwei twisted away from her, annoyed. She was talking business; what was with the kiss?

She pouted. "Mother said to give you this money to use in Chengzhou. Do you think it's enough?"

Liu Yizhu wasn't sure about this. She furrowed her brow, staring at Li Mingwei. "I haven't been to Chengzhou. What do you think?"

Li Mingwei pointed at her nose. "I haven't been to Chengzhou either!"

She deliberately avoided going to big cities when she ran away. However, she was still familiar with the prices in the capital city, and Chengzhou wasn't particularly large. Maybe half would do?

"Are you coming back after the exam results are out, or after you finish the exam?"

"I don't know, Tang Jue wants to wait until the exam results are announced. Lord Tang has already asked a friend in Chengzhou to find us a courtyard."

Tang Jue didn't think his father couldn't even rent a courtyard for him, so he wasn't in a hurry to come back. It's just that Liu Yizhu felt like it would be around the end of August before they could return, another month, too long.

Li Mingwei was uncertain: "Renting a courtyard at this time won't be cheap."

Exactly when there are many people, doubling the price is considered modest. Every year when the exam results are announced in various provincial capitals, the prices of inns and courtyards in the capital increase by at least three or four times. Originally not cheap, this increase makes it difficult for many impoverished students to afford.

Many can only stay in temples and Taoist temples outside the city, and the more unfortunate ones can only squeeze with laborers in dormitories with more than ten people, extremely noisy, making it difficult to even fall asleep, let alone study.

"Never mind, it's still early now. Let's wait for Lord Tang to rent the house, ask about the price, and then tell him. Also, Hu Big Brother, have you told Tang Jue?"

"I have." Liu Yizhu rubbed his forehead. "I still need to discuss with Big Brother Hu later. If he goes with us, at least we can save some money on transportation. Let's also ask about living together."

Li Mingwei nodded. Hu Jin had already sent the money issued by the county back home to his parents, and he only had the monthly three hundred plus coins given by Mr. Jin. Even if the rent for the courtyard is shared among several people, he may not be able to afford it.

But he may not be able to find another place either, so it's better to ask.