The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 149

Lord Tang quickly received a letter from his friend, who had already rented a courtyard for them. Liu Yizhu inquired about the price and passed the information to Hu Jin, asking if he wanted to join them.

Seeing Hu Jin's hesitation, Mr. Jin took the letter, calculated his income and expenses in his mind, and said dully, "If you all split the cost, it's not too much. How much money do you have left? If it's not enough, I can provide some for you to use first."

"No need. For these two months, I'll just stop sending money home."

Since Hu Jin started teaching here, he had already troubled Mr. Jin enough. It was fine to mooch some meals, but taking his money would be too shameless.

From last year, he had been sending money home every month. His parents should still have ample funds, and with the family's land, he could get by for now. He would just skip sending money for two months.

After making his decision, he replied to Liu Yizhu.

The county exam would last nine days, so resting well was important. Moreover, a few of his fellow students were also knowledgeable. Perhaps they could exchange insights on the way and gain unexpected gains.

Li Mingwei was going to take the children to the county town to accompany Liu Yizhu for a few days. She invited Hu Jin to join them on their journey to the county town.

She packed her belongings, put her child in Dong Shan's stroller, seating him next to Little Yan. Seeing Old Lady Wang's reluctant gaze, she said, "Mother, if you wish to go, then go."

Old Lady Wang stubbornly said, "I don't want to go. I... I just can't bear to part with the children. If they stayed home, I wouldn't care about you all!"

"Shall we leave, then?"

"Go, go!"

After walking a few steps with Wang Chunhua, Li Mingwei turned back and said, "They'll depart early on the 28th. If you want to see them off, Mother, you can come on the 27th evening. We'll stay at the same courtyard as before."

Old Lady Wang tightened her apron around her waist and silently nodded.

Wang Chunhua was perplexed, "Why isn't your mother-in-law going to see them off?"

"She's afraid."

Ever since Liu Yizhu's departure date for Chengzhou was set, Li Mingwei noticed her mother-in-law was often absent-minded, dropping her chopsticks one moment and breaking bowls the next. When asked, she wouldn't say anything, only repeatedly asking what day it was.

This was Liu Yizhu's first time traveling far away, to a place Old Lady Wang had never been. She was clueless about Chengzhou, so she felt uneasy and couldn't sleep night after night.

She feared that going to the county town in her state would affect Liu Yizhu's mood, so she dared not accompany him.

Wang Chunhua thought of Dong Lei and instantly understood Old Lady Wang's feelings. If he had to take on such a significant task in the future, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep either.

She bumped into Li Mingwei, "Aren't you worried?"

To be honest, she and Dong Shan had been preoccupied with this matter these past few days.

Li Mingwei sighed deeply. Of course, she was worried – more worried than anyone else, guaranteed. But what was the point of worrying? It would only add to his burden, which was already heavy enough.

The group called for Hu Jin at the academy gate. After Hu Jin bid farewell to Mr. Jin and loaded his luggage onto the cart, he helped Dong Shan push it towards the county town.

Upon arriving at the small courtyard, Dong Shan went ahead to knock on the gate. Li Mingwei took a couple of deep breaths, and her weary expression instantly brightened into a smile, surprising Wang Chunhua – her face changed that quickly!

She carried the child inside, and Liu Yizhu soon came out to greet them. They hadn't attended classes for the past few days, occupied with preparing their belongings.

Seeing her smile, Liu Yizhu inexplicably felt relieved. Li Mingwei caressed his slightly dark eye circles and teased, "Couldn't sleep without me, could you?"

"Didn't I tell you? But you didn't believe me."

He took the child, greeted everyone, grabbed Li Mingwei's luggage, and led her back to their room, leaving the others to the maids.

Following behind him, Li Mingwei glanced at the slightly quiet courtyard and asked, "Where are Tang Jue and the others?"

"They've returned home. Zhong Liangyu's grandfather is elderly, so it's inconvenient for him to come and see him off. Yang Jingyuan accompanied him back to see the old man and bid farewell to their families. They should be back tomorrow."

"Oh." Li Mingwei nodded, then poked his back. "Were you really unable to sleep last night, or did you stay up reading?"

Liu Yizhu hesitated, "I stayed up reading, I suppose."

"What do you mean, 'I suppose'?"

He couldn't sleep, so he got up and started reading again.

Li Mingwei was somewhat worried. "You can't keep doing this, not sleeping properly."

Liu Yizhu affirmed, "I'll be able to sleep tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I'll be tired after finishing my tasks. When I'm tired, I usually sleep deeply."

"You!" If she wasn't carrying the child, Li Mingwei would have kicked him. Annoyed, she brushed past him, snatched her luggage, and entered the room first, her gaze immediately falling on the two burnt-down candles on the small table.

He really hadn't slept all night.

Li Mingwei had a headache. If he kept burning the candle at both ends like this, he would collapse before even reaching the exam.

The bed was messy. Liu Yizhu could only set the child down, then quickly cleared away the used candles from last night that he had neglected earlier due to his hurry.

He explained, "These two candles have actually been used for several days now."

Li Mingwei pursed her lips. If she believed him, she'd be a fool!

Wang Chunhua finished putting down her belongings and came in, hesitating when she saw the two of them glaring at each other.

Noticing her presence, Li Mingwei restrained her anger and turned to smile at Wang Chunhua, "Sister, what's the matter?"

"Brother Tang sent someone with a message. Once Brother Yang and the others return tomorrow, we'll go to his home for a meal. Lord Tang wants to host a farewell gathering for your husband and the others."

How could they refuse Lord Tang's banquet invitation? Li Mingwei nodded, noticing her sister's hesitant expression. She set down her luggage, took her aside, and asked, "Is there something else?"

Wang Chunhua smiled sheepishly and tugged at her clothes. "Brother Tang invited us as well, but look at how I'm dressed. It would be embarrassing for the County Magistrate to see me like this."

"And your brother-in-law too. We didn't bring any proper attire. Why don't you tell Brother Tang that my brother-in-law and I won't be attending?"

After spending so much time together, Li Mingwei could easily tell whether Wang Chunhua truly didn't want to go or was just pretending. She took out some money and pulled Wang Chunhua outside.

"Where are we going?"

Li Mingwei said matter-of-factly, "To buy clothes!"

"But..." Wang Chunhua hesitated, "It's just a meal. Wouldn't buying new outfits be too wasteful?"

"Then shall we not go?"

"No, no, Brother Tang has invited us. Wouldn't it be rude not to attend?"

Li Mingwei couldn't stand her sister's dithering. She dragged her along, saying, "Whether we attend the meal or not doesn't matter. But the County Magistrate isn't someone we can meet easily."

"Sister, you can't miss this great opportunity!"

"That's true!"

Convinced by Li Mingwei, Wang Chunhua quickened her pace, even pulling her sister along. "Hurry up, little sister. We need to choose carefully so the County Magistrate won't laugh at us."

Li Mingwei...