Lu Yang smiled and said, “If it’s meant to be, we’ll meet again.”
Lu Lin thought the same way. He would wait for fate to take its course. He wasn’t going to look for her anyway.
What kind of good relative is this? They hadn’t been in touch for so many years, and the other person still lived in the county, making tofu.
He didn’t understand business before, but now he was busy in the shop, handling money, and compared to the income from farming, he could calculate the difference in his heart. If he suddenly went to visit, the other person might treat him like a poor relative and chase him away.
Lu Lin was proud and didn’t want to ask around.
“He’s in the county seat, which isn’t far away. If he cares about us, he must have time during the New Year market closure, right? He doesn’t want a poor relative, so why bother going there?”
Lu Yang wanted to be straightforward with him, but he was busy these past few days and didn’t have time.
He glossed over it today, thinking that after Xie Yan started school, he’d have time to talk to Lu Lin about recognizing their kinship. He couldn’t mention the arranged marriage.
They chatted for a while longer, but as it grew dark, the couple had to head back to the village.
Lu Yang asked him to inquire about the house price again: “We’re short on cash, but we’re serious about buying it. We can pay in installments.” ”
The house in the village should be sold as soon as possible to get the money.
Lu Lin took note of it. Speaking of which, he and Zhang Tie wanted that house.
They were currently living with their family, and it was really cramped. The couple couldn’t even move around at night without feeling embarrassed. If they made any noise, the whole house could hear it, and he felt ashamed.
He went home to discuss the finances with Zhang Tie, see how much they had saved, and then consult with the elders in the family. Even if they had to live with his older brother or second brother’s family, that would be acceptable.
After Lu Lin and Zhang Tie finished work, their shop would stay open for a while longer before closing.
Xie Yan hadn’t returned yet, and Lu Yang was worried. He left dinner to his mother-in-law and quickly closed the shop, planning to go out and look for Xie Yan while it was still light out.
If he waited any longer, the curfew would begin, and he wouldn’t be able to search for him.
As soon as he ran out onto the street and turned the corner, he saw Xie Yan sitting on the steps outside another shop, his eyes red, his lips pressed together, and his fists clenched. He must have been upset about something, like a child who had been robbed of a piece of braised pork, feeling wronged but unable to express it.
Lu Yang paused, then knelt down in front of him, took his hand, and asked, “What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?”
He looked back, but the nearby shops were empty, and there was no sign of Wu Pingzhi on the street. He asked again, “Where’s Young Master Wu?”
When Xie Yan saw him, tears fell from his eyes.
He tried to hold back, but in the end, he could only bury his head in Lu Yang’s palm and cry.
After parting with Wu Pingzhi at noon, he excitedly went to the county school to collect his stipend.
An old classmate approached him and asked about his return to school. He said he had enrolled in a private school and would no longer be attending the county school.
This one sentence attracted a lot of people.
Xie Yan had withdrawn from school earlier, strictly speaking, due to mourning leave, and several instructors had given him some leeway.
There were also other students receiving stipends who were studying outside the school, which fell under the principle of “no complaint, no investigation.” If others wanted to cause trouble, he had no reason to object; he simply wouldn’t take the stipend.
Little did he know that withdrawing the silver and grain would lead to other issues. Those people then claimed that his mourning period had not yet ended, using the date of his father’s death as evidence, alleging that he had attended school during the mourning period and participated in the imperial examinations, and also bringing up the bad reputation caused by his relatives earlier, aiming to prevent him from taking the examinations. He immediately became enraged!
He knew exactly when his father had passed away, and this matter could be verified. The instructors believed him and let him speak up to clarify the matter. However, he still couldn’t leave. The five students he had guaranteed for also came forward to accuse him, saying that he wasn’t a scholarship student and had gone out to guarantee for others, harming them, and demanding that the county school punish him.
With one thing leading to another, even Xie Yan, who was so unworldly, could see that someone was deliberately causing trouble.
The instructors suppressed the commotion, only stating that when Xie Yan provided the guarantee, he was indeed a scholar, but since the roster had not yet been compiled and reported to the education official, they were genuinely concerned. They therefore requested that Xie Yan return the money and refund the guarantee fee.
The guarantee fee was eight taels of silver, but Xie Yan did not have enough silver with him, so the instructors covered the cost.
He went to the county school today, didn’t receive the stipend silver and rice, had to refund the guarantee fee, and nearly ended up unable to continue with the imperial examinations.
But as soon as he saw Lu Yang and heard his voice, tears streamed down his face before he could say a word.
He had thought that moving to the county and studying hard would be enough, but it turned out that studying was also difficult.
When he looked up again, his eyes were even redder, and he cried like a little boy. Facing Lu Yang, he looked like a young man with tears streaming down his face.
He suppressed his urge to pour out his heart and told Lu Yang, “I didn’t receive my rations of silver and rice today.”
Lu Yang asked why and handed him a handkerchief to wipe his face.
Xie Yan stammered an explanation, “Since I’m no longer studying at the county school, I can’t receive them anymore.”
Lu Yang had never heard of this rule. If that was the case, why hadn’t Wu Pingzhi reminded him?
Still on the street, Lu Yang didn’t press further, but comforted him, “What am I saying? Making my scholar feel so wronged over a little silver and rice. If you can’t get it, just forget it. Let’s go home and eat!”
Xie Yan was pulled up by Lu Yang, and the couple held hands as they walked home.
Zhao Peilan glanced at Lu Yang, who shook his head slightly, his face still smiling: “Isn’t he going to stay at the private school? He’s not happy.”
Zhao Peilan looked at Xie Yan and advised him, “You should prioritize your studies. Why are you always hanging around Yang Ge? Can you feed him or clothe him?”
These words struck a chord with Xie Yan, and he did perk up a bit.
After dinner, the couple returned to their room. Xie Yan thought the matter was settled and took out several portraits he had drawn today from his schoolbag to show Lu Yang.
“I drew these for you.” This was the gift he had prepared for Lu Yang.
He added, “I originally wanted to draw a poplar tree or poplar leaves, but I couldn’t remember what they looked like, so I drew your portrait instead.”
The portrait was palm-sized, and Xie Yan hadn’t added any color. It was white with black lines, sketched out in a few strokes.
Lu Yang rarely looked in the mirror; he usually used a water mirror. Lately, he had seen his younger brother often and had also seen the door god portraits, so he was well aware of his own appearance.
The portrait was simple yet vividly expressive. His family’s top scholar must have had him in his heart to be able to sketch him so effortlessly.
When I think of you, you’re always there. I don’t need to look at the portrait.”
Lu Yang laughed for a moment, then saw that Xie Yan had relaxed a bit and asked him, “Tell me, what else happened today?”
Xie Yan pursed his lips unwilling to speak, only shaking his head and saying, “Nothing. I just didn’t receive the silver and rice.”
Lu Yang put the portrait away, leaned over to put his arm around Xie Yan’s shoulder, poked his cheek, and touched his lips. “This matter has upset you so much? Your lips are turned up to the sky! I’ve never seen you look like this before. Don’t hide it from me. Tell me, and I’ll scold you a little. If you hide it, I’ll keep thinking about it. The old doctor told me to stop overthinking things. Do you want me to worry?”
Xie Yan didn’t want him to worry, nor did he want to make him angry. Choosing the lesser of two evils, Lu Yang asked, and Xie Yan told him about the money he owed.
As for his classmates wanting to prevent him from taking the imperial examination, he kept that to himself.
He said, “Today, coincidentally, I just withdrew my stipend silver and rice. Before I could leave the county school, the five students I had guaranteed for came looking for me, complaining to the instructor that I wasn’t a stipendiary student yet I was going out to cheat people out of money. I didn’t have enough silver on me, so the instructor covered it for me.”
