Chapter Sixty-Four [V] "If you won't divorce, then you should take the test..."

To outsiders, it seemed that Li Yan and that scholar Xu were discussing marriage, but Li Yan herself knew that because of what had happened before and Xu Qingshu's attitude towards those things, even if Xue Yi hadn't returned, it would have been impossible for her and Xu Qingshu to get married.

Therefore, Li Yan did not feel embarrassed or hesitant at all when faced with Ye Wangxiang's question.

“Why is he heartbroken? There’s nothing wrong at all,” Li Yan said solemnly. “We’re not engaged, let alone at the point of discussing marriage, so there’s no question of him being heartbroken.”

Hearing her say that, Ye Wangxiang nodded hurriedly: "That's good, otherwise... your reputation will be damaged, what's the point of doing this?"

Li Yan knew that Ye Wangxiang treated her like family, which was why she said those things. She herself considered her a friend, which was why she came early that morning to tell her these things.

After sitting for a while, Li Yan got up to say goodbye: "I'm going back now." Then she called to Qingniang, who was playing with Ye Wangxiang's eldest daughter, "Qingniang, let's go."

Upon seeing this, Ye Wangxiang quickly stood up to see him off.

After walking into the courtyard, Li Yan greeted the homeowner, Granny Gu, saying, "Grandma Gu, I'm leaving now." Because Granny Gu was old and hard of hearing, Li Yan raised her voice considerably.

Grandma Gu was squatting on the ground picking green beans when she heard the sound. She turned around, looked at Li Yan, and smiled, "Come and play again next time."

After Li Yan solemnly agreed to her words, she left with Qingniang.

Just as they were about to enter the courtyard, they saw their mother-in-law, Aunt Xue, hurrying out of the courtyard.

Upon seeing her, he immediately stopped and pulled her over, saying, "I was just about to talk to you. Come here." With that, he led Li Yan towards the main room.

There was no one in the main room at the moment; Xu Ge'er must have gone to school. In another room, she spotted Xue Yi.

At this moment, Xue Yi was sitting upright at the desk by the window. The desk belonged to Xu Ge'er, and Xu Ge'er's books and homework were placed on it. Xue Yi seemed to be looking at Xu Ge'er's homework attentively.

After glancing at him casually, Li Yan looked away and continued to focus on her mother-in-law.

Before she could even ask what was wrong, her mother-in-law said urgently, "Erlang just said he's going to Jiangning Prefecture with us. Yanniang, are you sure you can let go of your business in Huating County? If not, how many days will it take to make arrangements?" The implication was that she hoped Yanniang could settle her business in Huating County and then go with her to the General's Mansion in Jiangning Prefecture.

“Didn’t you go to Jiangning Prefecture before for business matters? Once you’ve settled things here, let’s move there together as soon as possible.”

Having been separated from her son for three or four years, she thought he was dead and was often depressed. Fortunately, she has now been found again, and Aunt Xue does not want to be separated from her son for a moment longer. She wants to stay with Erlang every day.

Not only her, but also Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er, the siblings also wanted to spend every day with their uncle.

Of course, a family reunion wouldn't be complete without the daughter-in-law.

At this moment, she was once again relieved that her daughter-in-law had not remarried.

Of all the businesses in Huating County, the only one she needs to personally manage now is the milk tea shop.

Although she now has Lady Ye and Lady Qing helping her—one managing the shop and the other assisting her when she makes drinks—she still holds the most crucial steps in her own hands.

If she's going to leave, she'll have to find someone to pass on her milk tea making skills. Or, she could hand over the various tea recipes she's already developed.

Actually, Li Yan had considered this before.

It wasn't that she knew when Xue Yi would return and would leave with him. It was just that after visiting Jiangning Prefecture and witnessing its prosperity and bustle, she longed to go to a bigger and more prosperous place.

Therefore, she had thought that if she left Huating County in the future, she would choose to hand over the business here to Ye Niangzi to manage.

However, this will inevitably make things much harder for Madam Ye.

But Li Yan also considered having Ye Wangxiang invest in the business. Ye's wife would also receive a share of the profits from the milk tea shop.

In this way, she will not only earn more money, but she will also be more motivated and enthusiastic, and she will manage the shop better.

Originally, Li Yan felt that this matter was not urgent and could be taken slowly. It would be best if things naturally fell into place when the time was right.

But now, her mother-in-law brought this up in front of her ahead of time.

Li Yan considered it carefully for a moment, then turned her head away, her gaze falling once again on the man sitting upright in the room.

She knew he could hear everything they were saying in the main room. He was just pretending not to.

Li Yan did not answer Xue Erniang's question, but said, "Mother, I want to talk to Erlang alone."

At this moment, Xue Yi, who had been motionless, finally turned his head to look at her.

When she saw him looking at her, Li Yan did not look away, but met his gaze directly.

Xue Yi slowly got up and walked towards the main room outside.

Seeing this, Aunt Xue first gave an ambiguous smile, then quickly made an excuse, saying, "Qingniang can't handle it all by herself, I'll go help. You all just talk, no rush." ​​After saying that, she left with cheerful steps.

When they first met, they were both quite open and honest with each other. Now that they meet again, their statuses are different, and the atmosphere is naturally a little different as well.

"Sit down and let's talk," Xue Yi said.

Li Yan didn't hesitate and nodded with a smile, "Okay."

After the two sat down on either side of each other, Li Yan asked the man opposite her, "What are you thinking?"

In that previous life, Li Shi never asked such a question. In fact, he barely spoke a few words to her.

I remember that he was the one who contacted her first, asking her what her plans were, and that's when she told me she wanted to break off the engagement.

But now, this Ms. Li sat gracefully in front of him, taking the initiative and asking him what his plans were.

Xue Yi was not one to shirk responsibility or problems. Since she asked, he answered seriously, "Since you are the wife my mother arranged for me, you should come back to Jiangning Prefecture with me."

His directness and sincerity, and his refusal to shirk responsibility, made Li Yan quite fond of him.

Therefore, Li Yan also intended to treat him sincerely, saying, "We haven't had a proper wedding ceremony, so we're not considered to be married in a proper way. Now that you have a bright future ahead of you, you can choose someone from a good family. There's no need for me to delay your future."

Should he choose a woman from a good family to marry? Xue Yi hadn't thought about that.

Even when he was still Liu Erzhuang and didn't know he already had a wife, he never thought of marrying a woman from a powerful family.

Therefore, seeing Li Yan say this, Xue Yi solemnly shook his head: "I have never had such a plan." Then, he also asked her, "Do you want a divorce?"

"I..." Before Li Yan could finish speaking, she heard a noise coming from the courtyard gate.

The courtyard wasn't large; looking from the main room, you could immediately spot Xu Qingshu standing outside the door.

At that moment, Aunt Xue was blocking Xu Qingshu outside the door.

"Scholar Xu, what brings you here?" Aunt Xue's attitude remained as warm as ever.

Xu Qingshu realized that if he didn't take the initiative, Yan Niang might really only treat him as an older brother.

He originally thought that there was no need to force matters of the heart; it would be best if everything happened naturally.

He had previously assumed that Lady Li shared the same thoughts as him—that she wasn't in a hurry and wanted to take things slowly. However, he also believed that she had some affection for him and approved of his character and future prospects.

But at that dinner table, she directly brought up the matter of becoming sworn siblings, which suddenly made him see some things he hadn't seen before.

It turned out that she wasn't as interested in him as he thought. It turned out that if he didn't take the initiative, they might miss each other completely.

Xu Qingshu admired her greatly, appreciating her character, temperament, talent, and skill.

Even when she was just a dark-skinned, strong girl, he still felt this admiration for her. And now, she had long since transformed into a beautiful young woman.

Xu Qingshu was attracted by her personal charm, and then gradually, little by little, he fell deeply in love with her without realizing it.

Now that he knows she is about to leave, he is completely panicked.

Knowing that his brother and sister-in-law had gone too far, Xu Qingshu was exceptionally polite. Even knowing that Aunt Xue's attitude towards him had changed and that he was being kept out of the door, he was not angry at all. He simply bowed and said, "Aunt, I have something I would like to say to Madam Li. I would be grateful if you could do me a favor."

If it were before, when her son hadn't returned home and she hadn't yet seen through the true nature of Xu's brother and sister-in-law, Aunt Xue would certainly have been happy to arrange this marriage.

But now that she has seen through the Xu family's character, knows that the eldest son and his wife are difficult to get along with, and her son has returned home, Aunt Xue is afraid that her daughter-in-law will get into trouble again.

So she hurriedly said, "What do you want with my daughter-in-law? Why don't you just tell me here?" Then she told him, "Scholar Xu, you have been kind to our family, and we will remember that kindness. However, my daughter-in-law is a married woman, and it is inappropriate for you to come to see her alone." Seeing that he seemed unwilling to give up, Aunt Xue added, "My son has returned and is at home now. If you don't want the young couple to have a falling out, you'd better leave now."

"What?" Xu Qingshu exclaimed in surprise.

He wasn't too bothered by the first few sentences. But the last one completely stunned him.

But with his intelligence, he quickly understood what was going on.

After a long silence, he couldn't help but ask, "Auntie, are you referring to... your second son..."

Seeing that he didn't believe her, Aunt Xue turned to the side and looked at her son standing in the house behind her: "Second Brother, Scholar Xu is looking for you. Come out and say hello."

Although the commotion at the door was not loud, Xue Yi, with his keen hearing, naturally figured out what was going on. After a quick glance at Li Yan, he turned and walked out the door with his hands behind his back.

Xue Yi was tall and strong, and after several years of military training, he exuded the sharp and heroic spirit of a soldier.

In addition, he was handsome and had an outstanding temperament... He was an undeniable presence just by standing in the courtyard.

Xu Qingshu never imagined that Li Niangzi's husband would be such a tall and handsome man.

He was stunned for a moment.

"Scholar Xu." Having just heard his mother address him that way, Xue Yi addressed him in the same manner. "What is it?"

Xu Qingshu also had a refined appearance, and now he stood there in a blue robe, looking very scholarly.

Although his expression remained largely unchanged, his inner world was in turmoil. His hand, which was behind his back, gradually clenched into a fist.

"It's nothing." Having nothing more to say to him, Xu Qingshu simply nodded and said goodbye, "Farewell."

After Xu Qingshu left, Xue Yi returned to the main room and asked Li Yan, "If you have feelings for him, you can just say so. Although we are husband and wife, we have no feelings for each other, and I will not hold you back."

Before Li Yan could speak, Aunt Xue said, "Even if I didn't know you were still alive, Yan Niang wouldn't be with him." But she didn't belittle Xu Xiucai, only saying, "Xu Xiucai is a good man, but he lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by his elder brother and sister-in-law. His elder brother and sister-in-law are quite powerful and not easy to get along with. Moreover, he is a widower with a son from his previous marriage." She had thought he was quite good before, but now, looking back, she felt that apart from his status as a scholar, everything else about him was a liability.

After telling her son the truth, and fearing he might misunderstand that Yan Niang was only thinking about remarrying, Aunt Xue quickly continued, "Yan Niang is still so young, and she's so filial. She's good to me, and even more so to Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er. Such a good girl, do you really want her to be confined to our Xue family? She doesn't even have a child of her own yet. So, I've been trying my best to find her a good marriage. But Yan Niang keeps refusing, she's just focused on her business."

"Looking back now, it's a good thing she didn't agree. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been awkward when you came back?"

Fortunately, the outcome is good, so Aunt Xue spoke with a smile.

"You two continue," she said, wanting the young couple to nurture their relationship, so she gave them plenty of space. "I'm going to continue helping Qingniang."

After his mother left, Xue Yi still said to Li Yan, "Don't listen to what your mother says, just follow your own heart."

Li Yan was actually quite unwilling to continue getting entangled with Xu Qingshu at this moment. She never expected that Xu Qingshu would come looking for her again.

And I've been contacting her quite frequently lately.

If she really divorces Xue Yi, there will definitely be a lot of trouble afterwards. So it's better not to divorce for now and just continue living like this.

At least with him around, she was nominally a married woman. As a married woman, there would naturally be less gossip around her.

“Mother is right, there really is nothing between him and me,” Li Yan said earnestly, looking at him.

Xue Yi didn't understand the intricacies of relationships either, so if she said no, then no.

"If you're not going to divorce, have you thought it through and decided to go to Jiangning Prefecture together?" Xue Yi still respected her choice.

Li Yan had hesitated a bit before, but now she gave a definite answer: "Go ahead." She said, "Give me a few days, I need to take care of things here."