Chapter 529: Take Down the Nest

"W-what?"

Qi Xianguan suspected that he had just heard it wrong.

But seeing Liu Ji continue to read out the contents of the article he had written in a tone of reminiscence, the boy's expression completely collapsed, his eyes were as big as copper bells, his mouth was open enough to eat two eggs, his shoulders slumped, and he looked completely terrified.

Awang, who was concentrating on eating, was interrupted by the two brothers.

He raised his eyes to look at the three masters and apprentices opposite him: Liu Ji, who was recalling the contents of the test paper seriously without blushing or beating his heart; Gong Liangliao, who was indifferent and focused on picking out fish bones; and Qi Xianguan, who could no longer maintain his noble temperament and turned into a sickly teenager. He thought to himself, it turns out that imperial examinations can be fun like this.

If he wrote "The life and death bond between me, Prince Feng and the Holy Queen", would he also be able to pass the imperial examination and become a juren?

After Liu Ji finished talking about his scientific research article, he saw that his junior brother was still in a daze. He sighed in his heart, "Poor child," and manually helped him close his wide-open mouth.

"Thanks to the teacher for foresight, he taught me such a useful method, which enabled me to pass the exam this time."

Liu Ji stood up, looked at Gong Liangliao with gratitude, and raised his glass, "Disciple toasts to the teacher! Thank you for your guidance."

After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, feeling very refreshed.

Gong Liangliao curled his lips indifferently, hummed, and said nothing more, just concentrating on eating.

Qi Xianguan looked at his teacher, then at his junior fellow apprentice, and was shocked for a long time. He never expected that his teacher could be so frivolous.

Liu Ji blinked at the young brother, touched the boy's head, and perfunctorily comforted the boy's shocked heart.

After the meal, Liu Ji asked, "The results are out, when do you plan to return?"

"Return?" Gong Liangliao raised his eyelids and looked over, holding a teacup filled with wine. There was a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "Return to the village?"

Liu Ji nodded as a matter of course, "Yes, my wife must have missed me very much after being away from home for so long, I can't bear to let her wait any longer."

Hearing this, Gong Liangliao almost spit out the wine he had just put in his mouth.

But after all, he was a man who had experienced many ups and downs. He swallowed the wine in his mouth, put down the teacup, glanced at Liu Ji's worthless look unhappily, and said, "Master, I think you have become sick with lovesickness."

Liu Jijun blushed and lowered his long and curled eyelashes, "How could that be~"

Qi Xianguan finally found his sense of existence as a senior brother. He stood up seriously and patted Liu Ji on the shoulder, "Junior brother, study is the most important thing. If you can't accomplish your great cause, you have to put aside your love for now..."

Liu Ji took the little hand off his shoulder and had no intention of discussing the feelings between these adults with a little kid who hadn't even grown all his hair yet.

He and his wife are very much in love. He has never seen his wife treat any other man the way she treats him!

His whole body is now covered with marks from her beating!

Liu Ji snorted, turned to look at Gong Liangliao, and continued the topic they had just discussed on the way back.

Gong Liangliao really wanted to go back to Liujia Village, but there were some troubles with Qi Xiangguan.

So, the master and disciple, who agreed with each other, looked at the little Qi Xianguan eagerly.

Qi Xianguan was very tempted. Who doesn't like to go out and have fun? Besides, he hasn't been back to the Lotus Courtyard this year. That is the little world he built for himself. However, "I have to go back to my ancestral home first."

Gong Liang's eyes were dark.

There was a dangerous light flashing in Liu Ji's eyes, like a hungry wolf. Anyone who stopped him from returning to the village to see his wife would be killed!

Qi Xianguan changed the subject and said, "But after we have finished worshipping our ancestors, we can go back to the Lotus Courtyard and stay there until the New Year."

Liu Ji nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, "Then let's set off the day after tomorrow."

Gong Liangliao had no objection, Awang had no objection, and Qi Xianguan, Shitou and others had no objection either.

After the date was set, everyone suddenly felt that time was running out and hurried back to the house to pack their luggage.

Liu Ji's luggage was not much, and Awang's was even simpler, with only two sets of clothes.

On the contrary, Qi Xiangguan's group came in a large group, with many people and a lot of stuff. They only had one day to pack up, so it was even more chaotic.

But everyone was eager to go home and had no complaints.

After Liu Ji packed his luggage, he remembered something, laid out his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote a letter to his family informing them of his return date and the fact that he had passed the imperial examination.

If my wife knew how successful he was, she would never call him a useless waste again.

Who knows, she might even snuggle in his arms with an admiring look, saying that he is her unparalleled hero, and urging him to do good things for the people in the future and be a good official and so on.

Thinking of this, Liu Ji's heart skipped a beat. He quickly put down his pen, covered his face with his hands, and sank into the darkness. It took him a while to slowly control his excitement.

Awang, who lived with him in the same room, was leaning against the door. He took a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye and his face twitched violently. He was thinking, "You are being too self-indulgent, master."

Awang shifted his gaze and looked at the moon in the sky. At the beginning of the month, it was a crescent moon with a pointed tip.

The sky over Yingtian Prefecture always seemed to be covered with a layer of mist; even the moon seemed much dimmer.

Awang suddenly thought of the moon in the village. Even if it was only a crescent, it was always bright and shining.

I don’t know whether Dalang and his little ones made mooncakes to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

“It’s done!”

Liu Ji put down his pen, blew on the letter paper, pressed it with the inkstone first, and waited until it was dry before taking it out and finding someone to help mail it back home.

He took off his clothes, got into bed, pulled up the thin quilt, closed his eyes and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Awang sighed, extinguished the candle, and fell asleep on his bed on the floor.

At dawn the next day, the two of them left everyone behind and went out early.

I first asked someone to send the letter, then found a small restaurant to have breakfast, and planned to spend the rest of the time strolling around Yingtian Prefecture.

Liu Ji weighed his purse, and the copper coins and silver pieces inside collided with each other, making a pleasant sound.

With such a talent like him, he passed the imperial examination in one try. I'm afraid he will pass it again next time he goes to Yingtian Prefecture.

This is a rare opportunity, so you can pick some local specialties to bring back and make your family happy.

Having made up his mind, Liu Ji waved his hand and called Awang to join him, preparing to let him be the groom to pick up the goods.

However, he waved for a long time, but there was no movement behind him.

Liu Ji looked back impatiently and saw Awang standing in front of a stall selling jade carvings, staring at a nest of jade rabbits on the stall.

There were six rabbits in that litter, two large and four small. The big ones were as big as goose eggs, and the small ones were as big as bird eggs. They were light blue all over and crystal clear. You could tell at a glance that they didn’t look cheap.

Seeing Liu Ji approaching, Awang pointed at the six jade rabbits, raised a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and introduced them one by one, "Me, Madam, Dalang, Erlang, Sanlang, and Si Niang."

Liu Ji glared at him, pointed at the six jade rabbits, and said viciously: "My wife! Dalang, Erlang, Sanlang, and Si Niang."

Ah Wang didn't argue with him and said sincerely, "Buy it home."

Liu Ji was very pleased with his considerate attitude. He turned his nose to the stall owner and asked for the price.

The boss glanced at the two men and thought that there must be something wrong with these two grown men, so he started to recognize them by looking at a few pieces of jade.

But since there was business to be done, he said, "Ten taels of silver."

Liu Ji secretly took a breath and said, "Forget it." Hesitating for even a second longer would be disrespectful to his wallet!

Unexpectedly, Awang felt around his waist, took out ten taels of silver ingots, put them on the stall, and took away the six jade rabbits.

Liu Ji was shocked. Didn’t he know how clean Awang’s pockets were? He actually took out ten taels of silver without blinking. Where did he get the money?

Liu Ji strode up to Awang and asked in shock, "How do you have so much money?"

It must not be the answer he least wants to hear.