Chapter 112: Ying'er, I may not be able to take the imperial examination this year

Before I knew it, half a month had already passed since the beginning of spring. People say that spring rains are endless, but for many days there has not been a drop of rain, as if the sky still lingers on the cold winter.

After Su Ying sent Cheng back to the East Courtyard as agreed, she went to the library.

Rong asked Qingyun to tell her that Jinniang had written down the whole story, and with her handwriting, her cousin's matter could come to an end.

After hearing this, Su Ying knew that her aunt had already received the message she asked Qingquan to convey.

The look Du Heng gave her before he left made her realize that he didn't want his elders to worry about him. So she asked Qingquan to repeat Du Heng's words to comfort Cheng Shi verbatim to her aunt.

"The Second Madam said that since the young master has gone to the Inspectorate, she will let Li Mao clean up Cai Jiu's matter so that the young master won't have to worry about it anymore and can focus on preparing for the exam."

Su Ying nodded and replied, "Please tell my aunt that I have nothing to do here. After resting for a few days, it's time to continue organizing the library."

Qingyun took the order and retreated, and Taoxi followed him out.

She was the only one left in the library. In the past, when she was sorting books alone, she felt that this kind of silence was a kind of comfort and freedom, but now, for some reason, this silence seemed to have become an invisible net, tightly trapping her and making her breathless.

She felt suffocated, so she walked to the desk, where there was a large window through which she could see the sky, which might give her some relief.

Unexpectedly, just after I spoke a few words to Qingyun, the sky changed.

Layer upon layer of dark clouds piled up, pressing the sky tight and airless. She had hoped to look at the blue sky for a while, temporarily forgetting her worries, but who knew that the sky was even gloomier than her, as if it had entered the night, so dark that it made people feel uneasy.

I don’t know what the Inspectorate will ask him?

Even if we ask about his name and the whole story behind the rumor, he shouldn't have been gone for so long and still not returned.

With a snap, the small ball on the Gengxiang rolled down, startling the absent-minded Su Ying. She looked in the direction of the sound and found that during the time she was away, the library had added another Gengxiang.

Looking at the shape, it is exactly the same as what I saw in Du Heng’s study today.

He was always like this, silent but meticulous. Even if she didn't want to come to the library anymore to avoid him, he still ordered people to fill it up, because he knew she would come back eventually.

With a rumble, a spring thunder finally tore a hole in the dark sky. The rain, which had been suppressed for a long time, could not wait to pour down, weaving a thick rain curtain hanging outside the window.

"Ying'er!"

Despite the wind and rain, his voice remained as gentle as usual, like the wind on a sunny day.

She turned around suddenly and saw Du Heng standing outside the library with an umbrella, smiling at her calmly.

"Cousin!"

She didn't know why tears welled up in her eyes when she heard his voice. She rushed to him, wanting only to ask, "Is everything okay?"

Seeing her rushing over, Du Heng hurried forward, held out his umbrella to her, and kept admonishing her, "Ying'er, it's raining heavily outside, don't come out."

I don’t know if it was because Su Ying was too anxious and ran too fast, or because Du Heng was afraid that she would get wet in the rain, so he hurriedly took a step forward. The two of them couldn’t stop their momentum and were about to collide with each other.

Du Heng was worried, so he threw away his umbrella and reached out to catch her.

When Su Ying came to her senses, she was already nestled in his warm arms.

At this moment, Du Heng's heart seemed to soften completely with this blow. Everything that the Inspectorate had experienced today seemed to be nothing.

"I was afraid you'd be anxious, so I rushed over when Qingquan told me you were waiting for me here."

As he spoke, he reluctantly let go of her hand and whispered, "Come in quickly. The spring rain is cool. Don't catch a cold."

Before Su Ying could blush at the hug, she noticed Du Heng's shoulders were soaked by the rain. She quickly looked up at him, only then realizing the streaks of rain on his hair and cheeks. Clearly, protecting her, he'd gotten himself in quite a bit of the rain.

She frowned slightly and said with a hint of worry in her reproach: "You're still talking about me, you'll catch a cold too."

After saying that, he glanced outside the library and said, "I have to ask Taoxi to make you some ginger tea."

Du Heng looked at her with a smile, without saying a word, but his eyes were full of tenderness.

Taoxi and Qingquan, however, seemed to have a tacit understanding. Whenever Su Ying and Du Heng spoke, they would disappear quietly, leaving no trace. But as soon as their master called, they would appear from nowhere, their movements neither hurried nor slow, just the right amount of time.

This first spring rain came quickly and went away quickly.

When Taoxi brought the ginger tea, the rain outside had almost stopped. Only intermittent drops of water were still dripping from the eaves, like the whispers between lovers, soft and silent.

"What do the Inspectorate say?"

Su Ying watched Du Heng drink the ginger tea and finally couldn't help but ask.

Du Heng didn't want her to worry, so after a moment's thought, he was about to reply to her with some light words.

But before he could even open his mouth, Su Ying had already exposed his thoughts: "If you hide anything, I will..." Her face flushed slightly, but she still bit her lip and said it, "I won't wait for you until the lotus blooms in June!"

Du Heng laughed out loud when he heard this. He reached out and pulled Su Ying into his arms. His laughter, penetrating his chest and reaching her ears, was even louder than the spring thunder just now.

Su Ying was so embarrassed that she quickly pushed him away and said angrily, "Your clothes are all wet!"

Du Heng said, "Cousin, please wait for me for a moment. I will quickly change into clean clothes and then hold you in my arms."

"Du Heng!"

When Su Ying heard this, the blush on her cheeks immediately spread to her ears, and her rosy cheeks and rosy face were extremely charming.

Du Heng saw that Su Ying had already called him by his full name, and he knew that if he continued to tease her, he would lose control. He took a deep breath, suppressed the throbbing in his heart, and said seriously, "Ying'er, I may not be able to take the imperial examination this year."

He tried to downplay his words, but if ten years of hard study were to go to waste, no one would be able to let it go easily, no matter who he was.

He originally thought that Su Ying would frown and be anxious, or worry about his future, or even question why the Inspectorate made a judgment without trial.

But he never expected that she would just smile at him and whisper, "Do your best and accept your fate. If that day ever comes, I will carry a bamboo basket with you, go up the mountain to collect herbs, ring the medicine bell, and go through the streets and alleys to treat the people. There are many meaningful things in this world, and a career in politics is not the only choice. Didn't you also say that if you didn't choose a career in politics, you would become a doctor? Isn't this perfect?"

Du Heng looked at her, the worry in his eyes gradually fading, turning into an uncontrollable surprise. Her few words lifted the heavy burdens that weighed on his heart.

Seeing this, Su Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief, her tone becoming a little lighter. Smiling, she continued, "However, things haven't come to this final step yet. I still want you to explain to me clearly what the Inspectorate asked you and what you said."