Chapter 122 Taking a Concubine

Zhou Chengyu naturally wouldn't refuse, and spent about ten minutes explaining how he learned it.

Master Hu was pleased with what he heard and even poured him a cup of tea to soothe his throat.

Soon, Zhou Chengyu relaxed his guard and realized that he had indeed been overthinking things. Although Master Hu had raised Hu Xuan astray, he was different from Hu Xuan and did his best to teach them.

In the following days, Zhou Chengyu was frequently called over by Master Hu, and occasionally he would run into Senior Brother Shen. Liao Yunfei and the others got used to it.

"Does Chengyu have a younger sister?"

"Yes, why did you suddenly ask about this, Master?"

"Is he married yet? To tell you the truth, my good-for-nothing son has been absent-minded lately. When I pressed him for details, he actually said he has someone he likes! That silly boy is so reckless. If he has done anything wrong, I apologize to you on his behalf," Master Hu said with a face full of shame.

Zhou Chengyu turned pale upon hearing this. What nonsense about being absent-minded? He had clearly heard Hu Xuanchang bring back a group of people from brothels and boast about it several times.

“Master, my younger sister has already been sent back to her hometown to recuperate due to illness. The elders in her family are worried that she is too weak and do not want her to get married too early,” Zhou Chengyu said, even though he disliked Hu Xuan, he had no choice but to answer Master Hu’s question.

“So that’s how it is. It’s just that the brat is unlucky. He made a scene at home before his mother agreed to let him take a concubine. Since we’re not meant to be, then let it be,” Master Hu said with a kind smile on his face, seemingly not angry at Zhou Chengyu’s reply.

Zhou Chengyu felt a chill in his heart at this moment, and did not miss the contemptuous look that flashed in Master Hu's eyes.

"What's wrong with you? You seem distracted as soon as you get back?" Liao Yunfei and the others also noticed that something was wrong with him.

“We’re still too young. We should stay away from Master Hu from now on…” Zhou Chengyu didn’t dare to mention that Hu Xuan had taken a liking to Zhou Chengzhu, but only gave them a heads-up.

"Really? Aren't you Master Hu's favorite student? Why are you suddenly saying this? Did something happen?"

"It's better if you don't know about this. Just listen to me," Zhou Chengyu said without explaining much. He lay back down on the bed, exhausted, thinking about how to warn his mother to be wary of Hu Xuan. If he asked for leave tomorrow, it would be too conspicuous. After all, Hu Xuan had only asked about Zhou Chengzhu's marriage, and he had already said that he had gone back to his hometown. If he asked for leave again, the lie would be for nothing.

Before Zhou Chengyu could think much of it, Song Yushu came to find him with food.

"How come I never noticed before that Brother Zhou is so attached to his home? As soon as Aunt Wei comes, he flies out the door," Liao Yunfei muttered from behind.

"What's the big deal? If my mother were to bring me food, I'd be even faster than her!"

“Mother, let’s find a quiet place to talk,” Zhou Chengyu said, her face unconsciously showing a hint of excitement. She had never felt that Song Yushu had arrived so timely.

"What's wrong? Is the food at your academy really that bad?" This was the first time Song Yushu had ever seen him like this.

"Mother, listen to me, you must find a time to bring Chengzhu back to the county town..."

“That Hu fellow is such a disgusting teacher, wanting Chengzhu to be his son’s concubine. Bah! Does he really think his son, who is as worthless as mud, is anything good?” Song Yushu had never even considered marrying Zhou Chengzhu to such a dissolute man, let alone making her someone else’s concubine.

"Don't worry, I will arrange for someone to send Chengzhu back to the county town. I will never let the Hu family succeed!" Once Song Yushu calmed down, he didn't have time to talk to Zhou Chengyu too much. Right now, he was more concerned about Zhou Chengzhu's matter.

"Why did you take so long? What delicious food did Aunt Wei make? Let us have a taste!" Liao Yunfei approached him as he saw him return with a food box.

Zhou Chengyu was not stingy and shared the snacks that Song Yushu brought with them.

Upon returning home, Song Yushu instructed Zhou Chengzhu to pack her clothes. The next morning, she arranged for a carriage to be rented and sent back to the county town. She also sent messages to the Wei family and Xue Huai'an.

"Mother, when can I come to the prefectural city?" Zhou Chengzhu was listless after hearing the news brought back by Song Yushu.

“Silly girl, your mother wants to go back to the county town as soon as possible! There’s always endless trouble in this prefectural city,” Song Yushu said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"Alright, it's good to go back. I'll go find Qingyao to play with. I still have some savings, maybe we can even open a shop together!" Zhou Chengzhu's emotions came and went quickly, and in the blink of an eye she was happily packing her bags again.

The next morning, Song Yushu hired a carriage and had Xiong Erni take Zhou Chengzhu back with him.

Song Yushu only breathed a sigh of relief after Zhou Chengzhu successfully left the city gate.

After learning that Song Yushu had sent Zhou Chengzhu back to the county town, Zhou Chengyu felt much more at ease, but life at the academy was no longer so pleasant.

"Brother Zhou! Tell me the truth! What have you done? I can't stand it anymore!"

"I thought that Master Hu was a good person, but how come he's so petty! We just had a conflict with Hu Xuan! It's really going too far to make things difficult for you at every turn!"

"Strange, why did that Master Hu only target Brother Zhou, while the rest of us were unharmed? He was so kind to Brother Zhou before, why is he acting so differently now?"

Liao Yunfei and others spoke out on behalf of Zhou Chengyu.

“Hu Xuan wanted to take my sister as a concubine and asked Master Hu to mediate with me, but I refused,” Zhou Chengyu said, not intending to hide it from them at this point.

"What? Why didn't you tell us sooner? No wonder he was so nice to you before, so that's what he was up to! How despicable!"

"A toad lusting after a swan! Someone like Miss Zhou doesn't even deserve to dream of such things!"

"Alright, stop arguing, I haven't finished copying the book yet!" Zhou Chengyu was also very distressed at this time. The old fox was still cunning. Master Hu had one trick after another to torment people. In just the past few days, Zhou Chengyu had been made to do a lot of work. If he didn't go, he would be accused of disrespecting his teacher. He could only endure it.

"Even a person made of iron couldn't withstand this. Why don't you take a leave of absence?" This was the only solution Liao Yunfei could think of.

“If you take too many leave of absence, the academy might have to ask Brother Zhou to leave. This method can only be used once or twice.”

"I can endure it for a while longer. I'll take leave if I can't take it anymore," Zhou Chengyu said, seeing that they were all thinking of him. He felt less depressed and started to comfort them instead.

When Song Yushu finally got his ten-day break, he was shocked to see Zhou Chengyu, who had gotten a lot darker.

"Did you go farming? Why are you so dark all of a sudden? Did your college organize some kind of autumn outing? That shouldn't be the case!"

Song Yushu circled around Zhou Chengyu, and the more he looked, the more something seemed off. Not only had Zhou Chengyu lost weight, but he had also become darker-skinned and looked quite haggard. Coupled with what had happened with Zhou Chengzhu earlier, it was hard for Song Yushu not to have any doubts.

"Are they targeting you?" Song Yushu took his hand and looked at it. She found that there were quite a few wounds and calluses on his hand.