Chapter 76 [V] Rival in Love
I want to go with you to tell them this good news—
These words came out of Xue Yi's mouth without thinking; they were his most instinctive reaction.
But after saying it, I belatedly realized that such words were inevitably somewhat ambiguous and could easily lead to misunderstandings.
For a moment, Xue Yi fell silent. He wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.
It was Li who spoke frankly and openly, which eased the awkwardness of the atmosphere.
So the couple went to Pear Blossom Courtyard side by side.
At this moment, Madam Xue was sitting quietly by the window doing embroidery. Beside her, at the round table, Xu Ge'er was reading a book while instructing his younger sister on how to write.
The entire courtyard was extremely quiet, with a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
As soon as Xue Yi and Li Yan stepped into the courtyard and saw this scene, they both subconsciously slowed their pace, afraid of disturbing the peace.
However, when the two of them walked up the steps, they still disturbed Aunt Xue.
Seeing the couple approaching together, Aunt Xue's originally calm and peaceful face immediately lit up with a smile. She then put down her work and got up to greet them.
"Isn't Erlang busy today? Why did you come over at this time?" As he spoke, he took one of their hands and affectionately pulled them into the house.
Inside the house, when Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er saw their uncle and aunt arrive, they temporarily stopped reading and practicing calligraphy, and simply stood up to the side.
Xue Yi walked into the room and glanced at the round table. There were books and calligraphy practice sheets on the table. Although the handwriting was childish, it was neat and tidy, showing that both the teacher and the student were dedicated and serious.
Xue Yi has a steady personality; he gets straight to the point and doesn't deliberately keep people in suspense.
He replied to his mother, "Erlang's matter has been settled. In a few days, he can go to Honghu Academy to study under Mr. Dai."
The whole family, from top to bottom, young and old, had been eagerly anticipating this for the past few days. Now that it was all settled, the joy on everyone's faces was palpable.
Madam Xue clasped her hands together and kept chanting "Amitabha Buddha".
In front of his mother and nephew, Xue Yi did not hold back in praising his wife: "Thanks to Yan Niang, without her, Xu Ge'er's matter might not have been resolved. Moreover, it was resolved so quickly."
Li Yan felt that the credit should not belong entirely to her, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "It is because Xu-ge'er is intelligent and appreciated by a famous teacher. It has little to do with me."
Madam Xue also felt that Li Yan was a lucky star for the Xue family, so she quickly said, "It's all thanks to you." The old lady recalled the past and felt both sad and emotional. "Yan'er, you are a lucky star for our Xue family. Ever since you came to the Xue family, our family's life has gradually improved."
First, life got better, and then Erlang "came back to life" again.
Now, at her advanced age, she still lives the life of a wealthy old lady who is waited on hand and foot.
Looking back, it all started from the moment Yan Niang entered the family.
Li Yan never dared to imagine that she would become a lucky star.
Looking back on this year, she went from being cursed as a jinx when she first transmigrated to now being called a lucky star... It hasn't been an easy journey.
This inevitably reminds me of the book "My Lucky Charm Wife," in which the female protagonist, Li Jiaojiao, is the real lucky star.
But thinking about the series of events that followed, Li Yan couldn't help but wonder if her time travel had changed many things, including the storyline of the male and female protagonists.
Will the male lead's career path change? We'll find out in another two or three months.
If he can still win first place in this autumn imperial examination, then nothing has changed. But if he can't, or if he fails to pass the exam at all... then it means that her transmigration into the book has a significant impact on the plot.
Li Yan was quite interested in whether her time travel would affect the original plot.
If it does, then the subsequent plot will deviate from the original story.
.
These past few days, the entire Xue family has been immersed in joy.
Not only did Xu Ge'er go to school, but Yue Jie'er did too. However, Yue Jie'er was unable to attend Honghu Academy and instead studied at another girls' school.
That girls' school was originally opened by a widowed county magistrate. After she passed away, her students continued to run the school. It has a history of several decades.
However, women in this era were not allowed to take the imperial examinations, so even if they went to school, they could only read books to understand principles or cultivate their minds and bodies.
It is now midsummer, and the triennial autumn imperial examinations are just around the corner, making Jiangning Prefecture even more lively than in previous years.
Everywhere you look on the street, you see students dressed elegantly, books in their hands. Before school started, Li Yan took her two nephews and nieces to the street to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Her new career hasn't started yet, so she's not too busy lately. This is perfect timing; she can take a good rest during this break.
One day, I took Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er out shopping. While we were picking out books in a bookstore, we suddenly spotted an old acquaintance.
Furthermore, seeing that the man was also looking her over, Li Yan knew that he must have seen her a long time ago.
When Li Yan saw Xu Qingshu, a smile appeared on her face, and then she walked towards him in a generous manner.
Behind his back, Xu Qingshu stared greedily at the person, but when caught red-handed, he felt somewhat embarrassed. He cleverly averted his gaze, and for a moment, he didn't know where to look next.
Finally, he could only sigh inwardly and continue to calmly turn his gaze back to that bright figure.
At this moment, Li Yan walked up to him and took the initiative to greet him.
"Brother Xu." Although the two had some disagreements before, Li Yan always remembered Xu Qingshu's kindness in recognizing her talent. Therefore, unless it was a grave grudge, she wouldn't hold onto the past.
When they met again, she treated him the same as before and would call him "Big Brother".
"What are you doing here?" But then she suddenly remembered that it was the time when scholars from all the counties under the jurisdiction of Jiangning Prefecture were gathering in Jiangning Prefecture to participate in the autumn imperial examinations, so she was not surprised and just asked with a smile, "Are you here to take the exams?"
Although he was still flustered when they first met, Xu Qingshu has calmed down now.
"Mm." He nodded in response to her words, then raised the hand he was holding to Maoge'er, indicating, "Call her Aunt."
This time, when Xu Qingshu came to the capital to take the imperial examination, he did not leave his son with his elder brother and sister-in-law, but brought his son with him.
Perhaps Li Yan's incident made him reflect on his actions, realizing that as a man, he must stand on his own two feet and no longer rely on his elder brother and sister-in-law. Although his elder brother and sister-in-law are like fathers and mothers, they are not his parents after all. Even if they were his parents, they should not interfere too much in his private life.
He understood that his brother and sister-in-law meant well, but things didn't always go as they wished.
After his sister-in-law rejected him in front of her brother and sister-in-law, he reflected deeply on his actions. So now, when he came to Jiangning Prefecture to take the imperial examination, he brought Maoge'er with him.
From now on, regardless of whether he remarries or not, since he has a son, he must take care of him personally.
At the same time, he felt regretful. If he had understood these principles earlier, perhaps his relationship with Li would have been different.
At the time, everyone thought her husband was dead, and that she could remarry if her mother-in-law was willing. But if she remarried then, even if her husband returned later, she couldn't be asked to go back to the Xue family.
But now, it's all too late.
Xu Qingshu was filled with remorse and regret. Whenever he thought about it, he hated his own cowardice and inaction.
He knew that there was no longer any possibility between him and Li, so he never went to look for her again.
Perhaps he and she were indeed destined to meet. He had only been in Jiangning Prefecture for a few days when he encountered her in the vast sea of people.
Maoge was only four years old, even younger than Yuejie. He couldn't understand the intricacies of adult relationships, but he knew that his beautiful aunt treated him very well. So, he smiled sweetly and greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."
"Mao-ge'er is such a good boy." Li Yan hadn't really taken the matter of Xu's brother and sister-in-law to heart. Since it was already over, she had to move on. Besides, Mao-ge'er hadn't done anything wrong.
"Hmm, Maoge'er is such a good boy." Li Yan bent down slightly and gently stroked Maoge'er's little head.
Maoge'er was a little shy and hid in his father's arms. Then he turned his face away and stole a glance at Li Yan. Seeing that Li Yan was still looking at him, he buried his face in his father's arms again.
What an adorable child… Li Yan thought to herself.
After interacting with Li Yan, Mao Ge'er seemed to only then notice Xu Ge'er standing to the side. He had played with Xu Ge'er a few times before and liked this older brother very much, so he greeted him enthusiastically, "Brother Xu."
Xu Ge'er is more mature than his peers. He is nine years old now, but he has the mentality of an eleven or twelve-year-old boy.
He affectionately reached out and gently pinched his little face when he saw his adorable little brother, Mao Ge'er.
Mao Ge'er liked Xu Ge'er very much, so he opened his big eyes wide and asked, "Brother Xu, can I come to play with you?" He said in his childish voice, "I have moved to Jiangning Prefecture with my father now, and we live close to each other. I want to go to play with Brother Xu."
Xu Ge'er understood the intricacies of adult relationships; he knew that his aunt had previously discussed marriage with this young master Xu.
However, due to some events, the aunt gave up on Young Master Xu.
Later, my uncle returned... and there was no longer any possibility between my aunt and Young Master Xu.
With her uncle around, there's no way anything could possibly happen between her aunt and Mr. Xu. Rather than hiding and acting as if something had happened between them before, it would be better for them to interact openly and honestly.
The thought flashed through Xu Ge'er's mind, and he quickly replied, "Of course!" Then, he truthfully told Mao Ge'er the address of where he was currently living, "Remember to come and visit me." It was more like he was telling Young Master Xu than telling Mao Ge'er.
Li Yan shared the same thoughts as Xu Ge'er: there was nothing between her and Xu Qingshu to begin with, so there was no need to hide it.
After exchanging greetings, Li Yan felt there was nothing more to talk about, so she asked Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er to say goodbye to Xu Qingshu.
After saying goodbye, Li Yan led the brother and sister out of the bookstore.
Inside the bookstore, Xu Qingshu kept looking back. Only when that pretty figure gradually faded into the distance, blurred, and finally disappeared from sight did he turn his gaze away.
Maoge didn't understand anything, and only asked his father, "When will Aunt Li bring Brother Axu to our house to play again?"
Xu Qingshu knew that it was probably impossible in this lifetime.
Xue Yi happened to be on this street today on official business. And then, by sheer coincidence, he happened to witness his wife meeting that scholar Xu at the bookstore.
He was too far away to hear what they were saying. But he could see clearly that his wife was smiling as she spoke.
That kind of laughter stung his eyes slightly.
Xue Yi stood there stunned for a while, until his wife said goodbye to the scholar Xu and had walked quite a distance from the bookstore, before he finally came to his senses.
It was only then that he suddenly remembered that before he had returned home, his wife had arranged a marriage between her and this scholar, Xu.
In that moment of confusion, Xue Yi suddenly felt a sense of crisis surge into his heart.
When he realized that something was wrong with the reaction, he frowned slightly.
After spending these days together, it's undeniable that this Li woman in this life is an exceptionally good woman. So good that even though he wonders why the Li women of the two lives are so different in temperament and appearance, he doesn't let those doubts make him overly wary or suspicious of her.
Her goodness was real and undeniable, while everything in the dream was just an illusion.
Therefore, the scales in his heart naturally began to tip towards the Li family.
.
Xu Ge'er is a clever person. He can see through the intricacies between adults and will try his best to navigate them on his own.
For example, he felt it was best to let his uncle know about his chance encounter with Young Master Xu at the bookstore as soon as possible. So, after dinner, when the opportunity arose, Xu-ge'er casually mentioned, "Today, my aunt took my sister and me to the bookstore to buy books." He didn't directly mention Xu Qingshu, but intended to tell the story in detail.
Xue Yi knew about this, so when he heard his nephew mention it, his hands paused slightly.
But it was only for a moment; soon, Xue Yi resumed his actions. He was playing Go with his nephew. There were Go classes at the school, and Xu Ge'er was quite interested in them, often practicing whenever he had free time.
Xue Yi hadn't studied it much, but his years of experience in the camp had given him a basic understanding of military strategy. Understanding the art of war and the interplay between opposing sides meant he naturally knew how to play this game.
Now, when he plays chess with his nephew, he can actually act as a teacher.
"Well, what books did you buy?" Xue Yi asked casually.
What books to buy wasn't the point; Xu Ge'er only mentioned it briefly before saying, "This year is the year of the big exams, and you can see scholars everywhere on the streets. Everyone says Jiangning Prefecture is lively, but this year it's even more lively than in previous years." Then he added, "By the way, we even met a fellow townsman when we were buying books at the bookstore today."
Having said that, Xue Yi understood his nephew's strategy, so after placing another piece, he smiled and asked, "Which fellow villager?"
Xu Ge'er then said, "Xu Xiucai." He was slightly nervous, but he tried to appear calm. "Before my uncle returned home, he helped me. He recommended me to Mr. Weng, which is how I got into Xiaochun School. After that... Grandmother thought he was a good match and wanted to arrange a marriage between him and my aunt. My aunt was not very willing, but Grandmother thought that my uncle wouldn't be coming back, so it was for my aunt's own good. However... this young master Xu's brother and sister-in-law were not easy to get along with, and later it ended rather unpleasantly."
Xu Ge'er felt that this matter should be discussed with his uncle, as he had the right to know.
But indeed, there was nothing between the aunt and that scholar Xu.
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