Chapter 236 Unless... he was delayed by something.
"Madam Ruan went to Wuheng City to buy candles, saying they would be very needed after the private school was built. But she hasn't returned yet. She's been gone for two days and one night. I'm a little worried."
"Candles? Don't we have any in the house?"
"Yes, but not many. Madam Ruan said that some of the aunts have to work during the day and only have time to come to the private school at night. They use a lot of candles, and the ones we have now are running out."
"She said she had some hairpins that could be pawned, and that Lord Song was also at the post station, so I didn't worry about anything at the time."
The road from their village to Wuheng City had been repaired, and it only took half a day to get there by horseback. Furthermore, the small market in Wuheng City had also returned to normal.
Normally, it wouldn't take that long just to buy candles.
Unless... I was delayed by something.
Ruan Mian was also worried. She looked at Mei Xi and said, "Let Xi Za be settled first. I'll go to the post station."
"Girl! You just came back from the military camp, why don't you rest for a night before leaving? Besides, I'm worried about you traveling alone at night."
"It's okay. The only way to get news about Madam Ruan is to go to the post station as soon as possible. Besides, I know the way to the post station better than anyone else."
Seeing that she was determined to do so, Mei Xi said nothing more.
Ruan Mian went to the post station alone, which was the fastest way.
She touched the jade bracelet, summoned the big white tiger, rode it through the jungle, and arrived outside the post station at an extremely fast speed.
The servant went in to report, but Minister Dong soon discovered her.
"Madam Ruan? Why are you here?"
Ruan Mian smiled and told her story of coming to look for Zhang Yue. Minister Dong happened to come to the post station to get tools because of Zhang Yue.
"Madam Ruan, don't worry. Madam Ruan, my lord, and several other subordinates are in the woods ahead. Let me get the things."
Ruan Mian looked over in confusion, until she and Minister Dong arrived in the woods together, and then she found that they were all holding torches and harvesting something from the ash trees.
When I got closer, I found that it was the secretion of some wax insects. They live in groups on trees and secrete wax substances after eating resin. When collected, they can be used as natural lighting equipment.
In this world, most lighting is done with oil lamps made from animal fats. Natural lighting fuels like wax are relatively expensive when sold on the market.
In the backward little town of Wuheng, it’s not even sold.
Seeing her coming, Xie Huaian's eyes suddenly lit up slightly. He walked up to her immediately, and his slender phoenix eyes kept falling on her, as if he could never see enough of her.
"Why are you here?"
Ruan Mian felt a little embarrassed by his stare, so she smiled and said, "I saw that my sister hasn't been home for a long time, so I was a little worried, so I thought of coming over to ask."
At this time, Zhang Yue moved to Ruan Mian's side, feeling very apologetic: "I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't expect time to pass so quickly."
"I originally wanted to come to the post station to ask Ah Huai if there was any way to buy candles. Those oil lamps don't burn well, and there aren't many of them left. Especially when they burn, the smell is too strong, which really affects my reading at night."
"In Xingjia, our private school makes its own white candles. They don't smell when burned and last longer than oil lamps. When I arrived at the post station, I happened to see this wax tree forest, so I asked Ah Huai and the others to join me in collecting these."
"Mianmian, the more we collect, the more convenient it will be for more people in the village to come and study."
Seeing Zhang Yueliangtang's eyes, Ruan Mian's heart moved slightly.
Her idea was extremely pure. She worked so hard day and night to collect things just because she wanted more people to be able to read books.
What's more, when I asked her to be a female teacher and teach, I didn't mention any remuneration. Zhang Yue agreed on the spot without any hesitation.
She said that her biggest dream in life was to have a school where girls could also study, like Teacher Zhang, who could selflessly dedicate himself and teach others how to fish even if he was not accepted by the world.
So when Ruan Mian asked her to be a teacher, she agreed without thinking.
Seeing that they had collected quite a bit, Ruan Mian helped them. After they had collected two full pottery basins, they returned to the post station for further processing.
She subconsciously walked in front of Xie Huaian and couldn't help but look at him twice.
The moment she met his gaze, Ruan Mian's heart skipped a beat.
His handsome appearance is pleasing to the eye, and I feel comfortable just looking at him.
However, when they arrived at the entrance of the post station, they found a carriage parked at the door and a man in a black robe walked out.
Xie Huaian greeted the doctor politely: "Governor."
The man glanced at them, the corners of his lips curled up, and his gaze stopped on Ruan Mian.
His eyes were not kind.
Ruan Mian frowned slightly, looked away, bowed with Zhang Yue and the others, and then entered the post station.
Chen Bozong's gaze followed him, and Xie Huaian's voice became a little deeper, bringing him back to his thoughts.
"I wonder if the Governor came to the post station to talk to me about something?"
Facing Xie Huaian's obviously cold eyes, Chen Bozong suddenly smiled and said, "Nothing, just came to take a look."
"Thank you, sir. I never thought that you, demoted from Kyoto, could live so leisurely and comfortably here. You even managed to marry such a fresh and refined woman. It's really enviable."
After he said this, he asked the servant to help him get into the carriage.
Before leaving, he did not forget to take a deep look inside the post station.
When I saw Ruan Mian again, she seemed even prettier than the last time we first met.
His servant guessed his thoughts: "Governor, we have already found out everything about Miss Ruan. I think she is not an ordinary woman. If we want to touch her, it will be difficult."
Chen Bozong waved his sleeves disapprovingly: "Of course there is a way, she is just a woman."
At the same time, Xie Huaian glanced at Minister Dong, and the two looked at each other tacitly.
When he entered the post station, Zhang Yue had already taken Ruan Mian to heat the wax, and then poured it into molds after burning. After cooling, it became cylindrical candles of various sizes.
Seeing him coming, Ruan Mian deliberately pulled Xie Huaian to an empty corner in the backyard and asked.
"Sir, that Governor is the current Princess Jiacheng's Marquis, Chen Bozong, right?"
This was what she had just found out from Zhang Yue.
After seeing Xie Huaian nod, Ruan Mian straightened his face and reminded him.
"I don't think this man is a good person. My Lord, you must be cautious in all aspects. If he comes to the post station frequently to ask you for something, you must be more careful."
Ruan Mian vaguely remembered that in the original book, Chen Bochong, who appeared later in the novel, was a close confidant of Prince Yan.
Although he was no longer clear about the later plot developments of the original book, he still had some impression of these villains.
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