Oh wow!
Lili's first thought was that two equally knowledgeable people had gotten together, and they were sure to have a lot to talk about later.
But when Lili saw Liu Wumo's shocked expression, she sensed that something terrible was about to happen.
Lili suddenly remembered that when Liu Wumo was still taking the imperial examinations more than 20 years ago, her great-grandfather might still be serving as the Grand Tutor!
No, no, Liu Wumo is a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), he shouldn't have reached the point of going to the capital yet.
Moreover, his mother had said that Liu Wumo's grandmother fell seriously ill on the eve of his trip to the capital for the imperial examination, so Liu Wumo did not go to the capital.
Lili breathed a sigh of relief.
However, as the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, a pivotal figure in the literary world of the country, which student wouldn't know him?
Sure enough, the usually composed and self-possessed Liu Wumo was so startled that he almost dropped the wine jar: "Yang... Yang..."
Lili instantly flew over and grabbed him: "Oh right, this is Lili's great-grandfather!"
At the same time, Lili quickly gave Liu Wumo a wink, signaling him to be quiet.
Grandpa Yang quickly realized: "You must be the teacher at Sanlang Academy, right? Sanlang's achievements today are largely thanks to Mr. Liu."
Liu Wumo remained silent, then said casually, "Not at all. Sanlang is very intelligent. We rarely give him any guidance. He relies entirely on himself."
Fortunately, both of them were cunning old foxes, and their coordinated performance kept the people around them completely unaware that something was amiss.
Except for Shen Laosan, who witnessed the whole thing and found it a bit strange.
Liu Wumo glanced at Lili without leaving a trace, and seeing her winking at him frantically, he thought for a moment and stepped forward: "You must be Grandpa Yang, right? Lili has mentioned you to me many times, saying that you are a learned and erudite person, and I have long admired your name!"
Grandpa Yang replied cooperatively, "Not really, I just enjoy reading articles in my spare time."
"Oh? What a coincidence! I also love reading. I wonder if I would have the honor of discussing this with you..."
The two went along with it and sat down together, already oblivious to everyone else, and began to discuss ancient and modern philosophy.
Pear glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was paying attention to them.
Shen Laosan glanced suspiciously at the two people chatting happily, then looked at the somewhat flustered Lili, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
Old Mrs. Shen came over with a plate of fried peanuts and smashed cucumbers, smiling as she said, "Oh, Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang, it must have been several years since we last saw each other! How come you're still so energetic after all these years!"
Madam Yang was very satisfied with her granddaughter as her mother-in-law, as she was reasonable, impartial, and most importantly, had a clear sense of right and wrong.
Madam Yang laughed and said, "You're joking. You're practically halfway to your coffin, what's the point of being energetic?"
"What are you saying? Wan Niang said that you two still have to watch over Jia Luo's marriage and Li Li's wedding!"
Seeing Madam Yang's smiling face, Old Lady Shen turned to Madam Guo and Yang Ji and said, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, it's rare for our two families to meet, so we must have a good time today! Father-in-law, are you on a diet? Wan Niang specially prepared a few light dishes, and I'll have Jiahao bring them up for you later."
It must be said that Granny Shen handled everything perfectly; if she wanted to, she would never let the atmosphere become awkward. Even Guo, who was used to being a noble lady, had to admit defeat.
Guo said, "With so many people here today, you must be very busy, in-laws. We can manage here ourselves, so you should go and get back to your work."
Lili said, "Grandma, don't worry, Lili and my brother are here!"
Shen Jialuo nodded quickly.
"Okay, then you two take good care of her, understand?"
"Uh-huh!"
Old Mrs. Shen gave a few more instructions to Shen Laosan, who was standing next to her, before leaving with peace of mind.
Lili dutifully stayed by his side to chat, but in reality, she kept a close eye on Liu Wumo and Old Master Yang, afraid that someone would notice that something was wrong between the two.
It's strange. Logically speaking, since my great-grandfather was in the capital and Uncle Liu had never been to the capital, it seems like it wasn't just Uncle Liu who knew my great-grandfather, but rather that the two of them had met.
Lili wanted to seize the opportunity to ask Grandpa Yang, but was interrupted by a commotion.
Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums came from afar, banging and clanging incessantly, followed by a high-pitched and exciting suona horn playing music.
But this music sounds...why does it sound so strange?
It doesn't sound like a joyous occasion; it sounds more like... a funeral?
The deafening sound of gongs and drums instantly drew the attention of the people in the square.
Lili looked over in surprise; they clearly hadn't hired anyone to play music.
Moreover, this music sounds weird, and Lili has a bad feeling about it.
Lili stood on the stool and looked over. She saw a long procession of people coming in from the village entrance. They were dressed in white and playing music as they walked toward the square.
Lili:?
What's going on?
The once bustling square suddenly fell silent. Everyone stopped exchanging pleasantries and looked at the group with strange and puzzled expressions.
Dressed in white, playing funeral music.
This is clearly a funeral.
But no one in Xinghua Village has been holding a funeral recently!
The Shen and Yang families' expressions changed simultaneously. This group of people had come in from the main road of the village, clearly indicating that they were coming to the square.
Isn't this clearly someone looking for trouble?
They didn't hire anyone to play music, and it was funeral music!
On such a joyous occasion, who would do something so despicable?
The group continued their merriment until they stopped in front of the square, at which point Old Lady Shen's face turned completely black.
The eldest Shen stopped the third Shen, who wanted to go forward to ask for clarification, and said, "Don't mess with me today," before leading the second Shen forward.
Shen Jiahao also led his younger brothers to stand in a row behind, all prepared for the other party to cause trouble.
Isn't that just nitpicking?
Who within a ten-mile radius doesn't know that Xinghua Village produced a scholar who even topped the list of successful candidates?
On such a joyous occasion, why invite someone to play funeral music? Who are they trying to bring bad luck to?
Old Shen looked displeased and shoved the leader, saying, "What are you bragging about? Can't you see we're having a happy occasion? What's the point of playing funeral music?"
The eldest brother was furious that his younger brother's good days had been ruined, and he didn't hold back at all.
The leader was pushed back two steps by Boss Shen, and the music behind him stopped.
The leader looked at Boss Shen with a puzzled expression, then carefully examined the layout of the square. He then noticed that he was still standing on firecrackers that had just been set off. He scratched his head, feeling extremely confused.
The people behind them had similar expressions. Many looked at the joyous scene, then looked down at their own white clothes, and looked bewildered.
Upon seeing this situation, Lili had a rough idea of what was going on.
These people were probably deliberately brought here by someone with ulterior motives, weren't they?
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