Chapter 71: Young Master Chen was severely humiliated.
Enrollment went smoothly. I had a brief conversation with the headmaster and teachers just now, and I could see that they are all knowledgeable people, not as bad as the outside world says. It's just that people are used to the outstanding and amazing Huilan Academy when Lord Liang was alive, and they can't accept that Huilan Academy is so ordinary.
But in this world, ordinariness is the norm. A genius like Lord Liang is a rare find, perhaps only once in a hundred years. If ordinary people don't have a calm mindset, they'll really make things difficult for themselves.
Back in the city, Zhao Yunjing walked very fast. Thinking about how happy Zhou Mujiao would be to know that he had passed the Huilan Academy entrance exam, he no longer found Chen Gongzi's incessant chatter annoying. In fact, he found the man somewhat endearing, quite different from the typical spoiled brats who only knew how to rob and plunder.
However, if Young Master Chen insists on competing with him in everything, and comes all the way from Shanglin Academy to Huilan Academy, then they will be classmates in the future. That would be perfect, and it would also allow Young Master Chen to see up close how good and deep his relationship with Ajiao is. Perhaps after seeing it so often, Young Master Chen will give up.
Fists can only force people to submit, and reasoning can't always convince people. Only when the other party comes to their own senses and gives up can you eliminate future troubles without bloodshed.
The round trip took about half an hour, plus an hour spent taking the exam at the academy. By the time Zhao Yunjing returned to Sister Hu's milk tea shop, the sun was already setting.
The streets were sparsely populated, but the milk tea shop still had quite a few customers, and the pastry shop next door was delivering pastries to the milk tea shop's customers.
Because of the popularity of milk tea shops, the business of pastry shops has also taken off. Now, when the shop owners see Zhou Mujiao and Zhao Yunjing, they feel like they've seen the God of Wealth.
Before Zhao Yunjing even arrived, the shopkeeper greeted him with a smile and called out, "Young Master Zhao, you've been gone quite a while. What good thing did you do? Are you hungry? Come in and wait a moment, I'll bring you some food!"
The shopkeeper's smile quickly froze when he saw Young Master Chen standing behind Zhao Yunjing after asking the question.
Young Master Chen was displeased: "What kind of expression is that? He's hungry, but I'm not? What, you can give him pastries, but I'm not entitled to eat them?"
"Yes, yes, yes, if Young Master Chen isn't qualified, then the world is—"
Ma Dalang emerged from the milk tea shop, interrupting the shopkeeper: "Shh! Miss Zhou hasn't finished settling the accounts yet, so please be quiet! Is Young Master Chen hungry? Good Luck Restaurant isn't far ahead, and it's almost dinner time. I humbly request that Young Master Chen do me the honor of having the opportunity to treat you to a meal."
Young Master Chen snorted, walked past Ma Dalang and entered the milk tea shop, but came out immediately, his clothes covered in milk stains.
It turned out that he had rushed in and bumped into a girl who was walking out. The girl had half a cup of milk tea left, which she had intended to drink on her way back, but now she had to offer it all to Mr. Chen. When she recognized him as the son of the county magistrate, she was about to cry.
"Hey, I didn't say anything when you got my things dirty, why are you crying?"
"Young Master Chen, I, I—"
"I'm not going to kill you over something so trivial!"
"Waaah..."
"If you cry again, I'll tie you up and hang you at the city gate to dry in the sun!"
The girl covered her mouth, her big eyes brimming with tears, like a cat. Young Master Chen chuckled, turned his head, and found that Zhao Yunjing was gone.
Is there even a question? Zhao Yunjing must have taken advantage of him being bothered by that girl to sneak in and see Zhou Mujiao first!
Such a breach of the rules would warrant being ejected from any competition!
Young Master Chen didn't bother arguing with the girl. He lifted the curtain and was about to go in. This time he didn't bump into anyone, but as soon as he entered the back hall, he saw a scene that infuriated him:
Zhao Yunjing is holding Zhou Mujiao! He's about to kiss her!
Young Master Chen shouted, "Stop!"
Just a tiny bit more and Zhou Mujiao would be able to kiss Zhao Yunjing; Chen Gongzi's shout had rendered her impotent.
Zhao Yunjing had just thought she looked extremely beautiful standing in the sunset, lost in thought, and on a whim, he went over and hugged her.
Now, awakened by Young Master Chen's shout, though his face remained expressionless, he loosened his grip and said, "Ah Jiao, I just went—"
"He went to the county school! No, he went to Huilan Academy!"
Young Master Chen interrupted, "Miss Zhou, do you think he's stupid? If he wants to pursue scholarship, he should definitely choose Shanglin Academy first. Shanglin Academy is an official school and doesn't charge tuition. Even if it did charge tuition, the Zhao family isn't short of money. Why does he insist on going to Huilan Academy!"
It turns out that Zhao Yunjing had been acting mysteriously every day outside of work all this time, all for the sake of going to Huilan to take the exam today!
Zhou Mujiao took Zhao Yunjing's hand again and said calmly, "Didn't Young Master Chen consider that Brother Zhao's refusal to go to Shanglin Academy was simply because he didn't want to see you?"
"I said I would compete fairly with him, and I will definitely not make things difficult for him. On the contrary, if he is made difficult by others, I will help him! Why doesn't he want to see me? I think not wanting to see me is just an excuse. The real reason is that he is afraid of losing to me!" Young Master Chen was very confident.
Zhou Mujiao took out a small mirror from her bosom and handed it over: "Young Master Chen, here you go."
Young Master Chen took the mirror, looking puzzled: "Why would you give me a mirror out of the blue? Could it be a token of love from Miss Zhou?"
He then tried to put the mirror into his bosom, intending to carry it with him for the rest of his life, even to the grave.
Is it true that people with the surname Chen always have such peculiar thought processes?
Zhou Mujiao rolled her eyes, directly bursting Chen Gongzi's bubble of happiness: "Love you my foot! I gave you the mirror so you could see how annoying and irritating you are!"
Young Master Chen was hurt, so he grabbed the mirror and turned to leave.
Zhou Mujiao shrugged and pulled Zhao Yunjing, saying, "Continue."
Zhao Yunjing asked, puzzled, "What?"
Kiss me.
Zhao Yunjing's face suddenly flushed.
Although they had confessed their feelings for each other and even kissed, the situation was different then than it is now. Moreover, they were in public now, and he could act recklessly, but he absolutely could not ruin her reputation.
Zhao Yunjing wanted to pull his hand back, but was afraid of being misunderstood, so he stammered, "Ah, Ah Jiao, I, I—"
Aunt Hu, who had been standing in the background the whole time, coughed to prove that she was still alive. Zhao Yunjing was struck dumb. He didn't care about anything else and quickly pulled his hand back: "I'm a little hungry. I'll go next door and buy two pastries. You keep working. Call me when you're done."
Zhou Mujiao chuckled softly, then stopped smiling after a moment: "Sister-in-law Hu, let's continue."
After working for almost another hour, it was getting dark when the accounts for the milk tea shops were finally settled. Zhou Mujiao gave Hu Dasao some instructions and then left the city with Zhao Yunjing. On the way, they encountered two young women who were talking quietly as they walked. Zhou Mujiao slowed down and listened for a few moments.
It turns out that these two people run a clothing store. They were having a headache because of declining sales and were worried that the clothes would not sell. They were discussing countermeasures. One of them said that they should also learn from Sister Ye and copy Jiao Yun Clothing's designs and release a few similar styles. Jiao Yun Clothing is making a fortune, and they can follow behind. Even if they can't eat the meat scraps or drink the meat soup, they can at least smell the meat.
One of them hesitated for a moment and said, "How about we lower the price of this batch of goods and sell them, and then go and get some thicker clothes earlier? So we can start stocking autumn clothes sooner?"
"Who would buy warm clothes in this sweltering heat? If we bring the clothes back, no one will buy them; they'll just sit there collecting dust! Stop thinking so much. Let's take it one step at a time. I don't think many shops in Peach Blossom County are making any money except for Jiao Yun. Tomorrow morning, I'll go see Sister Ye and see if she has any good ideas on how to get Jiao Yun out of this mess. I refuse to believe that we, a dozen or so shops, can't take down Jiao Yun's family!"
Zhou Mujiao's lips curled up slightly.
Throughout history, no matter the industry, a single dominant player can never last long. A diverse range of ideas is truly beneficial. However, she welcomes healthy competition, but she will not hesitate to take action against malicious competitors who resort to underhanded tactics.
They overturned their dining table.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com