Chapter 71 I Like You: I like you so much.
The engagement was arranged in June, and Zhixingzhai was completed in mid-July.
When the business reopened, Yao Ruyi boasted extensively about Geng Xiang's charitable donations, even having a stele carved for people to admire and a plaque inscribed "Wenhua Hall." Finally, she invited five or six idlers to the streets to beat drums and gongs, spreading the word about Geng Xiang's philanthropic deeds. She completely profited from the situation and successfully distanced herself from the scandal.
On the day of the reopening, some firecrackers were set off, and the newly compiled books by Grandpa Yao and the two doctors, Jiang and Zou, were displayed. The stationery shop and teahouse were also tidied up. Yao Ruyi went to check on them before dawn, walking up and down the stairs several times, touching every nook and cranny, and was still very satisfied with Zhou Jumu's craftsmanship.
No wonder he was tormented by her... no... honed his skills!
The newly added second-floor pavilion had internal staircases connecting each room to the first floor. A surrounding corridor also connected all the rooms, making it convenient for students to move around. An additional staircase leading upstairs was also built outside, but the staircases were now quite steep and narrow, and Yao Ruyi had installed handrails on all of them.
In this way, the stationery shop, tea room, and study room all became two-story units. Three new private rooms and a bright, spacious study room were also added to the second floor, making the place feel much more roomy.
Before the opening, Yao Ruyi thought for a moment and then pulled out two red silk ribbons to make a banner, asking Lin Wen'an to inscribe the words: "Why shouldn't a young man dream of plucking stars, daring to draw his bow and shoot the Jade Balance?"
After all, the palace examination and the special imperial examinations had already concluded, but the students who failed the spring examinations and the other students about to embark on their new journeys were about to begin three years of arduous study.
Speaking of the palace examination, Cheng Shujun and Lu Fang's rankings remained unchanged. Although they had the advantage of Yao Ruyi's guidance, the examination questions were newly set by the emperor. This unpredictable fat man seemed to have carefully reviewed Yao Ruyi's questions as well, deliberately avoiding the "key points" summarized by Lin Wen'an in his book, and creating exceptionally novel questions. The two performed adequately, but fortunately, their previous hard work had not been in vain, and they maintained their first and twentieth places on the second-tier list.
After attending the Qionglin Banquet, the two went to take the imperial examination, but failed again.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, a civil service examination was held that year, which included several questions: "Admonition Question," which required candidates to offer frank advice on the shortcomings of the government; "Governance Question," which focused on the practical application of governance and required candidates to be familiar with laws and administrative procedures; and "Application Question," which emphasized practical application and required candidates to propose solutions to specific and complex government affairs.
Yao Ruyi thought it sounded a bit like the interview questions for civil service exams in later generations. Moreover, because the number of times the imperial examinations were held was so small, Cheng Shujun and Lu Fang could only review the questions that had been circulating for decades. They memorized a lot of laws and regulations and read a lot of imperial edicts and current affairs, but none of them came in handy.
This year's imperial examination questions were all mathematical problems related to firearms manufacturing! Apart from that, there was only one question that required writing a policy essay, and it required that the essay "not use parallel sentences." The question was also related to military strategy and planning, and the problem was something like how to properly transport grain when the roads were blocked by heavy snow.
Lu Fang and Cheng Shujun both failed the exam because they couldn't understand the questions.
Like them, among the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), Kang Hua and his fellow students from the Biyong Academy, as well as those who swept the top three spots in Jiangnan West Circuit, all failed the special imperial examinations and were not selected at all.
Later, Yao Ruyi heard from Lin Wen'an that the person who was ranked third in the imperial examination was an unknown minor official in the Ministry of Works and Water Resources. He was recommended by his superior to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event because he was diligent in his duties and had excellent handwriting. Unexpectedly, he was surprised to find that he knew all the answers in the exam.
"That man was a minor official in charge of surveying water conservancy, drawing maps of the Bian River, and supervising the repair of dikes. Year after year he did miscellaneous tasks such as surveying, so he was extremely proficient in mathematics. Now he has been transferred to the Ordnance Bureau by the government."
The family was enjoying the cool evening air and having dinner in the courtyard. Lin Wen'an spoke casually, not eating himself, but his hands were busy peeling a large bowl of crayfish for Yao Ruyi.
The summer night was sweltering, and a bamboo bed was set up in the Yao family's courtyard. Cucumbers, melons, and peaches from the south were bubbling in the well. A sealed earthenware jar floated on the well water, containing the fruit tea that Yao Ruyi had just made that day.
It was hot, and Yao Ruyi was a little listless and had little appetite. She thought the dinner was fairly simple: Uncle Cong prepared refreshing shredded chicken noodles, braised pork knuckle in a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), tofu and fish head soup, stir-fried snails, and cold bean curd salad. Yao Ruyi contributed fruit tea and also made a box of sashimi.
Grandpa Yao was still missing the food at Shenji Restaurant, and in the end, he couldn't resist the temptation. He found a free man to run an errand for him, and before it got dark, he went to Shenji Restaurant to queue up and bought a large bowl of fragrant spicy crayfish.
This is the time when crayfish are at their fattest.
Well, it's hot summer, so let's just have a simple meal.
Unlike Yao Ruyi, whose summer heat was reduced from three bowls of rice to two and a half, Lin Wen'an truly suffered from summer heat. He ate only half a bowl of cold noodles, picked up a piece of sashimi, took a couple of sips of tea, and then put down his chopsticks. He spent the rest of his time peeling crayfish for Yao Ruyi.
Yao Ruyi slurped up her cold noodles with chopsticks. After taking a bite of noodles, she held the chopsticks in her hand, then picked up the bowl, took a sip of soup, put the bowl down, picked up a large piece of bean curd skin, stuffed it into her mouth, swallowed it, and then took another big bite of noodles. While chewing, she casually picked up a piece of ham sushi, dipped it in a tiny bit of wasabi, and then stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, squinting her eyes to feel the spiciness that shot straight from her mouth to the top of her head. It was so delicious that she wanted to stomp her feet.
After the initial pungent smell subsided, the cycle of eating and eating continued.
When her bowl of noodles was empty, Lin Wen'an not only peeled out a bowl of crayfish meat and pushed it in front of her, but also got up and went to the well, scooped up the earthenware pot, poured a cup of cool fruit tea, and placed it next to her.
I sat down back down and took out a toothpick to carefully pick out the snail meat for her.
"Thank you, Lord Lin." Yao Ruyi looked up and smiled sweetly at him before continuing to happily eat the crayfish meat. It just so happened that she always saved her favorite foods for last, and Lin Wen'an, having noticed this habit, quietly peeled the crayfish for her just as she finished eating her first round.
Lin Wen'an wiped the red oil off his fingertips and returned her a slight smile.
Across from them, Yao Qizhao, Lin Zhu, and Yueyue, who were sitting at the same table, were speechless.
All three had the exact same expression: pouting lips, drooping eyelids, and blank faces. We hadn't even eaten much of the meal yet, and just watching them exchange glances was almost filling me up!
Cong Bo, Cong Xin, and San Cun Ding, who still refused to join the meal, were much more cunning. They set up a small table under the eaves and, without anyone noticing, had turned their backs with their bowls. They preferred to eat in front of Yao Deshui, Da Huang, and Wang Wang rather than watch Er Lang and his soon-to-be bride's affectionate display of indifference.
Since the engagement, Yao Ruyi has become quite flamboyant.
After the engagement, the two families could officially interact. Lin Wen'an was now her fiancé, and there was no escaping him! She could finally date men openly and legitimately!
These days, holding hands, linking arms, and whispering secrets in his ear are all commonplace. But Grandpa Yao still looks at them with a disapproving expression, as if he's about to get a sty, but there's nothing he can do about it. The only thing missing from the six formal rites is the wedding ceremony; the two children are already legally a couple, their status is set, and it's only natural for them to be affectionate.
Not only is there no reason to stop them, but you can't stop them even if you try.
Later, seeing how this young girl and Lin Wen'an seemed inseparable, Yao Qizhao suddenly recalled that when he was pursuing Grandma Ruyi, he had apparently done something rather impolite. The two families were neighbors, and every morning he would read against the wall shared by the two families.
As soon as he started reading aloud, Grandma Ruyi would sit down against the wall with her sewing basket to listen.
Occasionally, he would muster up the courage to peek over the wall and chat with Grandma Ruyi. After a while, they became familiar with each other, and he couldn't help but write a few sentimental love poems and throw them over the wall. Unexpectedly, a hand with large, calloused knuckles reached out from the other side of the wall and fiercely tore the paper into pieces.
Looking up, I realized that the person clinging to the wall wasn't Grandma Ruyi, but... her father.
As Yao Qizhao thought about it, a smile appeared on his lips, followed by a soft sigh.
Back then, he was almost beaten three streets by his father-in-law with a carrying pole.
Later, broken tiles were densely stuck into that section of the wall, supposedly to keep out thieves, but probably to keep out him.
Alas, he also missed his old wife. When Ruyi and Wen'an got married and were to return to Tanzhou to pay respects to Ruyi's parents, he would go with them, and take the opportunity to repair his old wife's grave and visit that tree again.
The Jinghu area is famous for its bayberries and kumquats, and his wife loved bayberries the most. After she passed away from illness, Yao Qizhao specially transplanted a bayberry tree next to her grave. Later, when he occasionally corresponded with his relatives, they said that the tree had grown extremely tall and lush, bearing abundant fruit every year, and the fruit was round and large. If it was not picked in time, many birds, squirrels, hedgehogs, and even groups of macaques would come to visit the tree.
The clansmen had originally written to complain about the creatures pecking at the bayberries, breaking branches, and leaving behind filth that was a hassle to clean up. Upon receiving the letter, Yao Qizhao felt a slight sense of comfort; at least his wife could still eat bayberries, and the mountain creatures would frequently visit to keep her company, so she wouldn't be lonely.
Even when he wasn't old, many people advised him to remarry, but Yao Qizhao was stubborn and inflexible. When he married his wife, he had promised her that he would never take a concubine, never take a maid, never patronize a male opera singer, and never frequent prostitutes. He vowed that they would spend their lives together. Later, even after his wife passed away, he stubbornly remained true to their promise.
Thinking of his wife, Yao Qizhao turned a blind eye to Ruyi and Wen'an's "improper behavior," because he suddenly realized that life is too short, and also... too long.
We should cherish the days we can spend together.
Just then, Zhixingzhai reopened, and he started going to work early every day with his iron-clad gold, looking all high and mighty, instead of staying at home with those two lovey-dovey people, which made his eyelids twitch and was very annoying.
Therefore, when Lin asked whether the wall should be demolished, Grandpa Yao firmly refused.
Having a wall is fine, but without it, wouldn't he be able to see the two of them being all lovey-dovey all the time? No, no, for his own good, the wall has to be kept.
Every day before heading out to work, Lin Wen'an would first go to the general store to find Yao Ruyi and say goodbye to her gently, even if it was just saying "I'm leaving now," he would be willing to do so. Sometimes the two would hide behind the shelves to whisper to each other, and when they came out, their faces and lips would be slightly flushed.
The two of them couldn't stand it anymore. While Lin Wen'an was at the yamen to report for duty, they secretly pulled Yao Ruyi aside and whispered, "I never would have guessed that my brother could be so gentle and tender. It gave me quite a fright."
As he spoke, he shuddered and vigorously rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.
Yao Ruyi immediately perked up, hurriedly went to the kitchen to cut up a melon that had been soaked in well water, brought over a plate of melon seeds, sat cross-legged, and asked excitedly, "What was your brother like before? What was he like when he was a child?"
Yueyue chuckled when she saw her cracking sunflower seeds. But... she coughed lightly, quickly crossed her legs, picked up the sunflower seeds, and whispered, "I'm telling you this, but don't let my brother know. He's very cruel to me. When I was little, I loved to play and didn't practice calligraphy. When he got impatient with teaching me, he would hit me on the head with a pen!"
Yao Ruyi immediately swore an oath: "Don't worry, only heaven, earth, you, and I know!"
Yueyue couldn't help but laugh at the thought of what she was going to say, and without hesitation, she recounted all of Lin Wen'an's embarrassing stories from childhood to adulthood: "My older brother has always been a strange child. My mother said that he stopped crying much when he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and he always frowned at people, never smiling no matter how you tried to make him laugh, and he didn't like to talk to people. After he turned one year old and could walk and sit, he became even more unruly. He was too lazy to respond when called by name, and if he got annoyed, he would walk away."
The funniest thing was my dad. Because my older brother didn't like to eat, didn't talk, and didn't laugh, he first suspected that my brother was born deaf and mute, so he took him to see a doctor. The doctor said... said... hahaha, the doctor said that the child had nothing wrong with him, that he had just learned to speak, and that he was too precocious, and that he didn't like to talk to his parents because they were too stupid. Later, my dad thought he had facial paralysis and took him to get acupuncture several times! It was hilarious!
What an outrageous dad! Poor little Lin Wen'an! Just thinking about how little Lin Wen'an had a stern face and was dragged off to get acupuncture all over his face... Yao Ruyi almost choked on her melon seeds and burst into laughter with Yueyue.
"Not only that! My brother could recite poems and recognize characters when he was about two or three years old. He had a photographic memory, and his reputation as a child prodigy spread quickly. Back then, many scholars from the Imperial Academy came specifically to test him and determined that he was a genius who would surely achieve great things in the future. My father was incredibly lucky to have such a prodigy, and naturally, he became overjoyed. Whenever relatives or friends came to visit, he would insist that my brother come out and recite poems. My brother would be dragged into the hall, and no matter how my father and relatives tried to coax him, he would not speak and would just stare at people coldly. Later, no one mentioned his reputation as a child prodigy anymore. Instead, everyone pitied my father and would say that the Lin family had done a terrible thing by having a mute son."
Yao Ruyi laughed so hard that she dropped her melon seeds.
"Later, my brother passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve and became a scholar. He was tall and handsome at such a young age, and since he always had a stern face, he looked much older than people thought. People often mistook him for sixteen or seventeen. When he walked down the street, some bold women would grab his sleeve and ask him, 'Young man, where do you live?' Some even wanted to find a matchmaker to come to his door. My parents were terrified. My mother would tell everyone she met, 'This child is only twelve! He's still young! Really only twelve! Really!' But I thought differently from my parents. When I was little, I hated my brother. With his 'I think everyone is a fool' attitude, I was convinced that his marriage would be fraught with difficulties. What's the use of being so smart? You can get angry with him after just a few words! However, there were still many women who didn't know the difference and were head over heels in love."
Yueyue couldn't help but laugh: "You know, when my brother was fifteen, he had already passed the imperial examination. With his academic achievements, he naturally attracted even more attention. Many women were in love with him, and some of the bolder ones even found out where we lived and sneaked into the alley. I was still young then, so they bribed me with snacks to deliver letters to my brother. For the sake of food, I naturally accepted them all and sold my brother without hesitation."
Intrigued, Yao Ruyi's eyes sparkled: "And then what? What did your brother do with those letters?"
"Of course he was very annoyed. He grabbed my ear and scolded me fiercely, forbidding me from accepting any more. But, he didn't read those letters, but he didn't just throw them away either. He said it would be a disaster if a woman's handwriting got out, so he had Cong Boteng put them in a box, and it's filled a whole box!" Yueyue said, munching on a melon and gesturing towards the opposite wall. "If you search my storeroom, you might be able to find them!"
Yao Ruyi smiled to herself, thinking, "Lin Wen'an is actually quite kind."
After finishing a slice of melon, Yueyue wiped her mouth and thought for a moment: "It seems there's nothing embarrassing about him anymore. After I returned to Fuzhou, I only heard how amazing my brother was and how much praise he received. But since we grew up together, I only felt that he was very dull and boring, fierce and aloof. He didn't like to listen to operas or watch variety shows, and always had a straight face as he read and practiced calligraphy. Sometimes when I saw him sitting by the window doing his homework from afar, I really felt that he lived in another world, so quiet that I didn't pay attention and even forgot that he was at home. Anyway, I used to dislike him a lot."
“Even… even on the day Mother passed away, he didn’t shed a single tear. He just knelt by her bedside all night without saying a word. My father and I cried our hearts out, fainting several times, and the house was in complete chaos…” Yueyue looked up at the sky with a melancholy expression. “Later, it was he who, despite his still-healing illness and injured leg, managed everything inside and out, sending Mother off in an orderly manner. I was crying so hard I was delirious, clinging to Mother’s coffin and refusing to let go. He came over without a word and pried my fingers off the coffin one by one. I truly hated him then, resented his inhumanity—that was Mother! How could he not shed a single tear?”
Upon hearing this, Yao Ruyi's hand, which was holding melon seeds, slowly drooped, and her heart suddenly clenched.
Yueyue's eyes were slightly red. She turned back and forced a bitter smile: "At that time, I was already married. I went back to my parents' home and didn't want to talk to him for a long time. He didn't say a word either. As for Father, he built a thatched hut in front of Mother's grave and stayed there, refusing to go home. The whole house was so desolate... A long, long time later, after the mourning period was over, even Father could talk about Mother with a smile, but my brother still rarely mentioned Mother. Only then did I realize that after Mother passed away, his pain was no less than ours, and even much greater... It's just that we all spoke out and cried, but he chose to swallow it down."
Yao Ruyi thought sadly, "That's really his personality."
Yueyue's tone lowered, and she continued, "One year when I went back to my parents' home, Uncle Cong was sick, and I cooked soup dumplings for him. When I came out, I caught a glimpse of my brother standing in the courtyard, watching my back as I cooked for a long time. As soon as I turned around, he immediately turned and left. Later, when my father came back, he wept in front of me and said that my back looked too much like my mother's. At that moment, the resentment he had accumulated from prying my hands open all those years ago finally dissipated."
Yao Ruyi reached out to comfort him, but Yueyue lowered her head and shook it, smiling, "Uncle Cong told me that sometimes when a person's heart is in too much pain, they can't cry in the moment, but they can never forget it in their entire life. The day Mother passed away, there was a sudden downpour. Later, Father and I seemed to slowly emerge from that rain, and we were able to talk properly about Mother's life and remember her openly. But my brother hasn't. He seems to still be in the rain, but he doesn't cry or speak."
Yao Ruyi felt as if her heart had been shattered.
“But this time I came all this way to see him, and I found that he is different from when he was in Fuzhou.” Yueyue pondered, but ultimately did not say it. She didn’t know how to put it. As Lin Wen’an’s younger sister, who was connected to him by blood, others might not be able to see it, but she could see that her brother had changed drastically. It was as if a ray of sunlight had finally pierced through a crack in the heavy clouds in a place that had been damp and rainy for years and never seen the sun.
After saying that, she looked up at Ruyi and smiled, "Thank you, Ruyi."
He then solemnly rose and bowed deeply to Ruyi:
“My brother, he’s not so good, but he’s also very good. From now on… I’ll leave him in your care.”
Just then, a gust of wind swept across the courtyard, carrying the coolness of well water. It ruffled the edges of the fine bamboo mats laid on the eaves and also messed up Yao Ruyi's stray hairs and her heart, which was gradually swelling and burning with emotion.
After Yueyue was called back by Lin Zhu, the courtyard returned to tranquility. Yao Ruyi sat alone on the bamboo bed by the well, idly fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, staring blankly at the melons and fruits floating in the well. The water surface was rippled by the wind, reflecting the dappled sunlight and the green melons and fruits floating in the cool water, their shadows indistinct.
The cicadas' chirping wove a dense web in the afternoon heat, making the small corner by the well seem exceptionally tranquil. As she watched, her eyelids grew heavy, and she lay back on the bamboo bed, nestled against the warm dappled sunlight, and drifted off to sleep.
She didn't know how long she had slept, but when she groggily woke up, her eyelashes were first enveloped in a soft halo of light. Lin Wen'an had returned sometime earlier and was sitting on the bamboo chair beside her. He shielded her from the gradually setting afternoon sun with his body and gently draped a cool, thin summer sheet over her abdomen, while he sat quietly reading a book beside her.
Yao Ruyi didn't speak immediately, but just squinted at him, half-awake.
He hadn't yet realized she was awake.
The intense afternoon sunlight filtered through the low eaves, falling in large patches onto him.
He lowered his head slightly, wearing a tassel. The two thin silver chains wrapped around his ears, which made the lines of his profile appear even clearer and smoother in the halo of light. The sun was too hot, and a few beads of sweat seeped from his temples, quietly sliding down his slender neck and disappearing into the slightly open plain collar.
He held a book in one hand, the other casually resting on his knee, his fingertips occasionally lightly brushing the pages, producing a very faint sound of his fingertips rubbing against the paper. The cicadas' chirping continued, but it seemed to be shut out by the calm and focused aura surrounding him, leaving only a peaceful shade.
The summer sun was so direct, kissing his lowered eyelashes and casting a small fan-shaped shadow under his eyes. His focused and indifferent profile, amidst the summer's hustle and bustle, exuded a strange and breathtaking tranquility.
Yao Ruyi's heart fluttered at the sight. She reached out and hooked her fingertips around his drooping sleeve.
Lin Wen'an then looked up from his book and turned to look at her.
The focused coolness between his brows melted instantly the moment he touched her, transforming into the gentle tenderness that Yao Ruyi knew, a tenderness shown only to her. He put down his book, naturally reaching out to gently brush away the stray hairs damp with sleep from her forehead with his fingertips, his voice soft and slow: "Awake?"
"Mmm." Yao Ruyi rubbed her eyes and nodded, then habitually opened her arms. "I want a hug."
Lin Wen'an was taken aback, but then he indulged her, reaching under her arm, bending down slightly, and lifting her off the bamboo bed. He then placed her face-to-face on his lap.
Yao Ruyi then wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
Ever since Yao Ruyi said she wanted a hug that day, she often acted like that, wanting a hug whether she was happy or unhappy. Lin Wen'an was much more comfortable to hug than her long rabbit doll. His arms were long and strong, with one hand stroking the back of her head and the other supporting her back, as if he could wrap her up completely.
It's very reassuring.
She cherished this embrace. Few people were willing to hold her in her past life. Not to mention when she was a child at her aunt's house, only her maternal grandmother held her as she grew up. Her grandmother's embrace was cool and smelled of oil. When she took a nap, her grandmother would half-hold her and fan her with a large palm-leaf fan to cool her down and chase away the mosquitoes that kept lingering.
Perhaps for this reason, Yao Ruyi actually craves a complete surrender and acceptance in an embrace more than a passionate kiss.
Yao Ruyi nestled close to him, her body warm and limp from sleep, still a little groggy from oversleeping. She buried her face deeper, more affectionately, in his neck, feeling the steady beat of his pulse, murmuring his name again and again.
"Lin Wen'an."
"Um."
"Lin Wen'an."
"Um."
I like you so much.
This time, there was no immediate "hmm" from above. She only felt his arms around her seem to tighten a little. After a long while, so long that Yao Ruyi was almost falling asleep again in his comforting breath, she noticed a slight, precious weight resting on her head.
The silver chain grew slightly cool and settled on her forehead.
He lowered his head and gently pressed his cheek against the top of her head.
"Um."
"I love you too."
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I've seen all the extra chapters everyone signed up for, and I'll do my best to write them! [crying emoji]
It'll be finished in a few days, not immediately! [doge]
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