Chapter 393
That day, as usual, Su Yanqiu carried a food box and knocked on his sister-in-law's door. When he saw her getting up to go into the inner room through the shadow, he said, "Sister-in-law, I have something I want to discuss with you."
Rong Rong paused, then, remembering that Su Yanqiu was about to go to the capital for the imperial examination, she sat back down and called out, "Come in."
Su Yanqiu pushed open the door and entered. Since her mother's accident, Su Yanqiu had not seen her sister-in-law again, and she was inexplicably nervous at this moment.
He deliberately left the door open, placed the food box on the table, took a deep breath, and looked up, saying, "I'm planning to bring my sister-in-law along..."
There was no sound after that, and Su Yanqiu felt her head buzzing incessantly.
Before them sat a stunningly beautiful woman.
Her simple clothes could not conceal her radiance; they only made her appear more beautiful and extraordinary.
Her bright, beautiful eyes gazed at him, making his heart pound so hard it felt like it would leap out of his chest.
The beautiful woman sat serenely, flawlessly beautiful, as radiant as the bright moon, unattainable yet desirable.
In that instant, Su Yanqiu wondered if his soul had left his body and gone to the Heavenly Court, otherwise how could he have seen a real fairy?
But when he saw his surroundings clearly, he realized that he was not in the Jade Terrace, but in the human world, in the Su family's courtyard.
He then suspected that his elder brother had stolen the fairy's clothes, just like the Cowherd. Otherwise, why didn't his sister-in-law return to Heaven, but instead stayed and married his elder brother?
Su Yanqiu's mind was in turmoil. After sorting out his thoughts, he stammered, "My brother... he forced his sister-in-law?"
Su Yanqiu's expression was complicated, her delicate face filled with unease, and she dared not meet Rong Rong's gaze.
Rong Rong chuckled, "No."
Su Yanqiu blushed immediately and lost her composure once again.
He knew his sister-in-law would be a beauty, out of place in Jishan Village, and even in the entire Changxi County.
But he never imagined that his sister-in-law was a top beauty, with a stunning appearance that could topple kingdoms and was astounding.
Su Yanqiu thought that his sister-in-law's status must be more precious and special than he had imagined.
His resolve to protect his sister-in-law also became even stronger.
“Sister-in-law, I want to take you with me to the capital to take the imperial examination,” Su Yanqiu said firmly.
Rong Rong, who had just been smiling, suddenly fell silent. Su Yanqiu's heart tightened, and his heart sank.
Does your sister-in-law not want to go?
still......
Oh, right!
My sister-in-law has a special identity. Could she be from the capital? Or is there someone in the capital that she doesn't want to see?
"Is it inconvenient for you, sister-in-law?" Su Yanqiu asked again, feeling a little nervous.
Rong Rong didn't rush to answer; she was also hesitating.
For Rong Rong, the capital city represents both danger and opportunity. Should she go?
“I have old friends in the capital. If I go with you, I’m afraid it will implicate you,” Rong Rong sighed softly.
The soft, sweet voice was like a ray of light, dispelling the tension and sadness in Su Yanqiu's heart.
It turns out that it wasn't that his sister-in-law didn't want to follow him, but that she was afraid of dragging him down with her.
Su Yanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. "I'm not afraid. It's my responsibility to take care of my sister-in-law. We are family. I won't leave her alone in Jishan Village."
Su Yanqiu looked straight at Rong Rong, wanting her to see the determination in his eyes.
He lived alone in the world, with only his sister-in-law as his family. He was not afraid of being implicated or dying; he was only afraid that his sister-in-law would abandon him.
Thinking of this, Su Yanqiu's eyes reddened a little. "A family should share happiness and hardship."
“But I…” Rong Rong tried to explain, but Su Yanqiu interrupted her.
"I'm willing! I'm not afraid!"
Su Yanqiu's face was full of determination. The two looked at each other in silence, and Rong Rong saw his fearless determination in Su Yanqiu's eyes.
"Okay!" Rong Rong finally nodded.
From that moment on, she officially regarded Su Yanqiu and the Su family as her own relatives, her new family.
Since Su Yanqiu was traveling a long distance and had a lot of things to bring, and because Rong Rong was with him, he hired a carriage.
After he passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), he received many rewards from the government and academies, as well as some money from merchants, but he refused all of them.
Even so, he had a considerable amount of money, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to redeem Rongrong's jewelry.
Su Yanqiu glanced one last time in the direction of the pawnshop, then finally looked away and slowly left Changxi County in his carriage.
Su Yanqiu and the coachman sat outside the carriage, while Rong Rong sat inside.
It's just that Su Yanqiu has to work hard outside in the wind and rain.
Because of her sensitive identity, Rong Rong didn't want to take any risks, so even when she was bored on the way, she didn't lift the carriage curtain to look at the scenery outside.
The group left Changxi County and got onto the official road, where they saw a horse-drawn carriage parked by the roadside.
"Brother Su, they said you were going to hire a carriage to go to the imperial examination by yourself. I didn't believe it at first, but I didn't expect it to be true?"
A loud, surprised voice rang out first, followed by a man emerging from a carriage by the roadside.
"Brother Wang," Su Yanqiu said, bowing.
This person is Wang Chen, a classmate and close friend of Su Yanqiu. Five people from their academy passed the imperial examination this time, and Wang Chen was one of them.
She is still the richest and most affluent one among them.
Wang Chen was somewhat surprised. The other three of them had hired a carriage together, and he had thought that Su Yanqiu would come with them. But to his surprise, she set off alone for the first time ever.
Wang Chen knew about Su Yanqiu's family background. Su Yanqiu was usually very frugal, so he was really curious why Su Yanqiu had suddenly become so extravagant with money.
"Why is Brother Su sitting outside? It's windy outside!" Wang Chen found it amusing, thinking that Su Yanqiu was playful. It was surprising that his usually quiet and precocious friend had such a side.
"Since there are women in the car, I'll sit outside," Su Yanqiu nodded.
Wang Chen opened his eyes wide. Women?
Oh, she's Su Yanqiu's widowed sister-in-law.
Su Yanqiu actually brought his widowed sister-in-law to the capital to take the imperial examination? No wonder he had to hire a carriage by himself.
Wang Chen suddenly realized, and then looked at Su Yanqiu with a hint of admiration.
He knew that Su Yanqiu's widowed sister-in-law was seriously ill, unable to take care of herself, and needed someone to look after her.
What kind of sense of responsibility would make someone carry this burden even when taking the imperial examination? If it were an ordinary person, they would simply leave some money and ask someone from the same village to take care of them, and that would be the end of it.
But Wang Chen also knew that no one else was as reliable as his own people.
It seems that his brother Su is not only extremely filial and loyal, but also has a good relationship with his widowed sister-in-law.
Thinking back to how she took the initiative to befriend Su Yanqiu, she realized that she valued his character and academic ability.
He was certain that the other person was destined for greatness and would surely soar to great heights in the future.
As a merchant by birth, Wang Chen had the idea of hoarding rare goods deeply ingrained in his bones. He had long ago shown his goodwill towards Su Yanqiu, and now he only felt that he had made a very good judgment.
"Why don't you ride in my carriage, Brother Su? There's still room in my carriage!" Wang Chen warmly invited.
After thinking it over for a while, Su Yanqiu finally sat down.
Wang Chen had helped Su Yanqiu a lot in the past, and Su Yanqiu understood why Wang Chen was on good terms with him. However, Wang Chen was indeed a decent person and worth befriending, so Su Yanqiu didn't care about his initial purpose.
He just needs to know that the other person genuinely helped him and had no ill intentions.
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