Chu Yuan lay half-lying on the swing.
She whimpered.
Huo Jin was the skilled helmsman, controlling the swing and controlling her as well.
By the time she regained her senses, it was already dark.
They didn't get to eat the iris-flavored pastries after all. Huo Jin had someone bring over some takeout from Tianxianglou. The two of them, who were starving, devoured the food as if they hadn't eaten for three days.
The air is filled with the delicate fragrance of irises, a sweet and pleasant scent that evokes a sense of tranquility.
The next day, Chu Yuan returned to the governor's mansion.
She wasn't surprised to find Huo Wu missing, and didn't even bother to ask where Huo Jin had taken her.
What she's most anxious about right now is getting pregnant.
Baba popped out: [Little cutie, our auxiliary medicines are of excellent quality, they'll work on the first try, not to mention you're with Huo Jin...]
Chu Yuan: "Shut up and get out of here!"
[...]
More than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Just as Chu Yuan was wondering why she hadn't made a move yet, a scholar from the countryside came to her door to request an audience.
At that time, Chu Yuan and Huo Jin had just finished a thoroughly enjoyable time together.
On a drowsy afternoon, after exercising, my eyelids felt heavy, my limbs were sore, and I didn't want to exert any energy at all.
Chu Yuan felt annoyed when someone suddenly came to her door.
Huo Jin, however, was curious and raised an eyebrow. "Looking for you? And it's a man?"
Chu Yuan glanced at him sideways, "What, am I supposed to have popped out of a rock, without any family or friends?"
"That's not what I meant." Huo Jin awkwardly touched her nose.
When Chu Yuan heard the steward say that he came from Jiaoling Village and was a scholar, he realized that he was probably the younger brother of the original owner of the body, whom she was tasked with helping.
She replied lazily, "Wait here. After the admiral and I have freshened up, we'll meet him in the flower hall."
These days, Huo Jin has been extremely obedient to Chu Yuan; the word "good" is not enough to describe it.
The butler served her very carefully and considerately.
Seeing that Chu Yuan even dared to joke with Huo Jin, he became even more vigilant.
"Yes, Miss Iris." She replied respectfully and then moved away from the door.
Huo Jin didn't want to move, so she only gave Chu Yuan a way out, saying, "Women take their time to wash up, you go first."
Chu Yuan thought for a moment, then threw herself at him, saying, "It's not good for a man to be too hasty."
This "quick" certainly doesn't refer to quick hands and feet. Huo Jin was taken aback by her bluntness and pinched her waist. "Are you trying to stir up trouble again?"
"No way." Chu Yuan struggled to get out of bed, her body aching. A working person, a working soul.
If her younger brother weren't also part of the mission, she would have preferred to swindle Huo Jin out of his money and get rid of him.
However, when they saw the person after an incense stick had burned, both Huo Jin and she were surprised.
Huo Jin said, "Your younger brother looks a bit older than his age."
She's fifteen, but looks like she's twenty-five.
Chu Yuan rubbed her forehead, "He's not..."
No matter how outrageous it was, the system had shown her photos of her parents' trio, and the original owner also had them in her mind.
Every two years on the "Family Reunion Day," the two elders would bring their son to visit their daughter. On such occasions, the original female lead would also give them some of her savings, as well as clothes and jewelry that the empress had bestowed upon her but were not custom-made, to take back with her.
Otherwise, his elderly parents simply couldn't afford to send Chu Xun to private school.
Back then, it was because they were too poor and Chu's father was sick and could no longer go hunting in the mountains that they sent the original owner to the palace to be a palace maid.
The person in front of me is clearly not Chu Xu.
"Who are you? Are you from Jiaoling Village?"
Just as Chu Yuan was rummaging through her memories, Huo Jin frowned and asked a question.
The newcomer seemed somewhat reserved, but his gaze quietly fell on Chu Yuan, and his eyes, which had been somewhat dazed, revealed a visible surprise.
She nervously clenched her hands. "Yuan'er, you...don't you remember me?"
Chu Yuan, “???”
Huo Jin, "!!!"
Is it someone he can call "Yuan'er"?
"If you don't give me your name, I'll have my guards throw you out!" Huo Jin's face was as cold as ice.
Chu Yuan remained silent.
The man paused for a moment, then introduced himself, “I… my name is Sheng Kuan. I’m a private tutor in Jiaoling Village. I passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen. I’ve come to the capital to visit relatives. Chu Xu is my student. He heard that my elder sister has entered the governor’s mansion, so he asked me to bring her some local specialties from our hometown.”
As he spoke, he looked at a bamboo basket at his feet.
It was filled to the brim with cured meat, dried mushrooms, and other things.
Huo Jin ignored him and looked at Chu Yuan, "You know him?"
Chu Yuan replied indifferently, "There aren't many scholars in my hometown, and he's the only scholar in the area, so naturally we know each other."
Actually, it wasn't just a matter of knowing him. Although Sheng Kuan was a bit dull, he had a good heart. When the original owner was still at home, he often helped her out because they lived close by.
Thinking about it carefully, if the original owner hadn't entered the palace, perhaps she and he would still have had some connection?
But now, of course, we'll try to get rid of it as cleanly as possible.
Huo Jin is not a good-tempered person!
"I've taken your things, you can leave now." After taking a closer look at Sheng Kuan, she found him to be poor and shabby, with a dull and unpleasant demeanor that made him unlikable.
If it weren't for Yuan'er saying she knew him, he would have kicked her out long ago.
Sheng Kuan hesitated, "I..."
Huo Jin interrupted him, "Stop talking nonsense. She's no longer just a little girl from your village, but my wife!"
If he keeps stammering and calling out "Yuan'er," just pull his tongue out!
Sheng Kuan, "..." A kind of unspeakable, shallow pain spread through his heart.
He thought that Chu Yuan had been forced into the governor's mansion because Chu's parents had always treated him very well over the years and always talked about how Yuanwei (her nickname) would be released from the palace and that she would definitely find a suitable young man to marry. He had been looking forward to it and waiting, using the excuse that he couldn't be distracted by the imperial examination to keep delaying his marriage. Who would have thought...
Sheng Kuan shook hands twice more, then stood up unsteadily. "Well... I'll head back now."
He didn't come to visit relatives; he came specifically to see her.
At the same time, he took out a letter from his pocket, "Miss Chu... this is also a letter that Chu Xu asked me to bring to you. He is studying very hard now, just like me, and he will be participating in the provincial examination this August."
"You're already a scholar who has passed the county-level imperial examination, why do you still need to take the provincial-level examination?"
Sheng Kuan lowered his eyes, listened to the melodious voice he remembered, and nodded. "Because Xiao Xu was scared, I thought that since we had to take the exam anyway, and six years had passed, it wouldn't hurt to go through the process again. It would also be a good opportunity to keep up with this year's hot topics, which might come in handy during the exam."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan felt a little emotional, realizing that Sheng Kuan was genuinely trying to help her during the exam.
If the original owner hadn't been given to Huo Jin, she might have been able to live a harmonious life with him for the rest of her life.
But it's all fate, there's no way to explain it.
"Hmm." She responded and was about to get up to take the letter when Huo Jin beat her to it, not only snatching the letter from her hand but also glancing at Sheng Kuan, "Six years, two attempts? Not a single one passed?"
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