A Ruan was at home and saw the sparse rain outside getting heavier and heavier. He remembered that his wife did not bring an umbrella when she went out today. Without any hesitation, he took the umbrella and went to the county.
Thinking that he was going to pick up Wei Min, he felt a sense of joy as he walked along the muddy path at the entrance of the village.
He hurried to Luoyu Academy. Although there were many people at the door, Aruan still found his wife standing at the corner of the eaves at a glance.
A Ruan's face lit up with joy, but before she could walk over, she saw a man approaching her. Suddenly, the foot that A Ruan was about to step forward seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and she just stood there.
Seeing Wei Min lowering his head and talking to the man, Ah Ruan's joy when she came here seemed to be extinguished in an instant by the autumn rain, and her body and mind felt chilled.
From his angle, he could just see the young man who was talking to Wei Min, lowering his head shyly, which was really adorable.
A'ruan's grip on the umbrella handle tightened unconsciously, and she couldn't help but compare herself with him.
The young master looked younger than him, with a well-proportioned body and some flesh on his body, the type Wei Min liked. It would definitely not be uncomfortable to touch.
The young master would appear at the gate of the academy, he must have been educated. His family must be rich and powerful. After all, who in a poor family would send a boy to school?
If the wife has someone to support her, then the money to go to the capital will not be a problem, and she won't have to suffer too much in the cold weather...
After several comparisons, A Ruan found uncomfortably that the other party was better than him in every way and he was not even a bit better than him.
This feeling of uneasiness and panic came suddenly, causing Ah Ruan to shiver. He suddenly felt even colder, as if all the raindrops had avoided the umbrella in his hand and penetrated into his clothes.
It was this feeling that made A Ruan subconsciously clench the handle of the umbrella and lower the brim to cover her disheveled face the moment her eyes met Wei Min's.
His wife thought that taking the imperial examination was the real thing, and if she won the title, she would be a man who would do great things in the future. He shouldn't be so petty and jealous...
When A Ruan thought about this, he felt very uncomfortable.
Although he covered himself with an umbrella, he couldn't help glancing in Wei Min's direction.
If the wife sees me coming to her, will she refuse the umbrella in the young man's hand?
Before A Ruan could think much, he saw the familiar pair of shoes appear in his sight, running towards him on the rain on the ground.
A'ruan's heart beat faster instantly, the corners of her mouth raised slightly, and she walked up to her without any hesitation, holding the umbrella in her hand high to cover her.
Seeing that Wei Min's clothes were wet from the rain and there was water on her face and hair, A Ruan quickly pinched her sleeve to wipe her face.
Wei Min really didn't expect A Ruan to come to see her. She reached out to take the umbrella from his hand and asked with a smile, "Why are you here? I was just about to ask the teacher to borrow an umbrella and then go back."
Ah Ruan calmly took back the hand that was wiping her face, with a nonchalant expression on his face. He even raised his hand with a hint of curiosity and asked her:
——Is the man you are talking to the master’s son?
Wei Min had told him before that the daughter of Master Wei got married a year ago. A'ruan knew that Master Wei was good to his wife, and he remembered it after hearing her say it once, so he asked this intentionally this time.
Wei Min didn't even turn his head, "No, the master's son got married last year."
Seeing that Wei Min did not lie to him, A Ruan felt relieved and nodded thoughtfully. Although Wei Min did not lie to him, he did not tell him who the man was.
Ah Ruan pursed her lips and her eyes inadvertently swept under the eaves of the academy. The young man was still standing there, staring at them blankly.
Wei Min seemed not to notice the thoughts on A'ruan's face. He lifted up the hem of his shirt and tucked it into his belt. He handed the umbrella to A'ruan, and under his stunned gaze, he half-knelt in front of him and said, "I'll carry you back."
A Ruan's trouser legs were slightly rolled up, revealing a small section of his slender ankle. He was wearing wooden clogs, and his ten round, white toes were washed clean by the rain, but they were still red due to the cold.
A'ruan was still thinking about other things just now, but now when she lowered her eyes and looked at Wei Min's back, suddenly her mind was empty.
He smiled and leaned over Wei Min's back, holding the umbrella in his hand to cover both of them.
Wei Min carried A'ruan on his back for a while, until they were some distance away from the academy, then she said, "The young man who wanted to give me an umbrella just now..." She paused, deliberately whetting A'ruan's appetite.
Ah Ruan was like a fish that only saw the bait. He was stunned for a moment, and after realizing what it was, he immediately came over happily to take the hook.
A Ruan leaned his head on Wei Min's shoulder, waiting for her to say the second half of the sentence.
Wei Min laughed in a muffled voice, and it was unclear whether he was laughing at A'ruan or at the young master, "He kept his head down..."
She said: "I could only see the top of his head, I couldn't see his face."
Wei Min's smiling voice sounded faintly. Ah Ruan was stunned at first, then she pursed her lips and smiled. She clenched her fingers into a fist and gently hit Wei Min's shoulder as if playing.
How could the wife be so mean, finding all kinds of ways to laugh at the young man for being short?
No wonder I didn’t explain it just now. I’m afraid someone might have heard it and hurt your self-esteem.
Since I didn’t see his face, I naturally didn’t see the shyness on the young man’s face. When Ah Ruan thought of this, he felt completely relieved.
Wei Min's exam was scheduled early, being the first one on August 9th.
After returning home, A Ruan began to pack luggage for Wei Min.
The round trip to the province plus the three days for the provincial examination would probably take about ten days. This is still considered a sunny day. If it were a rainy day like today, she would be delayed on the road for a day or two, and she would probably not be able to return until half a month later.
Ah Ruan had already prepared the travel money and carefully sewed it into the pocket of Wei Min's inner shirt so that it would be safer through his outer shirt.
A Ruan worked hard by night doing embroidery for half a year and finally saved up some money for Wei Min to take the provincial examination. After a few days, when the rice is harvested, the money from selling it will be saved for her to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination.
Ever since Wei Min moved in, he didn't allow A'ruan to do needlework at night, for fear that he would damage his eyesight and wouldn't be able to see clearly when he got old.
This time he would be gone for nearly half a month, and before leaving, Wei Min reminded A'ruan again not to embroider at night.
It is now July 20th. It is better to go early than late to take the exam. Wei Min should leave tomorrow.
In the evening, Wei Lian called Wei Min and A Ruan to his home, cooked some dishes with Sun, and the whole family gathered together for a meal.
Wei Lian was worried about Wei Min going alone, so she wanted to pack up her things and let Wei Min go with her. Although the money was not much, she could live a hard life and still take care of Wei Min on the way.
Wei Min disagreed with her idea.
Now there are only two women in the Wei family, and the house cannot be left unattended. Besides, the rice in the fields will have to be harvested in two days when the weather clears up, and then the next step will be sowing and transplanting. If the two of them are not here, can they expect the three men in the family to do all the hard work?
Wei Min was not at home, and A Ruan was counting on Wei Lian to look after her. She refused to let them go together no matter what.
Wei Min's idea was more realistic and reasonable, so Wei Lian had no choice but to compromise.
Tomorrow Wei Min will get up early and set off on her journey, and Wei Lian will send her to the county. Neither of them will drink.
After dinner, Wei Min and A Ruan went home. Wei Min has lived at home for so long, and now he suddenly won't be able to see him for half a month. A Ruan feels a little reluctant.
As they were about to part, the two of them lay in bed, neither of them in the mood to do that kind of thing.
Wei Min put his arm on A Ruan's waist, and touched his lower back without any lust, and reminded him carefully, "Don't leave the cakes in the cabinet for me, or they will go bad if you don't eat them. There are still a dozen eggs left in the basket, remember to eat one a day, I will count them when I come back. And your period will come in two days, so don't touch cold water then..."
Wei Min talked on and on, and A Ruan listened quietly. The two of them seemed to have switched places, as if it was A Ruan who was going out, and Wei Min was the worried husband. He always felt that if he didn't tell him about this matter, A Ruan wouldn't know how to pay attention, and he always wanted to tie him to his belt to feel at ease.
Wei Min is actually not a talkative person and he doesn’t talk that much normally.
A Ruan's eyes were moist. She lowered her head calmly and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes with her thumb.
Ah Ruan knew that Wei Min was worried about her and that he would have the same fever as last time, so he listened to what she said without interrupting her.
A Ruan fell asleep while Wei Min was giving her instructions. Her voice became softer and softer, and her tone became gentler and gentler, as if she was deliberately trying to lull him to sleep.
Before opening her eyes in the morning, Ruan subconsciously reached out to touch her side, but the bed was empty. He opened his eyes in fright and jumped out of bed.
"Why are you awake so early?" Wei Min was getting dressed and turned around to look at him when he heard the noise.
Seeing that she hadn't left yet, A Ruan breathed a sigh of relief, lifted the quilt and got up.
He raised his hand and gestured to her:
——I'll make breakfast for you.
When Wei Min saw A'ruan dressed and got out of bed swiftly, he knew that he had made up his mind to cook for her. So he didn't try to persuade him to sleep a little longer, but followed him out of the inner room.
The two of them sat side by side in front of the stove, warming themselves by the fire. Wei Min was just like usual, occasionally turning his head to chat with A'ruan about daily trivialities, and occasionally teasing him. He did not look like someone who was about to leave home to take the provincial examination.
After breakfast, Wei Lian and Sun came over.
A Ruan carried the luggage in his hands and followed Wei Min to the village entrance without any intention of stopping.
Wei Min smiled and held out his hand to him, "Just send it here."
A Ruan clutched the bag in her hands and pursed her lips.
Wei Min placed one hand on the back of his hand and took the luggage in his hand with the other hand, saying, "I will be back in ten days, half a month earlier than when I was in the academy. Don't worry, you can go back later to catch up on some sleep."
A Ruan let go of her hand, knowing that what she said made sense, but she felt that the two things were different. Although she was only gone for half a month this time, Ah Ruan felt that this half month was longer than the one month she stayed in the academy.
Wei Min slung the bag over his shoulder and walked for a distance with Wei Lian. Then he looked back and saw A Ruan still standing there without moving. He waved at him, signaling him to go back and stop looking.
A'ruan was reluctant to leave, and did not follow Sun home until he could no longer see anyone.
Wei Lian didn't send Wei Min very far. When they parted, she raised her hand and patted her shoulder, saying in an extremely serious tone: "Just do your best. The most important thing is to take care of yourself...A Ruan is still waiting for you at home. Remember to come back early after the exam."
Wei Min knew what she was worried about, and nodded and smiled, "I know."
After saying this, he set foot on the official road and went to the province.
Countless candidates have embarked on this road, but not everyone will come back. Some people know that their test results are not good, and feel ashamed to go home, so they just move away. Some people did well in the exam and were chosen by people in the province to stay there as live-in wives, enjoying wealth and glory...
These are not all absent.
Wei Lian just gave Wei Min a warning because she was worried that Wei Min could not resist the temptation at such a young age.
Wei Min felt that she was different from those people, not because she was extremely talented or determined, but because she had her own reasons for taking the imperial examination.
She just hoped that the oil her husband burned for her was not wasted, that she would not have to work herself up to the point of making him cry just to get him a few bites of meat, and that he would not have to keep the cakes she bought and not be willing to eat them...
She just hoped that she could make a name for herself and make his life better.
The author has something to say: Small theater
Many years later, Wei Min told everyone about his past experiences.
…
Wei Min: At that time, I was thinking about getting the top scorer in the imperial examination, and being able to -
An official: (interrupting) Can he rise to a high position and achieve great success?
An official: (interrupting) How many more beauties can you take in?
An official: (flattering) Is Prime Minister Wei that kind of person? It must be for the better of the country!
Wei Min: ... Actually, it's just to eat meat.
Officials: ... (dry laugh) Hehehe, Prime Minister Wei is so down-to-earth
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