Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Going to the Provincial Capital
It's already the end of July.
This year's college entrance examination is in August, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Generally, from the end of July to the beginning of August, students from all over the country who want to take part in the college entrance examination will rush to the provincial capital. Especially those places far away from the provincial capital have to go there in advance to avoid missing the registration time for the college entrance examination.
It was about time, and Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao were also preparing to go to the provincial capital.
Shanping County is far from the provincial capital, so they have to go there in advance. In addition to registering, they also have to rent a house there so that Fu Wenxiao can have a good rest.
Now Fu Wenxiao's health has not recovered yet, Yu Li still has to follow him to the provincial capital and provide him with treatment at any time.
Of course, even if he was in good health, she would still like to go to the provincial capital, where she had never been before.
A few days before departure, Mr. Wang and his wife came to the Fu family.
As soon as they entered the door, Mr. Wang asked them when they would go to the provincial capital. When he learned that they would leave in three days, he smiled and said that he would go to the provincial capital with them.
"My eldest uncle's son is getting married, and we are going to the provincial capital to attend the wedding. It's a good opportunity for us to go with you."
Mrs. Wang brought Yu Li a lot of snacks made by her own chef and said with a smile, "My mother's family is in the provincial capital. In August, my nephew from my mother's family got married and invited us to the wedding. So I thought it would be better to go to the provincial capital with you so that we can take care of each other."
Yu Li didn't expect it to be such a coincidence, so he naturally agreed.
It’s nice to have some company when going to the provincial capital with them.
After both parties agreed on the departure time, Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao also began to pack their luggage.
The day before departure, Yu Jin came to the Fu family and gave them some mountain products brought from the village.
Yu Li said, "Mother Jin, Xiao Ge'er and I are going to the provincial capital. We will be gone for about a month. If you are free, come and visit my mother and Yan Hui."
Although the security in the county town is very good, Zhou was somewhat worried about leaving her two children at home, so Yu Li asked Yu Jin to come and take a look when she was free, and also asked Ge Yayi and others to pay more attention to the safety of Shuying Lane.
Yu Jin agreed with a smile, reassuring her.
Then Yu Li took out a book and handed it to her, saying, "Jin Niang, this is for you to learn to read. It was written by Xiao Ge'er himself. You, A Yin, Zhu Er, Fang Niang and the others should learn to read when you have nothing to do. Don't be illiterate."
Yu Jin was stunned, looking at the book she handed over, unable to react.
"You will have a lot of things to do in the future. You can't be illiterate. Otherwise, you won't understand the content when doing business or signing contracts. This is not acceptable." Yu Li said, "It's not just you. Ah Yin and Zhu Er are the same. You should read more and learn to read. It's not a bad thing after all."
Most of the common women in this world cannot read a single word.
It’s not that they don’t want to learn, but that no one teaches them and they have no chance to learn.
Yu Li naturally hoped that his sisters could read and write. They would have a lot of things to do in the future, and if they were illiterate, it would be inconvenient and easy for them to be cheated.
Yu Jin quickly took the book and said, "Sister, I know."
Her expression was serious.
In fact, she knew what her elder sister said, but she was busy making money in the past year and had no time to think about it. Even if she wanted to learn to read, she didn't know who to teach her. Those men were unwilling to teach them, just look at her uncle.
Yu Li said: "Take this book back first, and I will teach you when I come back from the provincial capital."
In fact, Fu Wenxiao could teach, but there is a difference between men and women. In order to prevent the sisters from being gossiped about, it is better for her to teach.
Yu Jin was stunned for a moment, and asked in surprise: "Sister, can you read?"
"Your brother-in-law taught me." Yu Li said calmly, "I also practiced calligraphy with him. His handwriting is quite good."
Yu Jin was a little absent-minded when he heard this, then smiled and said, "Very good."
She carefully wrapped the book in cloth and put it in her backpack. She talked to Yu Li for a while, then got up and left.
When leaving the Fu family, Yu Jin couldn't help but look back and saw her sister standing at the door to see her off.
The girl standing in the sun is so calm and indifferent, with endless composure and confidence. The pain, numbness and despair she once experienced will never appear on this face again.
Yu Jin suddenly smiled and waved at her.
"Sister, I'm leaving first."
Yu Li nodded and watched her leave.
**
On the day of departure, Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao got up early in the morning and set off after breakfast.
Zhou saw them off and gave them many instructions.
It is always worrying to see children going far away, even though we know that Mr. Wang and his wife are also going to the provincial capital and there will be someone to take care of them.
"Mom, we will be back soon, don't worry." Yu Li said reluctantly, "When we come back, I want to eat the meat buns and braised pork knuckles made by you."
Before she left, she suddenly wanted to eat the food cooked by her mother-in-law. The thought that she might not be able to eat it for a month made her unhappy and depressed.
Zhou smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll make it all for you."
She gave them a few more instructions, fearing that they would delay too long and make Mr. Wang and his wife wait for them, so she urged them to set off quickly.
Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao walked out of the alley together. Yu Li turned his head to look at her several times until he could no longer see her. She couldn't help but sigh, realizing that she had left home several times this year.
When they arrived at the dock, the passenger ship rented by the Wang family was waiting there. Mr. Wang and his wife had already arrived and were waiting for them on the boat.
After the two got on board, the boat set off for the provincial capital.
It takes two days to get from Shanping County to the provincial capital, and they have to stay on the boat for one night.
The boat rented by the Wang family was very large, and the cabin was comfortably furnished. It was fully equipped with all the utensils, all new, specially prepared by the Wang family.
After Fu Wenxiao read it, he was slightly satisfied.
In fact, he is a very picky person, and the Wang family's approach meets his needs very well.
As soon as I put my luggage away, Mr. Wang came over and said enthusiastically, "Brother Fu, sister-in-law, have you had breakfast? We have prepared some food on the boat, you can come and have some too."
Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "Sorry to bother you then."
Although they had already eaten it at home, they naturally had to show their support since Mr. Wang said so.
When we arrived at a hall in the ship, Mrs. Wang was already waiting there.
There were a lot of food on the table, including steamed buns, dim sum, porridge, noodles, soup, etc. You could tell at a glance that they were specially prepared by the Wang family's chef and delivered directly on board for the masters to enjoy on the way.
After breakfast, Mr. Wang took Fu Wenxiao to discuss calligraphy.
Mrs. Wang and Yu Li sat in the cabin and talked, and asked someone to bring them cards to pass the time.
Knowing that Yu Li didn't know how to play mahjong, Mrs. Wang taught her and called two maids along. The four of them soon learned to play mahjong well.
The day passed quickly.
In the evening, Yu Li returned to the cabin to rest after taking a bath.
Fu Wenxiao noticed that the ends of her hair were a little wet, so he wiped her hair with a towel and said, "I heard that you played mahjong with Madam Wang today and lost a lot of money, right?"
Yu Li was a little embarrassed and scratched his face, "How did you know?"
Although playing mahjong is not gambling, the fact that it involves money still makes her feel guilty as if she were gambling.
I feel quite embarrassed.
Fu Wenxiao rarely saw this side of her, and a smile appeared in his eyes. He said, "Mr. Wang asked the servants, and they said so."
In the afternoon, they were fishing on the boat, and Mr. Wang asked Mrs. Wang what she was doing and learned this from the servants.
He then asked, "Did you have fun?"
"I'm quite happy." Yu Li put aside the embarrassment and said in a light tone, "Sister Su asked me to play cards several times. I lost a lot at first, but I won it back later."
Not only did he win it all back, he also won twice as much money.
As long as she remembered the rules and became familiar with them, it was easy to win. She couldn't just take other people's money, so she returned the money.
Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "Li Niang is really amazing."
He ran his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp. Seeing her close her eyes comfortably, he suddenly felt that she looked a lot like the raccoon his mother used to keep.
They are all cute.
After drying their hair, they went to bed to rest.
The bed in the cabin was naturally not as small as the one at home. After the two of them lay down, they were almost shoulder to shoulder, so close that they could smell each other's scent.
The weather in August in the south is still very hot, and the air in the cabin is not circulated, making it very stuffy.
In the middle of the night, Yu Li was awakened by the heat. He turned over in a daze, touched the person beside him, then hugged him, rubbed his warm and cool body, and finally fell asleep contentedly.
Fu Wenxiao was awakened by her tossing and turning. He noticed the person in his arms, reached out to hug her, closed his eyes and continued to sleep.
The next morning, when Yu Li woke up, he found the two of them hugging each other and couldn't help but fall silent.
It was still very hot in the morning, but the person holding her was like a warm and cool jade ring, which was really refreshing in the hot summer. This was her favorite thing after being with him. It was very comfortable to hold him when the weather was hot, and it made her sleep soundly.
After a long while, Yu Li carefully took the arm away from her waist, wanting to leave before he woke up, but ended up waking him up instead.
"Good morning, Ali."
Fu Wenxiao said in a sleepy voice, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead.
Yu Li blinked, then kissed his forehead, "Good morning."
His whole body was cool, without a trace of sweat. Even after waking up after a night's sleep, his face was refreshed and he looked like a piece of beautiful jade.
Yu Li couldn't help but touch his face and found that it felt really good, like touching a piece of jade.
Soon, the sleepy man got out of bed with a red face, not daring to look at her.
Even after he put on his clothes, there was still a little blush on his face. He coughed lightly and said, "Are you hungry, Li Niang? Let's go eat."
Yu Li couldn't help but look at his face and responded.
His face was so red, he must be very happy. Could it be that her kissing and touching him made him so happy?
That evening, we finally arrived at the provincial capital.
Mrs. Wang said to them, "The Wang family also has a house in the provincial capital. You might as well live with us so you don't have to rent a house. It's really inconvenient."
Mr. Wang also warmly invited them over.
Yu Li and his friends could not refuse the two's enthusiasm, so they had to agree to live in the Wang family's house.
When they got off the boat, the servants of the Wang family were already waiting there. They drove over in two horse-drawn carriages and took them to the Wang family's house in the provincial capital.
The Wang family’s house is not small, and the guest house where the two of them live is very quiet and will definitely not disturb Fu Wenxiao’s rest.
The next day after arriving in the provincial capital, Fu Wenxiao went to the government office to register.
There were many students coming to the provincial capital at this time. It took a whole day just to register. They went to register in the morning and came back in the evening.
After a day of running around outside, Fu Wenxiao's face was pale and there was a look of fatigue between his brows.
Mr. Wang was worried that he was too tired, so he kept telling him to have a good rest and asked the kitchen to make him some more soup to nourish his body.
Yu Li transferred some supernatural powers to Fu Wenxiao and gave him the soup sent from the kitchen.
Fu Wenxiao really had no appetite, and didn't want her to worry, so he forced himself to drink a little, then said listlessly, "Li Niang, I can't drink any more."
"Then you should have a good rest." Seeing how listless he looked, Yu Li was indeed worried.
As expected, this person's body is still very fragile and needs to be carefully cared for.
Fu Wenxiao rested in the Wang family's house for two days and just now he seemed to be feeling better.
Seeing that he was in good spirits, Mr. Wang took him out to participate in a literary gathering organized by scholars in the provincial capital.
The academy examination is held twice every three years. Compared with the county examination and the prefectural examination, more students sign up for the academy examination. At most, the number of students can reach more than 3,000.
With so many students gathering in the provincial capital, it is very lively.
Most of the scholars in the provincial capital would take this opportunity to make friends or become famous. There were literary gatherings, poetry gatherings and exchange meetings held by scholars every day.
Fu Wenxiao knew that this was inevitable and did not refuse in a noble manner.
But he felt a little apologetic and said to Yu Li: "Mother Li, I can't accompany you to visit the provincial capital. Can you do it alone?"
"It's okay." Yu Li said, "Sister Su is with me."
Then let him do his thing and not worry about her, she also has things to do.
Before coming to the provincial capital, she promised Yu Jin that she would take a closer look around the capital and tell her about the situation there when she returned.
Yu Jin said that when her business expands, she would like to open a store in the provincial capital, and when she has time, she would also like to come to the provincial capital in person to take a look.
When Mrs. Wang learned that Yu Li wanted to visit the provincial capital, and she happened to have nothing to do, she personally accompanied her out and introduced the provincial capital to her.
For several days in a row, the two went out together.
Mrs. Wang didn't expect Yu Li to have so much energy. He was full of energy every day when he went out and didn't feel tired after walking around outside all day. She was very envious and thought that young people had good physical strength.
Mrs. Wang sighed, "It's great to be young! But I can't do that anymore. I'm old."
Yu Li looked at her in confusion, "Sister Su is not old, she looks very young!"
She was telling the truth. Mrs. Wang had taken good care of herself and looked like a woman in her early twenties. How could she be considered old?
Mrs. Wang smiled and covered her mouth, "I'm not young. I'm over 30 years old. My son is 15 years old this year. In many ordinary families, he would be a grandmother."
She had been married to Mr. Wang for many years and had only one son.
Now their son is studying in Beijing and they haven't seen him for two years.
That day, Mrs. Wang took Yu Li to the largest embroidery shop in the provincial capital to buy clothes.
After entering the embroidery shop, Mrs. Wang instantly became energetic.
"Li Niang, take a look and see if there's anything you like." Madam Wang took a pink and purple dress and tried it on Yu Li. "Oh, Li Niang, you have fair skin. This color will definitely look good on you."
The shop assistant next to her smiled and said, "Madam, you have a very good taste. This young lady looks very good in pink and purple."
When Mrs. Wang heard this, she immediately said she wanted the skirt.
Then she took several more skirts and tried them on Yu Li. She felt that each one was beautiful and suitable for Yu Li. Then she asked the maid beside her to take them away later.
Yu Li: “…”
"Sister Su, I already have clothes, there's no need to buy so many." Yu Li grabbed Mrs. Wang, who was obviously drunk.
Mrs. Wang groaned, "How can a girl have too many clothes? And you are so young, you should dress up more! We women don't dress up to please others. If we dress ourselves up beautifully, we will feel good, right?"
As Mrs. Wang spoke, she picked up another white lace skirt and tried it on Yu Li. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
She didn't have a daughter, and she was always envious when she saw other ladies taking their beautifully dressed daughters to parties.
At this moment, when she was dressing up Yu Li, she finally realized the joy of dressing up a daughter and she really enjoyed it.
Seeing that she was happy, Yu Li didn't want to spoil her fun, so he let her dress herself up.
Mrs. Wang was complaining of being tired at first, but now, her face was full of excitement and she didn't feel tired at all. She even said energetically that she would go to the jewelry shop later and buy some jewelry to match her clothes.
Yu Li: “…”
The two were choosing clothes when another customer came in.
Seeing the girl in the lead, the shop assistant greeted her enthusiastically, as this girl was a big customer of their shop.
The girl glanced casually into the store, then suddenly her eyes fixed and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Miss Yu!"
Yu Li turned around and saw a young girl dressed very elegantly, with a beautiful and outstanding appearance, looking at her with surprise.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she quickly remembered who the girl was.
The young girl came over and asked happily, "Miss Yu, why are you also in the provincial capital?"
Yu Li did not answer, but asked: "You are from the provincial capital?"
Wasn’t it said at the beginning that it was from the provincial capital?
The girl was about to speak when someone next to her asked, "Miss Mo, who is this girl..."
There were several other girls accompanying the young girl. They were dressed like rich or noble people, and it was obvious at first glance that they were of high status.
The girl was stunned for a moment and said vaguely: "She is my friend."
Someone asked, "I wonder which family she is from."
Others also looked at Yu Li curiously, secretly guessing her identity.
Mo Yuchan is the legitimate daughter of the Mo family in the capital and has a noble status. Those who surround her are all daughters of officials from the provincial capital. Seeing how kind Mo Yuchan is to Yu Li, they can't help but guess her identity.
Mo Yuchan frowned, not liking the other party's questioning. Just as she was about to say something, Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Mother Li, is this girl your friend?"
Yu Li hummed.
When Mo Yuchan saw Madam Wang, she stepped forward to greet her: "Hello, Madam. My last name is Mo, and my given name is Yuchan."
Mrs. Wang greeted her and explained her identity.
Mr. Wang's status was indeed nothing in the provincial capital, but Mr. Wang's two elder brothers were officials in the court, and their ranks were not low. Not to mention, the Wang family and the imperial tutor Yao Zhengqian were relatives, which was not comparable to those present.
Sure enough, upon hearing Mrs. Wang introduce herself, the women from official families present hurried forward to greet her.
Mrs. Wang dealt with them with ease. She pulled Yu Li over and said with a smile, "I brought Li Niang here to buy clothes today. I didn't expect to meet you. It's really fate."
Hearing her say this, the people present thought that Yu Li was a girl from the Wang family and were very polite to her.
Then a group of girls went to pick out clothes.
They came here today to pick out new clothes to wear for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
These girls attach great importance to the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and prepare clothes and jewelry in advance.
Mo Yuchan was no longer interested and kept looking at Yu Li, but there were too many people here and it was not a place to talk.
Mrs. Wang was very smart and she noticed everything.
She asked the shop assistant to pack up the clothes she liked, paid readily, and left with Yu Li.
Not long after they walked out of the embroidery shop, they saw Mo Yuchan following them out.
Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Mother Li, it's rare to meet friends in the provincial capital, you and Miss Mo go shopping, I'll go back first." Then she added, "Hey, I'm tired, I'll go back and rest first, we'll go shopping again tomorrow."
Yu Li: “…Okay.”
After seeing Mrs. Wang off, Yu Li looked at Mo Yuchan.
The other party said happily: "Miss Yu, why don't we go to the restaurant over there and have a seat. I heard that there is a delicious dish of crab stuffed with orange in this season."
If she was talking about clothes and jewelry, Yu Li might not be interested, but since she was talking about food, what was he waiting for?
The two came to the restaurant and asked for a private room.
Mo Yuchan ordered a lot of things in one breath, and then asked the maids and old women who followed her to guard outside and not come in to disturb her.
Without anyone around, Mo Yuchan felt much more relaxed. She said a little embarrassedly, "Miss Yu, I'm sorry, I lied at that time. Actually, I'm from the provincial capital..."
Mo Yuchan was one of the girls rescued by Yu Li when he wiped out the gambling house last year.
She was the most beautiful girl among the seven, and she was also the one who told Yu Li that the gambling house also engaged in human trafficking.
Yu Li didn't care about these and asked, "Are you home?"
At that time, seven girls were rescued, three of them went to Xuan's farm, and four returned home.
Boss Tu said that when the Xuan family sent people to send these girls home, they made sure that their families accepted them before leaving.
"Yes." Mo Yuchan nodded and looked at her kindly, "In fact, I have always wanted to thank you, but..."
Because she was still unmarried, it was not convenient for her to let others know about what had happened to her. During the time she was missing, her family told others that she had gone to the provincial capital to visit relatives and erased this part of her experience.
After returning to the provincial capital, even if she wanted to thank Yu Li, she couldn't find an opportunity.
Because the gambling house involved the Kang family, the third prince behind the Kang family, and the Xuan family who sent her back, the Mo family didn't dare to inquire about anything.
At that time, the person who sent Mo Yuchan back to the provincial capital was sent by the Xuan family, and this incident caused a great shock in the Mo family.
In the end, the Mo family had no idea who saved their daughter. The Xuan family concealed the news very tightly and made it clear that no one was going to investigate.
Xuan Huaiqing was afraid that the Kang family and the third prince would know that it was Yu Li who wiped out the gambling house and would take revenge on her, so she concealed her identity from the outside world. Even if the Mo family asked, she would not reveal a single thing.
Naturally, the Mo family could not find out who saved Mo Yuchan.
Although Mo Yuchan had seen Yu Li before, she only knew her last name was Yu and knew nothing else, let alone find out any news about her.
I didn't expect to see Yu Li in the provincial capital. Although almost a year had passed, Mo Yuchan still remembered her very clearly and recognized her at a glance.
The two talked for a while, then there was a knock on the door and the dishes from the restaurant were served one by one.
Yu Li looked at the dishes on the table. They looked delicious. She said to Mo Yuchan, "You treated me to a meal. This is a thank you."
Mo Yuchan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is not a thank you at all."
Yu Li really didn't take that matter to heart, but it was obvious that the girl cared a lot and wanted to repay the favor.
She ate up all the food on the table in front of Mo Yuchan and said to her, "I eat a lot, so you treating me to this meal is really a way of repaying a favor."
Mo Yuchan: “…”
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