Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Before the Provincial Examination
After returning to the city, Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao got off the car and asked the driver to go back first as they wanted to stroll around the streets.
The whole way from south to north, because they were in a hurry, they would rest for one night at each place and then leave, and sometimes they would even sleep in the wilderness. Yu Li had no time to visit the local area, so he decided to take a look around here and buy some local specialties before going back.
The cities in the north are very different from those in the south. They are taller and more rugged, with a unique majestic and heavy appearance.
The way people on the street dressed was very different from the people in the south, and their accents were different, which made her feel very novel.
Yu Li walked and looked around curiously. When he saw a shop selling carpets, he pulled Fu Wenxiao in and bought several colorful carpets.
"Xiao brother, the colors of this blanket are so beautiful, and the layers are so distinct." She held the blanket in front of her chest and gestured, "I want to buy some for mom and my younger sister. My second sister and her friends probably haven't seen these woven blankets before."
Yu Jin was full of curiosity about the outside world. Every time Yu Li came back from outside, she would pester him with questions.
Therefore, whenever Yu Li goes to a place, he will look around and learn more about it, and then buy some local specialties to bring back for relatives and friends.
Fu Wenxiao responded with a smile and followed her to pay.
When he was paying, Yu Li asked quietly: "Xiao brother, do you have much money on you?"
"Not bad." He also whispered, "About two thousand."
Yu Li's eyes widened, "So many?"
She rarely carries so much silver with her, but he actually carries two thousand?
Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "This is prepared by the people below. Just buy whatever you want. If you don't have enough money, go to them for it."
When they left Qingjiang Province, the servants in the mansion packed their luggage and prepared a lot of general silver notes, fearing that they would not have enough money while away, so they prepared as much as possible.
The servants in the house were all worried that the prince and his wife would be wronged.
After knowing that money was not a problem, Yu Li became more lavish in buying things.
In her heart, Fu Wenxiao's money was her money, and she didn't feel any pain in spending it, because money was earned to be spent after all.
No matter if it was food or daily necessities, she would buy anything she was interested in, and soon both of them had their hands full of things.
When she was about to go back, Fu Wenxiao saw her looking at him, cleared his throat, and said, "A-Li, I can carry it."
"Okay, you carry it." Yu Li said, "If you feel tired, you can hold it for me." She felt that although he had started practicing physical skills, his strength was still at the normal level, and she was afraid that he would get tired.
Fu Wenxiao's smile remained unchanged, "Okay, I understand."
The two of them spent most of the day shopping outside and finally returned to the yard where they were staying.
They first put their things in the carriage and then went back to the room to wash up.
Thinking that he would be leaving tomorrow and it would be inconvenient on the road, Yu Li washed himself thoroughly and also washed his hair.
Seeing her coming out with wet hair, Fu Wenxiao took a towel to wipe her hair.
Yu Li sat there, letting him help her wipe her hair, and took a box of milk cakes from the table. They were bought on the street earlier and are a local specialty.
"Xiao brother, this milk cake is good, it has a strong milky flavor."
She ate a piece, picked up another piece to feed him, and Fu Wenxiao smiled and lowered his head to take a bite.
Yu Li likes to share delicious food with others. The joy of sharing makes her feel at ease, as if she has become part of this world.
She talked to him while eating the cake.
The two chatted casually, and suddenly, her voice gradually became lower, and she leaned on the table and said, "Xiao brother, I miss my mother."
Fu Wenxiao lowered his eyes to look at her. Her hair was almost dry and fell softly beside her cheeks.
The jet-black hair makes her skin look even whiter, as soft and beautiful as a pearl, and her delicate eyebrows and eyes make her look like a porcelain doll.
Seeing her lying there in a daze, he felt an indescribable pity in his heart. He held her in his arms, touched her hair, and said, "We will go back tomorrow and see her soon."
She hummed softly, put her arms around his neck, and leaned against him silently.
He lowered his head and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head.
The girl in my arms is sometimes like a child. After coming into this world, she meets the first person who treats her well, which makes her full of attachment and gives almost all her tenderness to that person.
Although Fu Wenxiao was grateful for Zhou's dedication to her, which made her willing to stay in the Fu family, she still felt a little uncomfortable and felt that she still needed to work harder.
After a night's rest, the two set off south the next day.
Unlike the large group of people who came with them, when they left, there was only one coachman besides them.
The coachman was arranged by the manager to drive the carriage for them. He had good driving skills. When they were not in a hurry, the carriage could run smoothly on the road without causing too much bumps.
After more than half a month on the road, they finally arrived in Qingjiang Province.
Then take a boat back from Qingjiang Province.
Qingjiang Province had the Fu family's manpower, so they didn't have to worry about anything. A passenger ship was arranged for them to go back. Moreover, this passenger ship was obviously different from other passenger ships. Not only was the cabin space large, but all the items were new. There was also incense in the room, and even an ice jar.
This passenger ship was obviously prepared for them. Although it was a passenger ship, there were actually no other guests on board.
Yu Li sat in the cabin, drinking iced fruit juice, and felt extremely cool.
There were several open boxes on the table, filled with all kinds of food, which were beautifully presented and tasted very good. Suddenly she understood that the essence of human beings is to pursue a better quality of life.
In fact, she loved him very much, so it was not right to say that Fu Wenxiao was too picky.
If he has always lived this kind of life, there's nothing wrong with being a little more particular.
The passenger ship not only has a good environment, but also has abundant food on board. The kitchen prepares different kinds of delicious food every day.
Yu Li ate different kinds of food every day and felt that this trip was really great.
When the boat arrived in Shanping County, she still felt unsatisfied and even felt that the trip was quite short, which made her quite regretful.
Fu Wenxiao was a little amused. "If you like, we can take this ship next time we go to the capital."
"Okay, it's settled then." Yu Li said happily.
As long as there was enough food on the boat, she felt it would be fine to drift on the boat for a whole year.
When we returned to Shanping County, it was already dark.
They brought a lot of luggage, including specialties bought in the North and also things bought in Qingjiang Province. The crew helped them deliver the luggage down. Yu Li asked them to send it to the shop on East Street first, and only took the luggage of the two of them and the things bought for their family.
The steward on the boat came over and asked, "My dear, my lady, do you want to take a ride back?"
"No need, we can just walk back." Yu Li waved his hand. It was such a short distance and they didn't need to carry much stuff, so they could just walk back.
Thanks to the ship's steward for taking care of them during these days, Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao returned to Shuying Lane together.
Yu Li climbed over the wall as usual, opened the door from the inside, and shouted happily towards the inner courtyard: "Mom, we are back!"
Hearing the sound, Zhou and her two children came out from the inner courtyard.
They were pleasantly surprised to see the two.
Yu Li first gave her mother-in-law a big hug, and then cuddled with the two children, with a bright smile on her face the whole time.
Fu Wenxiao walked behind with the luggage, his eyes fell on her face.
Seeing the happy smile on her face, my heart softened.
The quiet Fu family became lively with the return of the two.
Zhou went to the kitchen to cook for them. Yu Li said, "Mom, you don't have to cook too much. We have already had dinner on the boat."
The passenger ship they took this time was arranged by the Fu family. Everything on the ship was at their service, and they also had a sumptuous dinner before disembarking.
Zhou responded, but still made a lot of food and brought it out.
In the mother's heart, the children have finally come back, and all her love is poured into food. She wishes to feed them until they are plump and white.
Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao went to wash up first, then sat down to eat.
Faced with Zhou's love, Yu Li would naturally not let her down. He secretly transferred some supernatural powers to Fu Wenxiao, and then started eating with a big appetite.
Zhou and the two children sat down and talked to them.
"Xiao'er, Li'er, did your trip go smoothly?" Zhou asked, "Has Lie'er returned to Northern Xinjiang?"
Seeing that the two children came back safely, she knew that Fu Lieyun should be fine too.
Fu Wenxiao was not hungry, so he drank some chicken soup and briefly told them about their trip to the north.
When he finished speaking, Yu Li also said, "Mom, there are many delicious and fun things to do in the north, but unfortunately we don't have enough time. Xiao'er will go to take the provincial examination next month, so we have to hurry back."
They calculated their return time, otherwise they would miss the registration for the provincial examination.
Zhou smiled and said, "It's okay. There will be many opportunities to go there in the future."
"Mom is right." Yu Li nodded and smiled, "I think so too."
The future is still long, and there will always be opportunities to go to the north, to the northern border, and wherever you want to go.
After dinner, the family talked for a while, and as it was getting late, they went to rest.
The next morning at breakfast, Zhou remembered something and said, "Xiao'er, when you were away, Mr. Wang came to see you several times. It seemed like he had something to ask."
Fu Wenxiao said he understood.
After breakfast, Fu Wenxiao went to Wang's house, while Yu Li went to the shop on East Street.
There was still no change in the store, but the clerks looked smarter, obviously they were trained very well by the people sent by Fu Wenxiao.
Seeing her, the shop assistants all said, "Madam Fu, you're back."
Yu Li greeted them and asked, "Where are Jin Niang and the others?"
"Shopkeeper Yu went to the provincial capital to open a new store and said he would be back in a while."
Then she told her that last month, Yu Yin opened an embroidery workshop in the west of the city. She has been busy in the workshop recently, and Yu Zhu is also there to help her.
Yu Li was a little surprised. He didn't expect Yu Yin's embroidery workshop to open so quickly.
After asking for the address, she took some things that the crew had helped deliver to the store last night and headed west of the city.
When he arrived at the west side of the city, Yu Li quickly found a shop called "Yinzhu Embroidery Workshop".
The shop is not big, and certainly cannot be compared with Jinhua Xiufang, but there are quite a few embroidery products in the shop, as well as ready-made clothes. Yu Li knew at a glance that these were ready-made clothes from the provincial capital. They should have been brought from the provincial capital by Yu Jin's ship and put here for sale.
The shops on East Street now mainly sell rouge, powder and perfume, and other goods are no longer displayed there.
Yuyin and Yuzhu are both in the store.
The two sisters were sorting embroidery on the shelves. When they saw Yu Li coming, they were very surprised and rushed over to hug her.
"Big sister, you're back!"
"Big sister, I miss you so much!"
The two younger sisters hugged Yu Li on each side and were very happy. They hadn't seen their eldest sister for two months and they really missed her.
Yu Li put his arms around the two of them, patting them with a smile.
Yu Li sat down on an embroidery cushion in the store, eating the tea and snacks brought by her sisters, and asked curiously: "A Yin, why is the store called Yinzhu Embroidery Workshop?"
Yu Yin smiled and said, "Because this is the shop I opened with my younger sister."
Yu Zhu grinned, "Third sister wants to train embroiderers to do embroidery work. I will help third sister manage the shop so that third sister can free up her hands to do embroidery work."
Yu Yin prefers to do embroidery work rather than running a shop. Her personality is not suitable for business, and she opened an embroidery workshop for the sake of the embroiderers.
All the embroiderers in the store were trained by her. There were girls from the village as well as girls from poor families in the county town. She recruited them to the store and taught them how to do embroidery. She then put the finished embroidery work in the store for sale, so that she no longer had to worry about being forced to lower her price.
Yu Li understood a little.
Yu Jin's business was getting bigger and bigger, but it was Yu Jin's own business, and she invested money in it, so she also had half of the shares.
Yuyin and Yuzhu didn't want to take advantage of their sisters, so they decided to open their own shop.
Yu Li didn't say anything. He just touched his sisters' heads and encouraged them.
Yu Yin smiled and said, "In fact, this store was able to open thanks to the help of my second sister. She also asked someone to come and help us manage it, so we didn't have to be so busy at the beginning."
Now Yu Jin has more and more people at his disposal, so he can naturally help his sisters open the store.
The main reason is that Yuzhu is still young and lacks experience, so she needs help from her sisters. When she gets older, she will be able to handle things on her own.
After saying this, Yu Yin asked again: "Sister, I heard that the provincial examination will be held next month. Is your brother-in-law going to participate in this provincial examination?"
Then they said that they met the village chief when they returned to the village a while ago. The village chief talked to them about the provincial examination this year and wondered whether Fu Wenxiao was prepared for it. His tone was full of worry.
The village chief naturally hoped that Fu Wenxiao could pass the provincial examination, but he also knew the difficulty of the examination and was very worried.
"Of course." Yu Li nodded, "We will go to the provincial capital to sign up in a few days."
Registration for the provincial examination requires one month in advance, so this time they have to go to the provincial capital in advance.
Yu Zhu's eyes sparkled, "Brother-in-law is so capable, there will be no problem!"
Yu Yin also agreed.
In the hearts of the sisters, they all felt that Fu Wenxiao was a very talented person. He might not be able to beat their eldest sister in a fight, but when it came to academics, no one could compare to him.
He is a little Sanyuan.
Yu Li sat here for a while, then got up and left.
Then she went to the butcher's shop. This had become her habit. Every time she came back from outside, she would go to the butcher's shop and bring some things to Zhang Fu and the others.
The morning market had just ended, Zhang Fu and others had returned from delivering the goods and were cleaning the yard.
When they saw her, everyone greeted her happily and asked her where she had been for the past two months.
Yu Li smiled and said, "Let's go to Qingjiang Province. It is indeed the most prosperous place in Jiangnan. It is very lively. I bought a lot of things for you."
Zhang Fu said: "How can I let you spend money every time? Don't buy it next time."
"It's okay, it's just some small money." Yu Li said indifferently.
When Zhang Fu saw what she brought, he looked at her. These were not only from Qingjiang Province, but also specialties from the north, right?
Zhang Yaoping and Uncle Luo didn't notice it. Even if it was a specialty from the north, they thought it was bought in Qingjiang Province. The two of them had never even been to the provincial capital, let alone other provinces.
Zhang Fu pulled Yu Li aside and asked quietly, "Mother Li, are you going to the North this time?"
Yu Li said: "Brother Zhang's eyes are really sharp."
"Are you okay?"
"What's the matter?" Yu Li knew that he was concerned about her, so she didn't care. "Brother Zhang, you know how strong I am. I just went for a walk over there."
Zhang Fu stared at her for a long while, then smiled, stroked his coarse hair, and said, "It's almost noon, do you want to stay for dinner? I'll stew some meat for you."
Yu Li thought about it and agreed.
But before eating, she went out again, walked to the wasteland near Luoyu Lane, and then went to find Wu Shouzi and the others.
Wu Shouzi and the others were surprised to see her: "Boss Li, you're back! Where have you been recently?"
"Let's go to the provincial capital." Yu Li said casually, "How is the county town these days? Are there any idle men?"
Gao Sheng hurriedly said, "Don't worry, there are no more. They have all found decent jobs and no longer dare to wander around the streets and bully innocent people."
They hadn't seen Yu Li for some time, so they knew she was probably not in the county.
Of course, although she is not here, her influence still remains. In addition, many yamen runners are her people. They patrol the county town every day and specifically keep an eye on those idle people who are causing trouble.
Over time, even if those idlers still wanted to do some sneaky work, they didn't dare to cause trouble under their noses, and they were even more afraid of being beaten by Yu Li.
Yu Li was very satisfied with this. He praised them a few words and asked them to keep working hard and keep an eye on those idlers to prevent them from causing trouble.
Everyone patted their chests and assured, "Don't worry, Boss Li, we will definitely keep an eye on them."
**
In the next few days, the Fu family became lively.
Upon learning that Fu Wenxiao had returned, many scholars came to visit him. These scholars were all scholars, and they also wanted to take part in the provincial examination in August this year. They came to ask Fu Wenxiao when he would go to the provincial capital to register, and they were ready to set off with him.
Madam Song brought steamed cakes to Yu Li and told her that Scholar Song would also take part in this year's provincial examination.
Two days later, Song Xiucai also prepared to go to the provincial capital to register, and then stay there, concentrate on studying, and wait for the provincial examination. After registering, because there is only one month to the provincial examination, most scholars attach great importance to it and will not waste time traveling back and forth on the road.
Madam Song sighed, "The prices in the provincial capital are really high, otherwise I would have wanted to go there to accompany him."
She was really worried about letting Song Xiucai stay in the provincial capital. She was worried that he couldn't take care of himself. She was also worried that someone would take him to those brothels and he would do something to let her down.
Yu Li said: "Don't worry, Sister Song, Mr. Song wouldn't dare to do that."
"He doesn't dare, but he can't refuse those literary and poetry gatherings, for fear that he will be schemed against." Madam Song complained, "He is so old, but he is still so easily deceived. If I don't keep an eye on him, I'm afraid that one day he will be defrauded of his money and body, and lose everything."
Then Madam Song said enviously, "Mr. Fu is still the best. He doesn't look like someone who can be easily deceived."
Mr. Fu has a noble bearing. When he looks at people coldly, I'm afraid that even if a liar comes to him, he won't dare to cheat him.
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