After a lukewarm greeting, Shen Cui let him in and notified Mu Erpang and Zhou.
But unfortunately, when Mu Yunchuan came back, Zhou went out to buy groceries - and she only bought groceries for the people in the academy. The other servants did not serve them on a daily basis. They were responsible for their own food and daily life.
Mu Erpang put down his book and walked out of the classroom quickly.
He confronted Shen Cui every day, but Shen Cui didn't notice it. However, in Mu Yunchuan's opinion, his fat brother had become a completely different person.
The boy who used to be as fat as a short boy has grown several inches taller and lost a lot of fat from his body. He no longer looks obese.
Narrow eyes, straight nose, thin lips, she looks about 50% like him.
It's to the extent that others can tell at a glance that they are brothers.
If there is one biggest difference between the two, it is probably that kind of pure smile that reaches the bottom of the eyes, which Mu Yunchuan does not have.
Chen Cui and Mu Yunchuan hadn't seen each other for a long time, and the two people who were not close to begin with were now even more unfamiliar.
But Mu Erpang was not at all unfamiliar with his elder brother. He called him "brother" when he approached him, and then took the bag from Mu Yunchuan's shoulders and helped him carry it. He asked him to go into the house to rest, and asked him, "Brother, have you had breakfast?"
Like Chen Cui, Mu Erpang also regarded this as the most casual greeting.
Mu Yunchuan had just answered this question to Chen Cui once, and now he couldn't help but smile, and repeated: "I have eaten."
Mu Erpang welcomed him into the house and sat him down, then turned to look at Shen Cui with a pleading smile.
Shen Cui smiled knowingly and said, "I see. I'll go ask for some time off for you and the teacher."
"I will go to bed later tonight to make up for this time." Mu Erpang said, then turned to look at Mu Yunchuan again, "Are you tired, brother? Is Linnan Prefecture far away?"
Mu Yunchuan discovered his difference again. Earlier, Mu Erpang had inexplicably become a lot smarter, but perhaps because he lacked experience in getting along with people of his own generation, his personality was not particularly cheerful.
After not seeing him for three years, his personality has become much more outgoing.
Facing a face that looked so similar to his own, and his eyes full of smiles and expectations, even Mu Yunchuan would not feel disgusted. He patiently explained, "Linnan Prefecture is more prosperous and larger than Qingzhou Prefecture. It would take five or six days to travel day and night. But fortunately, Brother Cui who was traveling with me used his own carriage, so it was not a tiring journey."
Chen Cui observed Mu Yunchuan's mood and saw that he was indeed not annoyed by Mu Erpang's closeness, so she did not stop him and went out to help her fat son say goodbye to Lao Buyu.
Lao Buyu said he had known about it for a long time, "Hanshan told me a few days in advance that he would accompany his elder brother when he came back."
Then why did you ask her to help you take leave?
Shen Cui smacked her lips and came to her senses - the fat son knew that his relationship with Mu Yunchuan was awkward, so he came to act as a middleman to save the two of them from being alone together.
He has really grown up, becoming more thoughtful and responsible.
She had just finished talking to Lao Buyu when she walked out of the classroom and met Zhou who was coming back from buying groceries.
Shen Cui took the basket and pushed her towards the main room, “Yunchuan is back, go quickly.”
Zhou naturally knew that he would be back in the next few days, but when she heard the news suddenly, she was still a little confused.
She walked a few steps towards the main room blankly, then quickly turned back and said, "I didn't know my husband would be back today. I bought a few home-cooked dishes. I'll go buy a few more dishes outside."
Chen Cui pulled her back with a smile, "You are not needed. I will go to the front and ask the Wei family to help. If they are busy, I will go to the restaurant at the corner of the street to cook a few dishes..."
Sensing Zhou's uneasiness and anxiety, Shen Cui reached out and gently stroked her back, then pushed her, "Go quickly. This is at home, I'm outside."
Zhou then walked towards the main room as if she was walking on clouds.
At first she didn't walk fast, but then she walked faster and faster, and finally she was jogging.
When she ran out of the house, she heard Mu Yunchuan and Mu Erpang talking and laughing inside. Only then did she realize that she was not dreaming and her husband had really returned.
Her eyes were filled with tears. She straightened her not-so-messy hair, smoothed her clothes, and then went in.
"Sister-in-law is back." When Mu Erpang saw her, he smiled tactfully and stood up, "I should go back to class too."
Zhou waved her hand and said no, but Mu Erpang still left considerately, leaving the space for the couple.
If the changes in Mu Erpang mentioned above were within Mu Yunchuan's expectations, after all, young boys of this age change the most.
Then Zhou's change was completely unexpected to Mu Yunchuan. Her appearance did not change much, but her temperament and demeanor changed.
In the past, Zhou was always a little timid even when she was with him. Only when he didn't look at her would she secretly glance at him with a greedy and cautious look.
Although Zhou's heart and eyes are still full of him, after the two looked at each other, although she was excited and happy, her eyes were still frank and there was no sign of fear.
"My husband... seems to have lost weight. He must have worked hard studying." As soon as Zhou spoke, she choked up unconsciously.
Mu Yunchuan reached out his hand to Zhou and led her to sit next to him, "You too..."
He wanted to say, "You've lost weight too," but the fact was that Zhou not only didn't lose weight, but she became a little plump. She used to look skinny and a little miserable. Now his body is well-proportioned, and his handsome face is even more pleasing to the eye because he is no longer so thin and has a more bookish air.
He wanted to say "You've worked hard too", but Zhou's hands were no longer as rough and scarred as he remembered. They had the softness and warmth that she should have at her age.
So the words were stuck, and Mu Yunchuan changed his words and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry, I won't do that again in the future."
Zhou wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, burst into laughter and said, "You shouldn't cry on a happy day."
Without waiting for Mu Yunchuan to ask, she said, "I have had a good life in the past few years. It's been very good. Mother and Erpang have treated me very well..."
With red eyes, Zhou talked about many recent events.
In fact, she had mentioned these things to some extent when she wrote to Mu Yunchuan. Mu Yunchuan had a photographic memory and would not forget them.
But he still listened patiently. He was usually able to do two things at once when reading, so even though he was listening now, he couldn't help but think of the fact that Zhou used to call Shen "mother-in-law", and that such a fancy name was not commonly used among farmers. Zhou called her that because he didn't call Chen Cui "mother", so Zhou followed her in calling her that.
His original intention at that time was to let Zhou keep an eye on Shen to prevent her from doing those disgusting and evil things again. But now it seems that he seems to be pushing Zhou to Shen's side and making her a member of Shen's side?
After Zhou finished speaking, she looked at Mu Yunchuan expectantly, waiting for him to tell her about his recent situation. After all, his previous letters home did not mention anything about his own situation except reporting that he was safe.
Mu Yunchuan was always soft-hearted towards Zhou. He thought for a while and said, "I was in the prefectural school before. My annual exam scores were always good, so I was always a student on government stipend, enjoying the imperial rice and silver subsidies. Later, I made new friends in the prefectural school. It was also thanks to his care that I went to Linnan Prefecture to prepare for the exam... Life was really good, and nothing unexpected happened. In fact, there is nothing to say."
Zhou was very happy to hear this answer. In fact, she almost forgot the last time Mu Yunchuan talked to her so much.
Moreover, she didn't want to find out what Mu Yunchuan had done that couldn't be told to outsiders. She was satisfied just by listening to him talk about some details of his daily life.
After talking for nearly fifteen minutes, Zhou quickly stood up, said she was going to help Chen Cui, and then quickly went to the kitchen.
Over in the kitchen, Chen Cui had asked the Wei family's servants to buy a few more vegetables, and was rolling up her sleeves to start washing and cutting them.
Seeing Zhou coming over with red eyes and a smile, she raised her eyebrows and asked curiously, "Are you done talking now? Why don't you stay a little longer?"
After all, Chen Cui felt that even if they were not husband and wife, but close friends, not seeing each other for such a long time was enough time for them to talk for a long time.
Zhou's cheeks turned slightly red. "It's not proper for us to be alone in the same room talking in broad daylight."
"It's at home, there's no one else around, what's there to be afraid of?"
Zhou was in a good mood, and asked with a sly smile, "Are you afraid that you will cook for me?"
Shen Cui smiled and spat at her, "My cooking skills are poor, but I won't make you sick!"
Zhou washed her hands and rushed to take the kitchen knife from Shen Cui's hand, "You go and take a rest, let me do it... I want to cook a few more meals for you."
If she followed Mu Yunchuan to the capital, and Mu Yunchuan did not perform poorly afterwards, it would be unknown when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would meet again.
Shen Cui's heart softened, and she gave up her position in front of the chopping board.
Since she was not needed in the kitchen, Shen Cui rolled up her sleeves and came out.
When I returned to the main room, Mu Erpang had already left the classroom and continued talking to Mu Yunchuan.
Chen Cui was also listening nearby, enjoying her leisure time.
Not long after, Zhou prepared lunch and the family started eating early.
At the dinner table, other people occasionally chatted with Mu Yunchuan during breaks, so the atmosphere was neither dull nor particularly lively.
After the meal, Mu Erpang, who had taken half a morning off, went back to class. Shen Cui asked Zhou to take Mu Yunchuan to have lunch and gave her an encouraging look.
As for what to encourage her, Zhou would soon understand.
Zhou lived in the back room, where the light was worse than the front room. However, because the house was large, it was not as noisy as the back room in the small courtyard in the front. Instead, it was very quiet.
There were also two side rooms, one for a bathtub, used as a clean room for bathing, and the other for a toilet, so that she would not have to share a toilet with others.
Normally, the back rooms in such a big house are for the girls in the family to live in. Mu Yunchuan knew at a glance that Zhou was not lying and Shen really raised her as a daughter.
While Zhou was cooking, she had already boiled some hot water and brought it to the bathroom for him to take a bath.
After taking a bath, Mu Yunchuan washed away his fatigue. Instead of taking a nap, he took out a book from his bag and started reading.
Seeing that he had not fallen asleep, Zhou prepared herself for a while before asking, "By the way, there is one more thing. When will my husband go to the capital to take the exam?"
"The spring examination will be held in February next year, but the capital is a long way away. It may take more than a month just to travel there. Also, the climate there is different from ours. I want to go there before winter comes so I can get used to it."
"Before winter, that won't be long." Zhou calculated the time in her mind.
Since we know that he will be leaving soon, that matter needs to be brought up for discussion now.
Mu Yunchuan also knew that he felt guilty towards her, so he said in a gentler voice, "Next year will be the last year."
This was the year when the couple finally separated.
Zhou looked outside and knew that Chen Cui was not far away, so she mustered up the courage to ask, "Then... can I go with you? Mother has not allowed me to help with the family expenses these years, and you don't want me to send money. Although I don't earn much money, I save it well. After saving for three years, I have several dozen taels. It should be enough for me to go to the exam with my husband."
Mu Yunchuan was a little surprised. He didn't expect her to say this suddenly.
After all, in his impression, even if Zhou's appearance had changed slightly, her temperament should still be the same as before, and she would not take the initiative to make any requests.
"Don't worry about money." Mu Yunchuan said.
He stayed in Linnan Prefecture, where he had to deal with wealthy local gentry who wanted to establish a relationship with him, and at the same time he sought cooperation with a large bookstore to publish his own collection of poems and essays.
He had this plan a long time ago, but before, he was only well-known in Yongning County, Qingzhou Prefecture. Although Qingzhou Prefecture was prosperous, it could not be compared with Linnan Prefecture, where the literary style was flourishing. Even if he cooperated in publishing, he would not make much money.
There are two different opinions after passing the imperial examination.
So he compiled his poems and essays into a book early in the morning, and after the negotiation was completed and the contract was signed, the other party readily paid him a hundred taels of silver in advance. Later, he will be given dividends according to the accounts.
Now that he is also a juren, he is not afraid of the other party playing tricks on him, and he does not have to worry about his future income.
Recalling the instantaneous glance between Shen Cui and Zhou, Mu Yunchuan tapped the table with his fingers and asked, "Did your mother make you do this?"
"Yes... I thought of it myself." Zhou was not good at lying, especially to him. She started to stutter when she lied.
Mu Yunchuan didn't expose her, but just continued to look at her.
Under his knowing eyes, Zhou knew she could no longer hide it, so she explained, "It was my mother who reminded me, but I wasn't very well at first. I was always worried that you weren't doing well out there, and I couldn't eat or sleep for several days. My mother said that I was lacking something... a sense of security? She said it was because we had been apart for too long. She really didn't have any bad ideas like she did before. She really has changed, really!"
Afraid that Mu Yunchuan would misunderstand Chen Cui, Zhou's eyes became red again. This time it was urgent!
Mu Yunchuan spoke to comfort her: "I know. She treats you very well. She is indeed different from before."
Perhaps, she had become different since the year Shen started letting Mu Erpang go to school.
Otherwise, if Shen was still as stupid and vicious as before, he would not feel at ease letting Zhou stay with her.
Similarly, if Shen was still the stupid and vicious person she was before, since she had completely won Zhou's heart, she would not let Zhou follow him so easily now.
Instead, he should think of a way to keep Zhou by his side for a long time and control her - after all, as far as he is concerned, Shen has no other support except the big hat of "filial piety", so she can't control him. But if he controls Zhou, he will be afraid to act rashly, and he will need to be cautious both inside and outside.
After thinking for a while, he agreed: "It's just a reunion a year in advance. If you don't mind the hard work, let's go to the capital together."
Of course Zhou was not afraid of any hard work. She burst into laughter, let Mu Yunchuan rest alone for a while, and then went briskly to share the good news with Chen Cui!
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