Dai Elder Madam laughed upon hearing this and felt at ease.
"Good child, Grandmother did not misjudge you. Go on, accompany Hanmi to Huguo Temple. Grandmother has high hopes for you!"
"Thank you, Grandmother!"
After coming out from Dai Elder Madam’s courtyard, Dai Hanbo’s mind suddenly became clear, but also began to ache.
He had a premonition that he and Yun Jinnian would no longer have a chance to be together.
From now on, he really could only see Yun Jinnian as a sister.
Dai Hanmi was ready and came over to call for Dai Hanbo. Seeing Dai Hanbo’s dispirited look, she was taken aback, "Third Brother, what’s wrong with you?"
Dai Hanbo smiled, "Nothing!"
"Really, nothing? What did Grandmother say to you?" Dai Hanmi pressed on.
She felt that something was not quite right, but she couldn’t tell what it was.
"It’s nothing, let’s go so as not to be caught by darkness on the way to Huguo Temple!"
On the way to Huguo Temple.
A carriage braved the rain, pressing forward.
Inside the carriage, Feng Wushuang made a move with a chess piece.
Since childhood, he knew what he wanted, so he never felt inferior and always strived for better.
But in this world, having ambition does not guarantee success.
Coming from his hometown to the Capital City, he saw too much of human fickleness and the world’s cold reality.
Yun Jinnian was like a warm ray of sunlight, warming his heart, marrow, and soul in the coldness of those days.
This was something he would never dare to forget in this lifetime.
Learning that she had gone to Huguo Temple, he took leave under the pretext of praying for his mother’s blessings and headed to Huguo Temple.
For a woman like Yun Jinnian, he had to employ every trick, exhaust every effort, seize every opportunity to meet her,
hoping to leave behind his shadow in her eyes.
"Sir, the rain is getting heavier. Should we find a place to take shelter?" asked the carriage driver.
"Keep going!" Feng Wushuang uttered indifferently.
He placed another chess piece.
With silver in hand, he quickly started his own business. The restaurant was doing well, and he alongside Liao Shijie opened a bookstore, selling paintings and calligraphy of the poor Scholars who came to Capital City for the examinations. He also painted quite a few pieces for sale, hoping one day Yun Jinnian would come and pause in front of his artworks.
This gave him another chance to get close to her.
That was why he dragged Liao Shijie into doing business together.
Because of Yun Zihan’s close relationship with Yun Jinnian, the Yun Family was the only place where Yun Zihan treated her as a sister.
Liao Shijie’s fellow townsmen who had come for the exams also had significant expenses. With his bookstore, even if they didn’t move out, they could afford to pay for their own writing supplies, and Liao Shijie had more leeway with finances.
Pressing on in the rain was very dangerous.
And indeed, the carriage got stuck in a mud pit, and Feng Wushuang nearly fell out of the carriage, scattering chess pieces all over.
"Fei Nan, what happened?"
Fei Nan was someone he bought from a slave trader, who had sold himself to afford his father’s burial, skilled in martial arts and literate, with a clever and quick-witted mind.
He needed someone like that by his side, so naturally, he would take care in cultivating him.
"Sir, the carriage got stuck in a mud pit. Please wait a moment, I’ll get us out quickly!" Fei Nan said as he lifted one side of the carriage with force, gave a shout, and the wheels were back on solid ground.
After washing his hands with rainwater and wringing out the water from his sleeves, he continued to drive the carriage forward.
Inside the carriage, Feng Wushuang picked up the chess pieces, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked at Fei Nan’s soaked back, noticing the raincoat and straw hat set aside. He pressed his lips together and said, "Let’s find a place ahead to shelter from the rain!"
Fei Nan, touched by Feng Wushuang’s consideration, promptly responded, "Yes!"