After Wen Nuan left, Zhao Dahe couldn’t hold it anymore and asked the question on his mind.
Li Chang’an spoke leisurely, "Some people accept help from others with a clear conscience, while others cannot. For example, Wen Shu and his sister! That’s why Aunt did so; it makes the young lady more accepting. At least she has exerted some effort."
Zhao Dahe felt a bit embarrassed; why hadn’t he thought of this?
"Stop, don’t say anything, listen to me." Meng Yao directly stopped Zhao Dahe from trying to apologize, "From now until the sixth day, you are not allowed to go anywhere, stay obediently in the room. If you really need to go somewhere, you must have my company."
Zhao Dahe was puzzled, "Why?"
He heard from the scholars staying in the inn that Songzhu Pavilion’s collection of books was extremely rich and thought about visiting with Qin Zheng to see for himself.
In the days leading up to the exam, studying is secondary; relaxing the mind is most important.
"I had a dream." Meng Yao spoke concisely, "About you, a bad dream."
In the previous incident with Zhao Xiaoshu, Zhao Dahe was a direct participant. Initially, he wasn’t concerned, but as things developed, he couldn’t help but believe.
So now it’s his turn?
"Mom, what did you dream about me?" Zhao Dahe pressed for more.
"Your leg, broken into several pieces." Meng Yao said calmly.
Zhao Dahe gasped and instinctively reached for his leg, "Did I die of pain?"
Meng Yao gave him an annoyed look, "Whether you died or not, I can’t say, but I can tell you, it was enough to faint from pain."
Li Chang’an was unaware of the previous incident with Zhao Xiaoshu, so he advised Meng Yao, "Aunt, you’re just too tense, with the exam approaching, the security in the town is excellent. The County Magistrate has sent many government officials to patrol; there won’t be any issue."
"Even if there are many officials, it does not guarantee every corner can be covered." Meng Yao replied.
Li Chang’an wanted to say that Meng Yao was overreacting, but Zhao Dahe interrupted.
"I’ve decided, regardless of how good the security is, on the day of the exam, I’m not stepping out of the room." Zhao Dahe said solemnly.
Li Chang’an swallowed his words quietly; since Zhao Dahe had no objections, he certainly wouldn’t argue with Aunt.
"If you really need to go out, call me." Meng Yao worriedly reminded him.
"Okay, Mom." Zhao Dahe readily agreed.
He was obedient and cherished his life.
Potential dangers, if avoidable, should be avoided.
The food on Wen Nuan’s side was untouched when she returned to the room, and she couldn’t help but grumble, "Brother, it’s all cold. Why didn’t you eat?"
"This is food that Ah Nuan earned back. I wanted to wait and eat with you." Wen Shu put down his book, his tone gentle.
"Why wait for me..." Wen Nuan muttered, though feeling a little touched inside. Swiftly, she brought hot water, reheated the cold food, and shared it with Wen Shu.
The amount provided by the lady was plentiful, coupled with the cornbread they brought themselves, the siblings enjoyed a rare satisfying meal.
After tidying up the dishes, Wen Nuan reminded Wen Shu to rest well in the room, then hurriedly ran off to find Meng Yao.
Not long after Wen Nuan left, there was a knock on the door.
Wen Shu slowly moved to open it; Chen He had already been waiting outside for a while, looking impatient.
Seeing Wen Shu opened the door himself, Chen He hurriedly helped him, "Brother Wen, where is your attendant? How could they be so unruly when you’re injured, not serving you, and gone somewhere? I say, such a person doesn’t deserve to stay by Brother Wen’s side."
Wen Shu slightly frowned, "Did Brother Chen come for something?"
"What could there be? Just to check on you. This morning, I bought some buns and saw your attendant, thought of letting her bring them to you, but guess what? You treat your attendant as something special, having befriended a lady on the second floor, receiving many good dishes, saying that’s what you’ll eat from now on." Chen He rambled on, "What relation does the lady upstairs have with you, to give you so much food? Certainly, it’s your attendant doing some work and boasting!"
Wen Shu’s face turned somewhat unpleasant; the matter of the buns, Ah Nuan hadn’t told him.
But Ah Nuan had always been sensible; she must have had a reason for refusing Chen He.
Chen He, as if oblivious to Wen Shu’s expression, continued to babble on, "Give me the deed of sale, I’ll go find a broker to sell her away and get someone with a good temper to serve you instead."
"No need." Wen Shu responded coldly, "If you have nothing else, please leave, I need to rest."
Chen He was stunned, looking at Wen Shu in disbelief, "Brother Wen, are you telling me to leave? I came with good intentions, and you’re telling me to leave? I never knew Brother Wen to be so ungrateful!"
"Brother Chen has studied the classics for years, yet can’t understand simple words? Let me be polite and ask you to leave; impolitely, I’m telling you to get out." Wen Shu said angrily.
Chen He’s face turned blue with anger, furiously waving his sleeves, "Fine, fine, fine."
At the doorway, Chen He paused, turned back with resentment, "Wen Shu, don’t ever count on me in the future."
"We’ve been classmates for three years, let me advise you: be transparent in your dealings, and act honorably. Gossiping behind backs is the behavior of petty people." Wen Shu replied with a stern face.
Chen He left angrily.
Wen Shu took a deep breath and went over to close the door.
Indeed, some people can’t be befriended.
Chen He returned to his room with pent-up anger, unable to focus on reading, he grabbed his wallet and left the inn, thinking to take a walk outside.
Over there, Meng Yao, taking Wen Nuan to the backdoor of the County Government, met Apu.
Facing Meng Yao, Apu felt a bit complicated, because last night, the young master kept fussing about wanting to find this woman, neither the young master nor he had a good night’s sleep.
But the adult said, Meng is a good person.
And the adult seems to have that intention, it might turn out Meng might become his mistress in the future.
Apu tried to adjust his feelings, politely speaking, "Madam Zhao is here to see the young master, right? The young master murmured about Madam Zhao all last night; when he sees her, he’ll definitely be happy."
"Apu, who is it?" Ren Zi’an, rubbing his sleepy eyes, came out of the room; did he hear his mother’s voice?
"An Ge." Meng Yao called softly.
Recognizing Meng Yao’s figure, Ren Zi’an’s short legs ran quickly, "Mom, you didn’t lie, you really came to see me. Mom, I’m hungry, I want to eat the pancakes you make."
Apu hurriedly explained, "The young master didn’t sleep well last night; in the morning, the adult instructed him to sleep more and eat after he wakes up. The breakfast has been kept warm in the pot all this time!"
"I don’t want Ah Xiang’s food; I want my mom’s cooking." Ren Zi’an held Meng Yao’s hand tightly, shaking and shaking.
"Aren’t you hungry? Let Apu serve you the food. Eat well, and I’ll make pancakes for you to save for lunch." Meng Yao pinched Ren Zi’an’s nose affectionately.