The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 722 - 721 The Rent is on Me

Chapter 722: Chapter 721 The Rent is on Me

She had only taken two steps before she came face to face with two familiar figures.

"Mother?"

"Brother Song?"

...

Song Chongjin and Gu Zikai were standing on the outskirts of the crowd listening intently. Along with them, numerous scholars who had just finished their classes gathered around to listen in, engrossed in the full event.

At that moment, seeing Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu approaching, their expressions varied wildly, with nary a concern for the propriety expected of literati, staring unabated.

Old Granny Zhang felt a drumbeat of nerves upon seeing this situation, first glancing at her son-in-law, who was as stern-faced as ever, revealing nothing.

Then, carefully she looked at her daughter, "My girl, did I misspeak?"

Wang Yongzhu comforted her by embracing Old Granny Zhang’s arm, "I think what Mother said was particularly good! Not a single mistake!"

Song Chongjin also took a couple of steps forward, approaching Old Granny Zhang’s other side, and gently steadied her other arm, remarking lightly, "What Mother said today was crude in words, but sound in reasoning! Far clearer and more discerning than us so-called scholars! As the saying goes, all worldly wisdom is but learned from experience, and truly it is not wrong!"

"Brother Song is right! Auntie’s words were stimulating, like thunder piercing the ear, showing that we, with our bookish ways, know nothing of worldly affairs!"

"Indeed, if it weren’t for this reminder from Auntie, I too would have pitied that young lady!"

"Ah, now I finally understand why my parents almost beat me to death when I brought home a girl who sold herself to bury her father—I had actually spent silver on her!"

"Auntie is truly insightful. In our family, it’s just my parents and me, all toiling with our faces towards the earth under the sky, eking out money from the soil just for my studies. Every penny is hard-earned, and ten taels of silver, that’s really more than a year’s expenses for my family!" said a less well-off Scholar, his eyes reddening as he spoke, presumably recalling the hardships faced by his parents at home.

...

The scholars surrounding Song Chongjin and Gu Zikai were from Changqing Academy, mostly his classmates and fellow Scholars. Compared to average students, they possessed broader horizons and more expansive hearts.

Initially, some thought Old Granny Zhang’s words coarse, likening her to a village woman cursing in the streets. Yet, it turned out that this seemingly uncouth woman had a crystal-clear understanding of worldly matters, which made them seem superficial by comparison.

Seeing that Old Granny Zhang was the mother-in-law of Song Chongjin, who had not been in the Academy for long, and looking at his wife who was delicate and pretty, the two made a fine pair standing together – a true match of talent and beauty.

Not far away, atop a teahouse, the headmaster of Changqing Academy and a man were observing the scene. Behind them, a person dressed like a servant was narrating Old Granny Zhang’s previous speech word for word to both of them.

It wasn’t long before someone else came up and also recounted the words of Song Chongjin and the Changqing Academy scholars all over again.

The room fell into silence, and it took a good while before the man chuckled heartily, "Indeed, the younger generation is to be feared! Old Wei, your Academy really is a case of the new waves pushing the old. Each generation is stronger than the last!"

The headmaster of Changqing Academy stroked his beard, smiling, "But not comparable to Song Chongjin, whom you recommended. You have a discerning eye. Even though Song Chongjin comes from a humble background, his talent is quite remarkable, and he has married a virtuous wife—his mother-in-law is clear-sighted and perceptive, indeed a seedling well worth cultivating!"

The man who turned around was none other than Zhu Haoran.

He merely smiled noncommittally, without disputing the headmaster’s words, and turned his gaze back to the window.

The crowd around Song Chongjin had slowly dispersed, leaving behind a somewhat familiar figure who continued to follow beside him. On closer inspection, a person who was memorable at a glance and not easily forgotten had squeezed his way to Song Chongjin’s side.

What was Ninth Young Master Lee doing here?

Zhu Haoran couldn’t help but step forward, only to notice that the guard following behind Ninth Master Lee appeared to have noticed something, turning his head to look over.

Zhu Haoran quickly took a step back, avoiding that gaze.

Retreating to the side of the table, Zhu Haoran picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and slightly calmed himself before standing up and saying, "It’s getting late, and since you’re fine here, I should be going back too. His Majesty is waiting for me to return and report. His Majesty highly values this imperial examination. We’ve worked hard for so many years, we can’t fail at the final hurdle, so please be cautious!"

The head of Changqing Academy nodded and raised his tea in lieu of wine: "Bon voyage!"

Zhu Haoran bid farewell and departed.

Meanwhile, Ninth Master Lee felt as though he had been punched in the chest at the instant he heard Song Chongjin call out to Old Granny Zhang, his face turning pale and green, struggling to regain his composure for quite a while.

By the time he managed to regain his composure and look over, he saw Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin, each supporting one of Old Granny Zhang’s arms, while the people around them were praising their good looks and perfect match, as if they were made for each other.

Instantly, his heart felt as if he had swallowed a thousand-pound bitter olive, both sour and astringent.

He couldn’t help but snort in disdain, thinking what a foolishly tall and dark figure that Song was, with a face like a dead man’s, and how he couldn’t possibly be a match for Wang Yongzhu.

If it were he who stood beside Wang Yongzhu, now that would be a pair of handsome man and beautiful woman, truly a match made in heaven!

But these words he dared only mutter to himself, and after calming his feelings, with a natural expression, Ninth Master Lee walked over.

He first thanked Old Granny Zhang: "Thank you, old lady, for speaking up for me just now and helping me out of a tough spot," he said with a bow.

Old Granny Zhang waved her hand dismissively: "It’s nothing, I did it just because you’re handsome, Ninth Master. If that maid had been prettier than you, perhaps I would have taken her side!"

The rest of Ninth Master Lee’s words of gratitude got stuck in his throat.

The approaching Shopkeeper Wu hurriedly introduced them: "Song Brothers, this is our Ninth Young Master Lee, known as Ninth Master Lee."

"Ninth Young Master, this is Lady Wang’s husband Song Chongjin!"

Song Chongjin and Ninth Master Lee exchanged glances, conveying a silent understanding of the rivalry between men.

Song Chongjin kept his composure even better, merely curling the corner of his mouth slightly in acknowledgment and nodding: "Ninth Master Lee!"

Seeing Gu Zikai still standing to the side, looking at Wang Yongzhu with an inscrutable gaze, Song felt irritated and his eyes grew colder: "Ninth Master Lee, this is Gu Zikai."

"Brother Gu, this is Ninth Master Lee from the Capital City, have you met before?" Song Chongjin asked, turning to Gu Zikai.

Gu Zikai, who was lost in thought, got nudged by his young servant Lang Hao and looked around blankly before freezing: "Ninth Master? What are you doing here?"

"Gu San? You actually came to this godforsaken place of Jing County?"

Both of them looked at the other as if they had seen a ghost, showing an incredulous expression.

"What are you doing here?"

"You first—"

... After quite some time, the two learned from each other that Gu Zikai had come here to study, while Ninth Master Lee had come to take over the business.

Looking at each other, Ninth Master Lee smirked and asked, "Where are you staying now?"

Gu Zikai hesitated to answer, pausing for a moment before saying, "I’m renting the front courtyard of Brother Song’s house—"

Before he could finish speaking, Ninth Master Lee’s eyes lit up: "That’s perfect, I’ve just arrived in Jing County and have no place to stay. It just so happens you have accommodations, so let me stay with you for a while. I’ll pay the rent!"