The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 573 Buying the Brocade Pouch

When Old Wang heard A Yu's call, his first reaction was to look for Old Mrs. Wang. When he saw that Old Mrs. Wang looked quite well, Old Wang's furrowed brows relaxed. "Why are you only coming now? I made new bedding for you two days ago, and I just had it aired out again, and here you are."

Old Mrs. Wang completely ignored Old Mr. Wang's pleasantries: "Weren't the things from the carriage moved here? What are you pretending for?"

Old Wang: "..." Can't this old woman let him show her some concern?

When they went to Puji Temple, the carriage followed them. But when they arrived at Sansi Street, large carriages were not allowed to enter. They could only be stored at the livestock farm and paid a fee for fodder every day.

As for the other odds and ends, Chi Jia had already sent someone to deliver them.

The person who was talking to Old Wang noticed a drastic change in Old Wang's demeanor and asked in surprise, "Brother Wang, is this your wife?"

Seeing that Old Wang nodded, the man bowed to Old Madam Wang and introduced himself: "Greetings, sister-in-law. I am from the Jiang family in the third alley of Yuhua Street. My name is Jiang Rong. It is our first meeting. Please forgive me if I have done anything inappropriate."

"Jiang Rong?" Old Mrs. Wang looked at the man in front of her who looked to be in his seventies or eighties and casually asked, "Is your mother, Madam Jiang, still alive?"

Jiang Rong hurriedly replied, "My mother is still alive, but she is now living elsewhere to enjoy her old age."

Old Mrs. Wang looked at Old Mr. Wang: "Have you collected the money she owed us back then?"

Old Wang didn't remember at all and honestly shook his head: "No."

So, Old Mrs. Wang looked at Jiang Rong with a smile, her expression very kind.

But being kind to someone who looks older than yourself doesn't necessarily make them feel close.

Jiang Rong: "..."

What debt? Didn't he meet Brother Wang by chance and hit it off immediately?

“This is not the place to talk. Please come to the courtyard.” Wang Chuangui’s voice came, and everyone saw him standing in the courtyard.

The courtyard was divided into too many sections, with only one central courtyard that everyone could stroll through. As a result, many people dressed as students sat in the central courtyard, some of whom were holding books in a rather serious manner, but their necks were stretched out like snail necks, and no one believed that they were studying diligently.

Wang Chuangui was also holding a book, but his book was different from others'. It was a chronicle of major events in Dachang, which he had compiled himself. With the exam approaching, he was afraid of forgetting it, so he took it out to read it again.

Several years have passed, but the "heroic act" of Wang Chuangui giving up his Jinshi degree is still circulating among the candidates. As soon as he arrives at the Wang family courtyard, he is surrounded by the students.

They either asked him how he could pass the imperial examination or why he gave up.

Wang Chuangui went from initially resisting to now simply taking advantage of their curiosity to get them to provide him with other information, which can be considered as thriving.

The group went into the courtyard and chose the most secluded little house. It was indeed pitifully small, with only a main room with a study, a small kitchen, a small outhouse, and a servant's room. That was all.

Even the washing area was only a few steps wide.

Of the several small rooms left by Old Mrs. Wang, only one courtyard was spacious, with a stone table and benches, as well as a swing set.

Ayu could tell at a glance that it was a small room specially reserved for her.

They took the rest of their belongings inside and put them away simply. Ayu was still worried about the charity, so she didn't participate in the conversation with Old Mrs. Wang and the others. She pulled Qin Huai and was about to go out again.

"Grandma, we're going out now!" Ayu said to Grandma Wang.

Grandma Wang said, "Let's go out for a stroll. We can talk about the rest after Qin Huai takes the exam."

Ayu: "I know!" Of course she understood what her grandmother meant, which was that she didn't want her to get involved in the charity's affairs.

But while Ayu was concerned, she really had no intention of interfering.

She still remembered that the curse of fate on her brother Ayou hadn't been lifted yet!

Moreover, they have no relatives in Wanning City. Not to mention that she is in the right outside, the prefect seems to be a fair and honest official.

If you try to meddle in other people's business, you'll only be asking for trouble. If you don't handle it well and it affects your brother Ayou's imperial examination, that would be bad.

Once outside, Ayu said, "Brother Ayou, let's not go to the charity hall. On the cruise ship, I heard there's a Wenquxingjun Temple next to Sansi Street. Let's go get a talisman!"

Qin Huai: "Okay."

He told Chi Jia and the others not to follow him and to go about their own business.

Chi Jia agreed and led his men to the training ground.

The young master is going to develop his career in Wanning City, and it's time to put those people he trained to use one by one.

As for the young master's safety, Chi Jia was not worried at all.

Upon their arrival in Wanning City, representatives from the Duke of Yongguo's Mansion, the Empress, and Emperor Minghua all sent word to them that they were under protection from all sides and needed no further assistance.

These are free bodyguards, so why not use them? They can save their manpower and give them more training.

With the exams just around the corner, there were already quite a few people outside the Wenquxingjun Temple. Some were asking for talismans, some were drawing lots, and others were writing poems and performing for money.

Surprisingly, the majority of people here are women, and men are rarely seen. Apart from those selling poetry and prose, very few men are dressed as scholars.

"Brother Ayou, isn't the God of Literature supposed to protect scholars? What are these ladies doing here?"

Qin Huai thought for a moment and replied, "These scholars are usually too busy preparing for the exams to have time to come."

Unexpectedly, someone nearby chuckled. It was a woman selling embroidered pouches. She smiled and said, "Young master, you're mistaken. It's not that they're busy preparing for the exams. It's that these scholars are concerned about their image. They all talk about 'Confucius said nothing of strange phenomena, physical prowess, or supernatural beings.' The closer it gets to the exams, the less they come, afraid of being seen by others. So, it's mostly their relatives or admirers who come."

Ayu suddenly realized: "Oh, so that's how it is! But Wenquxingjun is so busy, he can't possibly protect all the students. Everyone just takes it as a psychological comfort. Why deliberately avoid suspicion? Isn't that just like protesting too much?"

The woman selling the brocade pouches was quite knowledgeable. Hearing what Ayu said, she immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards her: "You little girl do know a bit. So, you and your brother came here today because you have someone in your family taking the exam? You said it's for psychological comfort, why not buy one of my brocade pouches as well?"

"Auntie, you're mistaken. Brother Ayou isn't a brother, he's my fiancé. He's also a student taking the exam, and I brought him here to buy amulets so he can get some good luck!"

Ayu spoke frankly, which made her older sister laugh out loud, while Qin Huai's ears turned slightly red.

Others around also vaguely heard this and smiled kindly.

It's not unusual for young couples to be betrothed as children; there are plenty of arranged marriages. But it's rare to find couples with such a strong bond who can come to the temple together to pray for the God of Literature.

Ayu did indeed buy the brocade pouches, but not just one; she bought ten. Besides Qin Huai's, she also bought pouches for other examinees in her family, including her second uncle and seven older brothers, as well as her little brother Zhu'er who always ran around with her. In total, there were exactly ten.

The eldest sister laughed: "Your family has many members, and many students taking the exam, that's a good thing!"

(End of this chapter)