Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

Liu Siyue and the others sat down to eat, only to find that Madam Tang was nowhere to be found. "Sister Wang, when did Madam Tang leave?"

"The dragon dance troupe came over and then dispersed from us. Well, they dispersed, so be it. We just happened to run into them. We can just wander around on our own."

These women ate a little of this and a little of that on the street, and soon they were full. As they walked, they watched the street performances: acrobatics, storytelling, opera, cockfighting...

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the entrance of Shili Xiang. It was relatively quiet here. Shili Xiang and Zuixianlou are not far apart. I could see the crowds at the entrance of Zuixianlou from afar.

"Isn't my nephew going to Zuixianlou? Let's go and see him, and catch a glimpse of his charm."

At Shilixiang, Magistrate Fang sat on the second floor, watching the students below composing poems and couplets. He didn't care at all, only caring about eating and drinking.

The owner of Shili Xiang Restaurant was very annoyed that he had messed things up. He hadn't expected that these scholars would show no respect for the county magistrate and all go to Zuixianlou Restaurant.

In the past, whenever a poetry gathering was held, scholars would flock to wherever the county magistrate was. This time, however, things are really strange. I wonder how the host will blame me if he finds out. It's all my fault for being too careless.

He had put so much effort into the arrangements, but only a handful of people came. He looked towards the direction of Zuixianlou, where crowds were surging and shouts were rising in waves. He was so jealous that he was going crazy.

The scholars who came to Shilixiang couldn't really stay, but they couldn't leave either, since the county magistrate was sitting there. Most of the people who came to Shilixiang were students who were about to take the county examination and wanted to make a good impression on the magistrate.

And what happened? They poured out all their knowledge, but the magistrate didn't even glance at it, preoccupied with drinking. They were left with a belly full of resentment and nowhere to vent it, yet they still had to keep up appearances.

They desperately wanted that damned magistrate to leave so they could rush to Zuixianlou to witness the lively poetry gathering.

After eating and drinking his fill, Magistrate Fang looked at the people below and wanted to laugh. Feeling bored, he took his servant and left the ninth floor, wanting to join in the fun at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

As soon as the magistrate left, all the students in the hall rushed out and surged towards Zuixianlou. They ran even faster than the magistrate and stood outside the door looking inside.

People kept taking out the poems and couplets from inside and reading them aloud. Liu Siyue and the others watched from a distance, not daring to get close, afraid of being squeezed or trampled. If something happened, no one would care.

A moment later, a scholar came out and loudly proclaimed, "Everyone, please wait and see what Young Master Lu will do next."

Welcome everyone to join the challenge!

A moment later, the scholar came out again and loudly proclaimed: "Lu Yunzhou, a student of the prefectural school, has won two out of three rounds, defeating Jiang Jinming, another student of the prefectural school. Young Master Lu has now defended his title for four consecutive rounds."

Upon hearing the name, Liu Siyue and Yun Chenxin exchanged a glance. Yun Chenxin whispered in Liu Siyue's ear, "Is it him?"

Liu Siyue nodded: "It should be. He's come to the prefectural school to study. I'll tell you more about it when we get back."

Magistrate Fang stood outside for a while. His servant, unsure whether he wanted to go in, said, "Sir, would you like to come in? I'll clear the way for you."

"No, you bunch of pedantic scholars, just sucking up to each other. Let's go see the lantern festival."

The scholar came out to report the situation time and time again. Lu Yunzhou steadily defended his position. Liu Siyue thought to herself, "This scumbag is actually quite capable. No wonder he's so arrogant."

They waited outside for a long time but didn't hear Xu Jingxi's name called. Liu Siyue wanted to go back. "Sister Wang, Yao'er is asleep. I plan to go back first. Are you going to stay here and wait for your nephew, or come back with us?"

"You should go back first since you have a child. I'll wait here for a while. Maybe Xi'er will come out soon."

"Sister Wang, please be careful. We'll head back now."

"Yes, there are yamen runners patrolling everywhere on the streets, nothing will happen."

Liu Siyue carried the child and they bought a lot of things on their way back, including food for Jing'an and beautiful lanterns for the two younger sisters in the family.

Back home, Liu Siyue settled the child in before telling Yun Chenxin about her trip to Bainiwan during the Spring Festival. "So, he's going to stay in this county for half a year."

"Yes, you might run into her if you go out on the street. Just remember one thing: no matter who calls you Zhou Xiangxing, don't answer or turn around. You are Yun Chenxin, and you don't know anyone. Show your Yun Madam demeanor."

You've changed a lot; people who aren't particularly familiar with you wouldn't dare to recognize you so easily. Your family has already tried to find you; if they knew you were in the county town, they'd be bothering you every day.

If they set their sights on you, and you soften your stance, you'll face endless trouble later, and I won't be able to save you.

"I understand. I will show them no mercy. From the moment I left the Lu family, I severed all ties with them."

In April, you said, "What if Lu Yunzhou really gains power one day? Won't the Lu family come after you? Especially that old hag."

"You don't need to worry about that. As long as they don't provoke me, they'll be fine. But if they come looking for trouble, they can't blame me for being ruthless."

Okay, stop overthinking. I'm heading back to the village first thing tomorrow morning. These are some spring shirts and skirts I designed. Make them and see if you can make any changes. If you're unsure, come find me in the village. You can also design your own; you have a real talent for it.

"Okay, I'll think about it carefully and try to open the shop before it gets cold. I plan to only sell women's clothing and women's products."

"That's a good idea, but I have a suggestion for you. You can do some research beforehand on menstrual belts that women use. Do you think that menstrual belts made with wood ash are not only unusable and unhygienic, but also prone to causing gynecological diseases?"

"Women have lived like this for thousands of years. If there were a way to improve it, it would have been done long ago, and we wouldn't be here today."

"Don't rush to deny yourself. Right now, your menstrual pad is hard and dirty. If you make it soft, wouldn't it be more comfortable and fit better? Then you won't feel so uncomfortable for those few days."

"Let me think about it carefully. If we can really come up with a solution, it would be a real blessing for women! We would be making a great contribution to women."

"I'm sleepy, you should go back to sleep too, we have to get up early tomorrow."

"By the way, it's your younger sister's wedding. This 10 taels of silver is my wedding gift."

"You don't need to give a gift. You have absolutely no connection with her, why would you need to give a gift? Aren't we connected now?"

Yun Chenxin was pushed out of the room by Liu Siyue. "Goodnight!"

As the poetry gathering ended, Lu Yunzhou emerged victorious, receiving a reward of 200 taels from Zuixianlou. The great scholar also presented him with a copy of his own journal. Lu Yunzhou was overjoyed; his mother was right, he was indeed the reincarnation of the God of Literature, and even the great scholar acknowledged his scholarship.

When Wang Zhilan saw her son come out, she quickly took two steps to greet him, "Xi'er."

Xu Jingxi looked up and asked, "Mother, why are you here all alone?"

"Your aunt's daughter is asleep. She took the baby and went home first. Your mother wants to wait for you."

"Mother, are you disappointed in your son's performance today?"

"What's there to be disappointed about? In your mother's eyes, you'll always be the best. As long as you've tried your best, why worry about temporary gains or losses? In the end, it's still uncertain who will win."

"Mother said yes, son will definitely study hard when he goes to the prefectural city and strive to get the top three honors, so as to make mother proud."

As Xu Jingxi walked, he thought to himself, "Lu Yunzhou is indeed a formidable person. He'll probably be a tough opponent in this year's provincial examination. I've never heard of him before. How did he suddenly appear? That great scholar admires his talent and has already extended an olive branch to him."