Chen Liejiu was born cheerful and free. Xu Huaqian wouldn't lock him up at home, but if he kept wandering outside like this, what if one day his heat flush erupted outside? Then he...
No, no. Xu Huaqian couldn't accept anything happening to Chen Liejiu.
But he also couldn't tie Chen Liejiu to his side every day.
...If only there were medicine to suppress heat flushes.
No matter how expensive, he would get it for his A-Jiu!
Xu Huaqian washed in the washroom for a long time, so long that Chen Liejiu grew worried he might have had an accident. Finally, he emerged, trembling, as he dressed.
"Your body is weak; don't wash for so long next time!" As soon as he came out, Chen Liejiu touched Xu Huaqian's hand, frowning upon feeling how cold his palms were.
"Got it." Xu Huaqian responded, then suddenly pulled Chen Liejiu, who was checking his temperature, into a tight embrace.
Suddenly hugged by his husband, Chen Liejiu was stunned: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to hold you." Xu Huaqian held Chen Liejiu close, suddenly feeling immense heartache for his husband.
Being a man was too harsh.
Low social status, plus this inexplicable heat flush... Since heaven created such beings, why not let them live easier?
"Hold away! Ahem—" Xu Huaqian was hugging Chen Liejiu right outside the washroom door. The courtyard offered little privacy, and Wang Wanwan and Chen Xiaomei saw them immediately. He coughed awkwardly but didn't stop them. "Hold as much as you want!"
Since they were already seen, a little longer wouldn't matter!
When Xu Huaqian finally remembered there were two girls in the house, he paused, released Chen Liejiu, and asked, "Wanwan and the others aren't here, are they?"
Chen Liejiu glanced at the pair watching them with wide eyes nearby, looked up at the sky, and blatantly lied: "They're not!"
That was good. If they had seen, he would have been a bit embarrassed.
The next day, they encountered no sudden incidents. The group顺利地 (smoothly) went to Meng Fangxun's house. They had agreed that if they passed the Xiucai exam, his family would host first.
Because Meng Fangxun's family was poor, if they waited for Xu Huaqian's family to host first, it would be hard for him to match their banquet standard. Although they had become Xiucai, money couldn't be spent recklessly. There were still provincial and metropolitan exams ahead, all requiring funds. It was better to save money than to pretend to be wealthy and end up struggling!
When everyone discussed this, Meng Fangxun didn't refuse. After his top rank results came out and the date was set, he sent word to Xu Huaqian and the others.
Xu Huaqian, planning to deliver charcoal, thought going a day earlier would be better. Unexpectedly, a sudden situation delayed them by a day. They arrived just as the Meng family's banquet was beginning.
After settling Wang Wanwan and Chen Xiaomei at the table for female relatives, Chen Liejiu directly took him to the table where Zhang Bingwen and the others were seated.
Since they had all seen Chen Liejiu and knew about his blindness requiring assistance, he brought Chen Liejiu openly before everyone.
After everyone exchanged greetings, Xu Huaqian noticed one voice was missing and asked: "Where's the other one?"
Pei Wangshu sighed: "Probably too embarrassed to come."
"What happened?" This surprised Xu Huaqian. This was Meng Fangxun's top rank celebration banquet! The top candidate!
When he heard the news at home, he had been ecstatic! He couldn't wait to come congratulate him!
Being the top candidate in a prefecture was a huge achievement!
Meng Fangxun, with his own knowledge, had defeated Zhong Yichen from Qixian Academy. This was the time for them to congratulate Meng Fangxun. Why would he be too embarrassed to come?
Could it be: "He didn't pass?" That shouldn't be. Duan Youyan's knowledge was more solid than his. And even if he didn't pass, it was fine; he could try again next year!
"He passed!" Pei Wangshu said, sounding frustrated. Out of the five who studied together, he was the only one who didn't pass. "I'm the one who didn't pass."
Pei Wangshu's family was wealthy. After he returned from the exams, his mother had someone waiting by the announcement board daily. As soon as the results were posted, they copied them and sent them home. He wasn't surprised by the top candidate, but seeing Xu Huaqian and the others at the very bottom shocked him so much his jaw could have hit the floor.
It was such a coincidence—the three of them were listed together!
All three had passed!
Although they were only Xiucai at the very bottom, not even licensed scholars, they were still Xiucai.
At that moment, he thought, if only he had worked just a little bit harder, a tiny bit, he might have scraped through with them!
Regarding Pei Wangshu's failure, Xu Huaqian felt it was both expected and unexpected. After a moment of silence, he realized any words of comfort might sound sarcastic to Pei Wangshu. So, pretending not to know, he continued asking about Duan Youyan: "He passed. Why didn't he come?"
"Maybe he's shy?" Zhang Bingwen thought for a moment and blurted out, sharing what they had encountered with Duan Youyan's father-in-law in the prefectural city.
That day, Duan Youyan's father-in-law hadn't spared him any face. Pei Wangshu and the others behind him had heard everything clearly.
"Uh..." Learning that Duan Youyan was also a live-in husband like himself, Xu Huaqian's feelings were similar to his reaction to Pei Wangshu's failure—somehow both unexpected and yet making sense?
"No wonder he was always hesitant about his husband. So there's such a hidden reason." Xu Huaqian, led to his seat by Chen Liejiu, asked curiously, "What status does his father-in-law hold to speak so boldly?"
To dare tell a scholar to go home and serve his husband—who would believe it without some family status?
"He's the Magistrate of Pingxi County." As it happened, Pei Wangshu often accompanied his mother to Pingxi County to collect silkworm cocoons and had seen the magistrate. That day, seeing Duan Youyan bowing and calling the magistrate "Father-in-law" shocked him to the core.
He never imagined that the usually silent, studious Duan Youyan had such a status.
Son-in-law of a Magistrate.
For people like them, it was unimaginable.
Pei Wangshu thought if he had that status, he would have bragged about it everywhere. Yet Duan Youyan hadn't breathed a word, not even revealing anything about his husband, showing how tight-lipped he was!
But seeing Duan Youyan, usually so serious and upright, acting so subservient that day left a bad taste in his mouth. He also felt that being the son-in-law of someone with such high status might not be as good as it seemed.
"So it's the Magistrate. No wonder." Xu Huaqian wasn't surprised after hearing this; he had mostly guessed it. When he and Duan Youyan entered the academy together, Duan Youyan's family had seen him off with a carriage.
What was a carriage in this world?!
It was the luxury vehicle among luxury vehicles! Ordinary wealthy families couldn't afford a horse!
Even if they could buy one, they might not afford its upkeep. Horses didn't just eat hay; they needed various grain feeds mixed in, or they wouldn't have the strength to run.
They also needed to be fed fruits regularly for nutrition. Xu Huaqian couldn't even afford fruits now, but their horses could eat them.
Horses were more valuable than people.
Back then, he knew Duan Youyan's family must have significant connections. He just never imagined this particular reason.
"A live-in husband so what," Zhang Bingwen said unhappily, pursing his lips. " Brother Xu is also one; would we look down on him for it? He didn't even come to Brother Meng's top rank celebration!"
"Brother Meng taught him for nothing!"
"Say less!" Meng Fangxun, who had just finished greeting guests and hurried to their table, heard Zhang Bingwen's complaint but didn't mind. "He's always cared about face. Having lost face in front of us, it's understandable he wouldn't want to come. Once we're back at the academy, we'll clear up the misunderstanding."
That day, Duan Youyan left too quickly. Meng Fangxun hadn't had time to tell him not to take it to heart. So what if he was a live-in husband? Xu Huaqian was one too. After being classmates for so long, would they laugh at him?
"Zhang Bingwen has a point," Pei Wangshu finally didn't call Zhang Bingwen 'shorty' today, using his proper name instead, looking utterly devastated. "Even I, who didn't pass, have the face to come before you Xiucai."
"Why wouldn't he, who did pass, come?!"
It was infuriating. They had agreed that whoever passed would host a banquet where they would drink until they dropped. He never expected him to break his promise without even sending a word.
Since the Meng family's banquet had started and he still hadn't arrived, he probably wasn't coming.
"It's fine. We'll go to his place for his Xiucai banquet in a couple of days and have a good talk with him then," Meng Fangxun comforted everyone.
Although Duan Youyan hadn't sent any notification about his banquet yet, Meng Fangxun had decided to visit him in a few days to ask.
As for finding Duan Youyan's house?
Simple. The Magistrate of Pingxi County's residence.
He had heard.