"What’s there to talk about?" Zhao Jing hurried over to her. "What took you so long?"

"It wasn’t long, I just said a few words. It’s getting late, let’s hurry to the county seat, so Mother doesn’t see we still haven’t left and start to worry."

"Get on the ox cart, Wanqing. Once you’re settled, we’ll head out."

Acting as if no one else was around, they exchanged a few quiet remarks: "It’s so cold," "There’s still unmelted snow on the road," and "We have to be careful traveling."

Every word and every phrase was warm and sweet, as if they were deliberately flaunting their love. It made Chen Wanyue so furious her eyes went red.

After the ox cart departed, Chen Wanyue couldn’t stomach it. She ran a few steps after it. "Zhao Jing, what are you so smug about? If you’ve got what it takes, come back as the top scorer. Hah! Top scorer, my foot! It’s debatable if you can even become a Scholar, let alone the top scorer. I’m waiting to see you make a fool of yourself."

"And you, Cousin! What are you showing off for? The more arrogant you are now, the more it will hurt when you fall. I’ll be waiting to see you cry then!"

Hearing Chen Wanyue shouting, a neighbor hurried out to ask, "Wanyue, what’s happened? Who fell and got hurt? Who’s crying? You can’t be crying during the New Year. You’ll scare away all your good luck."

"I’m not the one crying, no matter who is! Disappointed you didn’t get to see a show, are you? Hmph. All you think about day in and day out is watching other people’s drama. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be the biggest drama of all."

The woman was in her thirties, and while a bit younger than Chen Lin and his wife, she was still considered an elder. Chen Wanyue’s tirade made the woman so angry she nearly passed out.

Seeing his mother trembling and clutching the door, the woman’s son rushed out. "Mother, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt? Should I go fetch a doctor for you?"

The woman didn’t want her son to get angry on her behalf, so she suppressed her fury and let him help her back into the house.

"I just ran into a mad dog, and it gave me a fright. It’s nothing. You and your wife should hurry over to her parents’ house. It’s cold, so make sure you both dress warmly..." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The ox cart rumbled along the icy road.

The sun had been strong for the past couple of days, so the snow had mostly melted. However, the runoff that hadn’t yet soaked into the earth had frozen into a thin sheet of ice in the cold air.

The old ox kept slipping on the ice, forcing it to move very slowly.

Fortunately, they had set out early and were sure to reach the county seat before noon.

The road was full of people heading to the wife’s parental home for a visit.

Some were young women accompanied by their husbands; others were elderly, white-haired couples being escorted by their children and grandchildren to the wife’s family home.

It was impossible not to exchange greetings when they passed others, making it seem as if they were talking nonstop for the whole trip.

After traveling for quite a while longer, Chen Wanqing finally found an opportunity to speak privately with Zhao Jing.

"Wanyue is unhinged. Don’t take any of her awful words to heart."

"What did she say? I didn’t hear a thing. But, Wanqing, you must stop apologizing to me for her. She means nothing to you, so why do you always feel the need to cover for her?"

Chen Wanqing sighed. "She is my cousin, after all."

"Go ask her if she, from the bottom of her heart, even considers you her cousin. Wanqing, don’t waste your thoughts on irrelevant people, and don’t let them give you a headache."

Chen Wanqing nodded. "Alright. I’ll listen to you."

They continued to talk, and before they realized it, they had arrived at the county seat.

Xu Su Ying had prepared a magnificent feast; the dishes on the table looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful. But with Chen Song absent, the occasion felt incomplete.

After lunch, Zhao Jing went to speak with De’an, while Chen Wanqing and her mother sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Xu Su Ying repeated her usual refrain. "Move in after the Lantern Festival. I’ll air out the bedding in your room so it will be nice for you when you get here."

"Okay. I’ve already spoken with Jing about it, and he agreed."

"How are Jing’s studies going? Is he certain to pass this time?"

Chen Wanqing laughed at her words. "Mother, weren’t you the one telling me earlier that Jing is a fine student and is guaranteed to pass? You even said that even if he isn’t the top scorer, he’ll at least become a scholar on government stipend. Why are you so uncertain all of a sudden?"

"It’s just that so many scholars have returned to their hometowns lately. I went out to buy groceries today and heard people talking. They were saying how this family and that are all full of learned men, how their ancestors were brilliant and their descendants are even more outstanding. They said some are even aiming for the ’Lesser Triple Firsts’ this time."

Chen Wanqing cut straight to the point. "By ’this family and that,’ you mean the Wang Family, right, Mother?"

The Wang Family was the most renowned of all the scholarly families in Qingshui County.

The men of the Wang Family had indeed brought honor to their name. The two elder sons had both become scholars years ago and were now instructors at the county academy. The youngest son had attained the ’same degree’ and served as an academic official in the Prefecture.