"I’ve already eaten. I had three buns and two bowls of congee, so I’m quite full. All right, you should hurry home. It’ll only get more crowded."

Chen Song went back to the government office, and Xu Su Ying turned to head home with Chen De’an and Zhao Jing.

They had only taken a few steps when they saw a group of people approaching.

Among them were three young men.

One of them wore a golden crown and was dressed entirely in silk. Even the jade pendant used to weigh down the hem of his robe was made of the finest white jade. He had a fair complexion, and his posture and gait revealed a mix of arrogance and vexation. Upon a closer look, he seemed familiar.

It only took Xu Su Ying a moment to figure it out. ’Could that be the Wang Family’s young grandson?’

As for the young man on his other side, he was dressed modestly, but the fabric of his clothes was clearly high-quality. He seemed accustomed to walking with a slight stoop, but would abruptly remember that his status was different now and that he ought to hold his head high and show off. As a result, he kept awkwardly stiffening his neck.

’This one... I think I can guess where he comes from, too.’

’He must be Mr. Chu from the Chu family, the one whose indenture was released so he could take the exams.’

As for the other young man walking beside them, he was refined and bashful, with a fair and clean-cut appearance. Who else could it be but Li Cun? 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Xu Su Ying had only seen Li Cun once, three years ago. It wasn’t even a proper meeting; she had just caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye while picking up her son from his studies.

But there was no way she could misidentify Li Cun. After all, his mother, Mr. Li, was trailing just a step behind him. Seemingly oblivious to her son’s embarrassment, she kept chiming in to flatter Mr. Wang and Mr. Chu.

’How did these three end up together?’

’What an odd group.’

Xu Su Ying had no intention of engaging with them. She called to Chen De’an and Zhao Jing, urging them to hurry home.

Chen De’an glanced over at the group. ’Don’t know two of them, and the other one’s a pain. Right, let’s go home.’

Zhao Jing, however, spoke up. "Aunt, Qing’er should be done selling her incense. Why don’t we go get her and walk home together?"

Xu Su Ying replied without a second thought, "We’re not getting her. Qing’er knows the way home; she can come back on her own. You two are what’s important right now. Didn’t your father just tell you not to be running all over the place for the next few days? We’re going straight home."

De’an agreed, "Let’s go home. We can worry about everything else after the exam."

And so, the three of them headed home.

Mr. Li had been so focused on asking about the Wang family’s young master’s injuries that she hadn’t noticed the people nearby. When she finally saw Xu Su Ying and her family, her heart leaped into her throat.

At that moment, she was furious with herself.

’What in the world was I looking at?’

’How could I not see what was right in front of me?’

’Then again, it’s the fault of Xu Su Ying’s family for being so clueless, wandering so close to my son. If they dare greet him and let slip a word about the engagement, I’ll beat that woman to death if it’s the last thing I do.’

Fortunately, Xu Su Ying knew to keep her distance and simply walked away.

But before Mr. Li could even feel a moment of relief, she saw her son break into a run and chase after them.

Mr. Wang and Mr. Chu were both stunned.

"Brother Li, where are you going?"

"Brother Li, be careful! If you fall and hurt yourself, it could affect the county exam."

After they spoke, they exchanged a look, seeing the same bewilderment in each other’s eyes. They couldn’t help but turn to look at their servants.

Unfortunately, both servants had only just arrived in the county town and hadn’t yet gotten a handle on the people and events in Qingshui County.

They were completely in the dark and could only shake their heads, indicating they were powerless to help.

With no other option, the two could only continue to watch.

But when they turned back, they were met with the unexpected sight of Li Cun’s mother nearly ripping his clothes off.

She was desperately holding her son back, repeatedly yelling, "What are you doing? Who did you see? You must have mistaken them for someone else!"

"We’re already at the county government office! The most important thing is to get you registered. What could possibly be more important than your future?"

Li Cun’s face was beet red, and he looked ready to snap. "Mother, that was my future mother-in-law and brother-in-law! How could I possibly be mistaken? And even if I got them wrong, Zhao Jing was right there! We were classmates for years—I’d recognize him even if he were burned to ashes!"

"What damn use is it that you recognize them? They didn’t see you!"

"But I saw them! I can’t just ignore them. Mother, this is the third time! The third time I’ve seen my future in-laws in town, and I haven’t greeted them once. You’ve been pushing me so hard to study that I couldn’t even go to the Zhao Village myself to deliver the New Year’s gifts. Mother, this is a breach of etiquette! If I don’t show my face soon, I’m afraid they’ll think I’ve had a change of heart and want to call off the engagement!"

’Call off the engagement, my ass!’ Mr. Li thought furiously.