The third branch of the Chen family clung to them so tightly you couldn’t pry them off even if you tried. Waiting for them to call off the engagement on their own? ’Might as well wait for the next life.’

In truth, Mr. Li was already filled with regret.

She regretted the muddle-headed move she had made, getting her son engaged to Chen Wanyue.

At the time, she had been in a panic, thinking only of placating her son, thinking only that anyone would be better than Chen Wanqing. Coming to her senses, however, Mr. Li felt that if she had just properly explained her reasoning and had a good talk with her son back then, he might have understood her difficult position.

Now, she wanted to confess everything to her son, but she was also worried it would affect his exams.

So, she could only wait until after the imperial examinations. Once her son passed and became a Scholar, she would immediately break off the engagement with the Chen family.

When that time came, whether her son resented her, hated her, cursed her, or even hit her, she would accept it all. In the end, she simply would not have that kind of village girl as a daughter-in-law.

After exhausting every reassuring word she could think of, Mr. Li finally got Li Cun to turn back.

But Li Cun still looked completely distracted, his brow furrowed so tightly you could kill a mosquito in the crease.

He asked his mother, "Did you hear what Zhao Jing called my future mother-in-law? I thought I faintly heard him call her ’Mom’?"

Mr. Li stated with conviction, "You heard wrong. Zhao Jing called her ’Auntie’."

"Are you sure I heard wrong?"

"I’m positive you heard wrong. Son, you’ve been studying so hard these past few days your head is spinning. That’s why you’re hearing things."

Li Cun said no more. He silently walked over to Wang and Chu.

Seeing him return, the two of them naturally started asking questions.

Mr. Li watched, her heart pounding with anxiety. She wanted to interrupt but had no idea what to say.

But her foolish, simple-minded son, with a sheepish look on his face, was now telling the two, "That was my fiancée’s family. They were in a hurry and didn’t see me."

Wang and Chu were naturally surprised. "Mr. Li, are you already married?"

"Not yet. We’re just engaged. We’ll marry once I’ve earned a title."

The two nodded. "A noble sentiment, Mr. Li. You don’t want your future wife to be slighted. May we ask where she is from?"

"She is from the Zhao Village, which is under the jurisdiction of Qingshui County." Li Cun added cryptically, "My father-in-law..."

"Cun!"

Mr. Li suddenly clutched her chest, her face turning pale as she started to slide down. "My boy, your mother... Your mother suddenly feels unwell."

Li Cun was terrified, as were Wang and Chu. They quickly called for a servant to help, and together with Li Cun, they helped Mr. Li over to the steps at the entrance of the county government to sit down.

Because of this interruption, Wang and Chu never found out just what Li Cun’s future father-in-law did for a living. But he was an unimportant person anyway. The priority now was registering for the exam; they had no time to worry about anything else.

Though she was unwell, Mr. Li refused to delay her son’s registration. Once she was seated securely, she urged her son to hurry to the registration office.

Wang and Chu also had their personal servant boy stay behind to look after Mr. Li. With that, Li Cun no longer had to worry about his mother. The three of them went into the county government together.

By the time Li Cun and the others came out after finishing their registration, it was long past lunchtime.

The three were famished, so hungry their limbs felt weak.

Everyone knew the first day of registration would be crowded, but they thought that by arriving early enough, they could avoid the hassle. Who would have expected so many people to show up in the middle of the morning?

The pushing and shoving of the crowd had left them frazzled and irritable.

On top of that, they had to worry about typos and errors on their forms. They were on pins and needles the whole time, and by the time they got out, they were all on the verge of collapse.

None of them were in the mood to eat; they just wanted to hurry home and lie down. And so, they bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.

When she finally got her son home, Mr. Li’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, finally settled back into her chest.

But her peace of mind didn’t last long. Li Cun knocked and walked in. "Mother, does Zhao Jing’s family have connections at the county government?"

Mr. Li asked reflexively, "What kind of connections?"

"I don’t know. That’s why I came to ask you."

Then, Li Cun relayed the information he had heard while filling out the forms at the county government.

Apparently, Mr. Zheng, the Scholar, was worried that Zhao Jing would retaliate against him after becoming a Scholar, so he had specifically bribed someone to go to his house and poison him.

Mr. Zheng had nearly gotten away with it, but Zhao Jing’s connections at the county government were apparently very strong. Through a combination of torture and trickery, they made Mr. Zheng slip up, which led to his arrest.

Li Cun had a faint guess as to who Zhao Jing’s connection at the county government was: it had to be Chen Song.

But for Chen Song to go to such great lengths to find Zhao Jing’s would-be murderer... was it really just his sense of justice at work? Or was it simply a favor for a fellow villager?

Li Cun then recalled the time before last when he had seen Chen Wanqing. Zhao Jing had been there with her. They were buying pears. He didn’t know who had wanted the pears, but in the end, it was Zhao Jing who paid...

These pieces of information swam freely through Li Cun’s mind, stirring up a profound sense of unease.

’He shouldn’t be feeling this uneasy.’ Zhao Jing had been engaged for years; he was a man with a fiancée.

But seeing him around the Chen Family, getting along so harmoniously with them as if they were one family, made his heart feel like it was being fried in hot oil. It was an unbearable feeling.

Li Cun said, "Mother, my future father-in-law... he only helped Zhao Jing because he felt sorry for him for losing his father and because they’re from the same village, right?"

Mr. Li’s heart felt as if it were being pierced by needles, but she had to force herself to nod and agree. "Of course, that’s it. Your father-in-law is a man of great integrity and generosity. And Zhao Jing’s situation is so pitiful. If he can help, of course he will."

"Yes, it must be just as you say."