Breakfast is ready.

The children hurriedly ate and rushed off to school, without a proper farewell. Liu Ji only managed to instruct the four siblings with one sentence:

"Listen to your mother at home, don’t be naughty. If there’s any schoolwork assigned by the teacher that you don’t understand, just copy it down first, and I’ll teach you when I get back. Don’t bother your mother, alright?"

Otherwise, don’t blame me if you get spanked.

The children responded that they understood and dragged their book boxes, rushing to the front door of the old house, boarded the carriage driven by Liu Zhong, and left.

As if they didn’t care about their father’s well-being at all.

Liu Ji: Heart attack!

"Dad!"

Si Niang’s shout came from the village entrance.

The little girl stood on the side of the carriage, using her hand as a megaphone, and shouted loudly: "You have to pass the exam!"

The heart-stricken father instantly became invigorated, quickly ran a few steps to the courtyard, and laughed in response: "Si Niang, when I come back, you’ll be the daughter of a scholar! Whatever you want, I’ll bring it back for you!"

Qin Yao leaned against the door frame, hearing this, her mouth twitched as she thought about such a grand promise.

Si Niang happily replied: "Okay!!!"

The entire valley echoed with the little girl’s firm response. Liu Ji stood with open arms, closing his eyes to listen, thinking there was no sound more pleasant in the world.

"Ah Gu is coming over." Qin Yao reminded.

The person indulging in the moment finally opened his eyes reluctantly and walked over, smiling at her: "Dear, wait for me to come back and astonish you."

Qin Yao smiled and nodded, "Alright, I’ll wait for you to surprise me."

At crucial moments, she never said discouraging things, and this was one of the best aspects of her, according to Liu Ji.

After helping Ah Gu load the luggage, Liu Ji boarded the carriage himself, waved at Qin Yao, and then lowered the carriage curtain, leaving decisively.

Qin Yao initially thought he would linger on for a bit, but he was unexpectedly straightforward. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, she asked Ah Wang to bring the horse so she could accompany Gongliang Liao for a stretch.

All the way to Lower River Village, watching them get on the official road, Qin Yao then left.

What she didn’t know was that just as she turned away on the horse, someone in the carriage couldn’t help lifting the rear curtain, looking back longingly under Gongliang Liao’s disapproving gaze.

"Really pathetic." Gongliang Liao clicked his tongue in disapproval.

How long had it been since he left? Only two months.

They hadn’t even left the province yet, acting like this.

If he were to take an official post elsewhere in the future, separated by distance, wouldn’t he be in agony?

So many officials served away from home for years without seeing their wives and children, and didn’t they all manage just fine?

When truly lonely, keeping a concubine around got them through it.

Suddenly thinking of this matter, Gongliang Liao suspiciously glanced at the disciple who was secretly wiping the corner of his eye with his sleeve and asked him: 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Do you intend to take a concubine?"

Liu Ji was startled, obviously still immersed in the sorrow of parting, and was a bit bewildered.

Gongliang Liao impatiently asked again, "Don’t you always feel your wife is fierce? Do you wish to take a gentle concubine?"

Liu Ji blinked his peach blossom eyes, "Teacher, do you think this is a matter of wanting or not? Shouldn’t you be asking me if I dare?"

Gongliang Liao: "..."

The air inside the carriage froze for a moment.

A moment later, the teacher and disciple exchanged a glance, tacitly agreeing not to bring up the topic of concubines again.

But just a quarter of an hour later.

Gongliang Liao suddenly said, "A man’s ambition is to travel far and wide, avoid getting entangled in love affairs."

Liu Ji responded with an "Oh", as if he understood, but not completely.

"Teacher, do you think if I fail the exam again this time, will my wife divorce me?"

Gongliang Liao was stunned!

Then calmly patted his disciple’s forehead, "Rest assured, in Sheng Country, there are no laws allowing women to divorce their husbands. Focus on your examinations, don’t think about other things."

Liu Ji suddenly felt a surge of relief in his heart.

Thankfully, thankfully there are no laws in Sheng Country allowing women to divorce their husbands!

Gongliang Liao watched his disciple calm down, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

In fact, there was another thing he didn’t say.

And that was—to Yu Yaonang, if she wanted to leave, the laws of Sheng Country about divorce were meaningless.

She wasn’t someone who would be restrained by rules and teachings.

But with the big exam coming up, such remarks that could shake morale wouldn’t escape Gongliang Liao’s lips.

Qin Yao returned home to find Ah Wang already in the fields, and Mrs. Li had taken the dirty clothes to the river for washing.

The sudden solitude made her a bit uncomfortable.

But soon, Old Liu’s arrival broke this inexplicable loneliness.

"Did the third one leave?" Old Liu asked.

Qin Yao replied, "I just saw them off to Lower River Village."

She invited him to sit in the main room, poured a cup of tea, and offered a plate of the jam pastry baked this morning, letting Old Liu have some before taking some back to the old house on his way.

Old Liu, fond of it, picked up a piece to taste and praised Ah Wang and Mrs. Li’s skills, reluctant to eat more.

He just held the tea and asked Qin Yao if she planned to transplant the rice seedlings.

Because the couple wasn’t actively farming in the past couple of years, Old Liu had been worried. He couldn’t sleep at night without personally asking, dreaming of the third son’s family starving from not planting grain.

Only when Qin Yao mentioned that the granary at home was full, having just collected rent for a hundred acres of land, did Old Liu remember that the third son’s family no longer relied on the village’s mere ten acres for food.

"Look at my memory, I forgot about this." Old Liu felt a bit embarrassed, quickly sipping his tea.

Qin Yao smiled, waited for Old Liu to finish his tea, and discussed the plans for expanding and renovating after the farming season.

Old Liu had always said this matter was his responsibility, and this time he said the same thing,

"I’m idle anyway, I’ll get a few of your uncles to help, at most it’ll be finished in a month, just keep providing meals as usual."

Just with that pot of meat soup, there would be plenty of helpers coming uninvited.

Qin Yao felt it wasn’t right not to pay for labor, and debts of gratitude were hard to repay, so she added a daily wage of five cents for each worker.

Old Liu saw her insistence and didn’t say much, only reminding her, "Then don’t serve meat soup every meal, some vegetable soup will do."

Having been through poverty and thrift, Qin Yao didn’t argue with him, nodded and agreed.

After making arrangements, Qin Yao accompanied Old Liu back and made a stop at the village chief’s house.

Being reminded by Old Liu, she remembered the upcoming visit of County Magistrate Song, intending to inform the villagers.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have a copper gong at home and had to go to the village chief’s house to borrow one.

This time, as Qin Yao left with the borrowed copper gong, the village chief gave her that same complex and regretful look again.

Qin Yao, not one to hold back, asked in confusion right then.

"Village chief, is there something you want to say, seeing me like that?"

The village chief nervously waved it off, "Nothing, nothing, go and inform everyone, let them be prepared."

"This is a big thing bringing glory to our Liu Family Village, tell them not to drop the ball!"

The village chief of Lower River Village heard about it and was quite envious.

Not every village receives a visit from the County Magistrate!