Wei Linyè was practically blessed with clairvoyant eyes. He could actually notice the happiness she was desperately trying to suppress deep in her heart.
A wave of gloom suddenly gathered in his chest. He stared at her with darkened eyes. “Liu Muli, are you really going to grin so wide that the corners of your mouth reach your ears? Are you that eager for me to leave?”
A faint glimmer trembled in Liu Muli’s clear eyes. When she slowly lifted her eyelids to look at him, her eyes had reddened, and her voice seemed filled with reluctance.
“No, I’m not. I really don’t want you to leave, but I also hope you’ll reach the capital safely and smoothly, come first in the imperial examination, and then bring Mother… bring all of us to the capital to enjoy a better life.”
Wei Linyè: “…”
Seeing her reddened eyes, he let out a soft scoff. “Why are you crying? I’ll come back as soon as I can. But…”
He paused for a moment, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. His gaze was leisurely and composed.
“Are you so certain I’ll come first in the imperial examination?”
Liu Muli froze for a moment. Her red lips parted slightly as she replied, “Yes. I believe in you. You’ll come first.”
By then, your reputation will be soaring throughout the capital. During the parade, countless citizens will admire you, and many beautiful, elegant young ladies from prominent families will want to marry you.
As the saying went, “When spring arrives, the horse’s hooves fly swiftly; in a single day, one can see all the flowers of Chang’an.”
She still remembered watching him from beneath the eaves of the capital’s largest restaurant.
He had been dressed in a brilliant red robe, wearing a black official cap, riding a tall horse with an arrogant, commanding air. He had been the very picture of glory.
She had been so happy that she cried for a long time. After studying so hard for so many years, he had finally achieved his dream. He had come first in the imperial examination and earned an official position. What a wonderful thing that was!
But she had also heard the whispers of many noble young ladies around her. They wanted such an outstanding young man as Wei Linyè to become their husband, hoping to spend their lives in loving harmony with him, respecting and cherishing one another.
She had heard those noble ladies speak shyly yet arrogantly:
Which young man without a powerful family background would give up the chance to attach himself to the influential families of the capital? Which scholar who came to the capital for the imperial examination would not want the support and recommendation of powerful nobles?
Actually, it was from that moment that she had begun to feel uneasy.
She was afraid that Wei Linyè would really be like those noble young ladies and abandon her, choosing instead to marry a noblewoman from the capital.
Although he ultimately did not marry one of those noble ladies, their relationship only grew worse and worse. In the end, she had been the one to leave him a divorce agreement before fleeing the capital, and they had ultimately been separated by death.
She thought that perhaps after she died, he might truly have married another noblewoman from the capital as his second wife—perhaps the Princess Anyang.
Then he would have risen steadily through the ranks, eventually becoming a powerful official whom everyone looked up to.
Liu Muli stared somewhat dazedly at the man before her. It felt as though thousands of needles were slowly piercing her heart, bringing a dense, lingering ache.
Perhaps she still felt sorry for her former self.
Even though she knew that the woman she had been in her previous life had also made mistakes, often becoming jealous and petty.
When Wei Linyè met her strange gaze, an inexplicable sense of panic suddenly rose in his heart.
The feeling came from nowhere, and he could not understand it.
Yet he had always trusted his own judgment. Deep down, he firmly believed that Liu Muli would never leave. She would obediently stay at home and wait for him to return.
So he pushed that inexplicable unease to the back of his mind.
Wei Linyè gave a soft snort and said indifferently, “I won’t disappoint you.”
“Mhm. I believe you.”
Liu Muli suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her heart, took two cups, poured tea into both, and placed one in front of him.
She raised her own cup as though offering a toast and smiled.
“I wish you… a bright future and a smooth road ahead!”
She lowered her head and drank the tea, but the smile in her eyes did not reach their depths.
Wei Linyè stared at her for a moment, pressed his lips together, then lifted his cup and took a sip.
Near noon, the village chief and the village headman both arrived. Several relatives came with them, and Ergou was among them as well.
They had come to see Wei Linyè off. They had heard from Ergou that he was going to the capital to prepare for the imperial examination.
Regardless of whether he ultimately passed and earned the title of jinshi, Wei Linyè was at least a successful juren. He could even become a teacher in the village. Naturally, it was in everyone’s interest to maintain a good relationship with him.
In short, the village chief and the village headman believed Wei Linyè had a promising future, and they did not want to sour their relationship with him.
The village chief brought a jar of pickled vegetables and two jin of coarse rice, while the village headman brought a piece of cured meat that his family had kept for a long time without having the heart to eat, along with five jin of coarse rice.
Such food was already extremely precious to ordinary rural households. Even coarse rice was something many families could not bear to eat themselves, let alone give away to someone else.
Huang-shi hurriedly waved them off.
“No, no, no. We truly appreciate your kindness, but you should take these things back and eat them yourselves. We really can’t accept them.”
The village headman and village chief still tried to hand the gifts to Huang-shi, but no matter what, she refused to accept them.
Wei Linyè’s expression was cold and indifferent, and his voice was equally emotionless.
“Take them back. I don’t accept them. If you insist on forcing them on me, then don’t blame me for driving you out.”
Liu Muli, standing nearby: “…”
This man really did not give the village chief and village headman any face at all.
Perhaps the grim expression on Wei Linyè’s face truly carried an intimidating authority. The village chief and village headman reluctantly withdrew their hands.
The two old men exchanged a glance before looking at Wei Linyè. The village headman gave an awkward smile.
“All right, old man understands. As expected of Scholar Wei, you truly possess the refined bearing of a gentleman!”
The village chief also chimed in with flattery.
“Yes, yes. We were being too vulgar. We offended Scholar Wei just now. Please forgive us.”
The two old men’s compliments actually sounded rather pleasant to Liu Muli.
Wei Linyè’s expression remained unchanged, but he was courteous enough to nod toward the village headman and village chief.
“Thank you both for seeing me off. I’ll remember your kindness. I also hope that the village headman and Village Chief Grandpa will look after us a little in the future.”
“…”
That last sentence sounded a little like he was taking advantage of their offer.
The village headman and village chief were stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant. They both nodded repeatedly.
The village headman smiled broadly.
“Yes, yes, yes. Rest assured, Scholar Wei!”
The village chief also smiled.
“Rest assured, Scholar Wei. If anything happens, the village headman and I will certainly handle it fairly and according to the rules!”
That sounded remarkably like the sort of thing an official would say.
The neighbors living nearby had already noticed the village headman and village chief and were now gathering curiously outside the Wei family courtyard.
Huang-shi had deliberately left the courtyard gate open because she did not want the villagers to think that their family had some special relationship with the village headman and village chief. Otherwise, whenever something happened in the future, the villagers might refuse to accept their decisions.
Who could have imagined that her own son would not care about that at all and would directly ask the village headman and village chief to look after them?
Huang-shi could not help sighing.
Fortunately, since they had refused the gifts brought by the village headman and village chief, the villagers could not accuse them of anything.
Seeing more and more people gathering outside the courtyard to watch the commotion, the village headman and village chief decided not to stay any longer. They said their goodbyes and left, carrying the “gifts” back with them.
As soon as they stepped outside the Wei family courtyard, the villagers began bombarding the village headman and village chief with questions.