Chapter 30: Departure
Feng Yuzhen was taken aback by the question. She suddenly understood his intention and lowered her head again to avoid his steady gaze. “It’s too rushed. It’s definitely not possible in these two months.”
Cui Jingkong withdrew his gaze from her face, tapped his fingers on the table, and after a moment of thought, said, “Then we’ll wait until I return.”
He seemed to have already started on this matter, trying to consider all the details. “The north of the town is a bit further away. A one-courtyard house will be enough for the two of us to live in.”
Feng Yuzhen knew nothing about the residences in town. She hadn’t expected Cui Jingkong to have already put this matter on the agenda. She broke the steamed bun into small pieces, her words filled with embarrassment. “But Kong’ge’er, I haven’t saved enough money yet, and you…”
Cui Jingkong’s tone was light. “Naturally, I will pay for it. There’s no one else, after all. If Sister-in-law truly feels bad about it, then you can just move in and slowly pay me back.”
His intention was simple. Qianshan Village was now more of a disadvantage than an advantage to him. The dull villagers and the familiar grass and trees were like an invisible barrier between him and his widowed sister-in-law. In addition, her repeated trips up the mountain inadvertently reminded him that he was her late husband’s own brother.
Only by moving away as soon as possible could Feng Yuzhen shed the burden of immorality and be free from the shackles of so-called “human relations.”
Feng Yuzhen did not speak, but she was a little puzzled. She only knew that in her previous life, Cui Jingkong had always lived at the academy, and this matter of traveling back and forth to the west of the village had not happened. He would occasionally copy books and send them to town, but that was only for a little bit of silver. Where did Cui Jingkong get the money in this life?
Moreover, everything had happened too quickly these past few days. For him to decide on such a major matter as moving on his own was a bit tyrannical.
As if sensing her slight reluctance, the young man shrugged his shoulders. “Is Sister-in-law still unwilling to move to town with me?”
“No,” Feng Yuzhen saw his expression and quickly explained, “I just feel that it’s a little… too fast.”
“But my brother and Sister-in-law had only been together for half a year, yet your feelings were so deep,” he looked up at her, his voice low.
“Since the beginning of this year, Sister-in-law and I have been together day and night for five months. Sister-in-law only agreed a few days ago, and only to give it a try with me first. We are blood-related brothers. It’s one thing for Sister-in-law to be unfair, but why are you so biased towards him?”
He had been acting, but the more he spoke, the more he felt that his usually timid widowed sister-in-law was being unfair. The feigned unwillingness became three parts real, and a deep gloom welled up in his eyes.
That’s right. They were both brothers. Why was the big and burly Cui Ze able to have a blind marriage with her, and easily win her heart with a few broken hairpins, while he had to scheme and plan, and solve her problems, yet she was still unwilling? Was it just because Cui Ze was lucky and had gotten there first?
As soon as she heard this, her heart tightened. It directly nailed the fact that she had been avoiding—that she was with two brothers. Feng Yuzhen covered her eyes with one hand. “Ze’ge’er is already gone… Don’t say any more. I’ll move.”
She heard some movement, and a hand gently pulled her arm down. Cui Jingkong saw that his widowed sister-in-law’s eyes were red and knew that he had spoken too harshly. He reached out to wipe away the tears that were about to fall.
The rain outside stopped, and only the young man’s almost sigh-like words could be heard in the room. “Please forgive me, Sister-in-law. You can hit me and scold me, but… please look up and look at me occasionally.”
***
The weather was hot, and the autumn provincial examination was approaching. The atmosphere in the academy gradually tightened.
However, in reality, only four people were participating in the autumn provincial examination this time. Two of them were taken to the provincial capital by servants from their families. The remaining two, Cui Jingkong and Zhong Changxun, were led by the Zhong family’s butler.
This matter should have been personally handled by Zhong Jide, especially since he was an old friend of the examiner sent by the court to Fengzhou this time. He had some face in front of the other, and some things were better discussed face to face.
But he was getting older and couldn’t withstand the several days of travel. He was afraid that he would end up losing more than he gained, and that half his life would be lost in the process. So he had no choice but to let the diligent butler do it for him.
The day before departure, Zhong Jide called Cui Jingkong to him alone. The first two sentences were the same words of encouragement as a few days ago, but then his tone changed, and it was hard to understand his meaning:
“I just learned that Liu Fenghui from Taihe County and Fang Yuan from Wu’an Prefecture are both coming. Although you are talented, you learned to read too late. They have both been praised as child prodigies since they were young, and they have the backing of noble families. If you happen to fail this time, don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“This student will heed the teacher’s teachings and will do my best.”
Cui Jingkong was well aware of the reason for his change of heart. He just sneered inwardly, but his face showed no sign of it, and he had a humble and receptive expression.
Fail? It’s not certain who will fail yet.
There was one more thing to do before he left. Cui Jingkong circled around before finding him in the stables. A’Shan, dressed in a sandalwood riding suit, was lying on his back on the black horse, his hands behind his head. It was unclear if he was asleep.
He asked, “Why aren’t you with the Second Miss today?”
After a long time, the lying A’Shan replied in an unfriendly tone, “Why do you care so much?”
Cui Jingkong understood. He knew that this person had probably been disliked by the Second Miss again for being too strong. He had been supposed to massage her shoulders and back, but he had probably squeezed the delicate Second Miss too hard and hurt her. She had thrown a tantrum and had driven him out, which was why he was lying on the horse in a bad mood.
A’Shan was elusive. In the blink of an eye, he had flipped off the horse and had come to Cui Jingkong, his arms crossed. “You’ll be gone for almost a month. Did you bring the medicine?”
Cui Jingkong was here for this very reason. He took out a yellow paper packet of medicine from his chest. “Two extra packets, and another request: in the month that I’m gone, you should patrol the west of the village a few more times and get rid of any flies and rats that appear.”
A’Shan took the medicine packet, weighed it in his hand, and then glanced at him. “Are you afraid that someone will steal from that dilapidated house?”
Cui Jingkong replied calmly, “It’s not about the house.”
“Then it’s about that widowed sister-in-law of yours in the house, right? If I remember correctly, the last time you borrowed a horse was also for her?”
A’Shan found it strange. He couldn’t understand how this executioner, who used to come to him to conspire to harm and kill people, could have such a tender side. He circled around him twice and saw that the man’s face still had that unshakeable indifference. He suddenly felt bored and turned around.
“I’ll go and have a look occasionally. I’ll take care of the nearby bandits. But if you want me to keep an eye on her all the time, that’s impossible. I still have the Second Miss to accompany.”
“As it should be.”
After giving his instructions, Cui Jingkong nodded at him and left. A’Shan estimated the time and thought that the young miss should be over her anger by now. He planned to go back and brew her medicine.
This Cui Jingkong was really a bit foolish when it came to his widowed sister-in-law. He always talked about having something to gain, but in reality, he was not only at her beck and call, but he was also uneasy about leaving her alone at home for more than half a month.
As he was thinking this, he had just opened the door when the young girl sitting on the edge of the bed saw him. Her eyes curved into crescents, and she stretched out her arms like a child, coquettishly. “I want A’Shan to hold me.”
His heart softened, and he threw everything to the back of his mind. He personally put on his Second Miss’s shoes and then steadily carried her off the bed.
***
The fifth day of the eighth month was an auspicious day for travel.
To see Cui Jingkong off on his journey tomorrow, Feng Yuzhen had specially slaughtered an old hen, symbolizing “spreading one’s wings and flying high.” By the time Cui Jingkong returned in the evening, it had already been stewing in the pot for an hour. The soup was thick, white, and fragrant, and the chicken was tender and smooth, falling off the bone with a light bite.
After dinner, Cui Jingkong’s luggage, which had been packed two days ago, was checked again to make sure nothing was missing. Then, Feng Yuzhen handed him the two strings of coins she had saved up in the past two months, her tone gentle. “You’re leaving tomorrow. I don’t know if you have enough travel money. Kong’ge’er, you should take this. You might need it.”
Cui Jingkong reached out and took it without any polite refusal. He first asked Feng Yuzhen if she had saved enough for this month’s expenses. After receiving an affirmative reply, he did not mention the matter of money again.
He didn’t even open the pouch. He just carefully examined the carp-leaping-over-the-dragon-gate pattern embroidered on it with gold thread under the candlelight, then turned it over and saw his name embroidered on it. He was very satisfied. “Thank you for the gift, Sister-in-law. I like it very much.”
This was an implicit reference to her giving him the pouch.
Feng Yuzhen’s hands were clenched. She was thin-skinned and couldn’t say anything firm. The reason was that she was not without impure thoughts. Giving a pouch or something similar between a man and a woman was a very ambiguous gesture.
She had originally thought that it would be unsightly to just hand over the money directly. She had just wanted to sew him a simple pouch for convenience. But she had ended up embroidering it more and more meticulously. She was very familiar with the three characters of Cui Jingkong’s name from the storybook, and had luckily recognized them. She had added them on a whim, and this was the result.
Cui Jingkong was leaving tomorrow morning. Feng Yuzhen did not want to disturb his rest tonight and went back to the side room early. The crescent-white robe that she had found at the bottom of the chest when she was tidying up her clothes this afternoon was still folded on her bed.
It had been several months ago. That night, after Cui Jingkong had scared her with his words, to avoid any further misunderstanding, she had temporarily put aside this already-cut longshan.
She had happened to find it today. This garment was just right for summer. He was going to the examination, travel-worn. Without a decent set of clothes, he would easily be looked down upon.
The next morning, the Zhong family’s carriage came to the village entrance to pick up Cui Jingkong. Feng Yuzhen went to see him off. The carriage had not yet arrived when they got to the village entrance. Feng Yuzhen hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell him in person.
“Kong’ge’er, besides your original clothes, I’ve made you another set. I put it in the bundle this morning. I just estimated the measurements. I don’t know if it will fit. If you don’t like it…”
She lowered her eyes, not looking at him, and blurted it all out. Cui Jingkong’s gaze was fixed on her face, and he confirmed again and again, “Made specially for me? Only for me? Only I have it?”
“Mm.” Although her voice was small, for the conservative Feng Yuzhen, to give away this garment that she had hidden before was no different from directly admitting that she had feelings for her brother-in-law.
Cui Jingkong first thanked her politely, then let out a light laugh. His gaze traced the shy blush on her face, and he felt his throat tighten. There was something he really wanted to say to her.
So his voice lowered, as if he were whispering to her. “As long as it’s made for me by Sister-in-law, I am very happy.”
Under the cover of his wide sleeves, Cui Jingkong shamelessly reached out, his well-defined hand hooking her finger. He suddenly caught Feng Yuzhen’s, and her arm trembled for a moment, letting him hold it firmly in his palm and knead it.
She suddenly squeezed back gently, her slender white fingers brushing past his, then quickly slipped out like a small fish.
Feng Yuzhen unnaturally raised her hand and touched her earlobe, which was burning hot, as if nothing had happened. She just said, “Have a safe trip. Go and come back soon.”
Cui Jingkong’s lips curved up, and the usual coldness on his face was gone. “When I come back, we’ll move to town to live.”
Feng Yuzhen nodded hastily. She heard the sound of carriage wheels rolling over the muddy ground. The Zhong family’s carriage had arrived.
Cui Jingkong reminded her to lock the doors and windows at night, looked at her a couple more times, then turned and got into the carriage.
“Kong’ge’er, you… you be careful on your trip.” Seeing him get into the carriage, Feng Yuzhen’s heart was in her throat. She knew that Cui Jingkong would return without success from the autumn provincial examination this time, but she couldn’t blurt it out. She could only shout this vaguely.
“I understand.”
Cui Jingkong waved from the carriage window, signaling her to go back.
The carriage started to move again. Zhong Changxun, who was sitting opposite Cui Jingkong, was still leaning out the window, craning his neck to look at the figure at the village entrance.
But a hand suddenly reached out from the side and pulled down the curtain, blocking the view outside the carriage window. Zhong Changxun was startled and almost jumped up. He turned his head and saw that Cui Jingkong’s already cold face was like a layer of ice, staring at him without a word.
“That woman is that who? Oh, is that your lame widowed sister-in-law, right?”
He was about to add a few more words of ridicule, but the person opposite him was sitting upright in the dim carriage, his expression unclear, but his eyes were extremely cold, without a trace of luster.
His dark pupils were deep and stared straight at him. It was a look that seemed as if it would pounce in the next moment, bare its fangs, and skin him alive, not like a human, but like a demon. Zhong Changxun’s hair stood on end, and he suddenly felt a wave of fear.
So he obediently closed his mouth. The cold sweat on his back had soaked through his clothes. He thought, Sister was right. This Cui Er and that widowed sister-in-law of his are definitely having an affair.
But…
He quickly glanced at Cui Jingkong’s terrifying, jade-like face, his heart filled with pride. He thought viciously, This time, no matter how arrogant you are, you probably never expected to fail the examination.
And the one at the top of the list will be me!