"You've come all this way, and you haven't had a good look around the city yet. Why not stay a few more days?"
"No, no, staying in the city costs money. Our Zhou family is so poor, every coin spent makes us ache," said Mother Zhou, putting on a pained expression.
Only then did Wu Caiwei stop talking and escort them to the carriage stop. Watching them board the ox cart and disappear from her sight, she slowly returned to the courtyard.
Recalling the events of the past few days, she was so happy her mouth couldn't close. She figured the Zhou family wouldn't bother her again anytime soon.
The cook she hired lived next door. Hearing the commotion, she knew Wu Caiwei was back and quickly came to the small courtyard, preparing a hearty lunch. Seeing Wu Caiwei eating with gusto, she seemed to have something to say.
"If you have something to say, say it quickly," Wu Caiwei had seen it all and knew something must have happened while she was away.
"Originally, I didn't want to say anything, fearing it would affect your mood, but I couldn't help but remind you. Miss Sun's family has come by several times in the past few days. Seeing the door locked, they went back unwillingly. I have a feeling your business with them isn't over. You should be careful from now on."
She looked at Wu Caiwei with some concern. Though they hadn't known each other long, Wu Caiwei was very generous. Whenever they couldn't finish a meal, she would take it home for her grandson to improve his diet. She was very grateful to Wu Caiwei and didn't want to lose this job. But seeing this situation, with Miss Sun's family being so persistent, she figured Wu Caiwei wouldn't be able to stay in the city.
"I understand. Here's a hairpin for you. I'll probably be leaving the county town tomorrow or the day after. Come by early tomorrow morning, and I'll give you your wages." Wu Caiwei had been indifferent to where she lived. She chose the county town because it was close to the village, making it easier to get news and help the Liu family if anything happened. Now, it seemed she couldn't stay here much longer.
A couple of days later, she arrived at the prefecture city. As she entered the city gates, she saw everyone rushing in one direction.
She quickly stopped a passing older sister to ask about the situation. The woman sized her up and said proudly, "Clearly, you're from out of town. Today is the day the rankings are posted. We're all going to see who has become an official and join the excitement."
Wu Caiwei thanked her profusely. At this moment, she remembered something. Around this same time, something sensational had happened in the village. The father of the original host's sister-in-law, who was a xiucai, had indeed passed the exam. At that time, she had already married into the Liu family. Everyone spoke of him with envy, wanting to inquire about the scholar and curry favor. Even Mother and Son Liu's attitude towards her improved, wanting to get along with the Zhou family and gain some advantage. Unexpectedly, when they brought modest gifts, they were chased away with brooms by the Zhou family, who declared they had no such poor relatives. Upon returning, Liu Maocai felt he had lost face and proceeded to beat and kick her.
At that time, she was immersed in grief, unable to believe her parents would treat her this way. She was traumatized, both physically and mentally, and fell seriously ill.
She guessed he must have passed the imperial examinations this time. However, this was his rightful reward for years of hard study. Even if she knew, she was powerless to change it, nor did she want to. The problem wasn't the examinations, nor whether he passed, but the Zhou family's insatiable greed, discarding her when she was no longer useful and showing cold indifference.
After some thought, she followed the crowd to the county yamen entrance, which was already packed. Patiently, she found a small teahouse and sat down for a cup of tea. About an hour later, the crowd gradually dispersed. She went to the榜单 and indeed saw his name, ranking fifty-third. It wasn't bad, but not good enough to have hopes of becoming a Jinshi.
She shook her head and smiled. Regardless of whether he passed or not, since she was here, she couldn't let the original host remain in that awkward situation any longer. Since the Zhou family was not benevolent, she wouldn't be righteous either.
Planning to settle in the prefecture city for the long term, she quickly found an intermediary to rent a courtyard.
The intermediary, based on her requirements, narrowed down several areas and quickly took her to see them. She finally settled on a small two-courtyard residence, agreeing to a price of two taels of silver per month.
After completing all the procedures, Wu Caiwei looked at the empty courtyard and secretly decided to buy a few servants from the human broker the next day.
There wasn't even a quilt in the room, and it was covered in dust. She couldn't stay here tonight. She took her small bundle to an inn and made do for the night.
As she walked out of the courtyard, a child came running towards her. The moment they brushed past each other, Wu Caiwei instinctively touched her waist and found her purse missing. She quickly turned around, but the child had already taken off running.
She leaped forward and blocked the child's path. As soon as she steadied herself, she raised her hand, using her sleeve to ward off the incoming attack.
The child seized the opportunity, darted past her, and tried to escape. Wu Caiwei had already realized she'd been tricked; the attacker had clearly thrown flour at her. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and then the child's fist came straight for her face. Wu Caiwei grabbed it.
The child was extremely surprised. He quickly extended his other hand to counterattack, but both were caught by Wu Caiwei.
Seeing that he couldn't move, the boy glared at her with resentment. Wu Caiwei ignored him and quickly patted him down, soon finding her purse.
She weighed it in her hand, then looked at the unyielding boy and said earnestly, "You're just a child. You shouldn't go down the wrong path. What if one day you pick a fight with the wrong person, like today, and get reported to the authorities? Your whole life could be ruined." After speaking, Wu Caiwei released his hand.
The child stood frozen. After a while, he realized what had happened. He had thought he was finished today, either being sent to the authorities or getting beaten. He hadn't expected the matter to be let go so easily.
Wu Caiwei heard a sound and turned to see his figure. She said with some helplessness, "Judging by your clothing, you don't seem to be from a poor family. Children should do what children are supposed to do. Either go to school or learn a skill. Go home quickly, and don't follow me anymore."
The child completely ignored her. She walked, he walked; she stopped, he stopped. Wu Caiwei tried to persuade him earnestly many times, but he acted as if he didn't hear her. Wu Caiwei thought he might be deaf or mute, so she helplessly took him to the inn and booked him a separate room.
The next day, she went to the human broker to select servants. The little boy had followed her the entire time.
The newly bought servants didn't know the true relationship between them and kept calling him "young master." He seemed to be accustomed to this life. Wu Caiwei looked at him thoughtfully and didn't correct their address.