Chapter 336: Chapter 135: On the List
The crowd dispersed, and Chen Wanqing and her companions prepared to leave.
But just then, they spotted Chen Song and Mr. Cheng standing to the east of the government office.
Naturally, they had to go over and greet them.
They had barely exchanged greetings when a constable strode out of the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.
The man glanced down, quickly spotted his targets in the crowd, and walked straight toward Chen Song and Mr. Cheng.
The constable clasped his hands in a salute to the two men. "My lords, please come with me. The Lord Prefect has summoned you."
Chen Song and Mr. Cheng exchanged a look, then quickly returned the salute. "We wouldn’t dare refuse."
Before he left, Chen Song told the others, "You all head back now. I’ll come find you as soon as I’m free."
Mr. Cheng also nodded at Zhao Jing. "The results will be posted tomorrow. Be sure to get here early."
The two men’s figures quickly vanished into the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office. Only then did Zhao Jing, Chen De’an, and Chen Wanqing turn to leave.
Just then, Wang Jun and his friends came over.
"Come on, come on! Bring our sister-in-law with us for some tea."
Chen Wanqing looked at them and said with a smile, "I think I’ll pass. I have some other things to do—I need to stop by Moxiang Pavilion. You all go ahead."
Unsure if Chen Wanqing was just being polite or truly busy, Wang Jun looked to Zhao Jing.
Zhao Jing said, "I don’t feel comfortable with you going to Moxiang Pavilion alone. I’ll go with you this afternoon. For now, why don’t you join us for tea?"
Hesitation flickered in Chen Wanqing’s eyes. Zhao Jing urged, "Come on, Sister. Let’s go together."
Chen De’an chimed in, "Yes, come on, let’s all go! We’re going to Brother Wang’s family teahouse. Their tea is brewed with mountain spring water, and the leaves are the absolute best. It’s free! Why pass up free tea?"
Wang Jun laughed and chided him, "Oh, you, Chen De’an! Freeloading and now you’re bragging about it right in front of your host? Have you no shame?"
"Lost it! That thing’s useless, and I don’t need it anyway."
Amid the boisterous chatter, the group headed to the teahouse owned by Wang Jun’s family.
The teahouse was very close to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office, only about a hundred meters away at most.
As Zhao Jing led Chen Wanqing to a table in the corner, he couldn’t help but say, "When we first arrived in the Prefecture, this is where we ran into Mr. Sheng."
Chen Wanqing gave a slight nod. She’d heard Jing mention it before.
Zhao Jing was a man of few words in front of others, but with her, he was a chatterbox. He always had an endless stream of things to say, telling her every little detail of his day.
If she showed even a hint of indifference, he would pout and mutter, "Is Sister annoyed with me? How could you, Sister? Now that I’m yours, you don’t cherish me anymore..."
In short, he was the living embodiment of a clingy pest, which always left Chen Wanqing torn between annoyance and amusement.
During tea, Chen Wanqing kept quiet, trying her best to be invisible.
But who could possibly treat her as if she were invisible?
With her bright eyes, pearly teeth, and a face as lovely as a lotus, she was a true beauty. She seemed to possess an inner glow, like a lustrous pearl or a fine piece of jade. Simply by sitting there, she became the most captivating scenery, inevitably drawing the gazes of those around her.
Wang Jun and his friends were relatively restrained. Silently reminding themselves that a brother’s wife was off-limits, they remained polite and respectful the entire time.
But the teahouse was filled with other patrons. They had all come over after watching the commotion at the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office and were loudly discussing Cui Wei and his father. But then, out of the corners of their eyes, they would catch sight of this delicate, beautiful face among the group of scholars, and they simply couldn’t resist sneaking another glance, and then another.
"Jing, perhaps I should leave."
Zhao Jing was growing vexed himself. ’Letting Sister come with them was not a wise decision.’ But he couldn’t rest easy letting her leave alone, not when it was so chaotic outside.
He rose and said to Chen Wanqing, "I will leave with you."
"It’s too rowdy down here," Wang Jun interjected. "Let’s go upstairs. Some host I am, I didn’t even think to offer you a private room. It’s spacious and quiet up there. There’s even a room my mother keeps reserved for honored guests. It’s free right now, let’s use that one."
At his words, everyone stood up and headed to the private room upstairs.
Chen Wanqing finally felt at ease once they were in the private room.
She had a couple of cups of tea with them, and then they all went to the restaurant next door for lunch.
Once she was mostly full, Chen Wanqing excused herself to get some fresh air and went downstairs to settle the bill.
Zhao Jing, perhaps sensing her intentions, followed her out.
When she went to pay the bill, Zhao Jing didn’t fight her for it. He simply said, "I’ve troubled you to pay, Sister."
"It’s only right. We owe them a favor, and favors must be returned. Friendships are built on give and take. If you always let one side take the loss, the relationship won’t last long. No one’s a fool."
It wasn’t clear if Zhao Jing had taken her words to heart. He just gave a noncommittal grunt before lowering his voice to a whisper. "I should have been the one to treat them, but unfortunately, I’m completely broke, so I had to let you pay. But I won’t let you spend your money for nothing... I can repay you with my body."
