Chapter 427: Chapter 165: Arrival
De’an gently nudged him. "Where did you take Big Sis? What did she say to make you so happy?"
Xiang’er also whispered to Chen Wanqing, "Sister-in-law, what kind of love potion did you give Big Brother? He’s smiling like a fool."
Could Chen Wanqing possibly tell Xiang’er that she had cast aside her shyness and told Jing "I adore you" several times?
Those three words had a magical healing effect, turning Zhao Jing’s mood from cloudy to sunny. It’s just that she was the one who suffered for it—the inside of her mouth was raw.
She certainly couldn’t tell an unmarried young woman such things, so Chen Wanqing changed the subject. "Perhaps it was the beautiful scenery, the singing birds and fragrant flowers, the clear waters and green mountains... it helps one relax, so his mood naturally improved. By the way, Xiang’er, have you and De’an decided how to cook all that fish yet? You two are so capable, you caught more than ten in just a short while."
"It’s just that the fish in that lake are too dumb. They’ll bite at any bait. And we even threw the small ones back. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to carry all the fish we caught..."
Because they had so many fish, for lunch they troubled the inn’s cook to prepare an all-fish feast. Her payment was twenty copper coins, plus two large fish.
And because there were so many fish, Zhao Jing and De’an invited all the scholars at the inn who had failed the examination to join them.
They provided the fish, and in turn, someone bought a chicken, another added a soup, and someone else ordered some cold, braised meat. A jar of wine was brought out, and everyone enjoyed a fine meal.
When they set out again the next day, everyone was refreshed and in high spirits.
But everyone had different destinations. Some, filled with disappointment, were returning to their hometowns. Others, filled with hope and ambition, were heading out to strive for a better future.
After four more days of unhurried travel, the group finally arrived at Xinghuai Prefecture at noon.
As they arrived, a procession was entering the city just outside the magnificent, imposing city gates.
It was a line of serious criminals, dressed in prison garb with shackles on their hands and feet. They had come from various county governments and were to join the convicts from Xinghuai Prefecture on the journey to their place of exile.
Along the way, these people had suffered immensely. They were not only disheveled and emaciated, but large chilblains had also formed on their bodies.
The weather was already very cold; one needed to wear a padded jacket in the mornings and evenings. But these prisoners wore only straw sandals—if they had any shoes at all. With only a thin layer of prison clothing, how could they endure the deep autumn chill?
If they couldn’t even withstand late autumn, the dead of winter would be even harder for them.
Seeing these people, the group was suddenly reminded of Chen Wanyue.
Just before they were about to leave Qingshui County, Chen Wanyue had asked Chen Song to summon De’an.
She gave De’an the house and land deeds to the small courtyard, which she had hidden in her hairpin, in exchange for his promise to collect her body in the future.
De’an wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t.
’His entire future would be dragged down by his mother and sister, yet they were his own flesh and blood. How could he watch them go to their deaths and not even agree to their request to collect their bodies?’
In the end, De’an gritted his teeth and agreed.
But the house and land deeds he took with him didn’t end up in his hands.
When his grandmother found out he had visited Chen Wanyue in prison, she came bustling over to his door.
Chen Wanyue had stolen that small courtyard, but that courtyard had clearly been purchased with Chen Lin’s silver. Although the third son’s whereabouts were now unknown, what belonged to the third son belonged to them. They weren’t dead yet, so how could they let a member of the younger generation hold onto it?
Before, they couldn’t beat Chen Wanyue or snatch the deeds from her, so they could only let her be.
Now the deeds had fallen into the hands of a grandson who had married into another family. What was the difference between that and just giving it to Chunyue and her daughter?
The old lady wouldn’t stand for it. She stormed over to his home and ultimately succeeded in demanding the house and land deeds back.
But enough of these vexing matters. The line of prisoners soon entered the city. At that moment, the group also reached the city gates and quickly fell into line to enter.
De’an said, "We’ve been gone for four or five months, but it feels like the Prefecture hasn’t changed at all."
"Maybe if you were gone for forty or fifty years, the changes would be bigger."
"Jing, you’re so mean! It’s not like I’m dead. Why would I not come back to my hometown for forty or fifty years? Hey, look over there..."
De’an sucked in a sharp breath, only to see Zhao Jing’s gaze turn sharp in an instant.
He had been about to tease him, but now he didn’t dare. He quickly followed his line of sight.
One look, and De’an couldn’t help but suck his teeth.
’Speak of the devil.’
’This is it.’
The person in the line opposite them, waiting to leave the city, was none other than Meng Jintang!
Meng Jintang had successfully become a scholar, and it was said he ranked near the top. He was strikingly handsome, known to be open-hearted and righteous. Rumor had it that even the Lord Prefect held him in high regard and praised him endlessly.
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