"Eunuch traitor..."
Zhao Yi hung up the phone.
He didn't expect Li Zhiyuan to live with that old lady, but now knowing it, it seemed rather fitting.
The old lady's family was now sparsely populated, and coupled with Li Zhiyuan's terrifying talent, treating him like a dear grandson was only natural.
If Zhao Yi were Li Zhiyuan's relative, he would also cherish this smart kid dearly.
However, Tan Wenbin was now eager to dig a pit for him, and he dug three inches deep, forcing Zhao Yi to reconsider his attitude toward Tan Wenbin.
After all, historically, the civil officials were not only at odds with eunuchs, but they had another path, which was befriending the eunuchs and becoming their allies.
Behind Zhao Yi, Liang Yan and Liang Li each carried a large backpack, holding two large luggage bags with their hands.
The sisters dressed fashionably and looked very pretty, but carrying so much luggage created quite a contradiction, drawing continual glances from passersby.
People first looked at the burdened sisters and then at Zhao Yi, who stood empty-handed with his hands in his pockets.
Mr. Tian sat in the wheelchair, a blanket covering his knees, and he was rolling up tobacco in his hands.
After getting injured and paralyzed, the neurological pain caused him continuous torment, and he got used to occasionally inhaling some anesthetics.
It's no big deal when smoking at home, but outside, he had to exhale each puff into a water gourd, or else it could knock the surroundings down.
Zhao Yi reminded the sisters, "When the people come to pick us up, once we get there, you two should behave, and remember to keep your gazes lowered."
Liang Yan: "We don't need to look at people."
Liang Li: "And we don't need to speak."
Zhao Yi smiled slightly and took out a piece of paper, spreading it in front of them:
"If you disregard the family's life and death, feel free to show your attitude; I've brought the annulment letter, ready to cut ties anytime."
Liang Yan: "A useless man."
Liang Li: "Does marrying you give any sense of security?"
Zhao Yi: "Protecting you requires you to have a brain; it's okay if you don't, but you need to know how to listen."
Mr. Tian: "Master, is it this serious?"
Zhao Yi: "Li Zhiyuan is living with the old lady."
The freshly rolled tobacco in Mr. Tian's hand fell to the ground.
Zhao Yi: "Li Zhiyuan is traveling Jiang and can live together without fearing causal entanglement, suggesting the old lady is also living the White Dragon Fish Suit life, just like ordinary people.
Pretending to be ordinary is a performance; we mustn't take it seriously.
The last thing to do now is to act oblivious and presumptuous up front."
Liang Yan: "We understand."
Liang Li: "We'll behave."
Zhao Yi nodded, walked to the bookstore ahead, and started browsing a copy of the Yangzi Evening News.
Approaching the end of exams, various bookstores were displaying all kinds of supplementary materials.
Zhao Yi turned a page of the newspaper, his peripheral vision caught sight of a book below.
No, to be precise, there were many books, a brand, various colors, his gaze moving back and forth; this brand's supplementary materials occupied the best spot at the front of the stall.
"The Secret Manual for the Provincial Exam Top Scorer's Success!"
"The Stairway to Exam Success!"
"The Lucky Bookmark Collector's Special Edition!"
Different advertising copy, but consistent branding โ Chasing Faraway Secret Scroll.
"What's Li Zhiyuan's name again?"
Zhao Yi's first reaction was a namesake, but upon picking one up and opening the preface's first page, Li Zhiyuan's photo was there.
Not deliberately posed for the photo; it looked more like a group certificate photo from high school, the clarity wasn't high, but sufficient to confirm his identity.
"You sure have leisure?"
The preface content continued in first person narrative, recounting how a poor student achieved amazing progress by following Li Zhiyuan's learning methods and finally succeeded in getting into their dream college.
The preface was signed โ Tan Wenbin.
Zhao Yi chuckled, certainly Li Zhiyuan wouldn't bother with such affairs; this kind of revenue-generating task naturally belonged to Household Affairs.
He picked one up, paid, and upon unsealing the book, squeezed out a talisman paper bookmark from inside.
Li Zhiyuan probably used to draw talismans himself and put them inside, but now with huge sales, the talisman paper has become printed.
A pickup truck drove over, Tan Wenbin rolled down the window and waved:
"Mr. Zhao, get in the car."
"Didn't you see I've brought so many gifts, and you didn't come down to help move things?"
"You're bringing gifts because there's something in our place that your Zhao family wants more; whoever goes to whom indicates who benefits."
Zhao Yi gave a glance, and the Liang Sisters threw all the luggage onto the pickup, including the wheelchair-bound Old Tian, and then the sisters got into the rear compartment themselves.
Opening the front passenger door, Zhao Yi got in alone.
Tan Wenbin complained while turning, "Why choose this place for a meeting, it's the busiest place in all of Nantong for pedestrians and traffic."
Zhao Yi: "Didn't expect you live so remotely."
Tan Wenbin: "Is your Zhao Family Ancestral Mansion placed in the city center?"
Zhao Yi: "You guessed it right."
Tan Wenbin: "Hidden in the city?"
Zhao Yi shook his head: "When the Old Ancestor chose the location to build the mansion, he didn't expect that barren place could also be developed later. It had to be done; the old mansion was divided, restrictions and arrays were set; it was hidden within the city, while the family lineage lived in the newly built manor in the outskirts."
Tan Wenbin: "Is the treasure trove also in the city?"
Zhao Yi: "If the array and restriction there are damaged, it could easily harm the innocent."
Tan Wenbin: "Your Zhao Family truly causes mischief; if one day it's burglarized and triggers a disaster, you'd blame yourselves for not having done fire and security measures well."
