They had initially taken the main road, unaware that they had circled around to the back of the mountain where a village was located. Qiu Su was both tired and hungry, but upon seeing the small village, she let out a soft "Yay!" and took a deep breath, playfully revealing two dimples at the corners of her mouth.
Pei Yuan turned his head and smiled at her, "Wait a moment, I'll go take a look."
Qiu Su held his hand tightly, but when they reached the village entrance, she ran ahead of him, turned around, gestured to Pei Yuan, and entered the village herself. Pei Yuan watched Qiu Su's retreating figure, a gentle smile appearing on his lips. He didn't hide as she had suggested, but instead followed her.
The village was peaceful, with few people on the streets and low courtyard walls, allowing one to see inside from outside. The villagers lived simple lives. Qiu Su randomly chose a house and saw an old woman chopping hay outside the cowshed. The old woman also saw Qiu Su, looked at her suspiciously for a moment, and then called out, "Young lady, are you looking for someone?"
There weren't many villagers in the mountains to begin with, so it wasn't surprising that they could tell at a glance that she was an outsider. Qiu Su looked around and said with a smile, "Auntie, my husband and I were passing through this area when we got lost in the dark. We would like to ask to stay here for the night."
The old woman put down the grass she was holding, clapped her hands in front of her stomach, looked at Qiu Su for a moment, and then turned her gaze to the other side. Qiu Su was puzzled, and turned her head to look, only to find Pei Yuan standing to the side, smiling at the old woman.
The old woman scrutinized the two of them again, seemingly never having seen a woman with loose hair like Qiu Su before. After looking them over for a long time, she pointed at them and said with a smile, "You ran away from your arranged marriage? Trying to fool this old lady? I've eaten more salt than you've eaten noodles. Come in, come in. I'd rather tear down ten temples than break up one marriage. I'm not an unenlightened person."
Pei Yuanduan opened the gate to let Qiu Su in, then closed it behind him.
The old woman smiled and ushered the two into the house. Before they could ask any questions, she explained, "The old man went to check on the crops in the fields. Those two acres aren't even ripe yet, and he's been worrying about them constantly. My son, he's quite capable. A few years ago, he passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). He was the first person in our village to do so. That's amazing! This year he went to the capital to take some kind of exam."
"The Palace Examination".
“Yes, the imperial examination. They said they’d bring back the third-ranked scholar. We’re just waiting to enjoy our good fortune. My daughter-in-law took her grandson to visit some neighbors, and you two…” The old woman looked at the two of them, whose clothes, though expensive, were so dirty that the patterns were unrecognizable, and then at Qiu Su’s hands, which she hadn’t had time to hide under her sleeves. She clicked her tongue in distress and said, “I’ll go and make you a room so you can wash up first.”
"May I ask your surname, sir?"
"Oh, what's so expensive about it? It's just a farmer's surname, Yang."
Aunt Yang left with a smile, and Pei Yuan turned to Qiu Su and asked, "Do you think you can pass the exam?"
"I guess so, since the top scholar hasn't been decided yet."
Pei Yuan nodded, "I thought it was Shui Sheng's family."
Qiu Su's lips twitched. "Lu Mingcheng is not from Xiangzhou."
"You seem to understand."
Aunt Yang quickly returned, pulling out two sets of clothes from the house and handing them over. "Don't be disgusted. These are my son and daughter-in-law's clothes, all old, but at least they're clean. Take off the clothes you're wearing, wash them, and they'll be dry by tomorrow."
Qiu Su took the food and looked at Pei Yuan. Pei Yuan suppressed a smile and asked, "Auntie, is there anything to eat?"
"Oh dear, I forgot about that." Aunt Yang laughed and slapped her thigh. "I'll go make it now. You guys go wash up and rest for a while. Look at those dark circles under your eyes."
Pei Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. After thanking Aunt Yang, he pulled Qiu Su into the next room.
The house was made of stone, with small windows, but the light was still decent since it was late afternoon. The door wasn't high, and Pei Yuan had to bend down slightly to enter, but the inside was very clean. Pei Yuan looked around, left Qiu Su in the room, went out to fetch water, and returned. The two of them washed their faces and collapsed onto the bed, unwilling to move.
Qiu Su was in pain all over, and even when Aunt Yang called from outside the door, she refused to get up. Pei Yuan went out for a moment, then brought in the food and placed it directly on the bedside table for Qiu Su to eat while lying down. Qiu Su was truly exhausted; she didn't even open her eyes, and nibbled on a cornbread bun, one bite at a time. Pei Yuan sat to one side, eating as well, occasionally picking up a piece of green vegetable and feeding it to Qiu Su.
After eating most of it, Pei Yuan suddenly chuckled and said, "Judging from this, my wife really does seem to be pregnant."
Qiu Su raised her eyelids, shamelessly hummed in agreement, and after a long while murmured, "Why do I always automatically associate meeting a man and a woman with eloping?"
"Isn't this just eloping? It's just that we're doing it openly and honestly."
Qiu Su rolled over, facing upwards, and ate the cornbread piece by piece, but when she got to the last piece, she didn't lift her hand again. Pei Yuan looked at the yellow cornbread in her mouth, both amused and exasperated, and patted her cheek, saying, "You choked. Eat it, then go back to sleep."
Qiu Su chewed a couple of bites in a daze, then stopped. Just when Pei Yuan thought she was asleep, she chewed a couple more bites. She chewed and stopped like this for a long time before finally swallowing a mouthful of steamed bun. Pei Yuan gestured and pinched her cheek, then smiled and ate the rest. Only then did he go out again, bring back the hot water that the old lady had boiled, and a small pot of liquor.
As Pei Yuan wiped Qiu Su's hands with a hot cloth, he muttered to himself, "How did I become a little servant? The master is right, you really are destined for wealth and honor, born to reach the most prestigious position."
Pei Yuan poured the wine onto a clean cloth and wiped the wounds one by one. He saw that Qiu Su's brows were furrowed like knots and she was humming incessantly, refusing to wake up. Suddenly, he felt that he was also exhausted.
Sleep can be contagious, just like eating and yawning.
Pei Yuan tossed the handkerchief into the basin, lifted the thin sheet, and lay down next to Qiu Su. He pulled her into his arms, and she was already fast asleep.
********************************************
Qingfeng Theater:
Pei Yuan: I'll blow a breath of magic air, and my wife's hand won't hurt anymore.
Qiu Su: (With tender affection) Zi Qing?
Pei Yuan: Hmm? Please speak, my wife.
Qiu Su: (frowning in disgust) You eat garlic?
Author's Note: Dear readers, regardless of whether the story is popular or not, I will continue to update daily from now on, barring any unforeseen circumstances. For those of you who haven't posted yet, cough cough, could you please show yourselves? It's so quiet!
To all my readers who are following this story, love you all~~~ Hugs~~~~~
19
19. Elopement or running away from the wedding...?
Aunt Yang deliberately delayed dinner time, and only ate together when she called the two of them to get up at 7 p.m.
Dinner was simple: a plate of green vegetables, a plate of pickles, and a small bowl of rabbit meat, which looked specially prepared. The steamed buns were, as usual, yellow cornbread.
Uncle Yang was a very honest man; his face was full of wrinkles when he smiled, which made him look very kind. His daughter-in-law was rather refined; she didn't dare to look at Pei Yuan once throughout the meal. However, the seven or eight-year-old boy kept glancing at the two of them with his big, bright eyes.
“This girl looks like she comes from a wealthy family, unlike my daughter-in-law, who has never seen the world. The masters and mistresses of wealthy families are all reasonable and understanding. What parents don’t love their children? You two running around like this has made your families worry.”
Qiu Su smiled. "We really didn't elope. We were robbed on the way and then got lost."
Aunt Yang gave me a look that said, "You can't fool me," and glanced at me sideways, saying, "Afraid that I'll drag you to the authorities? What kind of person do you take me for? But your lover is a very honest man."
Qiu Su glanced at Pei Yuan, who was nodding with a smile, and was rather speechless.