On their way to light lanterns, chatting and laughing, the women saw some weeds sprouting on the cenotaph of Xu Huaiqian's parents. They stopped to pull them out.
Usually, Brother Lieju tended to the cenotaph for Scholar Xu. He couldn't bear to let his little husband climb such a high mountain or come to this eerie, gloomy place.
The villagers couldn't bear it either, afraid Xu Huaiqian's weak health couldn't handle the Yin energy around gravesites, lest he catch some illness—not worth the risk.
With Chen Lieju away, they readily helped with what they could.
So many people lighting lanterns for Xu Huaiqian made the temple abbot very happy.
His temple used to be a dilapidated temple with just him and his disciple. No one came for years; they had to farm wasteland to fill their stomachs.
Now, people from surrounding villages often came to pray for Scholar Xu's health. With the incense offerings, his temple had been renovated again and again. In two more years, his temple could apply to the government to host a temple fair. Then everyone in Mishan County would know his temple, and incense would flourish even more.
So, he also chanted sutras before Buddha every day for Xu Huaiqian's health, hoping he would always be safe and well.
The villagers of Xinghua Village, worried about Xu Huaiqian's health, launched a vigorous lantern-lighting campaign at the temple. Xu Huaiqian, who had just arrived in Changnan, knew nothing about it. Even if he did, he would laugh and cry.
No one cherished his health more than his wife. From Xinghua Village to Changnan, he hadn't suffered any bumps.
Because last year, when his wife joined the Changnan Chamber of Commerce, he waved his hand and directly built a coal-cinder road from Xinghua Village to Changnan Prefecture, stunning everyone in Changnan!
Although his wallet shrunk considerably, Chen Liejiu's generous move directly promoted him to president of the Changnan Chamber of Commerce, in charge of price regulation for the entire Changnan Administration Commission—his power was immense.
To let his little husband focus on the exams, he also bought a large estate in Changnan Prefecture.
The moment Xu Huaiqian arrived in Changnan, he was led by a servant into a sprawling two-courtyard mansion. He was so shocked his eyelashes trembled.
"Did you buy this?" Xu Huaiqian looked at his wealthy wife, hardly daring to believe that Chen Liejiu had secretly bought property behind his back.
"Didn't buy it—the Chamber of Commerce gave it to me." Chen Liejiu led Xu Huaiqian into the mansion and showed him around. "Do you like it?"
"Like it!" Who wouldn't like a big house? But, "Why would the Chamber give you a mansion?"
"Maybe they thought I, as the Chamber president, was too shabby, always staying in inns when I came to the prefectural city?" Chen Liejiu thought about it.
"Really?" Xu Huaiqian rubbed his nose, feeling deeply guilty. "It's because I gave you too little money."
Because the family's money had been used by Chen Liejiu to build the road, watching his thick stack of silver notes turn into a thin few, and because Chen Liejiu spent too freely—buying anything pretty he saw for Xu Huaiqian—Xu Huaiqian had restricted his spending.
Every time he went out, he gave him only ten or twenty taels. He thought it was enough, but never expected others would look down on him.
The truth was, Chen Liejiu building the road had made business along the route from Xinghua Village to Changnan countless times better. The major chambers gave him the mansion as thanks.
"It's fine," Chen Liejiu didn't mind at all. "We got a mansion for free!"
He took out the deed: "I registered the mansion under your name. Even if I stop being Chamber president, the mansion is still ours."
Holding the deed with his name, Xu Huaiqian felt his nose tingle: "A-Jiu, you're so good to me."
Chen Liejiu looked strangely at Xu Huaiqian, not understanding his silly talk: "You're my husband. Who else should I be good to if not you?"
"But you'll be mocked for this." Xu Huaiqian looked down at him.
Chen Liejiu was puzzled: "Mocked for what?!"
"For being love-struck," Xu Huaiqian said without hesitation. "Spending money on men brings eight lifetimes of bad luck. Wang Baochuan digging wild vegetables."
Chen Liejiu understood "spending money on men brings eight lifetimes of bad luck," but not the rest: "What's 'love-struck'? And who is Wang Baochuan digging wild vegetables?"
Xu Huaiqian explained.
"But aren't we married?" Chen Liejiu looked up at Xu Huaiqian. "Would you be a heartless betrayer?"
"Of course not." His wife was so good—he cherished her too much.
"Then that's that," Chen Liejiu smiled at Xu Huaiqian. "So what are you worried about?"
"Right." Xu Huaiqian thought about it—with how clingy he was with his wife, she wouldn't worry about him digging wild vegetables.
But then...
As Xu Huaiqian was thinking, Chen Liejiu smiled at him again, very seductively: "A-Qian, give me five hundred taels."
"Five hundred taels!" Xu Huaiqian's eyelids twitched. "What do you need so much money for?!"
"Need it for something," Chen Liejiu bit his lip. "Can't tell you now—you'll know in a few days."
Xu Huaiqian was reluctant: "Can't you not use it?"
"No." Chen Liejiu refused, tugging Xu Huaiqian's sleeve and calling again, "—A-Qian."
"Alright." With his wife acting cute, Xu Huaiqian couldn't refuse. Reluctantly, he took out five hundred taels from his bundle: "Spend it wisely. We don't have much left."
"Got it, won't waste it!" With the money, Chen Liejiu smiled so widely his teeth disappeared. He stood on tiptoe and left a few saliva marks on Xu Huaiqian's face: "My A-Qian is the best! I have things to do, so I'll go handle them now."
One moment immersed in his wife's tender embrace, the next Xu Huaiqian was brought back to reality by his wife's heartless words.
He grabbed Chen Liejiu's hand as he was about to leave: "Wait!"
"What is it?" Chen Liejiu, ready to leave with the money, turned back to look at him.
"You can't betray my trust!" Xu Huaiqian pursed his lips, his beautiful affectionate eyes full of grievance. "If you betray me, I'll have to guard a cold kiln and dig wild vegetables too!"
That's right—Xu Huaiqian remembered.
Although Chen Liejiu was a man, he was also male, and Xu Huaiqian was also love-struck—the kind who couldn't walk straight when he saw Chen Liejiu.
If Chen Liejiu ever betrayed him, he would likely end up like Wang Baochuan, guarding a cold kiln every day eating wild vegetables, living a miserable life.
And the thought of him digging wild vegetables at home while Chen Liejiu enjoyed himself outside made him furious: "By then, your carefully nurtured pretty husband will be gone—turned into an old, ugly stinky man."
"Hahahahaha," Chen Liejiu was utterly amused by his little husband. "If I were a heartless betrayer, why would I care about your looks?"
"Seems right." Xu Huaiqian thought about it—the logic didn't hold. Love-struckness was harmful; it made smart people dumb.
"Don't worry." Chen Liejiu hugged Xu Huaiqian. "I'm the one who can't leave you. Having had a husband like you, how could I ever be interested in ordinary mediocre people!"
That's right—and it wasn't Xu Huaiqian boasting—there probably weren't many in the world better-looking than him!
Hearing this, Xu Huaiqian felt confident: "Then you can't use the money for bad things."
"Won't!" Chen Liejiu rubbed his little husband's delicate face and said mysteriously, "You'll know in a few days!"
"Alright." Xu Huaiqian was almost aroused by the rubbing and took the initiative to step back. "Finish your business early and come back early!"
"Got it!" With that, Chen Liejiu took the money and left in a flash.
As soon as he left, Xu Huaiqian took the deed to show off to Duan Youyan and the others.
They had shown off to him all the way—it was his turn to show off back! Hmph!
Unfortunately, Chen Liejiu had done so much for Xu Huaiqian that his friends were used to it. Building a road that long for ten thousand taels—what was a mansion deed compared to that?!
But they were also jealous. A road! A road from Xinghua Village to Changnan!
Ten thousand taels! A full ten thousand taels! Spent just like that! Without even blinking!
Do you know how many people that road fed? They heard that last year, working on the road for a year, many families who couldn't eat got enough to fill their stomachs.
On the day of completion, many knelt on the ground in gratitude!
Especially Pei Wangshu—he felt that Chen Liejiu kept raising the bar for finding a wife or husband. He even felt he might never find one in this lifetime!
They thought building the road and the mansion deed were the peak of what Chen Liejiu could do for Xu Huaiqian. But never expected that a few days later, Chen Liejiu would refresh their lower limit again.
Here's what happened.
They came to Changnan for the provincial exams. After studying at Xu Huaiqian's mansion for half a month, it was time for the exams.
The provincial exam wasn't like the prefectural exam. The prefectural exam lasted three days; the provincial exam lasted nine days.
The few of them still felt a lingering fear when they recalled how Xu Huaiqian had gone blind after the three-day prefectural exam. As they checked in at the exam compound entrance, their hearts were pounding nervously.
"Should we bribe the supply officer to get you some better supplies?" Duan Youyan suggested directly. Perhaps because his father-in-law was a magistrate, he knew that many things in official circles could be accommodated, as long as it wasn't too excessive.
"Probably not necessary," Xu Huaiqian shook his head. "My A-Jiu is the president of the Changnan Chamber of Commerce. I heard he can regulate the exam compound supplies. Since he didn't say anything to me, it probably won't be like the prefectural exam."
Xu Huaiqian thought about it—Chen Liejiu's first requirement when joining the Chamber was to ask if they could intervene in exam compound matters. It was probably because he still had lingering fears from Xu Huaiqian going blind during the prefectural exam. So if the Chamber could intervene in the provincial exam compound, it would spare him some suffering.
The others thought the same—since Chen Liejiu hadn't said anything, the exam compound supplies should be fine.
So they confidently and boldly checked into the exam compound, but then they saw an unexpected person at the supply yard.
"A-Jiu?!" Xu Huaiqian was stunned to see Chen Liejiu in red clothes distributing supplies.
"You're here!" Chen Liejiu handed out supplies to others, then looked up and saw his little husband. He quickly passed his tasks to someone else and went to Xu Huaiqian.
"What are you doing here?" Xu Huaiqian asked delightedly.
"Guess?" Chen Liejiu winked at him.
Pei Wangshu pursed his lips. What was there to guess? He was definitely here for Xu Huaiqian.
Xu Huaiqian didn't speak, but his heart was beating wildly. How could his wife be so good to him?
Chen Liejiu felt his blood rushing backward under his little husband's burning gaze. To cut off the ambiguous atmosphere, he quickly pulled him to where he had separately prepared supplies: "These are all prepared for you—better than the ones outside. Take them into the exam compound."
The provincial exam was the real deal—he couldn't let his husband get clingy with him at this critical moment.
The group took the supplies and entered the exam compound, where they were shocked again by the scene inside.
All the exam cells had been expanded. At the very least, a person could lie down to sleep—unlike the prefectural exam where they couldn't even stretch their legs.
In front of each cell, bamboo and cloth curtains were prepared. If the sunlight was too strong during the day or it got cold at night, they could lower the curtains and sleep or take the exam comfortably.
"Xu Huaiqian, you must have saved the world in your past life." Pei Wangshu looked at the modified exam compound and thought of Chen Liejiu in the supply yard—he immediately realized who all this was prepared for. He was extremely jealous.
"I don't know either." Xu Huaiqian carried his supplies to his cell, touched the walls even scented with incense, and just wanted to shout in his heart: Wife, you're the best!
With a wife like Chen Liejiu, who was such a husband-loving person, he would never have to worry about his health in this lifetime. Wuu, wife is so good.
But that wasn't all. During the exam, people would occasionally come by to ask if they were thirsty, hungry, or wanted food or pastries. Although they had to pay for it themselves, that year's provincial exam left a lifelong impression on many candidates.
They had never taken an exam so comfortably!
And in the exam compound his wife had meticulously prepared for him, Xu Huaiqian slowly opened the exam paper. When he saw the questions, he was stunned.
Wasn't this just handing him points?!
He didn't know that while he was answering the questions, the envoy sent by the Emperor had just arrived in Taoyuan County. As soon as they disembarked and saw his county, so different from others, they were all greatly astonished, like country bumpkins who had never seen the world.