Chapter 198: Origin Point

Jiang Yihuan saw Su Yaoguang and was captivated by her trendy dress.

She looked down at her own clothes, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes.

How long had it been since she bought new clothes?

Ever since marrying Xiao Yanci, her life slowly worsened, and her workload increased. She used to never do hard labor; others were eager to do it. Now, as a married woman, those who once fawned over her had mostly left, making her wonder if she’d lost her charm. Yet, noticing Yang Quan’s unwavering loyalty, she knew she still had allure; it was just her marriage that deterred those men who saw no chance to marry her.

Feigning confidence like a triumphant rooster, she clung to Xiao Yanci’s arm and forced herself to walk past Su Yaoguang.

With a roll of her eyes, Su Yaoguang entered the Gambling House.

"Boss Su, what brings you here?" The Gambling House owner, Zhong Chushan’s father, greeted her with a grin. "In the mood for a few rounds today?"

"Uncle Zhong, your son calls my mother his godmother, so we’re practically family. If you try to cheat me out of money, that’s just too much."

Boss Zhong chuckled, "He is him, and I am me. If he makes a connection and I stop earning, how would this Gambling House survive?"

"If that’s how you see it, I’ll have our Wang Shu stop tutoring your son. After all, he is him, and you are you; forcing him to study is pointless if he doesn’t wish to pursue a title."

"No, no, Uncle Zhong was wrong! Uncle Zhong wouldn’t cheat your silver."

"Uncle Zhong, what were they doing earlier? Did they repay their debt to you?"

"How can one say they’ve repaid a thousand taels just like that? The Fenghua Pavilion did have some value, but the madam snatched it away, and I only managed to seize some goods. After clearing out those goods, there’s still 800 taels of external debt uncollected. That Xiao showed up, wrote an IOU, and said they’d gradually pay back the 800 taels."

"Gradually as in over ten or twenty years?"

"Wishful thinking! I gave them a five-year deadline with an annual repayment of 160 taels, which means around several taels each month."

"And if they can’t repay?"

"That Xiao signed the IOU and got government witnesses, so not even if he runs to the ends of the earth can he escape this debt. Each month they must pay at least twelve taels, with the rest settled by year’s end. If they can’t, compound interest will apply. To avoid interest piling up, they better repay honestly."

Su Yaoguang left the Gambling House and, in a good mood, bought many ornaments at the gold shop, giving them to all the women, and even Zhou Wangshu received a golden hairpin.

She returned to the shop adorned with jewelry and gifted her relatives. As she placed the golden hairpin on Zhou Wangshu, everyone praised it.

"It’s strange; everything looks good on our Wang Shu. Look how thick this golden hairpin is; on others, it would seem gaudy."

"He’s handsome, so he looks good in anything," Zhang Pandi commented.

Zhou Wangshu touched the hairpin and asked, "What happened today to make you feel so good?"

"I just came across Jiang Yihuan and them at the Gambling House entrance," Su Yaoguang shared the news she had heard. "They owe 800 taels of debt and lost the Fenghua Pavilion; repaying twelve taels monthly would be grueling. They owe, but we don’t. We’ve earned a lot of silver lately, so we should spend it on ourselves. We should dress beautifully and wear lovely jewelry to show everyone that our family’s women live well."

"Men live well too," Zhang Zhaodi added. "Your uncle’s health is improving. I thought he wasn’t recovering due to a lack of silver for treatment and nourishment. By the way, it’s time for your uncle to attend the autumn exams. Your aunt is considering renting a place outside for peace and quiet for his studying."

"That’s good," Su Yaoguang said. "Aunt, is the silver enough?"

Zhang Yingdi replied, "It is. You’ve been generous to us, and it’s enough to buy a house. However, since we’re unsure of his exam situation, we’re just renting temporarily rather than purchasing."

"Need any help searching?"

"I’ve asked him to look himself," Zhang Yingdi said. "He’s not oblivious to normal life tasks. If I had to manage this, what future would I have with him? I just hope he contributes to the household."

Zhang Zhaodi whispered something in Zhang Yingdi’s ear.

Embarrassed, Zhang Yingdi said, "He’s just recovered, and preparing for autumn exams, so he can’t be distracted."

"Is he interested?" Zhang Pandi clearly knew the topic.

"I..."

Zhou Wangshu covered Su Yaoguang’s ears and led her away.

"Why cover my ears? Is there something I shouldn’t hear?"

Zhou Wangshu sighed, "It’s not that you can’t hear it; I’m just worried aunt would die of embarrassment. Come on, don’t be so curious."

"Wang Shu, I’ll tell you..." Su Yaoguang said, placing the hairpin on his head. "You wearing this golden hairpin looks like the little attendant of the God of Wealth."

Time flew by. Not long ago, when they were worried about renting a place, Wang Huanzhi and Zhou Wangshu with other scholars had set off for the autumn exams.

The provincial exam was held at the Imperial Examination Hall in the provincial capital. They had to set off days ahead to find a place to stay. During those days, they’d mingle with other scholars, gather news, and find out about the chief examiner.

In the carriage, Su Yaoguang lifted the curtain and watched Zhou Wangshu riding outside.

Seeing her, Zhang Yingdi laughed, "If you want to ride a horse with Wang Shu, just say so, don’t just admire him."

Inside were Zhang Yingdi and Wang Huanzhi. Hearing Zhang Yingdi’s words, Wang Huanzhi glanced at Su Yaoguang and chuckled.

Being young is wonderful.

Su Yaoguang seemed to have endless energy, and Zhou Wangshu appeared vigorous and strong.

He felt he couldn’t match these young ones anymore, but he cherished the precious opportunity, thus focusing only on studying recently.

Su Yaoguang leaning out the window prompted Zhang Yingdi nearby to caution her about danger.

"Wang Shu, look after this little rascal," Zhang Yingdi chided, "She wants to get out just seeing you ride."

Zhou Wangshu tightened the reins and told the coachman, "Stop the carriage."

Then he patted the horse and said to Su Yaoguang, "Come up."