Chapter 200: Moving In

After dining at the restaurant, the next thing to consider was lodging arrangements.

Cui Rong had a villa here and invited them to stay.

Su Yaoguang knew that this time of year was not ideal for renting houses; not only were prices two to three times higher than usual, but demand exceeded supply, and even if you wanted to rent, there was nothing available.

Su Yaoguang leaned closer to Zhou Wangshu and said, "Young Master Cui’s generous invitation is hard to refuse, how about we..."

"I’ve already rented a house. If we cancel now, the landlord won’t return our money," Zhou Wangshu said.

"When did you rent it?" Su Yaoguang was surprised.

"I sent the Attendant Student over to rent the house half a month ago. Brother Wang Shu heard we were coming to rent a place and asked us to rent two units for him as well. The money has already been paid," Zhong Chushan said. "Renting half a month in advance, the price was much cheaper, quite a bargain. The best part is that the area is full of scholars, so we can engage in discussions. By the way, because the house isn’t big, Aunt and Uncle have their own separate unit next door."

Zhou Wangshu continued, "With so many people, it’s not nice to bother someone. Even though you have business collaborations, favors are hard to repay.

Su Yaoguang nodded and said to Cui Rong, "Since they’ve already rented a place, we won’t bother you then. Thank you, Cui Rong."

Cui Rong was somewhat disappointed, but when he thought about discussing business in the provincial capital with her, the sense of loss quickly dissipated.

"How about I pick you up tomorrow and introduce you to the Boss here?"

"No hurry, I’ll spend the next few days helping Wang Shu get acquainted with the area, and after he enters the examination hall, then I’ll consider business matters," Su Yaoguang said.

"Then I’ll take you there and introduce the place, so it’s easier to stay in touch."

Chen Buyu leaned closer to Zhong Chushan and whispered, "This guy’s strategy is aggressive; do you think Wang Shu will truly get his walls breached?"

"I actually think this is an opportunity," Zhong Chushan mumbled, "If he isn’t nudged a bit, he will never understand his true feelings."

Zhong Chushan and the others rented a house precisely in an area where scholars gather, all of them from various places to take the provincial examination.

In fact, the houses here are customized by the locals for scholars taking exams; each unit is small, but despite its size, it has all the essentials.

Zhou Wangshu rented two units; Aunt and Uncle live in a separate unit, while Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu live next door. Chen Buyu and Zhong Chushan live opposite.

While everyone was moving things inside, the neighbors in the adjacent unit also arrived. As they were unloading large bags from the carriage, time seemed to stand still. Several of them widened their eyes in surprise at this ’coincidence.’

Jiang Yihuan clutched Xiao Yanci’s arm, "Husband, this tiny house cost us five taels of silver, it’s too expensive."

Xiao Yanci grunted, "Let’s move the stuff inside first!"

Su Yaoguang frowned, "Why won’t they go away?"

Zhou Wangshu didn’t expect such a deep-seated connection that wherever they go, they encounter each other. However, it had been a while since they last saw this family.

Reportedly, Zhong Lanhua followed Jiang Yihuan into the embroidery workshop, and the mother-daughter duo made quite a bit of money sewing from morning till night. However, all the money they earned went to repay debts.

Additionally, the master named Yang Quan was still with Jiang Yihuan. He rented a house in Jiang Yihuan’s courtyard and made and sold rouge and cosmetics at a stall every day.

The house rented by Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu had only one room, but apart from a bed, it also had a soft couch.

The weather was still hot, so there was no need for bedding; a bamboo mat was enough to cover, with just a thin cloth blanket.

Having just arrived in the provincial capital, the journey was exhausting, so they decided to eat something simple at home without going out, each minding their own business.

Su Yaoguang knew Uncle was more tense than other scholars, spending almost all his time on his studies, so she left them to have absolute space.

Zhong Chushan and Chen Buyu had attendants to care for them, and although she had some friendship with them, she didn’t meddle in their affairs, hence she didn’t inquire about their issues.

Zhou Wangshu came out of the bathroom after wiping himself down, and saw Su Yaoguang asleep by the window with her hair still wet, so he picked up a cloth to wipe her hair.

Su Yaoguang was awakened by him, squinting at him, "You finished? Go to sleep; I can dry my hair myself here for a bit."

Zhou Wangshu didn’t move and continued wiping her hair.

"Although the weather is hot, letting the wind blow on you might easily cause a chill."

"The wind blowing on my face is hot; I’m not that fragile." Su Yaoguang sat up, yawning. "I’ll sleep on the couch, and you take the bed."

Zhou Wangshu dried her hair and rubbed her cheeks.

"What are you doing?" The previously sleepy Su Yaoguang was startled awake.

"Wake you up a bit, wait for your hair to dry completely before sleeping," Zhou Wangshu said.

Strange sounds came from next door. At first, they didn’t pay it any mind, but the noise grew so much that they couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Next door...

Xiao Yanci was pinning Jiang Yihuan down, eyes full of red anger.

Images from earlier flashed through his mind.

Su Yaoguang came out of the kitchen carrying dishes; Zhou Wangshu caught her from afar and even wiped her sweat.

The scene was too upsetting.

He wanted to prove in this way that he hadn’t made a mistake. In his previous life, he chose Jiang Yihuan and treated Su Yaoguang as decoration; his choice wasn’t wrong. Things not going smoothly this life had nothing to do with forsaking Su Yaoguang as karmic punishment. Only Jiang Yihuan could bring him satisfaction; she was the woman he wanted.

Zhou Wangshu’s face turned darker and darker.

Next door was shameless, but he wanted to save face!

He grabbed Su Yaoguang’s hand and asked her to cover her ears, "Plug them, don’t dirty your ears. I’m stepping out for a bit, be back soon."

Su Yaoguang felt undeniably awkward.

Yet, why was Zhou Wangshu going out at this moment?

The small scene didn’t warrant plugging ears. After Zhou Wangshu left, she closed the window and began unpacking her belongings.

The shameless ruckus next door took away her sleepiness; now she had energy to unpack.

Soon after, there was a commotion outside.

Curiously, she opened the window and saw Zhou Wangshu bringing several scholars over.

"We’re all scholars; how can we see danger and not help? But I’m weak, unable to catch the thief alone, and can only ask you folks to lend me courage. Let’s catch this thief together."

"Brother Zhou is right; we scholars should help each other. Don’t worry, with so many of us, that thief can’t escape."

With those words, several scholars rushed into Xiao Yanci’s room.

Screams emerged from inside.

Zhou Wangshu stood at the gate, having no intention of going inside and dirtying his eyes.

Su Yaoguang: "..."