Boss Zhou was carrying someone on his back and was accompanied by a young man with messy hair. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren looked at the familiar-looking young man, and after taking a closer look, they looked at each other.

Zhou Shuren stood up and stepped forward, reaching out to lift the person behind the Boss. He saw the face clearly. Big trouble, the male protagonist Yao Zheyu!

Zhou Shuren had a toothache, and it must be no coincidence that the male protagonist came to his door. Judging from the anxious look on his face, he knew he was the one who came to his door.

The young man was very anxious. He was carrying his gōngzi from Zhoujia Village on his back. Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiucai moved and bought a big house. He wasted a lot of time walking all the way. The gōngzi was in very bad condition, “Master Xiucai, our gōngzi is in trouble. He has a fever now. Please ask Master Xiucai to ask a doctor to take a look. I will not bother Master Xiucai these days. When the gōngzi gets better, I will repay you in the future.”

He did not dare to go to the county. Fortunately, he thought of Zhou Xiucai, otherwise, he wouldn’t know who to look for.

Zhou Shuren’s stomachache worsened, and seeing the miserable state of the male lead, Zhou Shuren knew that trouble was definitely brewing. It was too late to throw him out now. Once he entered the door, regardless of whether he was involved with the male lead, they would have to help cover up the evidence. They couldn’t afford to provoke the male lead’s retaliation, especially since he seemed indestructible. Zhou Shuren weighed his options and said, “Boss, you go to the county and fetch Doctor Lu. When Doctor Lu asks who’s sick, just say it’s me, your father, who’s running a fever. Second son, you go outside and erase all traces.”

The servant spoke up, “I didn’t enter the village. I avoided the main entrance; I just passed by.”

He was still very careful, this is about his gōngzi’s life.

Zhou Shuren said: “That would be better.”

Zhou Shuren gestured for the servant to carry Yao Zhe Yu on his back. It was best for the male lead to live alone for now; Zhou Shuren didn’t want to see him. “I’ll arrange for you to stay in the empty courtyard behind the residence. Follow me.”

The courtyard behind the main residence was a place where several children played. A fire was lit in the house every day, so the house was never cold. Once the fire was kindled, the house quickly warmed up.

Zhulan dug out two new quilts and motioned for Li Shi to carry them with her to the empty courtyard. When they arrived at the empty courtyard, they were not in a hurry to spread the quilts. Zhulan asked Li Shi to go to the main courtyard to get a kettle. There was hot water in the kettle. Let the servant clean the male protagonist.

Zhulan went to Changlian’s house again and dug out Changlian’s newly made undershirt and outerwear for the New Year. Changlian had grown a lot this year, especially in winter. The growth was more obvious, and Changlian had grown too fast. He was extremely thin. Although he couldn’t compare to the male lead in height, Zhulan had made the inner clothes slightly larger, so they wouldn’t be too small for the male lead. The outer clothes also had some extra room left on the sides, so once she let the male lead out, he could wear them.

Despite Zhulan’s stomachache and the looming trouble, she could only endure it. Holding the clothes, she watched as the snow fell heavier and heavier. She couldn’t help but think that indeed, the male lead was lucky. With snowfall, all traces would be erased, which was good for them too. They wouldn’t have to worry about being traced or sought after.

In the room, the boy had already briefly cleaned Yao Zheyu. When he came out to get the clothes, he saw that they were all new. He was very grateful. “Thank you, Mrs. Xiucai.”

Zhulan said, “You must not have eaten. I’ll prepare some food. It will be brought over after a while, and your gōngzi will be taken care of by you. If you need anything, come to us in the main courtyard.”

 It was true that the boy hadn’t eaten for a long time. The last meal was last night’s dinner, and it was already afternoon. Carrying the gōngzi on her back all the way, he was already very hungry. “Thank you, Madam.”

Zhulan nodded and went out. Li Shi was waiting in the yard. Li Shi had a lot to say, but when she saw her mother-in-law coming out, she lowered her voice, “Mom, how could something happen to the Gōngzi of the Hou Mansion? “

Wasn’t the Gōngzi of the Hou Mansion a noble son of the Hou Mansion? Why was he in such a distressing situation?

Zhulan took Li Shi out of the courtyard, made sure that the servant could not hear her, and then said: “You think that the Marquis Mansion is a nest of wealth, and there is only one heir apparent, you stupid daughter-in-law.”

Li Shi’s reaction was much faster now, she understood the meaning, covered her mouth that was about to scream, and calmed down for a while, “Mom, our family is better, there are not so many twists and turns at all.”

Zhulan, “.”

Ha, Li Shi didn’t mince words at all, and she wasn’t shy about it either. The eldest couple were both straightforward people. Now they were determined not to separate the family. Li Shi was even more eager to stay close to her, always pouring her tea or shelling sunflower seeds for her, all to gain more favor for the Eldest room!

Still daring to say she’s not sly! “Not sly, not sly,” you keep saying, but then why are you always hovering around me?

Back in the main courtyard, Zhulan asked Li Shi to heat up the leftover steamed buns and porridge from noon and then asked Changyi to deliver them to the backyard. A servant was waiting in the backyard, so they didn’t need to worry about it.

Zhulan returned to the room, and Zhou Shuren was already sitting and reading. Zhulan was very tired, “I thought I would never have any contact with the male protagonist in the future, but now he comes to the door in embarrassment.”

Zhou Shuren put down the book in his hand. He had already cursed in his heart and felt quite calm now. He said rationally, “Although we don’t want to be involved with the male lead, it’s also good to have a lifesaving favor. We don’t ask for anything from the male lead. Keeping the favor of saving our lives will give us leverage in the future. Even if the male lead is calculating and ruthless, he will still consider the debt of gratitude.”

Upon careful consideration, Zhulan realized that instead of guarding against contact with the male lead, it would be better to seize the opportunity now to turn the situation from passive to active. They would have control over the situation. Once she understood this, she felt relieved and smiled, saying, “In that case, this isn’t trouble; it’s an opportunity that’s come knocking.”

Zhou Shuren nodded, “Everything has two sides. A bad thing can turn into a good thing if you put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Zhulan thought that the male protagonist was really miserable. Although he was not injured, he was seriously ill, and he didn’t look like he had just fallen ill. “The male protagonist is not staying in Pingzhou. Why is he here?”

He also gave the people who wanted to harm him an opportunity to take advantage of it, and he didn’t hear that Wang Ru returned to Zhoujiacun!

 Zhou Shuren thought for a while, “Our county is a transportation hub, and it is the only place to go back to the capital. Yao Zheyu left Pingzhou with an illness. He must have urgent matters to return to the capital. It seems that, as you know, Yao Zheyu did not participate in next year’s competition. There are other reasons for Tong Sheng’s exam.”

Zhulan counted on her fingers. It was almost the New Year. Although the capital was not particularly far from Pingzhou, it took a month and a half to go back and forth in the winter, plus the delay in the capital. At that time, Yao Zheyu couldn’t come back in time to take part in the Tongsheng Examination. He had to rush back to the capital even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to come back in time. This was because he knew that he wouldn’t be able to take part in the Tongsheng Examination if he stayed.

For some reason, he could not take part in the Tongsheng examination. The male protagonist rushed back to the capital because of illness.

Thinking about the reasons why he couldn’t participate in the Tongsheng Examination and why the male lead rushed back to the capital despite his illness, Zhulan came to a realization. “The old Marquis must be in critical condition. He urgently sent Yao Zheyu back. If the old Marquis passes away, the male lead, as his grandson, will have to observe mourning for twelve months. Naturally, he won’t be able to participate in the Tongsheng Examination next year. It seems that the novel indeed doesn’t clarify things well in just a few sentences. In the original text, the male lead comes to Pingzhou two years later. One reason is Wang Ru’s situation, and another reason is indeed for the examination.”

Zhou Shuren said, “This also explains why some people dared to intervene, not only to prevent Yao Zheyu from returning to the capital but also to ensure he doesn’t go back.”

Zhulan blinked, “This is a chain reaction. If Yao Zheyu hadn’t left the capital early, he wouldn’t have experienced what he encountered today.”

At least no one dared to harm Yao Zheyu in the Marquis’s mansion, so his life wasn’t in danger there. Looking back, this was all because she and Zhou Shuren meddled. Without them, everything would have proceeded according to the original text. It was precisely because of the two big variables introduced by her and Zhou Shuren that things went completely off course.

(End of chapter)

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