Chapter 72: Going to the Academy to See Leng Xiao (Part 2)

“Your wife is here too?” Leng Xiao’s expression remained as usual—clear, cold, calm, and unreadable.

Only the slight upward inflection at the end of his words revealed a hint of hidden joy in his heart.

“Brother Leng has a lovely wife hidden away so deeply. Though we couldn’t drink a cup of your wedding wine, surely we can catch a glimpse of your wife’s beautiful face?” Wang Shijin, holding a folding fan, spoke with a beaming smile.

“Brother Wang’s choice of words is quite elegant,” another person chimed in immediately.

This remark sparked a wave of laughter from those behind.

Who in the Academy didn’t know that Leng Xiao’s family was poor?

Previously, he had a sick mother above and three young brothers below. Despite being so impoverished, he still came to the Academy to study. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that spare money on some rice and flour to fill his stomach?

Studying was one thing, but he even managed to top the Prefectural Examination and become the Jieyuan.

This made Wang Shijin, the son of the county magistrate, restless. Hearing his magistrate father praise Leng Xiao day after day for his hard work and ambition had long filled him with resentment. Unable to vent his anger at his father, he naturally redirected it toward Leng Xiao.

Everyone knew that Leng Xiao had married to ward off bad luck. What kind of good woman could the impoverished Leng Family find? Nothing more than an even poorer mountain village girl.

In the end, the bad luck wasn’t warded off, and he ended up with a crude and ignorant village woman. It was understandable that Leng Xiao didn’t want others to see her and never mentioned her.

As soon as Wang Shijin uttered the words “lovely wife” and “beautiful face,” everyone present immediately understood and laughed knowingly.

A few who had responded to Leng Tian earlier felt it was unkind and straightened their expressions, tugging at the sleeves of their classmates who were laughing.

Some of those reminded stopped laughing, but more were unbothered. Compared to Leng Xiao, the Jieyuan, Wang Shijin, the son of the county magistrate, could clearly bring them more tangible and immediate benefits.

At the front, Leng Xiao’s expression turned cold for a moment but quickly returned to normal, as if he had never been angered.

Leng Tian keenly sensed that his Eldest Brother was angry—quite visibly so—but when he looked up, he found everything as usual.

Pursing his lips, Leng Tian belatedly realized he had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have told the gatekeeper to inform his Eldest Brother that his wife was also here. He had wanted to make his Eldest Brother happy but hadn’t considered the difficult situation his Eldest Brother faced at the Academy.

Hanging his head, Leng Tian said softly, “Eldest Brother, I was wrong.”

After a long while, a light sigh came from above. “Lead the way.”

On the road, Wen Nuan Nuan had vomited several times, even bringing up bile, until there was nothing left to vomit. Yet, her stomach still churned uncomfortably.

After retching a few more times with nothing to expel, she rinsed her mouth and barely suppressed the discomfort. With a pale face, red-rimmed eyes, and moist lips, Wen Nuan Nuan heard Little Brother call out that Leng Xiao had arrived. She hurriedly scrambled out from behind the carriage.

As soon as she reached the front of the carriage and saw the dense crowd, Wen Nuan Nuan froze.

Immediately, she was completely enveloped by a tall figure!

Nestled in front of the figure, Wen Nuan Nuan thought to herself, “Although it’s been a long time since I’ve seen fresh faces, isn’t this too many all at once!”

And these were Leng Xiao’s classmates?

Oh no!

Wen Nuan Nuan suddenly remembered she didn’t even know how to style her hair. She had barely managed to tie it up when leaving home, and after being jostled around in the carriage, it was probably loose and messy.

While Wen Nuan Nuan stood there frozen, the dozen or so people on the other side were also completely stunned!

The woman glimpsed moments ago had skin as soft and smooth as powdered jade, glowing with a delicate, lustrous sheen. Her dark, silky hair was lazily piled high, with a few stray strands falling beside her rosy, radiant cheeks, accentuating the ink-black tresses and snow-white complexion—though the real reason was simply that she didn’t know how to style her hair properly.

Her autumn-like eyes, tinged with a faint redness, shimmered with watery light—a result of constant, relentless nausea.

Her pert nose and moist lips—again, because of the nausea.

Yet, overall, she appeared gentle, delicate, and radiant.

A rustic village woman?

Crude and ignorant?

Whoever said that?!

They would be the first to deny it!!

Leng Xiao had already used his height advantage to shield the petite figure completely, lowering his head to ask softly, “It’s cold outside. Why did you come out?”

Seeing herself hidden from view, Wen Nuan Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. “I came to see you. I didn’t expect so many of your classmates to be here too. If I’d known earlier, I would’ve tidied up a bit to avoid embarrassing you.”

After all, she still bore the title of Leng Xiao’s wife. Not even being able to manage her hair properly was hardly acceptable.

“No need, you look fine as you are,” Leng Xiao replied, his icy expression softening slightly as he subtly drew closer to the person in his arms.

Seeing how thoroughly Leng Xiao shielded her, Wen Nuan Nuan guessed that while gender boundaries in this era weren’t overly strict, they weren’t as liberal as in the Tang Dynasty either. So, it was still necessary to maintain some discretion.

Consciously, Wen Nuan Nuan nestled further into Leng Xiao’s embrace—when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Besides, her disheveled appearance after repeated bouts of nausea was indeed unsightly.

Feeling her nestle closer, Leng Xiao’s eyes, usually as cold and unyielding as the perpetual snow atop a mountain peak, warmed with tenderness. He asked gently, “Would you still like to go into the city later? I’ll ask the teacher for leave and accompany you.”

Wen Nuan Nuan wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about Leng Xiao joining her, mainly because the journey from the city to the Academy took about twenty minutes. If Leng Xiao went with her to the city, she’d have to drop him off at the Academy on the way back, adding at least half an hour to the trip.

Thinking of the discomfort of motion sickness, she frowned and asked without much enthusiasm, “Can you really get leave?”

Watching the frown on her face, Leng Xiao’s heart tightened. He explained softly, “Yes. The manager of Renxin Hall just sent word that the main branch in Jingcheng has replied again, asking if we can discuss matters in detail.”

Wen Nuan Nuan looked up in pleasant surprise, her moist eyes sparkling. “Really? Then let’s go together!”

Renxin Hall, the main branch in Jingcheng—it must be about negotiating the price for the top-grade ginseng!

She wondered how many more taels they could add.

Leng Xiao’s worries eased. As long as she was happy about him accompanying her, that was all that mattered.

“Might I, Wang Shijin, have the honor of inviting Brother Leng and his wife to Qinghuan Pavilion in the city for a gathering?”

Wang Shijin?

Wasn’t he the son of the Tongcheng County Magistrate?

The very shield she had pulled out when those usury loan collectors came!

He was someone whose fate was just as miserable as hers. Usually, he’d mock and provoke Leng Xiao—why was he approaching them now?

If she had to say, young man, aside from not being as clever as Leng Xiao, not as handsome, and not as tall—none of that really mattered, because you have a magistrate for a father!

And you haven’t been demoted for wrongdoing, your mother isn’t ill, your younger brother isn’t frail, and you haven’t faced hardships or struggled to make ends meet.

You’ve grown up smoothly, practically able to strut through Tongcheng without a care. What more could you want? Why always fixate on picking on the male lead alone?

Wouldn’t it be better to broaden your horizons and open your heart a little?

No time to deal with the suicidal Wang Shijin, Wen Nuan Nuan raised her eyes to look at Leng Xiao and asked hesitantly, “Should I wear a Veiled Hat?”

Was her appearance too conspicuous and flashy in this small place?

“No need. It’s their lack of manners.”

It was also because he currently had no power or influence that they dared to be so presumptuous.

One day, he would surely hold immense power!

So that these people—so that no one—would dare to look directly at her, dare to covet what was his.

From an angle Wen Nuan Nuan couldn’t see, Leng Xiao’s phoenix eyes turned cold, growing colder and colder, as a killing intent gradually arose.