Chapter 3: Home

Evening, the setting sun dipped below the horizon.

Outside Lin'an City, the green mountains were like dark eyebrows, and the evening glow was like brocade.

The streets were a scene of bustling activity.

When Luo Zijun returned home, his elder sister Luo Jiaorong was cooking in the kitchen.

His brother-in-law Li Zhengshan was practicing his saber in the front courtyard.

One could see the brother-in-law shifting left and right, his clothes flapping, the cold light of the waist saber in his hand flickering and flying up and down; he looked quite imposing.

He had heard the voice in his mind say that there were Martial Cultivators in this world.

Martial artists had powerful Qi and blood, while scholars had literary talent to protect them, making it hard for demons and monsters to approach, yet he did not know the specific situation.

Seeing him return, Li Zhengshan hurriedly sheathed his saber and asked in a low voice, "Did you see the person?"

Li Zhengshan was tall and sturdy, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a dignified appearance, and looked quite honest and simple.

Luo Zijun nodded, and just as he was about to speak, his sister Luo Jiaorong suddenly came out of the kitchen and asked hurriedly, "Zijun, how did it go? You saw her, right? Is she very pretty? How did you two talk? Did you ask her to come to the house for a meal tomorrow? What was her impression of you?"

This series of questions immediately gave Luo Zijun a bit of a headache.

Li Zhengshan also broke into a cold sweat for him and couldn't help but say, "Wife, ask one question at a time. Asking so many all at once, how do you expect Zijun to answer?"

Luo Jiaorong glared: "I'm asking my own brother, not you! Is the pavilion in the backyard fixed? Did you water the flowers? You only know how to fiddle with that broken saber when you get back; seeing me busy in the kitchen, you don't even know how to help, you..."

"Alright, alright, you talk to Zijun, I'm going to the backyard to fix the pavilion!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Zhengshan hurriedly slipped away.

Luo Zijun was helpless. Seeing his sister looking at him, he had no choice but to say, "I have already seen her, but perhaps because she felt I am only a pharmacy apprentice, she was not very satisfied with me, so..."

He shrugged, his meaning very clear.

Luo Jiaorong frowned, the expression on her face clearly very disappointed. She endured it, looked at the expression on his face, and did not dare to ask more, only able to comfort him: "Forget it, Zijun, it's fine. If she didn't take a fancy to you, it's her lack of fortune."

Immediately, she couldn't help but say angrily: "What's wrong with being a pharmacy apprentice? I don't believe she never gets sick or goes to see a doctor! Hmph, ungrateful wretch. If her grandfather were still alive, see if she would dare to utter a sound?"

Luo Zijun comforted her: "Sister, don't take it to heart. I don't wish to climb high into such a family either, lest people look down on me."

Luo Jiaorong sneered and said: "What kind of family? Just a merchant who sells cloth; can they compare to our family? Your brother-in-law works for the government!"

Fearing she would get angrier the more she spoke, Luo Zijun hurriedly said: "Alright, Sister, go cook. I'm hungry. I'll go to the backyard to help Brother-in-law fix the pavilion first."

Saying this, he was about to leave.

Fearing he was upset, Luo Jiaorong hurriedly added: "Zijun, don't overthink it. If she doesn't want you, there will be others scrambling for you. Don't be in a rush; tomorrow, Sister will arrange another marriage for you."

Luo Zijun was between laughter and tears: "Sister, you are the one in a rush; I'm not in a rush at all."

Luo Jiaorong rolled her eyes at him: "You're already past the age for marriage, how can I not be in a rush? Don't worry, Sister guarantees I'll arrange a few more beautiful ones for you to choose from, and when the time comes, I'll take them specifically to the Sun Mansion to spite her!"

Luo Zijun smiled helplessly and went to the backyard.

During the meal.

Luo Jiaorong couldn't help but bring up the faults of the Sun Family again, rambling on. When she got worked up, she said directly: "Tomorrow, have your brother-in-law go find that Sun Jintang and ask him what exactly he means! Just because his family climbed up to an official, do they look down on us?"

Li Zhengshan hurriedly advised: "What does it have to do with Master Sun? It's the younger generation who didn't take a fancy to each other. There's no need to force such a lifelong matter; a twisted melon is not sweet."

Luo Jiaorong said angrily: "If it weren't for him spoiling her, I don't believe his daughter would dare to slight my Zijun! By the order of parents and the words of matchmakers, as a daughter, is it her place to decide?"

Li Zhengshan shook his head and didn't dare to speak again.

Luo Zijun had no choice but to say: "Sister, no need to be angry. She didn't take a fancy to me, and actually, I didn't take a fancy to her either; this is quite good. Just as Brother-in-law said, a twisted melon is not sweet. Since we both don't like each other, if we were forced together by the order of our parents, life would be difficult later on."

Li Zhengshan said: "Zijun is right."

"You shut up!"

Luo Jiaorong glared at him.

Although she knew this matter was over and could not be forced, she just couldn't get over the fact that her brother had been looked down upon.

Luo Zijun changed the subject: "Sister, Brother-in-law, I have been studying recently, preparing to participate in the Prefectural Examination next month."

Once these words were out, Li Zhengshan and Luo Jiaorong were both stunned and looked at each other.

Li Zhengshan nodded with a smile: "It is best that Zijun has such ambition. If you can pass as a Cultivated Talent, you will be considered a scholar. Then you will be exempt from corvée labor and won't have to kneel when seeing officials; that would be much more impressive than your brother-in-law here."

Luo Jiaorong thought he had been hit hard by today's events, which was why he wanted to strive to change his status. Hearing this, she also hurriedly encouraged him: "If you have decided, just go ahead and do it. Your brother-in-law and I naturally support you. Whatever books you need, just have your brother-in-law go buy them."

She paused and added: "I hear that scholars like to gather, discuss learning, and make friends. You just go ahead; if the money isn't enough, just take it from the house."

Li Zhengshan drank a cup of wine and said: "Brother-in-law will earn the money. You can go to the pharmacy or not; you just focus on studying and don't worry about other things."

Warmth flowed through Luo Zijun's heart, and he nodded in agreement.

After eating, he returned to his room to read.

Luo Jiaorong sighed in the kitchen, feeling heartache for her brother and also blaming herself. "If we had the ability, Zijun wouldn't have been humiliated and looked down upon today. That 'Cultivated Talent' exam sounds easy, but how could it be that simple? And there's only half a month left. If Zijun doesn't pass, I don't know how much of a blow it will be to him."

Li Zhengshan advised at the doorway: "Man proposes, God disposes. Since Zijun has decided, we don't need to worry too much, lest he feel even more anxious. If it doesn't work out this year, he can take it again next year. Zijun is so young, what is there to fear?"

Luo Jiaorong sighed and said nothing more.

In the night sky outside, a bright moon quietly climbed onto the treetops.

Sun Mansion in the south of the city.

Ever since Sun Yan'er returned in the afternoon, she had been hiding in her room crying, and she had also been looking at her own feet, even calling over several maids and ordering them to take off their shoes to compare with her own feet.

"Where is it big? Where is it big? That bastard, he was clearly talking nonsense!"

Xiao Cui was also indignant on the side, sometimes helping to curse, sometimes busy comforting her.

At dinner time in the evening.

Sun Yan'er wiped away her tears, but her eyes were red and swollen.

!

When Sun Jintang and Chen Shi asked for the reason, she dared not tell the truth, fearing it would be shameful if it spread, and even strictly ordered Xiao Cui not to tell anyone. She only explained to her father and mother: "Daughter doesn't want to get married yet; thinking about getting married makes me cry uncontrollably."

Chen Shi hurriedly asked about the matchmaking meeting in the afternoon.

Sun Yan'er sneered and pretended to be calm: "That person is just a lecher. As soon as we met, he wanted me to undress so he could help me check if my body had any ailments. While talking, he kept staring at me, looking me up and down, and his words were extremely vulgar and rude. Daughter was truly disgusted, so I rejected him straight to his face and told him this marriage was absolutely impossible."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi flew into a rage: "What a filthy scoundrel!"

Sun Jintang also frowned, looked at the maid Xiao Cui standing to the side, and asked, "Is what the young miss said true?"

Xiao Cui had long since received orders from her young miss, so she hurriedly lowered her head and said, "Reporting to Master, every word the young miss said is true. That man was indeed extremely rude, and when they met, he was carrying a Medicine Chest on his back, clearly having just come from seeing a patient, causing the young miss to wait for a long time."

Chen Shi complained, "I said it long ago, he is just an apprentice at a Pharmacy who hasn't even attended an Academy; how could he possibly be worthy of our Yan'er? Our Yan'er is going to the Academy next month, and once she finishes, she will be a genuine talented woman. If we really let Yan'er marry that man, who knows how our relatives and friends would mock us behind our backs."

Sun Jintang glared at her and said, "Shut your mouth!"

Chen Shi dared not speak further and lowered her head, sulking.

Sun Jintang sighed and said, "Forget it, since it has been refused, so be it. Tomorrow, I will find time to go and offer an apology to them, so as to avoid being called ungrateful by others for our Sun Family."

Sun Yan'er returned to her boudoir and could not help but take off her embroidered shoes to look at her own feet; thinking of the humiliation she suffered during the day, her eyes immediately welled up with tears again.

At this moment, a maid came to report: "The cousin young miss has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yan'er hurriedly wiped away her tears, put on her shoes and socks, and went out to welcome her.

At the stone-carved circular gate.

Flowering vines climbed all over the door frame and lintel, with small red, green, and yellow flowers blooming, which were truly beautiful, and the fragrance of flowers overflowed.

Sun Yan'er had just arrived at the small courtyard when she saw a purple shadow emerge from the floral gate.

The person who arrived was wearing a purple shirt, had a tall figure, a sword hanging at her waist, and a heroic bearing, with a pair of straight and powerful long legs, walking with a brisk air.

It was her older cousin Wang Yuru, with whom she had a very good relationship.

When Wang Yuru saw her and was about to speak, she suddenly noticed her tear-swollen eyes and hurriedly asked, "Yan'er, what happened to you? Why are your eyes so swollen from crying? Who bullied you?"

As soon as the words "Who bullied you" were spoken, all of Sun Yan'er's grievances surged into her heart again, and tears rolled down: "Cousin..."

Seeing this, Wang Yuru hurriedly helped her into the room.

"Tell Cousin about it."

Closing the door, Xiao Cui stood guard in the corridor.

Sun Yan'er could no longer hold back her full heart of grievances, so while crying, she told the story of what happened today.

Naturally, this included some exaggerated elements.

"He... he actually disliked that my feet are big, woo..."

Sun Yan'er cried until she was out of breath.

After listening, Wang Yuru immediately raised her willow-leaf eyebrows and slapped the table as she stood up: "What a Luo Zijun, he has gone too far! Yan'er, don't cry. Tomorrow morning, I will go find him and guarantee I'll beat him until he's crawling on the floor looking for his teeth to vent your anger!"

Only then did Sun Yan'er stop her sobbing.

Then she hurriedly added with tears in her eyes, "Cousin, you must absolutely not tell anyone else about this, otherwise... otherwise I would be too ashamed to live, woo woo..."

Wang Yuru frowned and promised, "Rest assured, I won't tell anyone."

The two chatted for a while longer.

Sun Yan'er really couldn't help herself, stole a glance under her skirt, and while wiping her tears, said, "Cousin, could you... could you take off your shoes and socks and let me see... let me see your feet?"

Wang Yuru: "???"

(End of this chapter)