Chapter 124 - 125: Performance
Jin Qianqian’s back secretly tensed, but her face was wreathed in smiles. "That’s right. What can I get for you two? I have all sorts of pastries, and you can try them before you buy."
One of the men, who had a full beard, swept a brutish gaze across the shop. "Do you know the person who just came in?"
Jin Qianqian looked at them in confusion. "I’m running a business here, I can’t possibly know everyone who comes in. Who are you two referring to?"
"The one who just came in. We saw him leave carrying a large bundle," the bearded man said, likely referring to Guo Yurong who had just departed.
A look of realization dawned on Jin Qianqian’s face. "Oh, you’re asking about him! Yes, he just bought some things from me. He said my pastries were quite good and even gave me some reward silver."
The two burly men who had entered exchanged a look, then quickly turned back to Jin Qianqian. "Then show us the reward silver he gave you."
Jin Qianqian quickly squatted down, clutching her money box. "What are you trying to do? My family is very familiar with Chief Li. You can’t just act recklessly."
A flash of impatience crossed the bearded man’s face, but he forced himself to endure it. "The man from before is a suspect we’re investigating. We need to see if the silver he used is legitimate."
"Really? But I don’t know you. If I show you the silver, you won’t take it, will you?" Jin Qianqian secretly gripped the pepper spray in her hand.
Just as the bearded man was about to make a move, the person next to him grabbed his arm. "Brother Dao, forget it. It seems this young lady doesn’t know him either. That fellow surnamed Guo probably just came in to find something to eat. Everyone knows he’s a glutton. It’s perfectly normal for him to run in here after smelling the aroma in the air."
At that moment, Jin Qianqian pulled out a flimsy silver note. "Why are you being so fierce? I’ll show you, fine. But I worked hard for this. You can’t just steal it."
As she spoke, she placed the ten-tael silver note on the tabletop, her other hand still resting on it possessively. "My pastries here are quite delicious, would you two like to buy some? I won’t even ask for a tip."
The two men glanced at the denomination. "This Guo fellow is quite generous. Looks like he earns a pretty penny selling medicine."
"So what? Who told him to offend someone he shouldn’t have? He should have just stuck to selling his medicine instead of meddling in other people’s business."
"Alright, let’s hurry up and follow him. Don’t let him get away."
"He won’t. The others are keeping an eye on him. But Brother Dao, the pastries here look pretty good. Should we get some to go?"
The bearded man shot him a fierce glare, then flicked his sleeve, turned, and walked out. His companion glanced back wistfully at the pastries on the counter before quickly following him.
Jin Qianqian let out a deep breath, muttering to herself inwardly. ’Who on earth did this Guo Yurong offend? Even buying something gets him investigated up and down.’
She put away the pepper spray and took out the small porcelain vial again. ’Based on what those two men said,’ she mused, ’this Guo Yurong sells medicine. I wonder how effective this stuff is?’
Looking at the wax-sealed cap, Jin Qianqian gave up the idea. ’Forget it. I’ll wait until I get to the Prefecture City and have a doctor look at it. I can’t risk making myself sick.’
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Guo Yurong, but one had to be careful with things you ingest. She had been given a new lease on life, and she wasn’t about to lose it so senselessly.
’Still, my performance just now was pretty good. Thank goodness I reacted quickly. If I’d actually gotten tied up with Guo Yurong, who knows what they would have done.’
’Looks like I really do have a talent for acting.’ She couldn’t help but give herself a mental thumbs-up.
Guo Yurong had no idea that his movements were being watched, or that he had nearly implicated Jin Qianqian.
He quickly vanished into the deep mountains. With the pastries provided by the young madam of the Gu household, he could hide in the mountains for a while longer.
&
"Miss Gu, the heat should be about right, shouldn’t it?" Sister-in-law Xiang couldn’t help but prompt Jin Qianqian, seeing she was still staring into space.
Jin Qianqian snapped back to her senses. "Yes, it’s about time. You can draw the fire out."
"Miss Gu, if you’re tired, why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit? I can handle the rest," Sister-in-law Xiang said with some concern. Ever since Mr. Gu left for the Prefecture City to take the Scholar exam, the young lady had been constantly spacing out.
Jin Qianqian smiled. "I’m not tired, just got lost in thought about something else. We won’t make too much today. Once we sell what we have, we’ll be done."
"Miss Gu, you don’t need to worry so much. Perhaps when Mr. Gu returns, you’ll be a Scholar’s wife," Sister-in-law Xiang said, her face wreathed in smiles. The better her employer’s life was, the longer her own job would last.
Jin Qianqian replied, "Thank you for the good wishes. He should be out by now."
Although she had faith in Gu Wenheng, the imperial examinations of this era still made Jin Qianqian nervous. After all, spending several days in an examination cell, no matter how well-prepared one was, was bound to be an ordeal.
&
The moment Gu Wenheng walked out of the examination hall, he saw Mr. Wang waiting for him at the entrance.
Dragging his exhausted body forward, Gu Wenheng paid his respects before collapsing directly into the carriage behind him.
"It’s been a tough few days. Rest in the carriage for a bit. We’ll head back to the inn to rest after we pick up your senior brothers," Wang Biyi said, handing him a hot water bottle first. Now that winter had set in, no matter how many layers one wore, staying in such a crude examination cell was a form of torture.
Gu Wenheng tucked the hot water bottle inside his clothes and let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Mr. Wang turn to watch the entrance again, he simply closed his eyes to rest.
Thinking of this time’s examination paper, the corners of Gu Wenheng’s mouth couldn’t help but lift into a slight smile.
Finally, the other three senior brothers who had also taken the exam arrived. As soon as the group got back to the inn, they all shut their doors and collapsed onto their beds to sleep.
They slept all the way until the next day before finally getting up, tidying themselves up, and heading to Wang Biyi’s room together.
"Feeling well-rested? Come, have a seat." Wang Biyi was all smiles. He had learned the content of the exam paper last night, and as long as there were no major issues, he was very confident about their chances this time.
Gu Wenheng and his fellow disciples sat down together, all of them fixing their gazes on the paper on the table.
"I’ve written out the answers to the questions as well. Take a look."
The paper was passed around among the candidates. Some frowned, while others looked relieved.
"Of course, this isn’t definitive. We’ll have to wait for the official news in two days for the real results.
What do you think? Should you head back first, or stay here and wait?"
Zhou Ping spoke up, "Teacher, this student would like to return first. My elderly mother has been unwell lately, and I’m a bit worried."
Li Hesen quickly chimed in, "Then I’ll go back with Brother Zhou. We can look out for each other on the road."
The expenses in the Prefecture City were too high. Every night they stayed cost him a pang of heartache. Now that someone else was leaving early, he certainly wasn’t going to stay behind.
Gu Wenheng was caught in a dilemma. ’Why wasn’t I faster?’ If he suggested leaving now, would that mean making their teacher stay behind and wait for the news on his own?