Zhao Ce walked in with the light on his back, and the people in the room couldn't see his expression clearly. After entering the room, he saw Li Shi inside. There was also a little girl with teary eyes, trembling all over. He probably guessed what had happened.
With a natural tone, he greeted Li Shi and smiled at the little girl beside him, "Is lunch ready?" Su Cai'er nodded slightly and hiccuped while crying. She whispered, "No, it's not ready..." Zhao Ce nodded and walked over. In front of Li Shi, he touched the poor little girl's head gently. In a gentle tone, he said, "Then let's cook. I'm hungry." Su Cai'er glanced at Li Shi beside her and then lowered her head. "Alright..." The little girl stood up, and Zhao Ce gently pulled her small hand that was hanging by her side, squeezing her palm.
Su Cai'er couldn't help but look up at him. Zhao Ce also lowered his head and looked deeply into her eyes. From these two actions, Su Cai'er seemed to gather some courage. She wiped away her tears and went to the kitchen. Zhao Ce sat next to Li Shi and asked, "Aunt, would you like to have dinner with us?" "My wife is quite skilled in cooking." Zhao Ce, without asking about what had just happened, still invited her to dinner. She felt a bit uneasy and said, "We have already cooked at home." "No need for that." "You must be hungry after working in the morning, right?" "Aunt won't hinder you from having a meal."
After saying that, she picked up the water next to her and drank it all in one go. It had a faint sweetness, indeed different from the black and yellow sugar in her home. Thinking of the pitiful appearance of the little girl with teary eyes just now, she couldn't help but sigh softly.
Zhao Ce didn't say anything and smiled as he saw her out. Li Shi looked at Zhao Ce, who stood tall inside the fence gate, and finally spoke, "Ce'er, aren't you afraid?" Zhao Ce knew what she was asking. He casually replied, "Aunt, I have already said before." "My wife's eyes are only sick." "Those rumors about disasters and monsters are just fairy tales." "She is also flesh and blood, just like us." "How can all those natural disasters and man-made calamities, the matters of life and death, be imposed on such a little girl?"
After hearing Zhao Ce's words, Li Shi helplessly said, "You and your smooth tongue." "Aunt can't argue with you." Zhao Ce laughed and said, "Aunt, it's because I speak the truth." As he spoke, Zhao Ce's voice became quieter. He whispered, "Aunt, let me tell you something." Li Shi, intrigued by his mysterious appearance, couldn't help but become interested. "What is it?"
Zhao Ce said, "On the second day after my wife came home, I went out of the city." "That day, I saw the county office collecting lantern riddles for the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern fair." "So, I wrote one." "And I ended up with a first-class prize!" "Five taels of silver as a reward!" Upon hearing this, Li Shi involuntarily opened her mouth wide in astonishment and exclaimed, "First-class?" "Five taels of silver!" "So much?"
Zhao Ce raised his eyebrows, displaying a hint of youthful arrogance and confidence. He said, "That's right." "The person who judged it was the county scholar, Liu Xiulan." "Many scholars witnessed it." "I heard that I was the only one who received a first-class prize that day." "If you go to see the lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern fair, you'll definitely see the lantern riddle I made!" Zhao Ce bragged with wide-open eyes.
After boasting, he said, "You see, on the second day after my wife came home, I had good luck." "Later on, I even managed to produce refined sugar." "We haven't been short of money at home either." "And ever since I got married, it feels like my mind has become much clearer." "One good thing after another." "How could this bring me misfortune?" While speaking, he deliberately didn't mention the incident of being expelled from the academy. After all, those things happened before the little girl arrived and had nothing to do with her.
Li Shi thought this is not good. They didn't inquire carefully before. Fortunately, this time she came to their home and closed the door behind her. Others don't know about those things. Otherwise, Zhao Ce's family would be subjected to gossip again. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you telling the truth?" Zhao Ce said, "Of course." "Why would I deceive you with these things?" "You know about my academic performance in the academy." "Although I often recite the words of the sages, I haven't participated in the imperial examination for so many years." "So, my grades are just average." "To suddenly receive a first-class prize, even I was surprised."
As Li Shi listened to Zhao Ce's words, she became completely convinced. She couldn't help but think, "Isn't this not a little troublemaker, but a little lucky star? And a golden lucky star at that!" Li Shi cleared her throat and said to Zhao Ce, "I was wrong today. I came without inquiring properly." Zhao Ce smiled and said, "Big Aunt is also concerned about me. As a scholar and a man, I naturally wouldn't go around boasting to people. My wife is also someone who doesn't speak much, just works diligently like a silly fool. That's why you all didn't know about it for so many days."
Li Shi felt relieved after hearing this. She recalled hearing about some villages and people who were said to be incompatible with each other. But after getting married, there were no issues in their household. It was probably because some people were simply incompatible with certain individuals, which resulted in conflicts. But maybe Zhao Ce and this Su Cai'er had a compatible fate. That's why Su Cai'er brought such good fortune to Zhao Ce. The more Li Shi thought about it, the more it made sense. She looked at Zhao Ce and said with contentment, "That's good. When I first heard about those things about your wife, I was almost scared half to death. If what you're saying is true, then both of you are blessed by Bodhisattvas."
Zhao Ce smiled and said, "If there's anything, I'll definitely come to you for advice." Li Shi then asked about the lantern riddle and suggested that Zhao Ce prepare some gifts to visit Liu Xiulan, the scholar at the county school. "If you can enter the county school, it would be amazing!"
Zhao Ce thought about that day's situation and realized that Liu Xiulan probably didn't have a very good impression of him. Although he gave Zhao Ce's lantern riddle a top rating, his embarrassing incident had been exposed by his former classmates, so there was probably no hope. Zhao Ce vaguely said, "Um... I'll find an opportunity to see if I can pay him a visit." Li Shi happily said, "That's what we want. Oh, this is great news. I'll go and talk to your uncle about it. You must be hungry, go inside and have your meal."
After Li Shi finished speaking, she hurriedly left. Zhao Ce thought that after today, this matter probably wouldn't be a problem anymore. So, he closed the garden gate and went back inside the house.
