The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 114 Paving the Way
The night is deep.

Hu Yaozu was so busy he barely had time to breathe.

After leaving the post station, he still had to escort Master Chu back.

Master Chu waved his hand: "No need. I've already said it's not on the way, why bother making this trip every night?"

Hu Yaozu smiled, his attitude neither humble nor modest, but thoughtful and respectful.

“It’s getting dark. How can we feel at ease if the students don’t take you back home?”

Master Chu stroked his beard, no longer declining, the smile in his eyes impossible to hide.

The streets were crowded. There had been no curfew at the city gates of Zexian for the past few days, allowing people to freely travel to report to the authorities.

Once the two left the main road, the number of people around them decreased.

The Chu family's residence was just ahead.

Master Chu glanced at the sky and said, "After this matter is over, come to my house to propose marriage."

Hu Yaozu paused, his hands clenching tightly under his sleeves.

The surroundings were dim, and the moonlight was the only light to see the way, so Master Chu did not notice anything unusual about him.

"You've been praised by a distinguished person today, so don't panic if they test your knowledge later."

Leaving a good impression is better than anything else.

"I will do everything in my power to pave the way for you."

"Your qualifications speak for themselves. Once you pass the provincial examination, I will shamelessly seek out Master Zhao in the county town and ask him to take you in. You will benefit greatly from his guidance."

Master Zhao...

Hu Yaozu's breathing became shallow.

Master Zhao was very learned and taught many scholars who passed the imperial examinations in his early years!
Many scholars wanted to become his students.

However, after Master Zhao had a daughter, he was afraid that he would be too busy to spend time with his wife and daughter, and he was also afraid that he would not have enough energy to delay his students. Although he still went to the academy to teach as usual in the past few years, he no longer accepted students to personally guide him.

This has caused many scholars to sigh with regret.

If only he could get some guidance from Master Zhao...

He knew perfectly well what Master Chu was thinking when he went to such lengths for him.
Hu Yaozu smiled at Master Chu and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

That's what it means.

Sure enough, Master Chu laughed with satisfaction: "From now on, we're all family, so let's not talk about being two families."

People were already eagerly waiting outside the Chu family's gate.

It was Chu Yun, a daughter of the Chu family.

She came out to meet her father, and also wanted to see Hu Yaozu's daughter.

She was carrying a lantern when she heard the conversation from afar, and immediately blushed with embarrassment.

Chu Yun was overjoyed.

Hu Yaozu was handsome, gentle, and caring. Over the years, he had studied with his father and was not only polite and courteous, but he also treated her with extra care and respect.

She is incredibly lucky to have married such a man.

"father."

She walked over in small steps, helped Master Chu up, and dared not look at Hu Yaozu beside her.

Master Chu laughed: "You heard everything?"

Seeing that Chu Yun was too shy to speak, he smiled and patted his daughter's hand.

"Alright, you talk to Yaozu, I'm going to find your mother."

He intentionally wanted the two of them to spend time together.

Although it was late, Master Chu had great confidence in his students, whom he had personally taught. He couldn't have hoped the two children would develop a deep bond.

Although the Hu family lived in the countryside, what he valued most was Hu Yaozu as a person.

Given time, this child will surely achieve great things. If we don't settle on him soon, someone else will get there first.

After Master Chu left, Chu Yun felt even more embarrassed. Her whole body felt hot. Little did she know that Hu Yaozu across from her had icy, cold eyes, showing her no affection whatsoever.

She handed the lamp in her hand towards Hu Yaozu's direction.

"It's getting late, you should go back. We can talk about our matter another time... another time. These past few days, your father has come home and fallen asleep as soon as he gets up, so you must be exhausted. Here's a lantern for you to light the way."

Her voice was both sweet and shy.

Hu Yaozu, however, was thinking of other women.

He had never heard Yu Tingwan speak to him in such a tone before.

Yu Tingwan would only keep him at arm's length.

"Brother Hu".

Unable to get a response, Chu Yun tentatively called out.

Hu Yaozu snapped out of his daze and gently accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you." Now that he had made his decision, he had to show his attitude.

He took a deep breath and took out the finely crafted wooden hairpin from his pocket.

He originally bought it for Yu Tingwan.

His body heat was still on it.

At this moment, it was presented to him with his warm and polite hands.

"This item is not worth much, but it is my token of appreciation. I hope you won't find it offensive."

Yes, it's worthless.

He will buy Wanmei even better things in the future.

Chu Yun's heart pounded.

Since he and his father had made a verbal agreement, this was their token of love.

Hu Yaozu's thoughtfulness was ingrained in his bones; he could not only fool others, but even fool himself.

The night was cold, but his voice was surprisingly gentle.

"It's cold outside, Yunniang, go back inside. I'll leave after I see you come in."

He watched Chu Yun enter the house, and then watched the Chu family's door close. When he turned around, the smile on his lips suddenly disappeared.

Master Chu had no son, so paving the way for him was also for his own selfish reasons.

He wanted to climb up.

He and Master Chu were merely using each other, each getting what they needed.

As for Chu Yun...

She is virtuous and will be able to tolerate Wanmei in the future.

Hu Yaozu was always thinking three steps ahead, believing that everything was under his control.

Once back at the inn, he couldn't hide his exhaustion and just wanted to rest.

But there was no one in the guest room. Hu Yaozu frowned, strode out, went down the stairs, and headed toward the shopkeeper behind the counter who was using an abacus.

"Shopkeeper, have you seen my brother and father?"

The shopkeeper looked up and glanced at the young scholar.

Don't you know?

“Your father and brother returned from outside in the evening, and their faces did not look good. They hurriedly got into their carriage and left.”

Shopkeeper: "They didn't ask me to leave a message. So I didn't ask any further questions."

What could have happened that led you to leave without saying goodbye?
Didn't we agree that he would leave after he finished his work?

Hu Yaozu felt inexplicably uneasy.

Upon hearing this, the waiter who was wiping the table dropped what he was doing.

"They've probably gone back to their hometown."

A group of merchants arrived in the evening, ordering a table full of fine dishes. They complained that the inn's wine wasn't strong enough, so the waiter, having received a tip, went to a restaurant outside to buy some. There he happened to run into the Hu family father and son, along with Widow Shi.

It was indeed a shameful matter, but the waiter phrased it very tactfully.

"I overheard that your sister-in-law gave birth, the house is in chaos, and the baby... isn't doing well."

Hu Yaozu pursed his lips.

The mother was dissatisfied with her sister-in-law, but she had always hoped for a grandson. Fearing that her wish would be dashed, the mother became unhappy and caused trouble.

He suddenly felt ashamed.

He knew how much his older brother cared about this child. Staying in town was also for his sake.

He would feel ashamed if something really happened to his child.

Putting everything else aside, if word gets out that he mistreated his granddaughter, the Hu family will lose face, and it will also affect his reputation.

Seeing that he looked unwell, the waiter quickly picked out a more festive event to try to ease the atmosphere.

After all, he often heard the Hu brothers mention their cousin.

The waiter smiled and said, "Your cousin is already married!"

"What a pity, the road is closed, otherwise you could have gone back to have a wedding banquet."

"I'd like to offer my congratulations to Hu Xuezi."

Hu Yaozu's face suddenly darkened. His emotions were intense and terrifying.

The lantern he was carrying fell to the ground and was mercilessly trampled underfoot.

Hu Yaozu approached the waiter, his voice trembling slightly.

"What did you say?"

(End of this chapter)