Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 222 Unveiling the List
A few days later, they arrived in the provincial capital again.

Last time they rented a short-term house, but this time they paid to stay in a guesthouse.

According to the schedule, tomorrow is the day the list will be released. They don't need to stay in the provincial capital for long, so there's no need to rent a place. Besides, the services at the guesthouse are much more convenient than renting a room themselves.

"I think I just saw Xiao Ci." Zhong Chushan walked into the inn's lobby from outside.

Su Yaoguang looked out the window: "Where?"

"He flashed in front of me for a moment, and then disappeared when I wanted to confirm it."

“The results are coming out tomorrow, so it’s normal for him to be here,” Chen Buyu said. “But their family situation has really turned out ugly. If I were him, I would never go back in this lifetime.”

“He’s not from our area, what would he do back there?” Zhong Chushan said. “Strictly speaking, the mother and daughter were kind to him. If they hadn’t taken him in, he might have been sold somewhere. In any case, he should at least have collected the woman’s body. They just disappeared without a trace, leaving the woman’s body in a mass grave without even a grave.”

"How come I didn't know you were a living Bodhisattva?" Chen Buyu teased him.

Zhou Wangshu looked out the window and saw the figure pass by the alleyway ahead and disappear.

It really is Xiao Ci.

Let's deal with him before we leave!
"How about we go out for a stroll through the night market later?" Chen Buyu said. "I heard that many students are going to Tingfeng Tower today; it should be quite lively there. We might even run into some old friends."

"What is Tingfeng Tower?" Su Yaoguang asked curiously.

“That place is a refined place for composing poems and essays,” Chen Buyu said. “We used to gather there almost all the time.”

"Then you guys go ahead, I won't go." Su Yaoguang felt a headache coming on when she heard the word "zihuzhe".

Rather than listening to those scholars spouting off their eruditions, she'd rather rest at the inn. If she got really bored, she could wander around the city by herself, doing whatever made her comfortable.

"I'll bring you a midnight snack later," Zhou Wangshu said. "If you go to bed early, I'll save it for you to eat tomorrow."

Zhou Wangshu, Zhong Chushan, and the others left.

Su Yaoguang rested in the room for a while, listening to the commotion outside, and stood by the window looking at the scenery.

Tomorrow is the day the results will be released, and many people have gathered in the county town today, making it several times more lively than usual.

At the alley entrance, Zhou Wangshu frowned as he looked at his beggar-looking subordinate and said, "Can't find Xiao Ci?"

The beggar's henchman said, "Master, I have shown the portrait you gave me to all the brothers, and everyone says they have never seen him before."

Zhou Wangshu took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and when he unfolded it, it revealed a portrait of Xiao Yanci.

Xiao Yanci is exceptionally handsome; with a little attention, he should easily attract attention. However, the spies in this branch office are unable to find him.

Xiao Yanci had disguised himself.

If he hadn't done anything wrong, he wouldn't have bothered with disguise. His furtive behavior and the way he hid so carefully only made him seem guilty.

However, one can't escape the consequences. Once he's on the list, the local prefect will host a banquet for all the successful candidates, and he'll have to show up eventually.

The next day, Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang squeezed into the crowd.

Zhong Chushan and Chen Buyu were not present at the scene.

They weren't even willing to come to the county town, so they didn't really care whether their names were on the list. They sent a page to keep an eye on the list.

Zhou Wangshu held Su Yaoguang protectively in his arms, not letting anyone else touch her. "Wangshu..." Su Yaoguang tugged at Zhou Wangshu's collar, making him lower his head, and whispered in his ear, "Did you see those servants over there with ropes?"

Zhou Wangshu looked in the direction Su Yaoguang pointed and saw several servants who were alert and keeping a close eye on the crowd, holding ropes and ready to pounce.

"Everyone is waiting for this day. The students are waiting for the results to be announced, hoping to pass with flying colors and give their families the best possible outcome. The wealthy merchants in the city are also waiting for this day, thinking of snatching these learned students back as their sons-in-law. You'd better be careful later, or I won't come to your rescue if someone else snatches you away."

“Our marriage certificate is still registered with the government. Even if they take me back, it won’t matter,” Zhou Wangshu said. “Besides, if I were really taken away and you didn’t care about me, my mother would hold you accountable.”

“You really don’t take any loss now,” Su Yaoguang said. “The older you get, the harder you are to fool. You were much more obedient and easier to fool when we first met.”

A smile flashed in Zhou Wangshu's eyes.

He must have been even harder to fool back then, but she didn't realize that he was testing her and Zhang Zhaodi time and time again. As time went on, the kindness of the mother and daughter touched him and dispelled his guard, and he finally began to truly integrate into that family.

"The list is out!" someone shouted.

Zhou Wangshu grabbed Su Yaoguang's hand.

The two watched as the officials posted the list on the bulletin board.

As the list was gradually revealed, everyone craned their necks to look at the neatly written but small names.

The list was released from the back, so Su Yaoguang wasn't in a hurry to look at it; she was waiting for the earlier names to appear. She was confident that Zhou Wangshu's ranking wouldn't be low.

"Look, that's Chen Buyu's name," Su Yaoguang said, pointing to the middle seat. "He didn't even want to come, yet his ranking is pretty good!"

Someone patted Zhou Wangshu on the shoulder. When Zhou Wangshu turned around, he saw another classmate, who was also a student who called Zhang Zhaodi her godmother.

"Brother Wangshu, your ranking must be quite high. You'll have to wait a while longer."

"Brother Zhang is not bad either."

The two smiled at each other.

In the crowd, an elderly figure looked in the direction of the rankings.

As more and more content appeared on the list, his eyes grew increasingly frantic.

First...first...

It has to be his.

In his previous life, he achieved the highest honors in all four imperial examinations, but things have changed a lot in this life.

It doesn't matter, as long as he achieves first place in the upcoming provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, he will still be the glorious top scholar.

"We'll be in the top twenty soon," Zhang Xuezi said. "Sure enough, I'm in eighteenth place."

“Brother Chushan is seventieth in the rankings,” Zhou Wangshu said to Su Yaoguang. “He must be regretting not being able to see such a good ranking in person.”

"He's here." Su Yaoguang pointed in the opposite direction. "Look, his attendant is quite loyal; he ran back to tell him and brought him over."

Not only did Zhong Chushan come, but Chen Buyu also rushed over when he heard that his name was on the list. The two of them craned their necks, looking at the list with incredulous eyes.

"We both passed the exam!" Chen Buyu hugged Zhong Chushan's shoulders. "Brother, now let's see who dares to call us good-for-nothings."