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

Chapter 238: List

On the day the results were announced, everyone gathered in front of the bulletin board.

Zhou Wangshu held Su Yaoguang in his arms, and seeing that there were still more people jostling around, he simply lifted her up.

"Put me down, this is too embarrassing," Su Yaoguang said, grabbing Zhou Wangshu's arm.

"What's so shameful about me hugging my wife?" Zhou Wangshu said. "So, can you see?"

Chen Buyu and Zhong Chushan were also in the crowd. Seeing the two of them being so affectionate, they couldn't bear to watch.

“Zhong Chushan, you’re ranked forty-third. Chen Buyu, you’re ranked one hundred and twenty-fifth. My uncle is… twenty-ninth.” Su Yaoguang said, looking at the list. “Wang Shu’s ranking… is amazing! Wang Shu, you’re ranked first, you’re the top scholar!”

"As expected of you, brother," Chen Buyu said happily. "This is my brother, Huiyuan, Huiyuan..."

People around Zhou Wangshu looked at him with envy, and many wanted to approach him to make friends, but they were stopped by others.

Su Yaoguang had originally intended to come down, but her expression froze when she saw the name of the eighth-ranked person.

Zhou Wangshu put her down and, noticing her strange expression, asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Wang Shu is the top scholar in the imperial examination? Are you out of your mind with joy? You're having a banquet in three days, and then you'll be the wife of the top scholar."

“I just saw that the person ranked eighth on the list is named Xiao Ci,” Su Yaoguang said. “It can’t be someone with the same name.”

Zhou Wangshu looked towards the list and, sure enough, saw Xiao Ci's name.

"It's alright." Zhou Wangshu stroked Su Yaoguang's hair. "Whether it's him or not, I'm not afraid."

Su Yaoguang was a little worried, but if it really was Xiao Ci, worrying was useless.

"No matter what, you're the top scholar, we have to tell Mother and the others this good news." Su Yaoguang pulled him out of the crowd.

At the General's residence, the attendants had already found out what kind of insect Pang intended to give Su Rende and reported the situation to him.

Su Rende heard that it was a Gu worm that controlled him, and that once infected by it, he would fall in love with her and let her do whatever she wanted.

"What would have been the consequences if the worm had burrowed into her own body?"

"Since it's a love curse, it means she already planted a mother curse before, and the one she planted in you is the offspring curse. Originally, she could control you with the mother curse, but now that both curses are in her body, the two curses will fight each other. In the end, the curses will devour her internal organs to replenish their nutrients, and she will die a terrible death."

"Understood. How's the matter I asked you to investigate going?"

"General, your old belongings have not been found yet. Besides, we have already checked everyone we could, and there is really no one who knows you."

"Alright, let's continue looking for my old things."

Su Rende thought of Su Yaoguang, that adorable little girl, who was very likely his daughter. This made him even more eager to find out the truth.

"General, the army camp is urging us. You made an appointment with General Wang today, and it's already a bit late. It won't be appropriate if you don't hurry over soon." "Prepare the horses."

Su Rende rode his horse out of the general's mansion, and just as he reached the gate, he saw Yang Qingyan rushing towards him.

Yang Qingyan stopped Su Rende's horse, knelt before him, and pleaded tearfully, "Father, my mother is ill and dying. Please save her!"

“Your mother brought this on herself,” Su Rende said, still taking out a purse and tossing it over. “I’m not a doctor, what good will it do you to come to me? Go and find a doctor yourself. Besides, the reason your mother is sick is because she put a Gu worm in my body before. That Gu worm is now inside her body, and her internal organs are being devoured by two Gu worms. Sooner or later, she won’t be able to take it anymore. Don’t spend all your money; save it to find a way out for yourself. I won’t help you anymore. You’d better take care of yourself.”

Yang Qingyan watched Su Rende ride away, wiping away her tears, her eyes filled with resentment: "Su Rende, you are ungrateful. If it weren't for my father saving you, would you be alive today, enjoying your current wealth and status? My mother just wants a title, why can't we have it? Even if my mother and I wanted the entire General's Mansion, that would be right. This is what you owe us."

Yang Qingyan took out the silver from her purse, counted it, and her hatred intensified: "Only ten taels of silver? You think you can get rid of me with this little bit of money?"

Zhou Wangshu passed the imperial examination with top honors, and the messenger quickly came to deliver the good news. The Su family gave him ten taels of silver as a congratulatory gift, which made the messenger shout even more enthusiastically.

"Congratulations to Su family's young master Zhou Wangshu for becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination."

Upon hearing this voice, neighbors and guests rushed forward to offer their congratulations.

"Yaoguang's mother, you are so lucky! Your son-in-law is simply a reincarnation of the God of Literature!"

"He's not that amazing. You're exaggerating too much." Zhang Zhaodi covered her mouth, laughing heartily.

Su Rende rode by and saw Zhang Zhaodi surrounded by people. She was dressed up and didn't look like a woman who was almost forty.

Zhang Zhaodi was smiling happily, unlike the cold demeanor he had seen before. For some reason, seeing her beaming with joy, he couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Today is the day the results are released. Look how happy this family is. Their student must have done well," said the attendant behind him.

"She not only did well on the exam, she's the top scholar!" said a nearby resident. "She also has another student who ranked twenty-ninth. You see that woman? She's the one in the middle. She also has several adopted sons, and I think they're all on the list. Everyone's saying she's a woman blessed with good fortune!"

“This is my godmother…” Chen Buyu introduced to everyone, “My godmother said that our whole family is celebrating together today. But in three days, my younger sister and her husband will hold a wedding banquet. We hope you will all come and join us.”

“My younger sister and her husband have a marriage certificate, but a few years ago, my brother-in-law wanted to focus on his studies, so they only got the marriage certificate and didn’t have a wedding banquet. This year, she passed the exam, so they decided to hold both events together, which is like strengthening family ties. Aunt Wang is right, we both passed the exam, but today is the day of the top scholar.”

Seeing the lively scene, Su Rende said to his attendant, "Go back to the manor and pick out a gift for me. Don't say who sent it; just say it's a congratulatory gift from a friend to the Su family for their many happy occasions."

"Should I still go to the military camp?"

"You don't have to go."

Su Rende rode away.

When Zhang Zhaodi turned around, she saw Su Rende's figure. At that moment, the smile on her face vanished. She looked in Su Rende's direction, her eyes filled with disappointment.

If only he came back.

"Mother, let's close today!" Su Yaoguang said. "I think there are too many people coming to join the fun today, so we can't do business. Let's close the shop early and have some peace and quiet."