Miss and farmhand

Huang Chu glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Are you jealous?"

Huang Muyun burst into laughter in shock: "Has this young lady gone mad? How could I possibly—"

He couldn't finish the sentence, so he could only stare at Huang Chu.

Huang Chu reached out and fiddled with the lid of the teacup on the table, seemingly absent-minded.

"You seem to be against me getting close to Shi Tou, saying all sorts of things like speaking softly and coaxing him, and even scaring him by saying I'm going to harm him. Are you his monk master, and I'm some kind of tiger-like woman from the mountains?"

Huang Muyun felt his ears burning, and he said firmly, "Don't change the subject. You care so much about Shi Tou, it can't be that you're just thinking about Shi Tou for his own good, as you say—"

Huang Chu shook his head. "Of course I wouldn't do it all for the sake of others. Do you think I'm stupid? I have my own reasons for doing these things. I just wanted Shi Tou to work for me. I need someone with his experience by my side. Is that not allowed? I've been cooped up in the inner quarters for so many years. Suddenly someone told me about all the things happening at sea. Naturally, I'm curious and want to get involved."

Huang Muyun couldn't help but blurt out sarcastically, "If you find it boring, wouldn't it be better to get married sooner rather than later?"

Huang Chu stared at him for a while; those light-colored eyes, staring at someone for too long, made her hair stand on end.

Huang Muyun swallowed awkwardly. Even though she knew she had brought up a sore spot, she refused to back down and let the matter drop.

They just stayed like that, frozen in place.

After watching for a while, Huang Chu lowered her eyes and said, "This won't do, Huang Muyun."

"...What do you mean no way?"

Huang Chu sighed: "If you want to know what I'm going to do, and if you want me to tell you, you can't keep talking back to me like this."

Huang Chu's voice remained flat, as if he were simply giving instructions on a mundane task. However, the word "disrespect" somehow triggered Huang Muyun, and he suddenly felt a tingling sensation throughout his back, a feeling so unfamiliar that it made him panic.

He forced himself to speak, determined not to show weakness at this moment, his voice hoarse and strained: "Me, talking back to you?"

Huang Chu glanced at him, as if to say, "Isn't this the sentence?"

Huang Muyun didn't know how she could laugh, as if Huang Chu had told the funniest joke imaginable.

He gritted his teeth and said patiently, "Whether you talk back or not, I'm just a rough man, I can't change. Please forgive me, young lady. I don't want to know what you want, young lady. I just want you to stay away from us brothers. We can't afford to offend you, so please let us go."

Huang Chu said, "What you're saying doesn't make sense. I've been looking for stones from the beginning. The only one who's dissatisfied is you."

"Stone is young and doesn't understand things easily; there are some things I'm better at than him—"

The door suddenly opened.

Shi Tou stood outside, his dark face flushed, as if he felt embarrassed that Huang Muyun had come to see Huang Chu because of his matter. He rushed in and grabbed Huang Muyun, trying to leave.

"Brother, can you please stop this?" he said gruffly. "The young lady meant well, and you've ruined it for me."

"What do you know? She's clearly hiding something from you, who knows what she's hiding—"

"I know! The young lady told me, but I didn't tell you!"

Huang Muyun was taken aback.

Shi Tou pushed him aside, then stood between him and Huang Chu, panting heavily.

"Brother, I'm not a child anymore. I don't need you to control everything I do. I have my own plans. If you have any complaints, take them out on me. What kind of man takes his anger out on a young woman like this? What's wrong with you?!"

Huang Muyun didn't know why he was like this. He just looked at Huang Chu sitting inside with a blank expression, and then at the stone blocking her way. He suddenly felt very powerless.

He waved his hand, preparing to leave. As he turned around, he heard Huang Chu's voice chasing after him, "Young Master Huang."

Huang Muyun stood still.

"I've never wronged you in this life. I may have hidden things from you, but I've never lied to you. I know what I want, and I'm honest with myself. What about you? Think about it yourself."

Huang Muyun left in a sorry state.

The stone was to set sail in ten days. In the meantime, I solemnly bid farewell to Huang Xingtong.

Huang Muyun had hoped that Huang Xingtong would stop Shi Tou's adventurous act, but to her surprise, Huang Xingtong agreed without much consideration and was even quite happy. He patted Shi Tou on the shoulder and said, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. You probably won't be able to read ten thousand books in your lifetime, but traveling ten thousand miles by sea is a good opportunity. A good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown. It's good to go out and see the world."

With Huang Xingtong's support, Shi Tou became even more confident. He also bid farewell to the children at the academy who loved listening to his stories. The young boys were incredibly envious; before, it was just an adventure in a story, but now he was actually going to sea! They surrounded Shi Tou, begging him to write down everything that happened on the way and tell them about it when he returned. Shi Tou readily agreed and even promised to bring them gifts from the East and South Seas.

Before setting off, Huang Chu took Shi Tou out again to the temple to get a peace charm. Huang Chu had the maid give Shi Tou a sachet and told him to put it in and keep it close to his body. He also asked Han Mama to pack his clothes. Since the boat was damp and cloth shoes were not durable, he packed five pairs of straw sandals for him.

Shi Tou had never been cared for like this before, as if he had completely given up on Huang Chu.

He was still angry with Huang Muyun because of what happened that day, so he didn't go to talk to Huang Muyun until the day before he left.

The next day, when it was time for his departure, Huang Muyun came to see him off, patted him on the shoulder, and told him to take care. Shi Tou's temper subsided quickly; he hugged Huang Muyun, then knelt down on one knee and said to Huang Chu, "Young lady, I'm leaving."

Huang Chu nodded: "Be careful on the road, your safety is the most important thing."

He grinned and said, "May everyone be safe and sound, and may everything go smoothly!" Then he got into the oxcart and went to the dock.

Huang Muyun watched from the doorway. She also saw that beside Shi Tou, besides his personal bundle, there was a large locked box. She pretended not to ask anything. When the oxcart was out of sight, she simply bowed to Huang Chu and left without saying a word.

Stone was gone for two months.

From late summer to mid-autumn, Huang Muyun was oblivious to everything else, focusing solely on studying the classics. He memorized the entire Four Books and half of the Five Classics. He seemed possessed; he wouldn't face reality until he finished memorizing the books. It was unclear who he was competing with.

The day Shi Tou returned, Huang Xingtong specifically called him.

"Don't stay cooped up. Even if you were to work as hard as you do with stones, you wouldn't be this reckless. Top scholars aren't made by just studying all the time."

Huang Muyun seemed a little dazed. He blinked at Huang Xingtong, "...I think I'll take the preliminary examination next year. Studying hard still works for the preliminary examination."

Huang Xingtong frowned. "You have the most reasoning, and half a day won't make a difference. Get down here now, I'll give you half a day off to welcome Shi Tou."