Chapter 136 - 136 Beautiful, Virtuous, and Thoughtful

Chapter 136 - 136 Beautiful, Virtuous, and Thoughtful

136 Beautiful, Virtuous, and Thoughtful
Lu Jiao understood right away. He was worried that she would embarrass him by getting too close to another guy. Xie Yunjin was going to take the imperial exam… if his soon-to-be-separated wife embarrassed him, his reputation will be tarnished.
Lu Jiao’s gaze flickered, “Don’t worry. I’ll remember that.”
She then turned to leave. Behind him, Xie Yunjin watched her leave. The thought of her thinking on his behalf lifted his mood yet again.
Quickly, he frowned again. He must find some time soon to talk to her about their separation. Since he had decided to let her stay, he must let her know that so she could take care of the four little ones without any distraction.
Inside the room, Xie Erzhu watched all this and had no idea what happened. He knew that his third brother was very angry and he stopped being angry after his sister-in-law said something.
This meant his third brother liked his sister-in-law a lot. His mother must be dreaming for wanting to separate them.
Xie Erzhu then started to help Xie Yunjin.
Outside, Classmate Han saw Lu Jiao come out and asked, “Lady Lu, is there something you wanted to ask me about?”
Lu Jiao didn’t want to ask much. She simply made him come out for Xie Yunjin’s sake.
Her brain spun, “Since Yunjin’s been bedridden, he hasn’t been able to visit the academy. Would the Dean and the Masters there refuse to accept him if he returns?”
Classmate Han smiled, “Don’t worry, I have already spoken to the Dean at the academy. The Dean likes him very much and wouldn’t simply refuse him because of what happened.
During this time, the Dean hasn’t even been in the Qinghe district. He went out to travel. As for the Masters, they’ve all heard about what happened and even wanted to visit. However, academy exams are happening soon and they got too busy leading the students.
Out of the medicinal herbs I bought last time, the Masters all contributed.”
Lu Jiao nodded.
The scholar exams seemed to happen every September.
During that time, the Masters would spend all their energy asking their students to study in the hope of being able to name more scholars. That way, the academy would be able to get more students in the following year.
Lu Jiao had thought that everyone in the Qinghe District who studied were scholars. It looked like many of them were not.
“I thought all the students in the academy were scholars?”
Classmate Han was embarrassed, “The official standard states that only scholars can be accepted into the academy. However, we lack scholars in our district and the academy cannot operate with so few students. Therefore, they loosened their rules and also accepted regular pupils. I am one of them.”
Classmate Han glanced at Lu Jiao, who didn’t appear to look down on him. This made him sigh in relief.
Yunjin’s wife was a pretty good person.
Classmate Han continued, “I’ve never been gifted academically. However, my dad made me write the scholar exam to become a scholar in order to bring honor to the family. As a scholar, you don’t have to pay respect to the officials, and you are freed from conscription labor. When I run my business, people tend to respect me more and are more scared to try to scam me.”
Lu Jiao nodded and finally understood why she’s never read about this person in the novel. It was likely that he ended up giving up writing the imperial exam and focused on his business. However, he was so close to Xie Yunjin and there was no way they would cut ties so cleanly.
Lu Jiao thought that maybe Classmate Han hid behind Xie Yunjin and partnered up with him for business.
Lu Jiao pondered. Just then, Xie Erzhu came out of the room with the bamboo potty. He headed to the washroom.
Lu Jiao saw him and smiled, “Thank you for speaking to the Dean for Yunjin.”
Classmate Han also noticed Xie Erzhu and his bamboo device. Though he wasn’t sure what it was for, he had a good guess. So Yunjin’s wife asked to speak to him for Yunjin.
Classmate Han started to get jealous. Though Yunjin’s wife wasn’t the most beautiful…
Ah, no, once she slimmed down, she was going to be stunning. Yunjin’s wife was beautiful, virtuous, and thoughtful. This kind of woman was rare.
Lu Jiao didn’t know what he was thinking and beamed, “Go back inside and chat with Yunjin. I’m going to boil some water.”
Classmate Han went back to the bedroom.
Lu Jiao boiled water and scooped some for Xie Yunjin. She asked him to wipe Xie Yunjin.
This time, she didn’t feel the need to drag Classmate Han away. They were both men and there wasn’t much to see.
Outside, Lu Jiao washed the four little ones. As she washed them, she promised them that she’ll make them some new clothes and pajamas. That way, they could alternate their outfits.
The four little ones were unspeakably happy. The Third Born, however, was the most excited and hugged Lu Jiao to give her a fat kiss.
The Third Born was more shy and calm compared to the Second and Fourth Born. It was rare for him to be so happy.
It became obvious how much he valued appearances.
Lu Jiao pinched his cheek, “I know you like new clothes. I’ll make more for you later.”
“Okay, mommy, you are the best. I promise to listen to you.”
The Second and Fourth Born also chimed in, “We will also listen to you.”
The First Born was the last to speak, “I will too.”
Lu Jiao stared at the four little ones. Because she’s been feeding them well, their little faces had lost that yellowness and were now white and smooth like four cute snowballs. Their eyes were now clear and clean, full of positive energy.
Lu Jiao felt so much love for them. There was no way these four will grow up to be villains.
Though she’s only spent a short while with them, she truly hoped they don’t go down the bad route.
Once everyone was in bed, Lu Jiao told them two stories – both long.
The four little ones were so happy, they became more determined to fulfill their promises to her.
Their mommy had taught them to be boys who don’t turn back from their words. They will be the people they promised her to be.
Inside the east bedroom, Classmate Han naturally heard Lu Jiao telling stories to the children. Her voice was kind and graceful. Though he couldn’t make out the words clearly, he was certain that the story was fantastic.
Classmate Han smiled at Xie Yunjin, “I had no idea Lady Lu is so good with children. It is no wonder the four kids are so respectful.”
Classmate Han couldn’t figure out why this woman had such a bad reputation before.
Xie Yunjin was in a great mood to hear that. His face was calm, however, as he responded, “She’s just a woman from the countryside. How can she be as great as you’re making it sound?”
For some reason, he hated it when others gave too much attention to Lu Jiao.