Speaking of Uncle Cai, when I return this time, I shall properly express my gratitude to him, and honor and respect him as if he were my own kin.
"Sir, have you ever been poor?"
At this remark, Ye Ziāan felt somewhat amused. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
"You little rascal," Ye Ziāan said lightly, "I too was born into a poor family. My childhood was even worse off than yours. It was only after certain events that I came to have my present circumstances."
He thought that his current life was mostly brought about by his wife. Thinking of his wife made him want to return home immediately.
Seeing his indifferent expression, Li Wen no longer probed further.
After a good while, the carriage came to a stop again.
It was only when Ye Ziāan stepped out of the carriage and into the house that he realized not only was Mr. Luo there, but Old Mu and Baili Yan were present, and even Mu Shaoling and Mu Shaofeng had come.
"Quite the gathering?" Ye Ziāan lifted an eyebrow.
"We were waiting for you. How does it feel to be so pleased with yourself?" Mu Shaoling couldnāt help but want to tease Ye Ziāan when he thought about Yang Chuxia possibly carrying twins.
"Seeing you saps the words right out of me; how can I be pleased with myself?" Ye Ziāan always had a retort ready for Mu Shaoling.
Having said this, Ye Ziāan then greeted Old Mu, Baili Yan, and the others with the proper salutations.
Upon seeing this, Mu Shaoling humphed and said, "Shouldnāt you have paid your respects upon entering? Itās rude to do it at this point."
"Shut your mouth. Upon seeing you, I canāt even remember how to write the word āmanners,ā let alone show them," Ye Ziāan shot back just as venomously.
At these words, Mu Shaoling let out a cold snort and then turned to Mr. Luo, "Mr. Luo, look at him. He has returned all that you taught him, he canāt even write anymore."
Mr. Luo was torn between laughter and tears.
"Calm down for a moment," he then turned to Ye Ziāan and asked, "How do you think you did on the exam? Write it down for me to take a look."
Ye Ziāan responded by pulling several sheets of paper from his sleeve, "Iāve already written it down."
Mr. Luoās eyes widened, "You... you wrote this during the exam?"
"Mhm," Ye Ziāan nodded lightly, then went to recline on a chaise longue at one side.
He felt rather tired at the moment. He couldnāt sleep well inside, especially with someone checking on him now and then, which was quite annoying.
Mr. Luo took the papers, astonished, "How did you have the time to write all of this down?"
"I finished writing yesterday, reviewed it from the beginning, and then wrote it down there whenever I had nothing else to do," Ye Ziāan said indifferently.
Ye Ziāanās tone might have been light, but the others in the room exchanged looks, all seeing the surprise in each otherās eyes.
"How is it?"
After Mr. Luo had looked over the papers thoroughly, Baili Yan eagerly asked.
"If there are no mistakes, he is surely to pass the exam. The question is which rank he will place," Mr. Luo said while looking fondly and reflectively at the handwritten drafts, and he also breathed a sigh of relief. Now the incident in Funan could be resolved satisfactorily.
Baili Yanās eyes sparkled with excitement, partly for Ye Ziāanās happiness and partly for his own, as this meant another talented individual at his disposal.
Mu Shaofeng, however, had a more incisive perspective, bluntly commenting, "Lucky that scholarly honor was restored. If Mu Shaowei had gone to the exam under that pretense, it would have been like the Mu Family sitting on needlesāa household No. 1 who couldnāt even pass the Advanced Scholar exams would obviously arouse suspicion, and it wouldnāt have been long before people would start crying foul, leading to investigations, tsk tsk."