The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 104

Li Mingwei was driven out and had nowhere to go. She cautiously knocked on the door, the faint knocking sound echoing her humble heart. Liu Yizhu heard the almost imperceptible sound and set down his book, uncertainly opening the door to take a look.

He gave her a quick glance, then turned and walked inside. Li Mingwei closed the door and followed him, asking, "Are you angry?"

Liu Yizhu picked up his book again without looking at her, his tone devoid of emotion, "No, what's the use of being angry? Will being angry make you tell me everything you've been hiding from me?"

Li Mingwei felt a surge of resentment. She took the book from his hands, sat on his lap, pinched his face, and explained, "It's about the little girl's matters, it's not something I can easily tell you. I came to see you right after I finished my tasks."

Liu Yizhu pushed her forward slightly to make her sit more comfortably before asking, "I'm not interested in the little girl's matters. I just want to know why you suddenly decided not to go back."

Li Mingwei didn't want to tell him about this. She leaned down, kissed him on the lips, smiled at him in a coquettish manner, but seeing his still displeased expression, she bit him playfully.

Liu Yizhu grabbed her arm and pushed her away, coldly saying, "That trick doesn't work on me anymore!"

Li Mingwei rarely teased him like this, so she broke free from his grasp and pounced on him. Liu Yizhu caught her wandering hands, endured for a moment, and finally admitted that what he said earlier was nonsense, then picked her up and threw her onto the bed.

He pressed down on her, and Li Mingwei rolled around to avoid him, giggling, "My trick never fails."

Liu Yizhu clenched his teeth, pulled her back, and firmly held her, not giving her a chance to escape again.

Looking at the sleeping figure in his arms, Liu Yizhu tucked her in with the blanket, sighed deeply, realizing that she didn't want to tell him, but he would eventually find out.

As for Yun Sister's matters, even Wang Chunhua couldn't resist asking, so it must be quite serious. Li Mingwei didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't ask, only reminding them to stay safe, as they were three women alone.

He lifted her up as usual, gauging her weight, and advised, "Eat more when you go back. Next time I come, you should be heavier than today."

Li Mingwei nodded, watching him enter the academy before leaving with Wang Chunhua and Yun Sister.

Back at the inn, they continued to wait for Qing Yang. Yun Sister spent her days peering out the window, Li Mingwei paid the room fee day by day, and when Wang Chunhua couldn't wait any longer and wanted to return first, Qing Yang finally arrived.

He apologized, "Finding a house in the village wasn't easy. The good ones are all occupied, so I found a slightly inferior one and had it repaired, which took some time and delayed me a few days."

"It's okay," Li Mingwei glanced at Wang Chunhua, who had already packed up, and said, "Since you're here, let's go back."

"Sister, wait for me, I'll pack up my things and go with you in a moment."

Yun Sister quickly stepped forward to help her tidy up, feeling extremely reluctant: "Thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you all accompanying me, I wouldn't know what to do. When we part this time, I don't know when we will meet again."

Wang Chunhua patted her: "Don't be so polite with us. Just come back to visit us whenever you miss us. If not, write us a letter, and we'll meet in the county town."

Yun Sister looked back at Qing Yang standing outside the door. Qing Yang nodded at her, and she smiled: "Alright, I'll have Qing Yang write you a letter when the time comes."

Li Mingwei didn't have much stuff, and she quickly finished packing. She declined Yun Sister's offer to accompany them to the city gate, bid farewell to the two, and hurried home.

They had been out for quite some time, not knowing how things were at home. Wang Chunhua was worried about the children, and Li Mingwei was also concerned about Old Lady Wang.

The door of the Liu family was not closed tightly. Li Mingwei gently pushed it open and peeked inside. She saw Old Lady Wang crouching in the main hall like a toad. She called out softly, "Mother, what are you doing?"

Old Lady Wang was startled, quickly got up from the ground, patted the dust off her and greeted her: "You're back. I was practicing etiquette."

Li Mingwei's gaze fell on the etiquette manual on the ground. She didn't know what Liu Yizhu had given her, but since he left last time, Old Lady Wang had been pulling her to learn etiquette every day. She didn't expect her to be so diligent when alone at home.

"Oh, you're learning well."

Old Lady Wang picked up the book from the ground, with a smile on her face: "Right, I also think I'm learning well. I kneel just like it says in the book."

She patted the book, put it back in her arms, and took the bundle from Li Mingwei's back: "Are you hungry? Is there any dirty clothes in the bag?"

"Not hungry, just a bit hot."

"Then I'll boil some water for you to wash up?"

Seeing her nod, Old Lady Wang went to the backyard to fetch firewood to boil water.

Li Mingwei found a clean set of clothes, took the dirty clothes from the bundle, and carried them into the bathroom to prevent Old Lady Wang from washing them again later.

After washing up and hanging the clothes, she leaned against the kitchen door, watching Old Lady Wang kneading dough. She should be cooking noodles for her. "Need any help?"

"No, no, you go out. It's hot in the kitchen. You'll wash up later, wasting water."

Li Mingwei was already used to her way of speaking. Even though the intention was good, she always had to add that last sentence. She pulled a chair and sat under the eaves, picked up a fan next to the stove, fanning away the heat.

Then she conversed with Old Lady Wang inside the house: "Mother, I went to see Liu Yizhu a few days ago. He said he topped the exam again a few days ago and asked how you were at home."

"Topped the exam again." Old Lady Wang smiled, her hands moving faster. Her son was really promising. She laughed, "What can I do at home? Just tell him to focus on his studies."

"That's what I told him."

"That's good."

Old Lady Wang quickly cooked a bowl of noodle soup for Li Mingwei, urging her to eat while she headed out with a fan in hand.

Li Mingwei knew she was off to brag to the group of old ladies outside about her son's latest achievement, ranking first in something. Without paying much attention to her, Li Mingwei finished her meal and took advantage of the cooler evening to visit the academy.

Having skipped classes for quite some time, she knew she owed Mr. Jin an apology. He looked at her disapprovingly and said, "You promised to return after a day or two, then it became every other day, and now it's been so many days."

Frustrated, he slammed the table, "You have the audacity to come back!"

Realizing her mistake, Li Mingwei humbly apologized, "I'm sorry, sir. There were unforeseen circumstances. If you don't believe me, ask Sister Chunhua."

"Sister Chunhua returned with me. She has a child, and if everything was fine, would she leave her child for so long?" Mr. Jin retorted.

Although Mr. Jin had heard from Dong Lei that Li Mingwei's mother hadn't been home lately, he remained skeptical. He stood up, took out several books from behind him, and placed them in front of her, saying, "These are the books they'll be studying next year. Since you don't like the cold of winter, make good use of this warm weather and catch up."

Li Mingwei widened her eyes, wondering how long it would take to copy all of these!