Seeking

Bidding farewell to Li Er, Liu Yuanzhou lost all interest in strolling around, his mind preoccupied with Er Ni's matter, and he headed back.

Upon returning home, Liu Yuanzhou went straight into the main room, intending to give the pastries to his aunt.

In a corner of the main room, his aunt, Gao Shi, was doing needlework, with his elder sister-in-law, Luo Shi, sitting beside her, and little Shuwen squatting on the ground playing with a few wooden toys.

"Aunt, sister-in-law, I went to town just now and bought two packs of pastries on the way. Have a taste," Liu Yuanzhou said, placing the pastries on the table, adding, "One pack is Jujube Cake, and the other is Crisp Heart Candy."

Gao Shi looked up at Liu Yuanzhou and smiled, "Second Child, you're so thoughtful. Have you eaten? I'll ask Aunt Li to make you a bowl of noodles." She was quite happy that her nephew had bought her gifts.

Liu Yuanzhou said, "I've eaten. I ran into Li Er from the village earlier, and we ate together."

Hearing that there was candy, Shuwen dropped his toys and ran over to the table, his eyes fixed on the pastries and sweets.

Liu Yuanzhou opened the paper package and handed a piece of Crisp Heart Candy to Shuwen.

"Thank you, Second Child Uncle, you're so kind." Shuwen was very polite. Liu Yuanzhou smiled, patted his head, and after saying goodbye to his aunt and sister-in-law, turned and left.

Back in his room, there was no one there. It seemed Third Master was still out socializing with chess.

After gulping down a cup of cold water, Liu Yuanzhou sat on the bed, sorting out his chaotic thoughts.

From the information he got from Li Er, Er Ni was working at the Weaving Factory owned by her uncle. He knew Er Ni's mother's surname was Liu, so Er Ni's uncle was also surnamed Liu. So now he had to find a Weaving Factory whose owner was surnamed Liu.

As for who to ask, he had already thought of two people on the way back.

One was his cousin, Liu Yuanyang, who worked in the Prefecture Yamen. As someone in the government, he should have some understanding of the merchants on the streets of Yan Province City.

The other was Niu Baoyuan. As a local, and working at the Yan Province Academy, he would know quite a few people.

He decided to go to Niu Baoyuan later tonight. If he hadn't known that Niu Baoyuan was at the academy right now, he would have gone to find him immediately.

As for what to do after finding Er Ni? He didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to see Er Ni now.

But there was still a thorn in his heart, the man Li Er mentioned who was with Er Ni, just the thought of it made his heart ache.

As the sun began to set and dusk approached, Liu Yuanzhou guessed that Niu Baoyuan would be coming home from work. He told Third Master and hurried out.

First, he ran to East Main Street and bought two packs of pastries at Old Wang Pastry shop, then turned back to North Main Street.

Niu Baoyuan's house was at number thirty-four, East Twelfth Lane, North Main Street, which Niu Baoyuan had told him last time they ate together. Following the house numbers, Liu Yuanzhou quickly found number thirty-four, Twelfth Lane. It was almost next to the city wall, with an old gate in front of him.

Liu Yuanzhou gently knocked on the door with his fingers. After waiting for a while, when no one opened the door, he knocked harder.

He could vaguely hear voices from inside the door. After a moment, the door opened wide, revealing Niu Baoyuan in his Yan Province Academy uniform. He had obviously just returned from work and hadn't had time to change.

Seeing Liu Yuanzhou, Niu Baoyuan was pleasantly surprised. He let him in and said with a smile, "What brings you here, brother? Don't go back tonight. I'll call a few brothers later, and we'll have a good drink." He then shouted towards the main room, "Mom, a friend is here."

Compared to his uncle Liu Jiali's courtyard, Niu Baoyuan's home was much more humble. It was just a single courtyard, with no flowers or trees planted, only some miscellaneous items and two large water tanks, making it seem empty.

A woman in her fifties came out of the main room, wearing patched clothes and with graying hair. This should be Niu Baoyuan's mother.

Liu Yuanzhou quickly stepped forward to greet the woman, respectfully saying, "Auntie, hello, my name is Liu Yuanzhou, Brother Niu's friend." He then held up the things he was carrying, "I didn't know what to bring for my first visit. I heard that Old Wang Pastry's Jujube Cake is delicious, so I brought you some."

Niu's mother smiled, "There's no need to bring gifts. Come in and sit down, I'll cook for you." After saying that, she turned and went into the kitchen.

She was very happy. Niu Baoyuan had many friends, and people often came to find him, but it was rare to see someone as polite as Liu Yuanzhou, so her tone was a bit more cheerful.

Walking into the main room, Liu Yuanzhou put the pastries on the table and sat down on a stool. Niu Baoyuan poured hot tea and asked, "What brings you here? You didn't just come to drink with me, did you?"

He saw Liu Yuanzhou coming over so late, obviously not to find him for a drink, there must be something going on.

Liu Yuanzhou didn't waste any words and told Niu Baoyuan his intentions.

After hearing this, Niu Baoyuan pondered for a moment and said, "I'm not very familiar with the merchants in the city, but I know a few friends whose families are also in business. I'll go find them tomorrow and ask around for you."

Liu Yuanzhou wasn't too disappointed. He didn't expect to get any news so quickly. After all, Yan Province City is so big, and who knows how many people are opening factories and workshops.

Then the two chatted about their recent situations. Niu Baoyuan told Liu Yuanzhou some interesting things about the academy. Liu Yuanzhou listened more than he spoke. After all, he stayed at home all day, so what could he talk about? Of course, except for Er Ni's matter, but he couldn't share that with Niu Baoyuan.

When asked about the official Entry Level time for the new students of Yan Province Academy, Niu Baoyuan knew the answer. He told Liu Yuanzhou that the exact date was May 20th.

Liu Yuanzhou couldn't directly ask his cousin about this question, as it would make him seem impatient. Getting the exact news from Niu Baoyuan made him feel much more at ease.

Before he knew it, they had finished two pots of tea. Niu's mother came over and said that dinner was ready, and called them to eat.

Dinner was Helao Noodles with mutton soup. Usually, the Niu family ate noodles with plain soup, but today they were spending extra to entertain Liu Yuanzhou.

The noodles were already served, and the sight of a few scallions floating on the oily soup, along with the fragrant aroma, made Liu Yuanzhou's appetite surge.

Niu's mother really made delicious noodles, with a kind of home flavor. Liu Yuanzhou couldn't help but eat two bowls.

Putting down his chopsticks, Liu Yuanzhou praised, "Auntie's noodles are really delicious."

Niu's mother's eyes narrowed into a line with a smile, and she wanted to scoop more noodles for Liu Yuanzhou, but Liu Yuanzhou quickly stopped her. He saw that Niu Baoyuan had only eaten one bowl, and his mother hadn't even touched her chopsticks yet, and the soup in the pot was almost gone.

Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Yuanzhou said goodbye and left.

Niu Baoyuan knew Liu Yuanzhou's situation, so he didn't keep him for a drink. He sent him out the door and agreed to meet again another day.

Returning to the kitchen, he saw his mother taking out a package of pastries and a bowl of noodles with meat soup. Niu Baoyuan knew what was going on.

He said angrily, "Mom, you eat the noodles. I'll take the pastries to my elder brother later."

Niu's mother said, "My stomach is blocked today, and I don't want to eat meat. There are still noodles in the pot, I'll give you the soup and noodles together, go scoop it yourself. I'm going to your brother's house to see my little grandson."

After speaking, she went out with a bowl of noodles in one hand and pastries in the other.

Niu Baoyuan shook his head helplessly, and had no mood to eat anymore. He pulled a stool and sat in the yard, sulking.

His father died early, and his mother worked hard to raise him and his brother, and also got a wife for the eldest son, Niu Guiyuan.

Niu Guiyuan's wife was a shrewish and snobbish person, treating Niu Baoyuan and his mother with cold words and sarcasm. Niu Guiyuan was a soft-hearted person and didn't dare to speak up to his wife.

Niu Baoyuan, seeing his mother being bullied, moved out with his mother in a fit of anger and rented a house.

It had been almost half a year since they moved out, and his elder brother Niu Guiyuan had not invited them back even once. Niu Baoyuan's heart gradually grew cold.

When Liu Yuanzhou returned home, his cousin's family had just finished dinner. He explained a few words to his cousin Liu Jiali. Seeing that his cousin Liu Yuanyang hadn't entered the backyard yet, Liu Yuanzhou gritted his teeth secretly, leaned over and whispered, "Brother, I want to ask you something, let's go out and talk."

Liu Yuanyang was curious. This younger cousin of his had a good relationship with his younger brother, but his relationship with him was just so-so. Usually, there was no communication except for meals.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Liu Yuanyang nodded, handed the document in his arms to his wife, and followed Liu Yuanzhou to the outside of the gate.

"What's the matter?" Liu Yuanyang asked.

"I have a friend who works at his uncle's Weaving Factory in Yan Province City. His uncle's surname is Liu. I want to ask you to help me find out about this factory." Liu Yuanzhou said straight to the point.

Hearing that it was just inquiring about a factory and not a big deal, Liu Yuanyang immediately agreed, "This is not difficult, leave it to me." He worked as a clerk in the Prefecture Yamen's household affairs department and usually had a lot of contact with merchants, so it was easy to inquire about a weaving factory.

Liu Yuanzhou happily said, "Thank you, Brother."

Liu Yuanyang said, "Don't be so polite between brothers."

The next two days were uneventful. Niu Baoyuan and Liu Yuanyang still had no news. Although Liu Yuanzhou was anxious, he could only be patient and wait.

The time came to May 16th, the day of Liu Yuanzhi's Prefecture Exam.

Getting up early in the morning, before dawn, Gao Shi personally made a bowl of egg noodles for her son. After breakfast, the whole family saw Liu Yuanzhi off at the gate.

Outside the gate, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The exam lasted for two days, and the examinees could not return home. To prevent cheating, the examination hall provided writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and three meals a day, so there was no need to bring anything.

The four got into the mule cart. The driver, Wang San Ge, slapped the mule, and the mule cart slowly started, heading towards the examination hall. Liu Yuanzhou, Liu Jiali, and Third Master were sending Liu Yuanzhi to the examination hall.

The examination hall was next to the Prefecture Yamen. After the mule cart turned into South Main Street, there were more people and carts on the street. Those who came at this time were basically students taking the exam and their families who were sending them off.

Approaching the Prefecture Yamen, the road was blocked by mule carts parked haphazardly. The four had to get out of the cart and walk the rest of the way. Fortunately, it was not far from the examination hall.

After sending Wang San Ge back with the cart, the four quickly walked to the outside of the examination hall. There was still half an hour before entering the examination hall, but the small square outside the hall was already crowded with people. Everyone was talking in low voices, and the order was still good, with Prefecture Yamen runners maintaining it.

The four waited outside for admission. Liu Jiali and Third Master kept explaining the precautions for the exam. Although Liu Yuanzhi was impatient, he pretended to listen attentively.

"Time's up, candidates enter the hall!" A yamen runner shouted loudly at the entrance of the examination hall.

Liu Yuanzhi quickly waved goodbye to his father, grandfather, and cousin, and followed the students into the examination hall one by one.

Liu Yuanzhou suddenly thought of Li Mingzhong, so he looked around, but because there were too many people, he did not see him.

"Good luck on the exam, Brother." Liu Yuanzhou waved his fist, cheering Liu Yuanzhi on.

Liu Yuanzhi turned back and gave him a smile, stepping into the gate of the examination hall.