Chapter 963: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
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Chapter 963: The School Opens and Another Freeloader Arrives (4)
No one else fared much better, especially Cui Ping’an, who—under Xin’er’s deadly glare—simply poured soy sauce over three bowls of white rice and ate them all. While everyone admired his courage, they silently mourned for his stomach. His intestines were probably dyed the color of soy sauce by now.
With only a few dishes on the table, Mo Yan forced herself to eat a single bowl of rice, then hurried back to her courtyard. She slipped into her space and chugged three full cups of spiritual spring water before her stomach finally started to feel better.
After chatting idly with Xue Tuanzi for a bit and feeling her stomach had settled, she exited the space and lay down for a half-hour nap. Not long after she got up, Xin’er came over and told her Yan Junyu had arrived.
Mo Yan was a bit puzzled. The fruits in the orchard weren’t ripe yet, and the rice in the paddies wouldn’t be ready until next month. She couldn’t think of any reason why Yan Junyu would show up at a time like this.
But after meeting him and hearing him vent a stomach full of complaints, she finally understood—he was here for comfort.
“In the eyes of elders, it's perfectly normal for a man to marry and a woman to wed when the time comes. Since Young Lord Yan has long reached the age for marriage and starting a family, how could your grandfather not urge you?” Mo Yan was speechless after hearing the whole story.
In most households, if a man was being pushed to marry or set up on blind dates, he’d at least feel some mix of excitement and nerves. But this guy? He acted like the idea was worse than snakes and scorpions. He’d even argued with his grandfather over it and stormed out of the house in a huff!
Yan Junyu stared deeply at Mo Yan and said in a melancholy tone, “If I marry, it must be a woman I truly like. Not just any random ‘cat or dog’ can become my wife, the future mistress of the Duke of Wu’an’s household.”
Cat or dog? Mo Yan silently rolled her eyes and muttered, “Even if you wanted to marry a cat or dog, don’t you think the cat or dog should be willing, too?”
Yan Junyu snapped open his jade-ribbed fan with a snap, swept back the hair hanging by his ear, and said smugly, “I’m more handsome than Pan An, graceful as a jade tree in the wind. I’ve got wealth and status. I do the choosing—who would dare reject me?”
Mo Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue with this kind of nonsense. She asked directly, “You didn’t come all the way here just to tell me this, did you?”
“Of course not!” Yan Junyu waved his fan righteously. “I don’t want to go home and listen to the old man nagging me. I’m staying at your place for a while to clear my head. As the host, you’re responsible for looking after me.”
“No way,” Mo Yan refused without hesitation. “My father’s not home. It’s not appropriate for a grown man like you to stay here.”
Well, that was only part of it. More importantly, if someone found out she’d blatantly taken in another man, the vinegar jar would definitely tip over.
Yan Junyu frowned. “There’s already a man staying at your place. Why can’t I?”
Mo Yan hadn’t expected he’d even looked into that. She deliberately made things difficult. “He’s a hired laborer. He works during the day, eats here, and sleeps in the mill at night. If Young Lord Yan is willing to lower yourself and sleep in the mill, chop wood and carry water during the day, then I suppose you can stay.”
Of course, Yan Junyu knew Mo Yan was trying to drive him away. He’d originally thought to pressure her with his status, but remembering that she was a County Princess, he had to abandon the idea. Instead, he tried to appeal to sentiment. “You’ve really become shrewd. We’ve known each other for years—can you really bring yourself to make me sleep in a mill and do hard labor?”
Mo Yan waved him off with a totally unbothered expression. “You’re not some delicate little wife. Why wouldn’t I be okay with it? You have two choices—leave, or work and stay in the mill. There’s no third option.”
Seeing how serious she was, with no room for negotiation, Yan Junyu was so frustrated he ground his teeth. “Fine! I’ll sleep in the mill—but don’t expect me to do your chores!”
Mo Yan was surprised he actually agreed. For a moment, she couldn’t find another excuse to refuse, so she reluctantly gave in. “Whatever makes you happy.”
Yan Junyu felt a flicker of triumph, but it faded fast. The idea of a noble young lord like him living in a shabby mill didn’t feel all that victorious. But what could he do? He was being willful and just had to come here.
The Mo family’s mill was spacious, but the only vacant room was the one Cui Ping’an stayed in. Yan Junyu flatly refused to share, so Mo Yan had to clean out one of the rooms behind the schoolhouse—originally prepared for the instructors—and let him stay there.
These rooms were better than the mill in layout, though a bit cramped. Still, they were perfectly livable. Yan Junyu had grown up in the Marquis of Wu’an’s estate, used to the finest food and lodging, so naturally this was beneath him. But with six fierce beasts eyeing him like prey, there was no way he dared sneak around Mo Yan’s courtyard at night.
And so, Yan Junyu ended up living behind the schoolhouse. On the day classes officially started, he even decided to play guest teacher and gave the kids a lesson.
Unfortunately, the way his mind worked was… unique. Even when he spoke the right moral principles, he somehow managed to twist them into odd arguments—but they were still technically correct, which made it hard for anyone to call him out.
The two instructors were worried that the children might be too impressionable and actually be misled by him. From then on, they didn’t dare let him into the classroom while lessons were in session.
One day, on a whim, Yan Junyu wanted to experience the joy of teaching again—but no matter how hard he knocked, the tightly shut schoolhouse doors wouldn’t open. He realized then, dejectedly, that he was officially unwelcome.
(End of Chapter)
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