I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Bean Sprouts

During breakfast, the family sat around the low table, the conversation naturally revolving around Wu Tieniu’s plan to study.

“How much is the tuition for two months?” Wu Tiezhu asked.

“Eight hundred wen,” Li Qiaoqiao replied. “That includes a midday meal.”

“That expensive?” Zhang Jinhua clicked her tongue. “That’s nearly a whole tale of silver.”

“The tutor in town is a Xiucai with a degree; naturally, his fees are higher,” Li Qiaoqiao explained. “But I heard he teaches well. One can learn many characters in just two months.”

Wu Tieniu sipped his porridge in silence, mentally calculating what he needed to learn. He was originally a legitimate PhD student; having been trapped in the body of this peasant boy for over half a year, he had been struggling with the lack of a proper excuse to display his literacy and knowledge. Now that he finally had a chance to study legitimately, he already had a plan in mind.

Next year, he would take the Tongsheng (Entry-level) and Yuan (College) exams alongside Wu Canghai and give the whole family the shock of their lives.

…

After the meal, the men went to the fields to work. Once the women finished clearing the dishes, they began their daily chores.

“Qiaoqiao, why do you think Tieniu suddenly wants to study?” Mrs. Wei asked tentatively.

Li Qiaoqiao scrubbed the clothes, not looking up. “Last time he went to town to sell hides, someone tampered with the scales, and he sold them for much less than they were worth. Tieniu said if he knew how to read and do sums himself, he wouldn’t have suffered that loss.”

Mrs. Wei nodded; that reason was practical enough. What she feared most was the Fourth Branch intending for Tieniu to compete for a scholarly title and fight for the family’s resources against her son. Seeing now that Tieniu only wanted to learn practical skills and only for two months, he shouldn’t pose any threat to Canghai.

“How much does Canghai spend a year at the academy in town?” Li Qiaoqiao asked seemingly casually.

“At least ten tales of silver,” Mrs. Wei said with a note of pride. “And that doesn’t include the gift money for the teacher during festivals. But once Canghai becomes a Xiucai, he can receive a government grain stipend and study at the County School. The expenses will be lower then.”

Li Qiaoqiao smiled. “Once Canghai makes something of himself, the whole family will benefit from his prestige.”

Mrs. Wei felt immensely gratified by those words.

…

At dusk, Wu Duofu returned from the fields, washed his face, and took Wu Tieniu to the village head’s house. The village head’s son studied at the town academy, and they wanted to ask him about the day student arrangement.

The village head, Wu Changfa, was surprised to hear that Wu Tieniu wanted to become literate. “Tieniu, you’re at this age; why bother studying now?”

“Just to recognize a few characters and learn some arithmetic so I won’t be cheated when doing business,” Wu Ya replied as usual.

Wu Changfa nodded. “That makes sense. The merchants in town are very slick nowadays. We farmers don’t understand calculations and often suffer for it.” He said to Wu Duofu, “I happen to be going to town tomorrow. I’ll ask you. Master Zhou of the academy is a distant relative of mine; he should be able to make it convenient.”

“Then I’m much obliged to you, Village Head,” Wu Duofu thanked him repeatedly.

On the way home, Wu Duofu said to his son, “The village head agreed; this will likely work out. The busy farming season is in two months, so you must hurry and learn.”

“I know, Father,” Wu Ya nodded in response.

The following afternoon, Wu Changfa came to the Wu house in high spirits. “Master Zhou agreed! He said Tieniu can start school tomorrow. He heard Tieniu wants to read for the sake of doing business and even praised him for having foresight!”

Wu Duofu thanked him again and again, having Zhang Jinhua bring out some cherished cured meat to give to the village head as a thank-you gift. As the news spread, the word that the Wu family’s Fourth Branch was sending their son to study soon traveled throughout the village. Villagers gossiped, some mocked the Wu family for being whimsical, while others admired Wu Tieniu for being ambitious.

…

Night fell, and the Wu courtyard was quiet. Li Qiaoqiao lit the oil lamp, its dim yellow light flickering against the earthen walls. Wu Ya pulled out his half of the Concentric Lock, and Li Qiaoqiao took out hers.

“Going back again tonight?” Wu Ya asked in a low voice, expectation in his eyes.

Li Qiaoqiao nodded, and the two joined the halves of the lock together.

“The energy of the lock is much stronger than before,” Li Qiaoqiao said in surprise, sensing something.

Wu Ya took her hand. “It feels more stable, not likely to disconnect suddenly like before.”

Just as the words left his mouth, they felt a wave of dizziness. In the blink of an eye, they were standing in the living room of Li Qiaoqiao’s modern apartment.

“Last time you carried me home, I promised to sear a steak for you, and I should supplement your protein while I’m at it.” Li Qiaoqiao said, walking toward the kitchen. “Besides the steak, how about roasting some chicken legs?”

Wu Ya’s eyes lit up. “Better than anything.”

Li Qiaoqiao opened the fridge and took out steak and chicken legs. Wu Ya naturally walked to the sofa and sat down, taking in the environment he was once accustomed to but now found incredibly luxurious.

“Do you need help?” he asked, though his gaze was already drawn to the night view outside the window.

“No need, you rest well.” Li Qiaoqiao tied on an apron and busied herself expertly in the kitchen.

Before long, the aroma of steak filled the entire apartment. Li Qiaoqiao didn’t just sear steaks and eggs; she also used the air fryer to make roasted chicken legs and made fresh soy milk. When she set the food on the table, Wu Ya’s eyes went wide.

“This is more tempting than everything I’ve eaten over there combined,” he marveled.

Wu Ya elegantly picked up the knife and fork, his movements still maintaining the poise of a wealthy heir despite not having eaten Western food for a long time. He cut a piece of steak, chewed slowly, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

“Good skills,” he complimented.

Li Qiaoqiao smiled as she watched him enjoy the meal, taking small sips of her soy milk. After dinner, Wu Ya took the initiative to clear the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash.

“I’m going to shower first.” Li Qiaoqiao took a change of clothes from the wardrobe and went into the bathroom.

The warm water washed over her body, rinsing away her fatigue. When she stepped out of the bathroom drying her hair, she found Wu Ya sitting on the sofa holding her spare phone.

“Where did you find that?” Li Qiaoqiao frowned slightly.

“In your study drawer,” Wu Ya replied without looking up, focused on swiping the screen. Though there was no internet, there were offline games and previously downloaded materials on the phone.

Li Qiaoqiao was a bit annoyed and reached out to snatch the phone back. “You aren’t allowed to touch my things without permission.”

Wu Ya froze, clearly not expecting her reaction. “I was just looking.”

“You still have to ask me first,” Li Qiaoqiao said firmly. “Even in this situation, we need to respect each other’s privacy.”

Wu Ya was silent for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. I was inconsiderate.”

To ease the atmosphere, Li Qiaoqiao walked to the balcony and took out the wild beans they had harvested a few days ago to soak them in water. She carefully spread the beans on damp gauze, preparing to grow bean sprouts.

“What is this for?” Wu Ya came over and asked.

“Growing bean sprouts. We can take them back to the other side to supplement vitamins,” Li Qiaoqiao explained. “Fresh vegetables were scarce during winter in ancient times; bean sprouts are a good supplement.”

Wu Ya looked at her with admiration. “You think of everything.”

Li Qiaoqiao smiled slightly; the small friction from earlier had dissipated. She went into the bedroom and took a silk duvet from the closet.

“We need to take this back tonight.” She patted the duvet hard to make it fluffier.

Wu Ya reached out to feel the texture of the silk duvet. Compared to the hard cotton quilts of ancient times, it was worlds apart.

“If only we could stay overnight here before going back,” he sighed. “The bed boards over there are truly too hard.”