Chapter 69: The Young Boy Grows Up (Part 5)

Chapter 69: The Young Boy Grows Up (Part 5)

"Ah Xiong?"

Xu Zeping looked at the young man facing away from him, hesitating for a moment because the person was so thin, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

Xu Zeli, hearing the familiar voice, turned around and waved his hand. "Come here, Ah Xiong will take a look."

Xu Zeping, seeing the young man's emaciated and pale face, couldn't help but tear up, saying with concern, "Ah Xiong, why have you become so thin? Was the exam too difficult?"

"Not really, it's just that Ah Xiong's body is weak and I caught a cold."

At this point, Xu Zeli's eyes dimmed. He never expected that after sailing smoothly for so many years, he would stumble this time.

Most importantly, he didn't realize how petty and jealous Shang Jiangshi was... to bring him down, he even colluded with outsiders to slip him castor oil powder.

Shang Jiangshi was also their classmate, usually quiet, yet he placed fifth in the county examination!

Because of this, Xu Zeli hadn't been on guard against him, knowing that even if he failed the prefectural examination and didn't come first, the top spot wouldn't go to Shang Jiangshi!

Reflecting back, Xu Zeli felt fortunate that the night before the exam, when Shang Jiangshi offered him wine, he feared drinking would affect his performance and only took a small sip, spilling most of the wine on his black sleeve.

His cautious nature allowed him to persevere, quickly finish the exam, and rush to the nearest clinic...

Even so, he spent two days recovering from diarrhea.

Balancing diarrhea with taking medicine and preparing for the exam, he naturally became thinner.

The five consecutive exams were already exhausting, and with the added strain of diarrhea, his body became extremely weak, and he fell ill right after the exams.

Xu Songshan insisted that he stay in Prefecture City to recover, but Xu Zeli insisted on returning despite his illness.

There were two reasons:

First, Prefecture City was expensive, and most families couldn't afford the expenses, so they would return early.

If they didn't follow the main group back, it would be unsafe, as Yin Gou Village posed a constant threat, risking their lives.

Second, he remembered his promise to Xiao Rou and didn't want to break it.

He would remember this grudge—Shang Jiangshi and Jian Zixin.

Xu Zeli knew that Jian Zixin must have planned this, as Jian Zixin was the top scholar of Jiang'an County and sought the title of "Little Triple Yuan"!

And he dared to act so boldly because his father was the vice magistrate of Huahu Prefecture.

Everyone knew that the vice magistrate of Prefecture City was half a rank higher than the vice magistrate of Yongan Prefecture.

Moreover, Yongan Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Huahu Prefecture.

Jian Zixin was beyond his reach, but dealing with Shang Jiangshi would be easy.

Xu Zeping slightly raised his head, gently gripping Xu Zeli's sleeve. "Ah Xiong, you must take good care of yourself. During the May field break, don't work hard; I'll help you with the planting."

Xu Zeli, hearing Xiao Rou's earnest tone, couldn't help but laugh. He leaned down and stared into those similar phoenix eyes. "Thank you, Pingping, but Ah Xiong needs to exercise more to get better."

Xu Zeping quickly countered, "Ah Xiong should exercise, but only after your health improves. You're still sick and need rest."

Saying this, Xu Zeping pushed Xu Zeli towards his courtyard.

Cheng Ge Er stood in the corridor, witnessing everything. No wonder Pingping's Ah Xiong dotes on him so much... such a considerate and loving child, who wouldn't adore?

Xu Zeli chuckled softly. "Alright, Ah Xiong needs rest, but what if Ah Xiong gets hungry?"

Xu Zeli wasn't exaggerating; the journey had been long, with little food and mostly dry rations, which weren't nourishing.

"Ah?"

Xu Zerou covered her mouth and laughed. "What 'ah'? Go wash your hands and eat; everyone's waiting for you."

As Xu Zeping accompanied Xu Zeli to the well to wash their hands, he glanced back and saw Cheng Ge Er watching him, so he waved.

Without hesitation, Cheng Ge Er followed Xu Zeping.

Xu Zeping smiled warmly. "Ah Xiong, let me introduce someone to you. Ta-da, this is Cheng Ge Er."

Cheng Ge Er, seeing the elegant young man, felt a pang in his heart and instinctively bowed in a respectful gesture.

Xu Zeli, observing the young boy's adept manners, widened his eyes slightly. Upon returning, his mother had told him about the rescued child, and initially, he hadn't thought much of his literacy, as in Shang Jing, even families with modest means sent their children to school... even some scholars taught their children to read and write.

In the previous dynasty, however, most families believed that women and boys should be uneducated, including himself in his past life, holding commoner beliefs. But now, looking at the boy's perfect etiquette, he realized that teaching women and boys to read was not uncommon.

However, proper etiquette was different.

Such impeccable manners, even Xu Zeli admitted, surpassed Xiao Rou's.

His thoughts drifted, confirming one thing: this young boy's background was undoubtedly respectable.

"Cheng Ge Er, relax, there's no need to be so formal."

Cheng Ge Er, wise beyond his years, recognized that Pingping's elder brother, though elegant, was also composed and deep. Such demeanor reminded him of his adoptive father, who had been in office for years.

Cheng Ge Er smiled shyly, pointing to his throat, standing obediently beside Xu Zeping.

Xu Zeping noticed Cheng Ge Er's nervousness and comforted him. "Cheng Ge Er, don't be nervous. Ah Xiong looks stern, but he's kind. He often feeds stray cats, and I've seen him do it several times."

The person secretly feeding stray cats: ...

This was due to his cat-loving husband who was allergic to fur.

That tough guy, in order to observe cats and dogs up close, would instruct him to feed the stray cats and dogs.

Nowadays, this is purely out of habit; whenever he sees stray cats and dogs, he can't help but feed them.

If the youngest one saw him, it could only be considered a coincidence.

Cheng Ge Er heard this and his ears twitched; he instinctively raised his head to ask: Really?

Xu Zeli looked into those lively round cat eyes, and the first thought that came to his mind was: These eyes are so familiar; have I seen them somewhere before?

The second thought was that the tough guy would absolutely adore these cat eyes.