CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 318: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

"How is it?" Meng Yao asked.

"I’ve found out. Mr. Wang is indeed teaching at the academy, but not at one of the academies in the Prefecture. He’s at the Qixia County," Zhao Ting replied.

"Is it far from the Prefecture?" Meng Yao asked.

"Not far at all, it’s just on the way," Zhao Ting said.

"Shall we stay in Qixia?"

"It’s up to you."

The three of them didn’t delay in Xuzhou and drove straight to Qixia.

Upon arriving in Qixia, the system locked onto their positions without Meng Yao even having to ask.

As Meng Yao had guessed, Mrs. Qian was at the cloth shop.

As for Mr. Wang, he was at the Qixia Academy, two streets away from the cloth shop.

Although Meng Yao knew the location of the cloth shop, if she were to mention it directly, it would surely raise suspicions. After all, there were several cloth shops in town.

So, Meng Yao chose to go to the Qixia Academy to meet Mr. Wang first.

After explaining her purpose to the gatekeeper, the old man went in to report at once. Shortly after, Mr. Wang came out jogging.

Running into an old friend in a foreign land is an exciting thing indeed.

"Lady Dahe, what brings you here? How did you find me? A Min will be so happy to see you." Mr. Wang greeted Meng Yao warmly. "Please wait a moment, I’ll go ask the principal for some time off."

Mr. Wang didn’t even give Meng Yao a chance to speak before he hurriedly ran back into the Academy.

"Mr. Wang sure is in a rush," Zhao Ting commented.

"Our Mr. Wang is the most steady gentleman in the Academy," the gatekeeper said. "It must be because you’re friends with him; he’s just too excited to see you."

It seemed that Mr. Wang was doing quite well at the Qixia Academy.

"Indeed, Mr. Wang is indeed very steady. Otherwise, my two sons wouldn’t be studying under him. My eldest son is waiting for the autumn examination!" Meng Yao said with a smile.

"You look so young, Madam. Your sons must be quite young, aren’t they?" the gatekeeper asked with interest.

"Not very, they’re already fifteen," Meng Yao replied.

At fifteen years old, taking part in the autumn examination, Qixia Academy had never produced such a scholastic student before.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Wang was such a remarkable individual!

The key was, being so remarkable, yet so low-key.

He might have a good chat with the principal when there’s a chance!

Mr. Wang soon returned carrying a bundle and called Meng Yao to go with him.

With Mr. Wang leading the way, Meng Yao soon met Mrs. Qian.

Upon seeing Meng Yao, Mrs. Qian instinctively rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.

"Sister Qian." Meng Yao called out.

Mrs. Qian pinched her own arm, inhaling sharply, "Ah Yao, is it really you? I thought I was seeing things! How did you suddenly come to Xuzhou? Is there something going on? How is Dahe and everyone else?"

Mrs. Qian asked several questions one after another.

Without waiting for Meng Yao to answer, she put down her abacus, called out in the shop, and a shop assistant quickly came over. Mrs. Qian instructed her briefly before inviting Meng Yao, "Let’s go, home."

Mrs. Qian and Mr. Wang rented a small courtyard not far from the cloth shop.

Three main rooms, with two side rooms on each side, forming a U-shape, enclosing a courtyard, neatly arranged. There were orchids planted along the south wall.

"The place is a bit small, Ah Yao, please don’t mind it," Mrs. Qian said. "Have a seat; I’ll go boil some hot water to make tea for you."

Meng Yao went straight to the kitchen with Mrs. Qian.

"I was too embarrassed to ask before, the man accompanying you..." The kitchen was quite close to the courtyard, so Mrs. Qian spoke very quietly.

But Zhao Ting’s hearing was sharp, and he clearly heard Mrs. Qian’s question.

Half-heartedly chatting with Mr. Wang, he was also eavesdropping, eager to hear how Ah Yao would respond.

"It’s a long story," Meng Yao replied.

"Then make a long story short," Mrs. Qian, being straightforward, was never one to beat around the bush.

She genuinely regarded Meng Yao as a sister, so she spoke as directly as possible.

"He’s the biological father of Dajiang and Dahe," Meng Yao said.

"What?" Mrs. Qian raised her voice, then glanced outside nervously before lowering her voice again, "Didn’t they say he was dead? Is this a case of the living dead? No, it’s been many years; the corpse must’ve decomposed by now!"

Zhao Ting’s mouth twitched.

Meng Yao briefly explained the situation.

Mrs. Qian suddenly understood, "Suffered amnesia, became the biological father, then suffered amnesia again but recovered the memories lost from the previous injury, and after quite a while, regained memory again? Is that correct?"

Meng Yao nodded, precisely summarizing the situation.

"So now, you two?"

Meng Yao sighed deeply.

"You just forgave him like that? It seems like he’s innocent enough, but for all these years, you’ve endured so many hardships with the children, it’s not something that can be dismissed with a mere excuse of innocence," Mrs. Qian was indignant on behalf of Meng Yao because it seemed to her that even if Zhao Ting hadn’t ’come back to life’, her sister could still find happiness.

Now, it’s hard to say.

Although she wasn’t superstitious, Zhao Ting certainly seemed unlucky, and who knows if it would get worse in the future?

"He came to find us immediately after regaining his memory," Meng Yao said.

She wasn’t making excuses for Zhao Ting but merely stating the truth.

She couldn’t lie about this.

"Still, I can’t help but feel aggrieved for you," Mrs. Qian said. "I have to ask, he’s the Great General, wasn’t he looking for someone all these years? As far as I know, large households often have multiple wives and concubines, which is quite usual."

"He wasn’t looking," Meng Yao said.

Mrs. Qian’s face softened a bit, "That’s more like it. Did you go to his home? How did his family react? In such large households, I hear there are strict requirements for daughters-in-law."

Being a village girl, will Ah Yao be looked down upon? This was something Mrs. Qian worried about.

"The old lady is very kind, I like her a lot," Meng Yao said truthfully.

She was nice to her and the children. Even before knowing her past, she treated her very well, a lovable old lady.

Considering her mother-in-law’s virtues was a significant plus for Zhao’s family.

"No messy women, and a good mother-in-law, it seems there are indeed worthy things. But you don’t seem very close to him despite being with him now," Mrs. Qian observed sharply.

Based on what Ah Yao said, this brother-in-law seemed quite alright.

"Ah Yao, please tell your sister honestly, what do you think?" Mrs. Qian asked sincerely.

"Sister Qian, matters of the heart are complicated," Meng Yao replied.

"What’s so complicated? Let me ask you, do you dislike him?" Mrs. Qian asked.

Meng Yao shook her head.

She indeed didn’t dislike the current Zhao Ting; apart from occasionally being childish, most of the time he was very dependable. On this journey, he had arranged everything meticulously, and she didn’t have to worry at all.

There’s a saying from later times that goes, "If you want to know if you’re compatible with someone, take a long trip with them." Her trip with Zhao Ting should count as such a journey, right?