Chapter 6: The Countryside Wife and the White Moonlight (6)

Su Yu knew that as long as she remained married to Mo Chengyuan, he would never actively pursue the Eldest Miss of the Sang Family.

In his heart, Sang Conghan was sacred and inviolable.

For now, Mo Chengyuan had refrained from divorcing her out of sentiment for the years she had spent keeping vigil over his parents’ graves, but that gratitude would not last forever.

Rather than trying to reform a scumbag, Su Yu found it far simpler to target his white moonlight.

Li Hua had mentioned that Sang Conghan was currently a sophomore in the Department of Chinese Language at Xuancheng University. Su Yu resolved to test into the very same department.

Fortunately, Mo Chengyuan could not care less about where she intended to apply. In his mind, her passing the university entrance exam was an utter impossibility. This indifference spared her from any suspicion regarding her true motives.

Xuancheng University conducted a unified planetary examination covering five subjects: Chinese, English, Beiguo Planet History, Foreign Planet History, and Chemistry. Each subject was scored out of twenty points, for a total of one hundred. The university selected the top candidates scoring above sixty; based on previous years, a score of seventy virtually guaranteed admission.

As the de facto ruler of the Planet Beiguo Government, Mo Chengyuan was swamped with daily affairs and had no time to spare for Su Yu. He simply instructed Butler Qian to provide whatever she requested without needing to report back to him.

Butler Qian assented, feeling a newfound admiration for Su Yu. In his year at the Marshal’s Manor, he had intimately experienced Mo Chengyuan’s unyielding stubbornness. Yet now, the unbending Marshal yielded and compromised for her time and again. The woman clearly possessed extraordinary methods.

Perhaps she might actually hold onto her position as Madame Marshal for a very long time.

When he visited Beiyuan to see Su Yu again, Butler Qian was considerably more deferential. The tips of his mustache twitched upward as he smiled warmly. “The Marshal says Madam need only command me for whatever you require. I will surely procure it.”

Su Yu remained impassive, neither flattered nor irked by his sudden shift in attitude. “The Marshal and I have agreed that I will sit for Xuancheng University’s entrance examination this June. The exam covers five subjects, so I must trouble Butler Qian to find me tutors for each of them. Furthermore, I hear that the highborn ladies and officials’ wives in Xuancheng all possess a special accomplishment when socializing. After much deliberation, sketching is what suits me best. Please find me a sketching tutor as well.”

Her claim of being skilled at drawing was no lie. Having grown up in a traditional household, she had learned needlework from a young age and made all her own clothing. When young girls wanted to embroider flowers onto their dresses, they had to sketch the stencils first. Su Yu’s stencil drawings were always exquisite, making the finished embroidery even more breathtaking.

“I will also trouble Butler Qian to purchase the textbooks and drawing supplies.”

Butler Qian hurried to say, “What is Madam saying? These are my rightful duties. Procuring supplies is simple enough, but selecting tutors requires vetting their character and temperament. The earliest they can arrive is two days from now.”

“That is fine.”

Su Yu had Li Hua pour him a cup of tea. Butler Qian accepted it and drank it in one gulp. “If Madam thinks of anything else, just have Li Hua inform me. I will see to it without fail.”

Su Yu rose to see Butler Qian to the door herself. Butler Qian felt both trepidation and gratitude. Madam had preserved his dignity; rather than rebuking him for his past neglect, she treated him with even greater courtesy.

Once Butler Qian had left, Li Hua gazed at Su Yu with starry-eyed worship. “Madam, you are amazing! Even an important figure like Butler Qian is so respectful to you!”

Though simple-minded, Li Hua was a sharp judge of character. In the past, Butler Qian’s visits to Beiyuan had been marked by cold, superficial smiles. A false veneer of respect was a world apart from genuine deference.

Su Yu looked up at the vast expanse of the sky. “Since I carry weight before the Marshal, he naturally respects me. Li Hua, don’t slink into the house. Even if you flatter me further, you must still run five laps around the courtyard today. No dinner until you finish.”

“Ah?” Li Hua pouted and trudged back outside.

Li Hua had been exercising and dieting alongside Su Yu every day. Su Yu had 123 track her weight; in ten days, Li Hua had lost fifteen jin—five jin more than Su Yu herself, perhaps due to her larger starting weight.

Su Yu said, “Perseverance is key in all things. As long as you slim down to ninety jin, I will return your indenture deed to you.”

Li Hua’s eyes widened. Having lost some weight, her eyes appeared considerably larger—round, bright, and sparkling with excitement. “Give me back my deed?! Madam! I will definitely lose the weight!”

No one willingly remained a slave, and no one disliked freedom. While Li Hua felt life at the Marshal’s Manor was comfortable, that was only in comparison to her miserable past. Over the past few days, under Su Yu’s subtle influence, her entire perspective had undergone a profound transformation.

Before the tutors arrived, Su Yu worked with Li Hua to alter their clothes so they fit properly. Once their dowdy garments were recut and tailored, they might not look fashionable, but they were presentable enough to wear in public.

In all her time at the Marshal’s Manor, no one had offered to buy Su Yu new clothes or jewelry, and she had never deigned to ask.

Su Yu had always planned to cut all ties with Mo Chengyuan once her mission was complete. Living off someone else’s generosity would only leave lingering obligations; it was far better to earn her own money and buy what she needed.

Reading the daily newspapers, Su Yu familiarized herself with the pursuits of contemporary intellectuals. They craved liberation and freedom, yearned for pure and beautiful romance, denounced corrupt officials, and occasionally engaged in venomous public debates in print.

In her spare time, Su Yu composed a few short poems celebrating family, friendship, and love—despite having no genuine understanding of romantic sentiment—intending to submit them to Xianhua Press.

The publications of this particular press favored ornate prose and melancholic yearning. Incapable of expressing raw emotional depth, Su Yu simply embellished her verses with lavish rhetoric, making them a perfect fit for Xianhua Press.

Appreciating Li Hua’s upright character, Su Yu spoke to her seriously during a quiet moment. “Li Hua, would you be willing to take me as your mother?”

Li Hua stood with her mouth agape, momentarily struck dumb. When she finally processed the words, she stammered, “M-Madam, I… I’m just too surprised, I didn’t mean to hesitate! But Madam is so young, wouldn’t it be better to take me as a little sister?”

Su Yu shook her head. “That is not the same. If you take me as your mother, I will raise and teach you with the devotion I would give my own daughter. How could an elder sister’s care ever compare to a mother’s?”

“Think it over carefully.”

Li Hua pondered for a solid minute, her chubby face scrunching in solemn consideration. “Madam, I have decided!”

“And?”

“Daughter greets Mother!” With a thud, Li Hua dropped to her knees, preparing to kowtow.

Su Yu hastily caught her. “I am adopting a daughter. Simply addressing me as Mother is enough—why kowtow? A person’s knees hold gold, whether man or woman. You must never kneel so lightly again.”

Pulled to her feet by Su Yu, Li Hua grinned cheekily. “Daughter understands, Mother!”