Chapter 023

Knowing that Yan Jin wanted to see the county magistrate, the blue-clothed woman patted her chest and said, “My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Nong Yun. The county magistrate is my mother. You don’t need to wait in line. I’ll take you to see her.”

Yan Jin snapped her fingers in her heart.

She had guessed correctly. The Daoist Zhou Xiao Wu from yesterday was indeed Zhou Nong Yun.

If it were someone else, they might have declined a couple of times. But Zhou Nong Yun’s words were exactly what Yan Jin wanted to hear, so she went with the flow and followed Zhou Nong Yun to see the county magistrate.

The county magistrate was only forty years old. Although fine lines had appeared around her eyes, which were very similar to Zhou Nong Yun’s, they had a warmth that Zhou Nong Yun did not possess.

Seeing that Zhou Nong Yun had brought someone in without announcing their arrival, and recognizing Yan Jin’s face, the county magistrate’s eyes paused for a moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, she hooked her lips into a kind smile and said, “Why didn’t you have someone announce your arrival?”

Yan Jin noticed the county magistrate’s gaze and had a thought.

According to the information she had heard, the county magistrate of Yongning County, Zhou Ming, was the third-place winner in the imperial examination during the fifth year of Changping. In the Hall of Golden Chimes, the emperor saw her picturesque eyebrows and appointed her as the third-place winner. Afterwards, she worked as a Hanlin academician in the capital for a few years before being sent to Yongning County.

The way the county magistrate had just looked at her was exactly the same as the way the original female protagonist, Mu Chu Yao, had looked at her. She definitely knew the high-ranking official who looked very similar to Yan Jin.

Yan Jin was a little curious. In this different world, she had actually encountered someone who looked so much like her.

But very quickly, Yan Jin’s thoughts were interrupted by Zhou Nong Yun.

Zhou Nong Yun skillfully pulled Yan Jin out, putting on a serious and solemn appearance. She said to the maid at the door, “Sister Peng Mo, I have something I want to see my mother about. Please announce my arrival for me.”

After saying that, Zhou Nong Yun even leaned close to Yan Jin’s ear and whispered, thinking she was being quiet, “My mother likes to engage in these superficial formalities.”

“If you don’t like superficial formalities, then I won’t force you.” The county magistrate happened to walk to the door and heard Zhou Nong Yun’s words. She said softly, “Go and memorize the few lessons you learned yesterday.”

Zhou Nong Yun protested, “Mother, the few lessons we learned yesterday add up to at least a thousand characters.”

“A thousand characters is indeed a bit too few.” The county magistrate frowned slightly, “Then you should also memorize the previous lessons I taught you. That should be just right at five thousand characters. To make it a round number, just memorize ten thousand characters.”

Zhou Nong Yun: “…”

The county magistrate’s tone became even gentler, “If you have any objections, feel free to say so. Although I am your mother, I still very much respect your opinion.”

Zhou Nong Yun said gloomily, “Your child has no objections.”

“Then why aren’t you going to memorize yet?” The county magistrate said gently, “Do you think the amount is too little to showcase your ability?”

Zhou Nong Yun looked at Yan Jin, “This friend was brought by me. She has something to ask of you. I have to at least introduce her to you. I can’t just abandon her and leave.”

Originally, Yan Jin had come with a purpose and actively befriended Zhou Nong Yun, but hearing Zhou Nong Yun’s words, she felt a bit touched.

It’s just that Yan Jin had previously been disconnected from society for several years due to certain reasons, and wasn’t very familiar with polite conversation. After carefully searching through her mind, she could only squeeze out a dry sentence, “It’s okay, I’ll wait for you.”

The county magistrate smiled and looked at Yan Jin, “In any case, Nong Yun still needs some time at the moment. Why don’t this lady chat with me first?”

[Oh no, Yan Jin must not agree! Wait until Miss Nong Yun is done, and then let her accompany you to face the smiling tiger.] [If it were any other ordinary socially anxious person, having someone accompany them would make it easier not to be shy, but for Yan Jin, it might not make much difference.] [Rather than hoping for Yan Jin to blush, it’s better to hope for Yu Shu to blush… I’ve never seen Yan Jin blush during this entire livestream, but I’ve seen Yu Shu blush several times.]

Although Zhou Nong Yun wasn’t very reassured about leaving Yan Jin, under her mother’s kind gaze, she still turned around to go memorize, looking back every three steps.

“If the lady has something to discuss, you can directly send a name card to find me,” the county magistrate said with a smile, “There’s no need to deliberately get close to my foolish daughter.”