Chapter 51

Seeing Liu Qianyu's somewhat anxious appearance, Ye Yu thought to himself that he had no choice but to do this, and she shouldn't blame him for intentionally teasing her.

Then, he straightened his expression and said, "This garlic sprout is spicy when eaten raw and is a common ingredient at home! If it's not cooked and eaten raw, the bad taste will linger in the mouth for a long time. Therefore, to prove whether Miss Qianyu has stolen the garlic sprouts, all I need to do is smell your breath to see if there's any bad taste!"

"Although what you say makes sense, sir, but..." Liu Qianyu's face now showed a hint of anger. She was a smart woman and how could she not understand the implications in Ye Yu's words?

Ye Yu smacked his lips a couple of times and then pretended to be helpless, "This is the most effective and direct method. Since I have difficulty moving, Miss Qianyu, you'll have to come closer. My sense of smell isn't very good!"

Liu Qianyu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, showing a hint of struggle. However, to prove her innocence, she finally nodded and agreed to Ye Yu's suggestion.

She took a few steps forward, bent her slender waist, and leaned down, bringing her flawless face closer to Ye Yu. Then, she closed her beautiful eyes and gently opened her mouth, exhaling a warm and fragrant breath.

Seeing the face only five inches away from him, Ye Yu felt his heart, which had been through twenty years of life, pounding uncontrollably.

A beautiful woman in front of him made him so agitated that Ye Yu cursed himself for being such a weak-willed person.

However, Ye Yu felt that this distance was still a bit far. To make Li Mo and the others feel a sense of displacement from afar, he decided to act it out properly.

Although Ye Yu's heart was already pounding fiercely, he still suppressed his emotions and calmly said, "The wind on the river affects my sense of smell. Miss Qianyu, could you please come a bit closer..."

Ye Yu's suggestion made Liu Qianyu, who was already blushing, even redder to the tips of her ears. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and slowly moved closer to Ye Yu.

With only one or two inches between them, Ye Yu's breathing seemed to become heavier. Liu Qianyu's small, cute nose also occasionally let out a breath that made one blush.

Ye Yu, with a slightly red face, sniffed hard, feeling a strong, sweet fragrance fill his nostrils, like orchids or musk, with a hint of a seductive scent, the fragrance of a sweating young girl.

Lowering his gaze slightly, Ye Yu saw the twin peaks trembling slightly, and the deep valley visible from the neckline. Such close-up appreciation made Ye Yu momentarily lose his composure.

After a brief moment of distraction, Ye Yu saw that Liu Qianyu still had her eyes tightly closed, but the beads of sweat on her nose indicated her current tension.

He took a deep breath and was about to speak to end this awkward and ambiguous situation when he suddenly noticed a yellow petal in Liu Qianyu's hair.

Instinctively, out of kindness, he reached out to remove it for her.

Just as his hand was about to touch her hair, Liu Qianyu, who had been keeping her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and straightened up nervously.

Ye Yu, worried that she might misunderstand his sudden action, explained, "Don't misunderstand, I just saw some debris in your hair, so..."

"Thank you, sir. Can you now prove that the garlic sprouts have nothing to do with me?" Liu Qianyu's eyes avoided Ye Yu's, and the blush on her face had not yet faded.

Ye Yu smiled awkwardly, "No, no! It's my fault for being abrupt. I hope Miss Qianyu can forgive me!"

"Since that's the case, I'll take my leave!" Liu Qianyu, blushing, did not want to stay any longer. She bowed to Ye Yu and left.

"Please!"

As Xiao Huan turned to leave, she mocked Ye Yu, "Lecher, hmpf!"

"..."

After Liu Qianyu left, Ye Yu felt inexplicably thirsty. At this moment, She Tongcheng walked over from a distance and took out a few garlic sprouts from his arms, placing them in front of Ye Yu, "Brother, these garlic sprouts..."

"Take them back and let Qiulan use them as seasoning!" Ye Yu said, then looked at the row of garlic sprouts by the shore and instructed, "If you pull someone else's garlic sprouts, you have to compensate. Find out who owns this land and buy all the garlic sprouts here!"

"Brother!"

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Seeing She Tongcheng hesitate, Ye Yu urged, "Speak your mind, no need to hold back!"

She Tongcheng looked at Ye Yu, suppressing a laugh, and teased, "I think Brother is more suited to be a rogue!"

"Uh!... Really? I have that potential? Looks like I need to explore and develop it more in the future..."

...

At the ferry landing, Li Mo and the others were all stunned, not knowing what to say. What they had just witnessed was something they had not expected.

Although they were unwilling to believe it, they had seen the woman bend down and kiss Ye Yu, which was an undeniable fact.

This made Li Mo feel both disappointed and surprised. He thought, "Has Ye Yu learned some technique to charm women in the past two years?"

When Ye Yu returned to the ferry in his wheelchair, Pan Zhi and Shen Jinchuan had already come forward to greet him. Shen Jinchuan, coming closer, praised him, "Brother Ye is truly a master of romance. With just a brief encounter, you can make a beauty kiss you. It's truly admirable!"

"Uh, Brother Shen, you flatter me. It was out of necessity!" After saying this, Ye Yu turned his gaze to Li Mo behind the two.

Li Mo was speechless. Although he didn't believe Ye Yu could do this, the fact was right in front of him, and since he had set the challenge himself, he had no reason to question it.

Facing Ye Yu's gaze, he had no choice but to admit defeat. He bowed and said solemnly, "Li Mo admits defeat. I apologize for my previous disrespectful words, Brother Ye!"

"Guests are welcome. Brother Pan invited you two to visit our county and enjoy the river. How could I hold a grudge?"

Seeing the two finally stop their confrontation, Pan Zhi sighed in relief and then invited everyone onto the boat.

On the boat, Ye Yu listened to the three men talk, occasionally joining in the conversation, but mostly drinking continuously.

Ye Yu's drinking capacity was good, but he rarely drank so much. The reason was that Liu Qianyu had stirred up a fire in his heart.

Ye Yu didn't know why, but every time he thought about what had just happened, he felt a strange dryness in his mouth.

What Ye Yu didn't realize was that although his mental age was mature, his body was still in a youthful and energetic phase.

Even if he could suppress it mentally, he couldn't control his physical reactions.

As the boat drifted along the river, it eventually reached Qingliu Pass. Ye Yu felt the cabin was stuffy, so he sat at the bow and enjoyed the scenery on both banks.

When he looked at Qingliu Pass, he noticed many officials and guards at the abandoned checkpoint. This unusual sight made him curious, wondering if something had happened there.

Thinking this, he asked the boatman to dock at the shore. At this moment, the three men in the cabin also came out. After the boat docked, Ye Yu greeted them and got off the boat first.

The boat then drifted back to the center of the river. Shen Jinchuan, looking at the direction Ye Yu had left, sighed, "Brother Pan, before meeting this person, I thought you were exaggerating, but after a brief conversation, his knowledge is no less than ours. It's a pity..."

Pan Zhi, agreeing with Shen Jinchuan, said, "Yes, it's a pity that he will stop at the threshold of the imperial examinations!"

Since Ye Yu entered the cabin, Li Mo had been silent. Now that Ye Yu had left the boat, he opened his fan and started talking, "This is fate! There's no need to feel sorry for others. In a few days, we three will set off for the capital to take the exams!"

After saying this, Li Mo turned and entered the cabin. Pan Zhi, looking at the flowing river, remained silent, deep in thought.

Shen Jinchuan patted Pan Zhi's shoulder and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about so deeply, Brother Pan?"

"If I have the chance to meet the emperor this year, I will advise the court to be more flexible in selecting officials!" Pan Zhi, still looking at the river, said to himself.

Shen Jinchuan was taken aback but then shook his head, "How can the court's policies be changed by us students? This is as difficult as climbing to the sky!"

"..."

Ye Yu, of course, didn't know about the conversation on the boat. He was already in his wheelchair near the checkpoint. The guards around him were not unfamiliar, as the head guard, Wang, had a good relationship with him.

When Ye Yu approached and asked Wang about the situation, he was surprised.

It turned out that another "sleeve-cutting" incident had occurred near Qingliu Pass, but this time, the young man whose sleeve was cut died on the spot!

This changed the nature of the incident. What was once considered a prank had now become a murder.

What surprised Ye Yu the most was that the new county magistrate, Yang Zheng, had finally arrived as scheduled. However, he was detained here due to this murder case.

Liu Yuanshan, upon hearing about the incident, led a group of guards to the scene and was now investigating with the new county magistrate, Yang Zheng.

Understanding the situation, Ye Yu felt more at ease. Although he was curious about the perpetrator and suspected a connection with the black-clothed man who had helped him before, he was not skilled in investigating cases.

Therefore, he decided to leave, as he still had many accounts to review at the dyeing workshop.

However, just as Ye Yu was about to leave, Liu Yuanshan accidentally saw him and signaled Wang to bring him to the scene.