Chapter 2154: Cen Yi's Problem

Chapter 2154: Cen Yi's Problem

When Cen Yi's older brother was mentioned, her spirits seemed to lift considerably. Upon hearing the maidservant's words, her eyes brightened. Yes, her older brother would surely pass the imperial examination.

The discussion quickly shifted from Shu Yu to the heir of the Yongchang Marquis.

Back in the courtyard of the Southern City residence, Shu Yu leaned in closer to Zhao Xi and whispered, "What's the matter with Madam Zhou?"

With a long sigh, Zhao Xi hesitated to share the details at first. However, he realized that in a few months, Shu Yu would be getting married, so he should educate her about matters relevant to women.

As a doctor and a family member, it was his responsibility.

Although Zhao Xi didn't mention Cen Yi specifically, he spoke to Shu Yu, "In the future, after you're married, you need to take good care of yourself. For example, during your monthly cycle, you must avoid sexual activity. It can easily lead to certain health issues."

Shu Yu nodded in understanding.

She now grasped that Cen Yi likely had an infection, possibly something like ovarian inflammation, which could be caused by a lack of personal hygiene and, in some cases, sexual activity during menstruation.

Shu Yu thought that this issue was most likely initiated by the Zhou family's son. Women usually found menstruation uncomfortable on its own, and unless that young master had insisted, Cen Yi probably wouldn't have entertained such thoughts. Moreover, most men were fastidious about cleanliness in such matters.

From what she had learned today, Cen Yi's life in the Zhou family was indeed difficult.

However, Shu Yu realized that these matters had nothing to do with her anymore. She was unlikely to have any further contact with Cen Yi in the future.

But today, she had acquired a shop, and that put her in a great mood.

After the Hou Shi ate dinner at home and the guests had departed, Shu Yu couldn't wait to start planning her new shop.

There wasn't much she could change on the first floor in terms of layout. The space was already quite spacious, but she needed to renovate the counter and add a few more cabinets.

She planned to open two more storage rooms at the back of the courtyard. Originally, she had intended to open just one, but upon consideration, she realized that Dong'an Prefecture was quite far from the capital. Transporting goods here wouldn't be easy, so having extra storage would be beneficial.

As for the second floor...

In reality, selling sunflower seeds and sunflower oil didn't require the use of the elegant chambers on the second floor. The first floor was sufficient for her needs.

So, she needed to plan the second floor carefully.

For now, she hadn't figured out what to do with it, so she put that aside for later. She decided to start by marking out the layout for the first floor, and then she would find craftsmen to get to work.

By the time she had finished these tasks, it was already late.

Shu Yu stretched lazily and looked at the moonlight outside. She couldn't help but think about Meng Yunzheng, who was still in the examination hall.

She wondered how he was doing at this late hour. He probably couldn't continue writing, and he should be getting some rest. However, the weather was quite cold, and the examination hall had no doors. The chilly wind could easily make it unbearable.

With these thoughts in mind, Shu Yu felt a bit anxious.

Meanwhile, Meng Yunzheng had not fallen asleep. The sound of teeth grinding and snoring from the neighboring candidates and the shivering noises from those across the room didn't bother him much.

He remained half-lying against the wall, his eyes closed as he reviewed the exam questions. Once he was sure he had gone through all of them without errors, he decided it was time to get some sleep.

He had initially thought that Second Prince's people might cause some trouble before the exams, but surprisingly, everything had been peaceful.

As one night passed, Meng Yunzheng woke up the next morning still full of energy.

After stretching his body slightly, he began the second round of the exams.