Chapter 131

Wen Shi put the ginseng away, intending to take it with him later.

After the holiday, he rested at home. As his children grew older, he had fewer and fewer things to worry about, and he felt much more relaxed than before.

On the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, Yingxiang went to two shops early in the morning to distribute bonuses to the employees. Later that evening, she went to the farm and gave the same amount of money to everyone. These were New Year's red envelopes, though she called them bonuses to others.

The following afternoon, the family of three packed their things and went to Ping'an Village to celebrate the New Year.

Wen family

Old Man Wen had been waiting for this for a long time. By the end of the year, the town was no longer as bustling as usual, the streets were somewhat deserted, and most of the shops were closed. He and Liu went to a nearby county town instead of the capital.

Firstly, it's far away, and secondly, things are definitely more expensive here.

To reach the nearby counties, it only takes them an hour to walk; but to go to the capital, without mule carts, it's quite a long way.

As he gets older, he doesn't like to do much anymore.

Wen Xiaowu had already returned from his holiday. When he saw Wen Shi and his family of three return, he immediately called out to them. Before long, Wen's father and Liu Shi came running out excitedly.

"Third brother, I had the eldest and second brothers' wives tidy up your two rooms a few days ago. You can move in right away. Why did you bring so much stuff?"

"Father, this is ginseng. I brought it back especially to honor you and Mother."

In the spacious hall, Yingxiang stood to one side with her child. Hearing these words, she felt very gratified. Being able to speak well is really important.

Upon hearing that it was ginseng and that it was a gift for them, Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu's eyes widened. They carefully opened the box and swallowed hard when they saw the ginseng inside.

According to popular belief, this stuff is highly nutritious and good for the body. Some even say that eating it can lead to a long life, and some say that the emperor in the palace drank three or four bowls of it every day.

This shows that it is an excellent product.

"Third brother, who gave you this? Or did you buy it?"

"This is a reward from the Hanlin Academy this year. You and your mother are getting old, so you should take some to nourish yourselves."

The Wen brothers gathered in the hall, all with smiles on their faces. Recently, none of them had much to do. Upon hearing this, the fourth brother, Wen, couldn't wait to go over to his parents and look at the ginseng in the box.

"Third brother, this is a good thing, why didn't you keep it for yourself?"

Old Man Wen looked at his third son, deeply moved.

Sure enough, the third son was thoughtful. He gave such a good thing to his parents without saying a word. He glanced at Yingxiang out of the corner of his eye and thought that this daughter-in-law was also good. He did not stop them.

If his other sons had gotten such a good thing, he didn't know if it would have ended up in his hands.

He quickly covered the ginseng, put the box aside, and noticed that Wen Shi had also bought quite a few New Year's goods. He had already written the couplets in advance and was just waiting to put them up the next day.

"Third brother, please sit down. Let me pour you some tea."

"This stuff is best stewed in chicken soup. It'll be perfect to stew it with chicken soup when we're preparing the New Year's Eve dinner tomorrow afternoon."

"well."

"I'm still young, fourth brother. This is the best way to nourish our parents."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Wen's smile grew even brighter.

"Third brother, fourth brother and I have already bought the seeds. We'll start planting them after the New Year."

Wen Shi took a sip of tea and nodded.

After dinner, Yingxiang settled the children down to sleep and went back inside with Wenshi.

Undeniably, the newly built house is nice, spacious and grand, and the furniture is new. No one has lived in this house for a long time, and apart from the basic furniture, there's nothing else.

She put the several sets of clothes she had brought into the closet, and the red silk dress she was going to wear tomorrow had already been taken out in advance.

Wen Shi looked at him with a deep smile in his eyes.

After getting into bed, Yingxiang rolled inside and lay on the soft quilt. She looked at the charcoal brazier not far away, where the flames flickered, making the room warm and cozy, not cold at all.

"Husband, how should we give you the New Year's money tomorrow?"

"Just treat everyone the same, give them all the money, and you decide the specific amount."

Wen Shi lay on one side and said somewhat casually.

"Later, you can get Leqian's share. He definitely received a lot, so don't let him spend it recklessly."

Wen Shi looked up at the roof, his words full of certainty. Yingxiang turned around and leaned closer to him.

“He’s not a child anymore, he’s already started to learn to read. Husband, I don’t think we can just let him learn those etiquette, morality, and shame from books. Let him use this New Year’s money himself, consider it as his snack money.”

"Then you must make sure to talk to him beforehand and not let him spend the money recklessly."

Don't worry.

Yingxiang snuggled closer to Wenshi, and Wenshi kissed her cheek.

Upon reflection, Yingxiang's words made sense; they were all doing it for the child's good.

Early in the morning, Wen Erge and Xiao Wu were putting up couplets at the door. In the kitchen, by the time Yingxiang woke up, the food was already ready.

Inside the hall, the food was laid out on two tables, and they were all pretty much the same.

"You all sit over there, Third Sister-in-law, let's sit here."

Yingxiang looked over and saw that the children were growing up day by day. They could sit up on their own and could eat. Ma's and A-Mian's children were small, so they naturally had to be carried and fed. Otherwise, they wouldn't eat well.

Yingxiang picked up a steamed bun and ate it slowly and carefully.

"Third sister-in-law, eat more. Sister-in-law, your clothes are so beautiful. The material looks so smooth."

During their conversation, Xiuyu handed over an egg, and Yingxiang thanked her with a smile. Xiuyu also liked to take care of herself.

"This is delicious too, sister-in-law, you should eat more."

Yuqin placed the meat dish directly in front of Yingxiang.

Wen Shi's side was similar; he and Old Man Wen both had the best dishes in front of them.

"Third brother, is this how wealthy families always eat? Men and women eat separately, and children eat alone."

After speaking, Old Man Wen straightened his chest. Wen Shi looked into the hall and instantly understood. Hearing this, he shook his head.

To be honest, that's not true.

"How did you eat it?"

The second brother also asked with some curiosity.

Hearing this, he recalled the time he took his child to the Hu family's house before.

"Wealthy families generally eat separately. Even when entertaining guests, each person sits down at their own table and eats separately, without gathering around each other."

"The elders sit at the head of the table, and the younger generation is arranged in order. Some families eat in the main hall, while others have a separate dining room."

How many dishes are there?

Old Man Wen picked up his chopsticks.

"It's hard to say exactly, as each family is different. There are usually three to five dishes. Generally, there are many dishes but small portions. Otherwise, if you put a table full for everyone, it would be wasteful if we couldn't finish them, which is not good."

"Yes, yes."

Old Man Wen took a sip of porridge, looked around, and made a decision.

"Let's do the same in the future."

"Dad, how many bowls and chopsticks will that require?"

Xiuyu heard it clearly and naturally disagreed. Although Yuqin didn't say anything, she was also unwilling. Yingxiang didn't stay there often and didn't express her opinion.

Household chores are all done by these women. If they really eat like this, even if it's just one or two dishes, the number of bowls and chopsticks would be quite large.

Liu didn't care, since she didn't do any work anyway.

“I don’t see you doing much on weekdays.”

During the Lunar New Year, Old Man Wen didn't want to get angry, but he felt that things were different now and he should be more respectful. His son had become an official, so his family was no longer peasants.

The children were eating heartily on the side, and Yingxiang would occasionally glance over. It must be said that the younger generation had no problem eating; each of them held a bowl and kept talking.

Xiuyu glanced at A-Mian out of the corner of her eye, but didn't feel embarrassed at all. A-Mian remained silent, eating the food in front of her, not caring about any of this.

In the Wen family, this was the only way she could survive. She couldn't offend anyone, and even now that she was pregnant, it didn't matter. The only thing she felt lucky about was that the Wen family never bothered her, except for Xiuyu.

The third son and his wife are rarely seen and have little contact with each other; the other two families are each preoccupied with their own affairs.

After Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu came here, they often went out for a stroll. She had a lot of work to do, but she didn't have that many worries.

Every time they think about the two large rooms of the eldest son's family, the second son and the fourth son's wife are a little unhappy, fearing that it would be too unfair if the rooms were really given to Wen Chuanzong's family in the future.

"Father, let's talk about it in a few years. We're not in the right situation right now."

Wen Shi picked up a piece of food for Old Man Wen, and Old Man Wen then focused on eating and stopped talking.

When the New Year's Eve dinner was being prepared in the kitchen that evening, the children were playing in the backyard. Ah Mian kept the children by her side the whole time, not daring to be careless.

Madam Ma was a bit better off; at least Madam Liu would reluctantly help out while she was working. If she was there and still didn't help, then Old Man Wen would start scolding her.

Including her, all six of them were in the kitchen, some chopping vegetables and others tending the fire.

"This ginseng is stewed with chicken soup. Fourth sister-in-law, you cut the chicken into three pieces, that will make it easier."

"If a whole chicken is stewed like this, they definitely won't get any of this ginseng chicken soup," Xiuyu said anxiously to Madam Ma.

Ma didn't hesitate; she stopped cooking the chicken and took it to the cutting board to start chopping.

Seeing this, Xiuyu was relieved. Since it was served in three portions, she was sure she could drink a bowl of this nourishing chicken soup, or she wouldn't get a single drop. She could also eat some meat along the way.

Inside the hall, Old Man Wen chatted with Mrs. Liu and the children. Outside, a cold wind was blowing, but inside, a charcoal fire made it warm.

There is charcoal in the house, but only the elderly couple and their youngest son and his wife can use it. The charcoal was bought by Old Man Wen himself.

"After the Lunar New Year, how do we burn paper money for our ancestors during the Qingming Festival?"

"There are many temples nearby, just go there."

Wen Shi remained calm and showed no displeasure. He sat upright with composure, answering questions as he went. Wen Chuanzong sat opposite him, next to Liu Shi, and he spoke the least.

"Alright, then I'll have the second son take me and your mother there. Third son, you need to take care of yourself too."

"Third son, you only have one son right now. If he inherits a huge fortune in the future, how will you divide it?"

Wen Shi picked up her teacup, but immediately put it down upon hearing her mother's words.

"Mother, you're overthinking it. I don't have that ability or skill."

Everyone looked at Wen Shi, and upon hearing his words, Old Man Wen was somewhat displeased.

"You're still young. You're already an official now. It's only a matter of time. When you get older, you'll definitely be a high-ranking official. With the emperor's rewards and salary, you'll accumulate quite a bit over a few years."

“Your father is right, you’re the only one in our family who’s successful.”

This was a tacit understanding within the family, and everyone agreed with it. However, Wen Chuanzong couldn't help but purse his lips when he heard this.

"Father, Mother, if you want me to marry a good wife, then you'd better be frugal in the future. If you're going to ask for a wife from a wealthy family, the dowry can't be less."

At this point, Old Man Wen was taken aback.

In his heart, he actually felt that his youngest son was so outstanding, and he also had an older brother who was an official. He thought that wealthy families should not be so eager to send their daughters to his family to live a good life and prepare generous dowries.

As for the betrothal gifts, he figured he could just prepare a few things.

"Xiao Wu is right. If a family is particular about these things, they will give their daughter a dowry that stretches for miles. If the dowry is too small, the marriage may fall through."

After hearing this, he took a sip of tea.

"Third brother, are you serious? How much dowry do you need to prepare if you want to marry a good wife?"

"The betrothal gifts in the capital are usually sixty taels of gold and sixty taels of silver, and they must be an even number. If you have money, you can definitely add more. The rest is also a bit different from back home, which is cotton cloth, silk, and livestock."

"Sixty taels? I'll take both the gold and the silver."

One tael of gold is equal to ten taels of silver. Considering everything else, Old Man Wen gasped.

"Third brother, if it's not from the city, but from the countryside, then you don't need so much."

These words were spoken by Wen Chuanzong.

"It's easier to negotiate in the countryside, it's similar to our hometown, at most a few taels of silver for the bride price. In the city, these are the basics, and the wealthier the family, the higher their requirements."

Old Man Wen counted the silver in his hand and suddenly felt worried. If Xiao Wu really wanted to get married, he didn't have enough money.

We can't expect everyone to chip in to get Xiao Wu married. Even though we're all family, our parents are still alive, so it's not up to his older brother and sister-in-law to take care of him.

He still has some sense.

The second and fourth sons were both married, so they didn't care much about it. They knew perfectly well that even if there were pampered young ladies in the city, they wouldn't be interested in them.

Xiao Wu is indeed more capable than them.

Wen Shi glanced at his father and guessed what he was thinking.