Chapter 40

The room wasn't spacious, but it was fully furnished, and there were soft bedding on the bed. Wen Shi walked around the room, put the two boxes and bedding in the inner room, and sat down next to his wife.

These past few days, Yingxiang hasn't been doing well. She's visibly thinner and her face is a bit pale, but she doesn't seem to be in any major discomfort. He's noticed all of this, which is why he doesn't want to cause any more trouble.

He couldn't leave his wife alone at home, especially since she was six months pregnant.

"Gentlemen, the water is here."

The shopkeeper called out from outside the door. When he heard this, he opened the door and immediately came in, putting down the teapot and teacups.

"The food will be ready soon, please wait a moment."

"good."

The hot water was still scalding hot when poured into the cup. Yingxiang let it cool for a while, then blew on it before taking small sips.

After drinking three cups in a row, she felt comfortable all over. As long as Wen Shi could successfully become an apprentice, it would all be worth it.

"Husband, drink some hot water to warm yourself up."

About half an hour later, the innkeeper served the food. Yingxiang smelled the aroma of the food and immediately stood up; she was truly hungry.

"Normally, there are no meat dishes for those staying in the superior rooms, only two vegetarian dishes per meal. But since you two arrived in the afternoon, I'm being generous and will add a free meat dish for you today. If you want meat in the future, you'll have to pay extra. Just let me know downstairs in advance, and I can make anything you want."

The shopkeeper said with a smile.

"This is braised tofu, this dish is stir-fried mushrooms with meat, this is stir-fried bok choy, this is an egg drop soup, and there are two bowls of rice. Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests."

"Thank you, shopkeeper."

The dishes looked good and were still steaming hot, so they must have been freshly made. I didn't have any complaints about the smell. In the current situation, nothing in this prefectural city is cheap. There are too many people coming, and merchants are all looking to make money.

After watching the shopkeeper leave, Yingxiang sat down at the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and immediately put a mouthful of rice into her mouth. She hadn't had a hot meal in the past few days, and the delicious food really made her feel comfortable.

Eat more.

Wen Shi handed her the rice in front of him as well, and Yingxiang subconsciously shook her head.

"That's enough for me, there's still a bowl of soup left."

"You didn't eat much on the way, so eat more. I'll just have soup."

After hearing this, Wen brought over the soup, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

They said they were giving away a meat dish, but it was just served in a small bowl. There were only five or six pieces of meat inside, and most of it was mushrooms.

Upon hearing this, he gave all the meat to his wife.

Yingxiang glanced at him. She was really hungry and ate very quickly. She ate one and a half bowls of rice out of two bowls, but left half a bowl for him in the end, because she was worried that he would be hungry at night.

"Have a sip of soup."

Wen Shi picked up the spoon and handed it directly to his wife. He knew she wanted to save all the good food for herself. Looking at the frangipani in the spoon, Yingxiang smiled and drank it heartily.

After the meal, the two were full and satisfied. There were a few pastries left in the box, which were not spoiled, but a bit hard. Yingxiang sat down in front of Wenshi to make sure he ate them with hot water before going to the inner room.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, hot water was brought up. Without saying a word, she started washing up. There wasn't much hot water, but it was just enough. After Yingxiang finished washing up, the water was still warm, and she didn't complain about the smell.

Afterwards, Yingxiang sat in front of the bronze mirror and combed her hair. Her slender fingers held the wooden comb and her movements were gentle. She deliberately ignored the sound of water behind the screen. After combing her hair, she got up and sat in front of the charcoal brazier to dry it. The shopkeeper was neither generous nor stingy. There were still a few pieces of charcoal in the small brazier to keep warm.

With her hair almost dry, Yingxiang couldn't help but yawn. She hoped she could find a place to stay soon, even if it was expensive, it would definitely be more cost-effective than an inn.

Her hair was almost dry, so she took off her cotton robe and quickly fell asleep on the soft bed.

When Wen Shi came out, it was already dark. It was getting late, but he didn't delay. He dried his hair, took off his coat, and went to bed to sleep with his wife.

Neither of them had slept well these past few days.

After dark, the surroundings were very quiet and there were hardly any people. At the counter on the first floor, the owner saw that no customers were coming in, so he closed the shop door and went to the backyard.

It was a really cold day. In the middle of the night, it started snowing heavily outside. Yingxiang was held by Wen Shi and slept soundly without any dreams.

The next morning, she woke up early as usual, full of energy. Looking at the person next to her, she saw him lying flat on the bed, sleeping in a very good position, with a relaxed expression on his handsome face.

Yingxiang stared at Wen Shi for a moment, then suddenly poked his cheek with her hand.

Wen Shi opened his eyes, his consciousness gradually returning. He unconsciously tightened his grip on his wife's waist, looking at her with tenderness.

"You're up? Are you hungry?"

No, not at all.

I ate quite a bit yesterday, so Yingxiang isn't hungry. Otherwise, I would have woken her up earlier to eat.

Looking into his eyes, so close yet so gentle and deep, Yingxiang couldn't help but smile. She snuggled closer to him and then pinched his strong upper arm.

In winter, the allure of a warm bed is too great for her to bear; she doesn't want to get up.

Wen Shi was already used to his wife's caresses. Before going to bed, he only wore a pair of underwear, and his upper body was naked. As she leaned half her body against him and kissed his cheek, his wife's soft body pressed against his chest. The soft touch made him feel a little unable to resist. He couldn't help but breathe faster and his face became a little flushed.

He patted his wife's back helplessly.

"Get up."

He knew what was more important than what, but he didn't expect Yingxiang to not get up at all and start kissing his lips again.

"what?"

She felt a little pleasure while smelling it, but it was also really uncomfortable. She was pregnant and couldn't do anything reckless.

"I'll reward my husband. He did a good job yesterday, knowing to save the best food for me."

After Yingxiang finished speaking, her little hand began to stroke his chest again. He looked thin and tall, but he was very strong inside. He didn't have the awareness of exercising; most of his strength came from doing farm work when he was a child.

Looking at the person leaning against him, Wen Shi simply pressed her down and reached his large hand inside her inner garment, giving her a light squeeze.

He took a breath and was about to get up when Yingxiang hugged his neck tightly, her fair cheeks slightly flushed, making her look very alluring.

He understands her.

"Honey, you're pregnant."

Hearing this, his voice was a little hoarse, which was what he was worried about. After all, he had been longing for this child for a long time, and if she wasn't pregnant, he wouldn't have been able to restrain himself at all.

He knew she liked it.

"fine."

Yingxiang knew that the first three months and the last three months were not advisable, but the middle months seemed to be fine, as long as it wasn't too excessive.

There were only two people in the room. Wen Shi did not hesitate and immediately began to kiss her. He originally thought that it would be enough, but before he knew it, it was noon.

The streets were bustling with people. Even though the midday sun was out, it was still freezing outside. Some children, seemingly unfazed by the cold, were playing and laughing. The wooden houses were not soundproof, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares drifted up from below.

Yingxiang left many teeth marks on his shoulder. When it was over, she had tears in her eyes and hugged him tightly, looking completely satisfied.

Yingxiang leaned against him, her hair disheveled, panting heavily.

Wen Shi's large hands roamed over her waist, and she felt incredibly pleasured.

I'm hungry.

After a long while, Yingxiang spoke.

Wen Shi looked at his wife with a satisfied expression, then helped her get dressed, ordered two buckets of hot water, and helped her wash up.

After washing up and having a good meal, the two went downstairs.

After all, there were still important matters to attend to. A long queue had already formed at the entrance of Mr. Huang's academy, stretching all the way to the other side of the street. The place was bustling with students seeking knowledge.

"The old master accepts students by conducting personal interviews. Those who want an interview can get a letter from me. Once you have the letter, come and line up every afternoon. As for when you will be able to see the old master, it's hard to say, but you will definitely get your turn."

"After we give you the post, you just need to line up and get a number, and then come back every day to wait."

Hearing the academy's explanation, he subconsciously frowned. If that was the case, it would take at least ten days to half a month.

But he wasn't one to give up easily, so he took the invitation first.

"Let's go find a house first."

He intends to stay here to study, and even if he doesn't end up becoming an apprentice, he'll find another academy. Right now, the important thing is to rent a place and settle down.

Yingxiang, wearing a red cloak, nodded. The inn was expensive and inconvenient.

Finding a house in the prefectural city might be difficult, as they are unfamiliar with the area and would need to consult a matchmaker.

Wen Shi had heard of several famous academies here. The prefectural city was very large, but the housing prices were also very high. If you wanted to buy a decent small courtyard, you would have to pay several hundred taels of silver. A respectable house would cost over a thousand taels.

The rent was more than double that in the county, but the two of them could afford it; otherwise, he wouldn't have come so rashly.

The two followed the matchmaker from afternoon to evening, for more than two hours, looking at several small courtyards, but none of them were quite suitable.

Either the house was too small, or there was no well, or the room was dark. Wen Shi wasn't a particular person, but they were about to become parents, and Ying Xiang needed to rest during her pregnancy, so they could only live in a small courtyard. Those large courtyards were too crowded and not very safe.

“I told you not to be too picky. They’re all pretty much the same in this city. There aren’t that many suitable ones. There are so many people in this city right now. I suppose you’re here because of that old gentleman. Quite a few people have come to me before. Don’t end up losing this courtyard. You can’t just sleep on the streets.”

The matchmaker was wearing a gray coat and sounded somewhat impatient.

"I think the one we just saw was pretty good, and it's not too far."

"There's no well there, so life is inconvenient."

"Then let's continue watching tomorrow."

Money is hard to earn, the matchmaker thought to herself.

Once the post arrived, Wen Shi wasn't worried. Ying Xiang had planned to go see it herself the next day and have him get a number and wait in line, but Wen Shi was still concerned and said it would be fine if he waited a few days.

The next day, the two looked at several more places from morning till night, and finally, in the evening, a small courtyard in a residential building on the east side of the city was just right.

The courtyard is small, and the rooms are not big either, but there are two rooms. The house has a kitchen, toilet, and well, and is basically furnished. It is ready to move in. It is a private house and not far from the market.