Chapter 65

Wen Chuanzong didn't expect his father to bring up old grievances with him and say that he was heartless, and that Yuqin was the same way. He knew he couldn't stay there, otherwise his second and fourth sons would also criticize him, and he would be even more ashamed.

Is it true? Of course it is, but his two sons need to go to school and eat, and there's also Xiuyu at home. Now that Amian is pregnant, she wants to live with him in the county, but he can't afford the rent, so he has to ask his family for it.

"Why don't you stay at home for a while longer? I'll think of something else. I won't make you and our son suffer for too long."

Amian remained silent, her thin face filled with worry. She wasn't having an easy time at home either.

Liu tormented her, not to mention Xiuyu, who even bullied her with her two sons.

She did all the housework, working from morning till night without a break. She really didn't want to stay in that house anymore.

Now that Liu's health has improved and she is pregnant, it should be a good thing, but unexpectedly, she is now troubled by money.

Wen Chuanzong hadn't worked for very long before the Lunar New Year. Later, he sent his two sons to school, which cost a lot. Since the Lunar New Year, he hasn't saved any money. He has to eat and drink every day, which also costs a lot, so he really doesn't have any savings.

Left with no other choice, A-Mian had to return to the village.

Before we knew it, it was July.

Prefectural City

Yingxiang woke up early, still half asleep, and subconsciously touched her arms. Finding the child wasn't there, she sat up abruptly and saw the little figure sleeping at her feet, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It was already bright outside, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter. Yingxiang gathered her hair together.

Days passed, and the day of Wen Shi's return drew closer. Several months had already gone by, so a little more time wouldn't make a difference. In addition to the steamed buns they had sent before, the mother and son visited twice more, each time bringing chicken soup.

She got up, dressed, washed, milked the baby, fed the sheep water, cooked in the kitchen, and fed the chickens. After finishing all this, Yingxiang sat in the kitchen. It wasn't even noon yet, but it was already unbearably hot, and she could feel a thin layer of sweat on her skin.

She washed some fruit that she had bought from the market a few days earlier and sat under the eaves to eat it slowly. The fruit was greenish-blue and very crisp and sweet when she took a bite.

Not long after, the child who was still fast asleep inside ran out wearing his little shoes. Xiao Leqian was wearing a black bib and white underwear. His clothes were white and soft. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that he was wearing his shoes backwards.

"mother."

He called out crisply, and Yingxiang responded, gesturing for him to sit down first. It was a really hot day, and the sun was about to rise. Lately, she had been going out to herd sheep and walk the children in the evenings.

After Yingxiang finished eating the fruit, she tidied him up a bit, tying his hair with a red string. He didn't need to wear too many clothes at home; she just put his shoes on and a light coat on him, otherwise the child would get too hot.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Yingxiang stood in front of the stove ladling out porridge, while little Leqian, who was over a year old, stood beside her, looking expectantly at the porridge in the bowl.

He is over a year old now, and he can not only walk very steadily, but also run a few steps.

Yingxiang prepared a simple breakfast and lunch: a bowl of porridge, a bowl of milk, a steamed egg custard, and some pickles, all made beforehand, enough for the mother and son.

At the small dining table in the courtyard, the little guy sat obediently on a small stool at Yingxiang's prompting, waiting for her to rinse his mouth.

Seeing his expectant look, Yingxiang couldn't help but find it a little funny.

He had more than half a bowl of goat milk. He held a small wooden spoon, his hand not very steady, but he was able to safely get most of it into his mouth. From the moment he started trying to eat with his hands, Yingxiang began to teach him to eat.

The white porridge was for herself, and she divided the steamed egg custard in two, but she would let the child eat the portion later.

With refreshing pickles and thick white porridge, Yingxiang ate to her heart's content.

After the little guy had eaten and drunk his fill, he climbed up to the sheep pen to look at the ewes. He didn't miss the plump hens in the chicken coop either. Yingxiang had already decided that when she left, she would sell all the remaining hens except for the ones she would eat herself, and she would have to ask the neighbors to take care of the sheep.

After the child had eaten and drunk his fill, he ran around the yard for a short while. He had been disciplined twice by Yingxiang for causing trouble before, and now he was much more well-behaved.

He looked at the sheep and the chickens, carefully touched the vegetables in the garden, and every now and then ran into the house to take out his few toys to show the chickens and the sheep, and then took them all back one by one.

Yingxiang won't interfere; after all, he's just a child.

After tidying up the kitchen, the sun came up, so she randomly picked up a travelogue and sat down under the eaves to read it. Right now, it was just as hot inside as outside, and the only difference outside was that there was a bit of a breeze.

"Slow down, don't fall. If you fall, get up yourself. Sitting there crying won't help."

Yingxiang flipped through the book in her hand idly, occasionally exchanging a few words with the children playing in the yard.

The mother and son have been living this kind of life for quite some time now. It's not exactly pleasant or comfortable, but it's almost over. Taking care of a child is really tiring, especially a child this age who is so unpredictable.

Seeing that he was trying to sneak into the sheep pen again, Yingxiang pulled him out.

After washing their hands and faces, the mother and son went into the house. Yingxiang asked him to get into bed, took out the dirty clothes and put them in a basin, then added water.

Remembering that she hadn't washed her face yet, Yingxiang closed the door, sat down in front of her dressing table, picked up an exquisitely crafted box, and carefully opened it. This was the box she had recently received for checking in.

She looked at herself in the bronze mirror and thought to herself, "Fair skin covers a hundred flaws." Of course, she wasn't bad-looking before, just a little yellowish in skin. Now, after her treatment, her whole body was glowing white.

She recently received a box of pearl beauty powder. After applying moisturizer, she applies the powder to her face.

Yingxiang looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows and eyes were curved, her eyelashes were long and curled, and her nose was small and delicate. She used to be described as pretty, but now she was truly beautiful.

If it weren't so hot outside, she would have liked to go out and buy herself another dress.

As long as she leaves, she won't care about the Wen family's affairs. As long as Wen Shi is clear-headed and not confused, these people will be fine.

In the academy

Wen Shi and other students are already making final preparations. His knowledge has greatly improved, which is also related to his hard work. He now gets up early and goes to bed late, not wasting even a quarter of an hour.

That day in the study, he handed in the policy question he had just finished writing, which his teacher read very quickly.

"This policy question is well written."

After reading it, the gentleman put the article down and stared straight at Wen Shi.

Previously, he felt he was only 20-30% sure when he heard the news, but now he's almost 50%.

"You must not panic during this exam. Although the exam environment is harsh and you will be there for several days, you must persevere and make sure your paper is neat."

“Someone took an exam before; he walked in, but he was carried out not long afterward.”

"If you get too many stamps because you go to the toilet more often, that will also affect the final result."

"Rest assured, sir. No matter what, I will do my best. I will not be careless or underestimate anything. I will answer the questions carefully and conscientiously, and I will not let anyone stamp my paper with a negative mark."

"That's right."

Mr. Huang smiled at Wen Shi; he rarely looked so kind and gentle.

"If you make the list, you must think about next year's imperial examination; that's very important."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shi instinctively straightened up. The autumn examination was different from the spring examination. The spring examination was the metropolitan examination, which was administered by the Ministry of Rites and held in the capital. If one could pass the metropolitan examination, one could participate in the palace examination, which was personally supervised by the emperor. If one was lucky enough to be favored and entrusted with important responsibilities, it was not impossible to rise to the top in one step.

"Pay close attention to what you eat before the exam."

The gentleman's words were quite cryptic, but Wen Shi understood. He had heard stories of people getting food poisoning at inns before exams.

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely pay attention."

"In ten days, you will all go back to your respective places to pack your things and take the exams. Remember, do not be arrogant or impatient, be careful, and believe in yourselves. You can't bring much with you, but you must not forget the important things."

"yes."

Wen Shi left with a serious expression. Regardless of whether the previous rumors were true or false, he had to be careful. The distance from Songshan Prefecture to the prefecture city where his household registration was located was not far, but it was not close either. He planned to go ahead of time.

Stepping out of the study, the sunlight outside was blinding. The servants in the courtyard were busy sweeping, many of them sweating profusely. Wen Shi lowered his head and hurried back to the classroom to continue studying diligently.

It only happens once every three years, and now that he's had the chance, he's determined to give it his all.

Regardless of the outcome, good or bad, at least he has no regrets.

The teacher had a general idea of ​​his students: Wen Shi's scholarship was not the best, but his character was good and he was patient.

Life is a long journey, especially for scholars who aspire to officialdom; in the end, this is just the beginning.

Every challenge is difficult, but every challenge is overcome. Some students are bright in their youth but grow up to be ordinary, while others are ordinary students who work hard to turn their lives around. He cares for every student, but not everyone is willing to keep his words in mind.

A person's fate cannot be definitively judged until death. Thinking of this, the old man picked up the tea beside him, took a sip, and said, "Let's wait and see."

Yingxiang knew that the exam was in August, and considering the travel time, Wenshi would have to come back at least half a month in advance.

The child got up early that day. After the two of them got ready, Yingxiang took him out to buy groceries. Unexpectedly, as soon as they got home, they saw Wenshi standing at the door unlocking the door.

Before the sun had fully risen, Wen Shi caught a glimpse of the mother and son out of the corner of his eye; their expressions were tender.

He quickened his pace, and Yingxiang hurriedly led the child over.

The door opened, and the two went in one after the other.

"father."

Xiao Leqian was very happy. He hadn't seen his son for a while, so he picked him up and kissed him.

"Do we need to pack our things?"

After entering, Yingxiang put her things down, and for some reason, she felt a little nervous.

"We need to pack, so we'd better go early."

Looking at the clean and tidy yard, Wen Shi put the child down, looked straight at his wife, and seemed to have a thousand words in his eyes.

He carried a book box, dressed in a silver robe, looking dignified and composed. Yingxiang walked up to him, and he gently hugged her, after all, they had a child together.

Not wanting to put pressure on him, Yingxiang didn't ask him about the exam. The two interacted as usual, as if they had never been separated. In the evening, Wenshi spent a lot of effort to coax the child to sleep in the next room before going to wash up.

Late at night, the moon was bright and the breeze was gentle. The soft moonlight shone into the room, making the dark room much brighter. Yingxiang sat on the bed and smiled as she watched Wenshi enter the room after washing up.

"I thought you wouldn't be back for a few more days."

"The master told us to go early."

"Let's go there first. We need to check out the exam venue and book an inn beforehand."

Yingxiang nodded. Better early than late, he got into bed as soon as he heard the news and hugged his wife tightly without saying a word.

Yingxiang leaned against him and, recalling what had happened recently, told him about the changes in the child.

"I can see that you've had a hard time, my wife."

Wen Shi looked at the person in his arms with deep affection. He lowered his head and kissed her. There was something he had been curious about since he came back, and now was the perfect time to ask.

"How come you've gotten so much fairer?"

"I bought a box of perfume."

"You smell so good."

In the quiet room, only the two of them could be heard talking. For some reason, they both deliberately lowered their voices, their cheeks were almost touching, and they kissed without realizing it.

After a deep and lingering kiss, Yingxiang's fair cheeks turned bright red.

"My wife, I really miss you so much."

He murmured tenderly, and the bed curtains were pulled down. Yingxiang climbed onto his neck and let him kiss her. In the still of the night, the cicadas chirped outside, and inside, there was a great commotion.