Chapter 93

Wen returned home in the evening and told Yingxiang about it during dinner.

"If we buy a house in the future, we should either pay in full or not buy at all. Unless it's money we need to save for a life, it's better not to take out a loan."

Yingxiang took a sip of soup, then added some vegetables to the child's bowl, indicating that he should eat it all. The money for saving his life was truly a last resort; people have to live to have a future.

Wen Shi nodded; he thought so too: do as much as you can afford.

"He will be four years old next year (by Chinese reckoning). After spring, I'm thinking of finding a school for him to attend."

Yingxiang glanced at her son, who was eating with a wooden spoon. He was doing fairly steadily, his cheeks puffed out, and he would look at them from time to time.

She shook her head in disapproval.

"In the capital, if someone plans for their child to take the imperial examinations in the future, they usually start their education very early. Don't worry, no one will bully him, and no one can bully him."

Wen Shi glanced at his wife, his words filled with unwavering certainty.

Wen Leqian is currently considered half a son of an official. When he grows up and takes the imperial examination, Wen Shi will definitely have a proper official position. He has an advantage because after he turns sixteen, he can directly participate in the provincial examination without having to take the county examination or the children's examination.

Yingxiang raised her son herself, so she naturally knew that the boy was not weak-willed. Although he didn't like to talk much, he had his own ideas and even picked out his own clothes.

In modern society, he is indeed of school age, and thinking about this, she hesitated again.

"Let him go first. If he doesn't like it, you can continue to take him. I'll pick him up and drop him off every morning and evening. Teachers know that if a child is really going to start writing, he should be at least five years old. Otherwise, it will hurt his bones and muscles. In the first year or two of schooling, the focus is on recognizing characters and memorizing poems."

"Then let's give it a try."

Wen Shi nodded, and that was the decision.

The next day, he arrived at the Hanlin Academy and began asking his classmates about it. Most of his classmates had children.

“Brother Wen, there’s a school near where we live. It’s not very big, but my eldest brother’s son said it’s not a good school. The teacher is too strict. I asked my son, and he said the teacher is okay, but there’s a lot of homework every day.”

Yang Xun's son was a few years older than Wen Shi and had already begun his formal education.

“Brother Wen, now that conditions are better and the child is still young, I think it would be best if you hired a tutor to teach him at home. That would be the safest approach.”

Hu Yong'an suddenly came over.

Wen Shi's lips moved slightly: "He is four years old (by Chinese reckoning). It would be safer to find him a school right now. Neither his mother nor I have time to take care of him at home, and there's no one else at home either."

Wen Shi disagreed with letting his child study at home, arguing that academic learning is one aspect, but character development is another.

While studying at home allows one to concentrate without temptations, and with a good tutor, there are few risks, and the learning is indeed more solid.

But if he does this, he won't be good at socializing or have good interpersonal skills when he grows up.

“It is indeed not good for the child to be young and no one to take care of him. Brother Wen, you don’t need to look for a school. Just send the child to my house. I have a tutor. My two sons are also studying at home now. Moreover, my elders are very strict. With them looking after him, you can rest assured that nothing will happen.”

Hu Yong'an immediately spoke up after thinking of something.

"It's a bit far. I want to be able to pick him up and drop him off sooner or later, so this area would be best."

Upon hearing this, Hu Yong'an sighed and remained silent. There was indeed no other way. He always traveled by carriage, so he didn't feel the distance. The round trip took half an hour, but if Wen Shi were to walk with the child, it would be too far.

Wen Shi knew that this man was unwilling to take advantage of others, and that his family had no servants or carriages.

"There are several around here, Brother Wen. You can take a look when you have time. They all have plaques at the entrance."

Wen Shi nodded. Finding a school for his son was no small matter. After school that day, Wen Shi got busy. He first looked at several schools near the Hanlin Academy, and finally went to the school where Yang Xun's family studied.

He plans to choose one of these two places for his son.

Compared to the schools near the Hanlin Academy, the schools near my home were indeed cheaper, but there was only one teacher. Although the children were separated by age, Wen Shi looked at the two classrooms inside and shook his head.

"Let him go to that school near the Hanlin Academy."

Yang Xun wasn't too surprised. He had a large family, and there was nothing he could do about it. Although he wanted to take care of his son, he couldn't ignore his nephews, especially since his parents were still alive.

"That's fine, it'll be convenient for you to carry it with you in the morning and evening."

What has your wife been busy with lately?

Yang Xun was a little curious. He knew that Wen Shi's family hadn't come, and she should have been at home taking care of the children, but Wen Shi said that he should pick her up and drop her off in the morning and evening.

He was somewhat puzzled. He had a good relationship with Wen Shi, so Yang Xun asked directly.

"She opened a teahouse and needs to keep an eye on the business."

He didn't hide it when he heard it.

"There's really no way around it. It's inconvenient to take care of a child as he gets older."

"yes."

The two parted ways at a fork in the road and went their separate ways home.

It would be next year before they could send Leqian to school. Wen Shi had already chosen a school, so he didn't hesitate any longer and just waited until next spring. That night, Yingxiang returned even later.

The play "Liu San Niang" has finished its run and received a good response. She has also made some money. Some people are willing to pay to watch it all at once, while others come to the store and watch it slowly over several days.

Rehearsals take time. Although she has almost finished the script for the next play, she can't just sell tea after that. Yingxiang thinks that hiring a storyteller will help attract customers when there are no plays. Other teahouses all have storytellers.

That evening, when Yingxiang returned home, she bought the butcher's last piece of meat at the market. The meat was frozen solid, and she planned to try making crispy pork when she got home.

She wants to add this snack to the menu as soon as possible; if she can make it, she's sure it will be very popular.

She even went out of her way to buy Sichuan peppercorns, intending to grind them into powder herself. In the capital, seasonings were plentiful, so Yingxiang didn't have to put in much effort.

She mixed flour and eggs into a paste. As for starch, there was none available here, and using potatoes would be too troublesome. The oil for frying the meat could only be lard. To enhance the flavor, in addition to scallions and ginger, she also added wine to the marinated meat to remove any fishy smell.

Yingxiang doesn't aim to perfectly replicate the modern taste; as long as it's about 50% similar, that's good enough. Most people just want something new, and she absolutely has to make the salt and pepper crispy pork.

Seeing that Yingxiang had finished eating and then rushed into the kitchen to work, Wen Shi didn't say anything. After putting the child to sleep, he went to the study next door to copy books.

Both husband and wife have their own things to do, and they are both doing it so that their family can be better.

It was late at night, and it was pitch black outside. But the small courtyard was brightly lit. In the study, Wen Shi rubbed his slightly sore wrists. Through the paper window, he could vaguely see the figures of people busy in the kitchen.

Yingxiang carefully scooped the crispy pork out of the pot. A cold wind blew by, and she couldn't help but shiver. It was a little cold, but there was nothing she could do. Once the pork wasn't so hot, she carefully put it in her mouth.

I took a bite, and the taste was alright. The Sichuan peppercorn flavor was quite pronounced, and the marinated meat tasted even better. Before frying the meat, she made sure to pick out all the scallions, just in case they burned and affected the final taste.

Yingxiang ate another one, but there wasn't enough salt, so she cut another piece of meat and continued cooking.

In the study across the hall, Wen Shi rolled up his sleeves and wrote quickly and steadily. He was very focused when he copied the book. The couple were busy like this, and before they knew it, it was the first watch of the night, and it was already late at night.

Yingxiang at least managed to make the crispy pork, so she could eat it.

Sleepiness washed over her, and she couldn't help but yawn. Looking at the pile of crispy pork in the large bowl, she knew she had breakfast for tomorrow. After tidying up and putting out the fire, Yingxiang went inside to find Wenshi to go to sleep.

"Husband, I fried a lot of meat, and it tastes pretty good. But if I reheat it tomorrow morning, it might not be as crispy. Please don't steam it. Just put some oil in the pan and stir-fry it a little."

Wen Shi held the person in his arms and nodded.

With the couple working together, life naturally gets better and better. Yingxiang is resourceful and daring, while Wenshi sometimes thinks that if she were a man, she would definitely be even more outstanding than herself.

After the play "Third Sister" was performed, the teahouse became famous. Everyone knew that you could watch plays there, and business has been good lately. Although only the storyteller is on duty, everyone is looking forward to it, hoping that they might be able to see a play.

Taking the opportunity, Yingxiang wrote down the synopsis of the next play and posted it on the door, indicating the time for the next performance: New Year's Eve.

Some people were curious and said they would definitely come, while others were puzzled.

However, according to tradition, everyone stays up all night to welcome the New Year. Those who live nearby said that it's good to come here to watch the play, since it's being performed all at once, and everyone will definitely have a great time.

The price is 50 coins for adults and 10 coins for children. Yingxiang has put up clear prices this time, and although the price has increased, many people can accept it.

Inside the teahouse's front hall, the storyteller was excitedly reciting his tale. There were quite a few customers, and it was rather noisy. The back courtyard was much quieter, where Yingxiang and Granny Yang were rehearsing intensively.

This time the cost will be higher, as we need to prepare some jewelry and nice clothes, and Yingxiang is willing to invest in them.

The shop was about to open, and she had a feeling that if the play about the wealthy man could be performed and the effect was good, then she would have no worries about business next year. In the future, she would try to put on a play every month and she would definitely make a lot of money.

After the play "Third Sister" was finished, Yingxiang gave these people some copper coins as a reward, which was also to help them better rehearse for the next play. Making money was the most important thing.

"Manager, our teahouse isn't small, but it's not tiny either. I've noticed a lot of people looking at the notices at the entrance these days, so I'm afraid there will be quite a few people coming. What if there's nowhere to sit?"

Granny Yang's concerns were not unreasonable. Two more sets of tables and chairs were added later, but if guests came, they couldn't be turned away.

Yingxiang was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Move the counter back a bit. If it's for a performance on New Year's Eve, we can just give them tea for free. Prepare it in advance and put it out. Remove all the tables and put the chairs in rows so that we can seat as many people as possible."

"Will it work?"

Granny Yang asked with some concern.

"Can."

Yingxiang is confident in herself. Crispy pork has been added to the menu, and she can prepare it in advance by wrapping it in oil paper. As long as it is hot on the day it is sold, it is fine. It is just a snack. Since it is meat, she can raise the price appropriately.

"The tea is easy to brew, since it's only for one day anyway."

"At that time, I will still collect the bill. The pastries will be ordered in advance, and a table will be set up with all the food on it for easy sale."

Granny Yang nodded; she trusted Yingxiang.

The store's monthly expenses are not small, with rent and labor costs being unavoidable, but the income is gradually increasing. Yingxiang has already earned more than a month's rent from just one play, "San Niang".

Even before the play was staged, the place was packed with storytellers. Throughout the year, many people only had a few days of leisure in the winter, and since they had money, they wouldn't skimp on themselves.

Every day, we would close the door and place a charcoal brazier in the front hall to make sure it wasn't cold. In the backyard, everyone would wear thick clothes when rehearsing.

Before you know it, the Chinese New Year is almost here.

Wenshi's early holiday is good news for Yingxiang.