Chapter 18 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (18) A Farmer's Son's Counterattack...

The couple finally finished celebrating the New Year in Chenjia Village. In the countryside, Song Ce, as a newly appointed scholar, was also celebrating the New Year, so he had a lively celebration from the fifth day of the Lunar New Year until the eighth day.

Because Chenjia Village produced a Song Jieyuan (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), the village's status rose rapidly. This year, the yamen runners sent by the government's "registrants" were much more polite than last year. The "registrants" included the number of people, names, ages, family relationships, industries, and livestock of each household.

In previous years, when a newborn baby was born, the parents had to go to the village headman, who would then take them and the child to the county clerk to register the household registration. This year, however, in Chenjia Village, in addition to the yamen runners, a clerk accompanied them to the registration site, a privilege not enjoyed by any of the nearby villages.

Besides these, the villagers of Chenjia Village have clearly felt that the village's security has improved significantly. In the past, around the Lunar New Year, some local thugs from nearby villages would come to the village to steal chickens and dogs, and some would even come to the door to threaten people and demand money and food. But this year, the villagers had a very peaceful and lively New Year. Even when they encountered local thugs outside, as long as they said they were from Chenjia Village, the thugs would at most say a few words, and their arrogant attitude was gone.

Even some villagers who made a living in the county town had some sense of this. In the past, restaurants, inns, and wealthy families would deduct money from their wages, but once they heard that they were from Chenjia Village, they treated them politely, and the deduction of their monthly wages never happened again.

So this year, the Zhou family received much more than in previous years. The villagers didn't have much income, but most were honest and hardworking people, bringing with them saved eggs, mountain produce they'd gathered, a bundle of firewood, a packet of tea, a piece of cured meat, and so on. Fang wasn't the type to take advantage, and she always declined, but the villagers' emotional appeals eventually won her over, and she had no choice but to accept. However, she always reciprocated with something of equal value. The villagers could see that Fang and Zhou the carpenter were kind and honest people, and their visits became more and more frequent. Now, the Zhou family was incredibly popular in Chenjia Village.

This year, Song Ce and Du Ningwan did not travel around, because Fang had already spread the word that her son would be going to the capital to take the exam early next year. The villagers were also perceptive, and apart from a few families who had been in close contact with each other, they all wisely did not come to disturb them, for fear of ruining Song Jieyuan's bright future.

On the tenth day, Fang, Granny Zhao, Du Ningwan, and Zhou Yunhui made glutinous rice balls (tangyuan) together in the main room. These were made by boiling crushed sugar into red beans or mung beans and then wrapping them in raw glutinous rice flour. They could be steamed or boiled in water. This year, Song Ce passed the imperial examination and was the top scorer. Fang and Granny Zhao immediately agreed to fry a plate of them.

Watching Du Ningwan carefully teach Zhou Yunhui how to make water balls, Madam Fang asked with a smile, "Wanniang, when are you two planning to go to the capital?"

“My husband originally planned to set off after the fifth day of the lunar new year, but my father said there was no need to rush and that we could go to the capital after the fifteenth day of the lunar new year,” Du Ningwan said.

“Now that you two have no one to serve you, you have to do everything yourself. Don’t overwork yourself. Your aunt has never been to the capital either, so it must be very far from our village!” Granny Zhao asked.

Du Ningwan put down the packaged water ball in her hand and said with a smile, "Aunt, don't worry. There are people to serve us at both the carriage shop and the inn. Now that my husband and I are married, it is only right that I take care of him. I used to have a maid at home, but now that her family has arranged a marriage for her, she can no longer stay with us. Although it is easy for our family to hire someone temporarily, they are not family members after all, so we don't feel at ease using them."

Fang said worriedly, "Aren't there some successful candidates in the imperial examinations in the county town? You could travel to the capital with them and have someone to look after you."

“Mother.” Song Ce took a book and walked into the main room. He said gently, “My wife and I are newly married, and it would be inconvenient to travel with others. It won’t be difficult to find a caravan from the capital in the county town after the New Year. So you and Aunt don’t need to worry.”

"Alright, it's good that you have a plan in mind." After arranging the water balls neatly, Granny Zhao led Zhou Yunhui to the kitchen to start a fire. Fang led the couple into the house and said, "When traveling, you'll need money. Even if you don't spend it all, you should still bring plenty of travel expenses." As she spoke, she took out a bag of silver from the cabinet.

The couple opened it and found that it contained a full eighty taels of silver.

Song Ce and Du Ningwan exchanged a glance before he asked, "Mother, when did we get so much silver in the house?"

"It was raised from our relatives, and your aunt also contributed twenty taels. Everyone in the family was worried about you. It doesn't matter what happens at home, you can take it." After saying that, Fang stuffed the bag of silver into Du Ningwan's hand: "Wan'er, Ce'er is a man and he is not as meticulous as we women. You have had a hard time on this journey."

“Mother, Father-in-law has already prepared our travel expenses in advance, you don’t need to…”

Madam Fang interrupted him, "That's because your father-in-law cares for you. Ce'er, when you make something of yourself in the future, you must take good care of your father-in-law. But this is our family's share, so you must accept it!"

The couple couldn't refuse and had to accept the gifts. After staying at home for two or three days, they discussed returning to the county for a couple of days to prepare. Upon hearing this, Fang and Granny Zhao hurriedly packed his belongings, including not only a return gift for their father-in-law, Du Zhiyuan, but also dried food, braised meat, and snacks for the journey. Thinking that he might need to study in the carriage during the trip, the carpenter Zhou quickly made a low table that could be easily stacked against the carriage wall.

The carriage that took them back to the county town this time was from the same carriage company as last time. When they heard that the top scholar was going to the capital after returning to the county town, they said that they had business in the capital after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and that they could take their carriage to the capital to take the imperial examination.

Song Ce bowed and thanked the steward for his kindness, and they agreed to depart from the county town early on the 16th. This time, the carriage traveled smoothly as usual, and they arrived in Qingzhou County before lunch.

The couple bought some pastries and tonics and first went to the county school to visit their senior, Xue Ziyi, and his wife. Upon learning they were going to the capital, Mrs. Xue busied herself preparing a large bag of things for them to take with them. The teachers from various departments also prepared books, writing materials, and essays, offering him words of encouragement and blessings.

Back at the Du family home, Du Zhiyuan couldn't help but pause for a moment when he saw the large cart of things, then laughed and said, "You two are practically the lucky stars of the family now. With everything prepared so thoroughly, I don't know what else I could add."

The couple repeatedly stated that they couldn't bring any more, as they were going to the capital to take the imperial examinations, not for sightseeing. Du Ningwan and her maids carefully reduced their load, leaving unnecessary items at home and only bringing more books, a few changes of clothes, and some durable, easily stored dry rations.

Now that the fifteenth is almost over, the inns and shops along the way have opened, so there's no need to prepare much food. You can buy anything you need, and it would be a real waste if the food went bad.

Du Zhiyuan recounted the journey from Qingzhou County to the capital to Song Ce in detail. He had originally prepared two maids to serve the couple, but seeing that Du Ningwan was not very interested and Song Ce did not approve, he had to give up the idea.

Fearing his daughter might misunderstand, Du Zhiyuan explained his intentions during dinner. Seeing that the couple was unwilling, he was happy that the young couple had a good relationship, but also worried that the trip might tire the daughter out.

Two days passed in a flash as Du Zhiyuan struggled with his decision.

At the appointed time, the carriage arrived at the Du family's gate. The servants carried the belongings onto the carriage and arranged them properly before Song Ce helped Du Ning into the carriage and settled in. The driver knew that the passengers were the daughter of the top scholar and the county magistrate, so he drove with extra care and caution.

The carriage rumbled along the road towards the capital. Du Ningwan lifted the curtain and waved to Du Zhiyuan, who was watching her and her husband from the doorway. Only when they reached the bend and Du Zhiyuan was no longer in sight did Du Ningwan lower the curtain.

Even though the carriage company had laid thick cushions inside the carriage, the further north they went, the more uneven the road became. Even though the carriage was moving very slowly, Song Ce could still feel the shaking and bumping inside.

Having learned from his previous experience in Jinling City, Song Ce was determined to improve his physical condition. Seeing Du Ningwan's slightly furrowed brows, Song Ce tenderly pulled her into his arms: "Wan'er, are you feeling unwell?"

Du Ningwan nodded and whispered, "Husband, I'm fine."

Song Ce stroked her head and comforted her, "Wan'er, tell me if you feel unwell. Didn't your father-in-law tell us that we'll arrive in half a month? We left early, so there's no need to rush. It's okay to stop and rest along the way."

Du Ningwan hummed in agreement, leaning comfortably against Song Ce's chest. Thinking about all the little things that had happened since their marriage, she felt incredibly fortunate to have married such a considerate man.

The carriage swayed along for half a day, and Song Ce didn't waste any time on the road, diligently studying the policy essays the tutors had found for him. Worried that Du Ningwan might be bored, he also prepared some interesting travelogues and storybooks for her to pass the time.

Du Ningwan began her education at the age of five and was an absolute prodigy. Song Ce, being an alien, did not hold the outdated view that women should not study. Sometimes, when they came across well-written policy essays, the couple would discuss them. Du Ningwan's insights gave Song Ce, who was well-versed in poetry and literature, the feeling that his wife could also become a top scholar at any time.

Along the way, he also discovered that Du Ningwan was extremely skilled at composing poetry. Whether it was in the fields, by the river, at sunset, or in light snow, Du Ningwan could always spontaneously compose a few lines of poetry. At this time, Song Ce would write down these poems on paper, noting the location and date of composition, and said with a smile that after the imperial examination, he would bind these wonderful poems into a book and teach them to his children.

These words naturally made Du Ningwan blush, while Song Ce sat beside her and laughed heartily, making the driver sigh inwardly, "What a wonderful relationship this top scholar and his wife have! What a perfect couple!"

A note from the author:

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I dreamt last night that it was over, but then... hahaha [laughing and crying emoji]