Chapter 45 [VIP]

In March, everything comes back to life, grass grows and birds fly, and the snow on the mountain has finally melted away. Wang Ying plans to start building a house.

Building a house requires preparing materials first. Although it's being built on a village, he doesn't want to be careless, as he might live there permanently in the future.

Bricks and tiles can't be bought in the village, so I have to order them in advance in town. It's a good opportunity to go back and visit my family.

"I'm going back to town tomorrow, will you come with me?"

Chen Qingyan put down the book in her hand and shook her head, "I don't want to go back..."

Wang Ying knew he still harbored resentment towards the town, so she naturally didn't want to pressure him. She had finally managed to get him to a decent level of health; she couldn't afford to cause him any trouble.

“I’ll go back by myself tomorrow. The shop isn’t busy right now, so I’ll bring the kids back to play for a few days when I come back.”

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say, brother."

Wang Ying's heart softened, and she pulled him into the experimental field.

Whenever Chen Qingyan enters the experimental field, he is much more relaxed than usual, probably because it is isolated from the world and he doesn't feel as much pressure.

The two had been at the estate for two months. Chen Qingyan, who initially couldn't even speak, had now largely recovered his daily communication skills. However, he still got nervous around strangers and was reluctant to initiate conversations.

Wang Ying wasn't in a hurry; she had plenty of time to accompany him as he slowly recovered.

The peach trees in the experimental field are ripe, bearing round and large peaches, but there are not many. Wang Ying doesn't plan to sell them; she'll pick a basketful later and take it to town for her family to eat tomorrow.

After picking the peaches, the two sat under the tree to enjoy the cool shade.

Wang Ying, resting her head on his lap and munching on a peach, said, "I'm planning to build a house on the estate. What kind of house do you like?"

"Anything is fine."

"Isn't there anything you particularly like?"

Chen Qingyan thought for a moment and said, "Could you help me build a hexagonal pavilion? When the weather is warm, we can sit inside and enjoy the cool air and play chess. When it's cold in winter, we can sit around the stove, brew tea, and watch the snow."

"That's great! We can plant a few plum trees next to the pavilion and enjoy the plum blossoms!"

"It's a pity it's too cold here to plant bamboo. It would be even better if we could plant a few green bamboo trees."

Since ancient times, scholars and literati have had a special fondness for plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. Wang Ying remembered that there was a type of bamboo that could grow in North China. She would ask around and if she could buy a few, she would transplant them over.

Chen Qingyan began to look forward to the new house that was about to be built, and even took out her paintbrush to plan the layout of her study.

Seeing his enthusiastic appearance, Wang Ying felt relieved. People always need something to strive for; having a goal prevents them from feeling lost. Otherwise, given his previous state, she really wouldn't have dared to leave rashly.

*

The next morning, Dunzi drove a mule cart, carrying Wang Ying and two baskets of peaches, toward the town.

The snow on the road had melted away, making the road much easier to travel. I set off at 3 AM and arrived home by 9 AM.

Upon seeing his own mule cart, the gatekeeper Linzi excitedly ran out, "Young master, the young master is back!"

Wang Ying got off at the driveway and said, "I came back by myself."

Linzi happily opened the gate and let Dunzi drive the mule cart into the yard.

Hearing the voice, Li and Chen Rong came out to greet her, "Ying'er is back!"

"Mother, third aunt."

Where is Yan'er?

"Qingyan didn't want to come back, so I came back alone."

Li looked somewhat disappointed, but she quickly composed herself and pulled Wang Ying into the house.

"How have you been staying at the estate these past two months? Have you settled in well?"

Wang Ying said, "At first, I wasn't used to it. It was inconvenient to buy anything in the village, and the village head was too hospitable. He cooked for us every meal, and we almost slaughtered all the chickens in the village."

"Oh dear, I wouldn't dare trouble them like that."

"Qingyan and I tried to persuade him several times, but he wouldn't listen. Later, we secretly gave his family money, and only then did he stop doing that."

Mrs. Li tentatively inquired about her son's condition, "Is Qingyan... feeling any better?"

"It's much better now, almost the same as before, but I still don't like to interact with strangers, and I don't want to talk to people I don't know."

Chen Rong patted his hand and said, "That's good. My sister-in-law and I were so worried about him these past few days, afraid that he would do something like he did before."

Wang Ying comforted him, "Mother, don't worry. Although the village is not as good as the town, the people are simple and honest and won't say anything nonsense. Let him rest for a while and come back when he's fully recovered."

"No rush. Can you stay a few more days this time?"

"I have to go back in two days. I plan to buy some materials to build a house on the estate. I'll take advantage of the spring off-season to find someone to build it. If you want to stay on the estate for a while, there will be a place for you."

Upon hearing this, Li's eyes lit up. "That's great! Do you have enough money? If not, Mother will get you some!"

"It's enough, it won't cost too much money." Labor and materials are cheap, and the land is their own, so they don't have to spend any money. Wang Ying calculated that seventy or eighty taels would be enough.

"I'll send Ershun out to inquire where they can buy brick kilns and timber, preferably delivered directly to the village."

"good."

Around noon, Qingyun, Lin Qiu, and Lin Sui returned from the shop.

Since Wang Ying left, the vegetable shop has been managed by the three of them.

At first, Li and Chen Rong were still worried and accompanied them a few times. Seeing that the three of them were doing a decent job, they let them do it.

Upon seeing Wang Ying return, Chen Qingyun excitedly rushed over, exclaiming, "Sister-in-law!"

Lin Qiu and Lin Sui happily came over, "Sister-in-law, you're back!"

Wang Ying smiled and ruffled Qingyun's hair. "Come back and stay for two days."

"Where's my older brother? Didn't he come back with us?"

"No, but I can take you to the estate for a few days in a few days."

"Really? That's great!"

Lin Qiu said, "Sui'er can go with you, I won't go..."

Why?

Mrs. Li smiled and said, "His marriage is arranged; it will take place this October."

"So fast, which company is it?"

"It's that kid surnamed Cao."

Wang Ying was extremely surprised; she never expected that the two of them would actually get together!

Chen Rong started talking about Lin Qiu's marriage. "On the third day of last month, Cao Kun came to propose marriage with my mother and a matchmaker. Coincidentally, I recognized the matchmaker; she was the manager of the cloth shop where we used to sell cloth."

While in town, Chen Rong and her two children wove cloth to supplement their income, and every month they would send the cloth to the cloth shop to sell.

The shopkeeper was a kind man who never picked and chose fabrics or arbitrarily deducted money from their earnings. Over time, the two became acquainted.

Chen Rong often visits, and she has helped out a few times when her family encountered difficulties. She is a very kind person.

"As soon as Manager Feng arrived, I knew what was going on. That lady is a smart and honest person who doesn't easily act as a matchmaker. Since she vouched for Cao Kun as a good man, I took it upon myself to arrange the marriage."

Wang Ying laughed and said, "That's great! Looks like I'll be attending my cousin's wedding!"

Lin Qiu's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

During this period, Cao Kun frequently visited the town under the pretext of buying vegetables, coming six or seven times a month, each time bringing a lot of things. There were local delicacies, beautiful hairpins and accessories, and expensive fabrics; he was indeed old and knew how to be considerate.

As the two spent more time together, Lin Qiu gradually developed feelings for him. Cao Kun was forthright, responsible, and dependable, a completely different person from his father, which Lin Qiu greatly admired.

Speaking of his father, Cao Kun also brought news about Lin Changbin.

After the divorce, Lin Changbin married the widow. However, less than half a month later, the widow started a prostitution business at home, cuckolding him.

The two got into a fight, and Widow Yu scolded him for not being a man, for not earning a single penny, for not being able to feed his family, and for not allowing him to sell his body to earn money to support them.

Lin Changbin asked her to weave cloth to earn money, but the widow Yu could endure the hardship and refused to do it no matter what.

Now they've become the laughingstock of the whole street; whenever they go out, people tease them, asking how much their wives charge per time.

Left with no other option, Lin Changbin divorced Widow Yu and lived a life of poverty, raising his infant child alone.

Hearing this, Chen Rong felt incredibly relieved. "This kind of person deserves to end up like this! I heard he even wanted to come to town to beg for peace. What a pipe dream! Even if I die, I'll never go back!"

After hearing these stories, Wang Ying was also somewhat moved. It can be said that what goes around comes around, and no one can escape the wrath of Heaven. They clearly had a good life, but they had to cause trouble. They only became honest after their families were broken up.

Li added, "There's one more thing. The day after you left, a letter arrived from Laizhou. Your fourth uncle said that his term will end next year and he might be transferred to the capital. He said he'll try to make connections then to see if he can find an opportunity to help Qingyan overturn his case."

Wang Ying was stunned. "This...is this really possible?!"

"I don't know either, but it's good news nonetheless."

"If that's true... then wouldn't Qingyan still have a chance to participate in the imperial examinations!"

Li nodded, "However, the letter also said not to tell Qingyan for the time being, since this matter is somewhat difficult to handle, and he might not be able to accept that it will all come to nothing."

Wang Ying nodded, "I understand..." No one can guarantee success, but having hope is better than having no hope at all.

After finishing their meal, Wang Ying returned to the backyard to rest. The house they lived in was cleaned by servants every day, and it was spotless, just like before.

Sitting on the bed, Wang Ying thought of Chen Qingyan. Even though they had only been apart for half a day, she already felt a little missing him...

In the afternoon, Ershun went out and inquired about the brick kiln. The price of blue bricks and tiles is not expensive now. Blue bricks are a little over three cents each, which is three yuan. The large blue bricks in ancient times are different from the red bricks of today. It would take about 50,000 bricks to build five rooms. After calculation, it would cost sixteen strings of cash to buy the bricks.

Tiles are a bit more expensive, but less are used than bricks, so eight strings of cash should be enough.

The most expensive material is timber. For building houses, it is best to use old fir wood that has been dried in the shade. Pine and cypress are also good materials.

If an ordinary family wants to build a house, they start saving timber more than ten years in advance. Chen's father had saved some timber while he was alive, originally to rebuild Qingsong's courtyard when he got married, but there was no need to use it to build a house on the estate right now.

The next day, they contacted several experienced carpenters and bought some good wood, spending a total of about twenty strings of cash. The materials were now complete, and they were just waiting for them to be delivered so they could start work.

*

After staying for two days, Wang Ying couldn't wait to rush back.

Originally, we wanted to bring the children along, but the accommodation was a bit cramped. The children are all grown up, and it's not good for them to share a room. In the end, we decided to build a house and then bring them over for a short stay.

On the way back, Wang Ying was eager to return home and experienced the taste of separation for the first time.

In my past life, I watched TV dramas where the main characters couldn't bear to part after only a few days apart, and I thought it was all exaggerated. Now that it's happening to me, I understand what it means to feel like three autumns have passed in a single day.

Chen Qingyan was all she could think about. What was he doing while she was away? Was he reading or just spacing out? Had he fed the dog in the yard? Was he nervous around strangers...?

As the mule cart drew closer to the village, Wang Ying spotted the dark blue figure squatting by the roadside before even entering the village. Like a homeless puppy, it was tugging at the roadside weeds.

Wang Ying's heart pounded in her chest for a moment, "Chen Qingyan!"

The person who had been in a daze suddenly snapped out of it, lifted the hem of their robe, and ran wildly toward the carriage, shouting, "Brother!"

A note from the author: