Chapter 10
In front of the Wen family, when thinking of his eldest son, the villagers wouldn't openly discuss it.
As Old Man Wen walked through the village, only the village chief and the head of the village were somewhat warm towards him; the others gave him insincere smiles. He could sense this, but he just thought they were jealous of him and didn't take it to heart.
They will eventually leave this place; they'll go to the county to enjoy a comfortable life with their son.
"Hey, scholar, when are you going to the county to enjoy your retirement?"
There was a notorious scoundrel in the village, a lazy bum who loved to cheat and cheat. He walked down the street, saw Old Man Wen carrying a hoe, and immediately asked him a question.
Old Man Wen completely ignored him. He despised those who were ignorant, lazy, greedy, and petty thieves.
Now, he feels ashamed and embarrassed to talk to him. Erlaizi chuckled and became even more enthusiastic when Old Man Wen ignored him, chasing after Old Man Wen and talking.
"You probably don't know, but I went to the county a few days ago for my cousin's son's birthday party. He took me to a casino in the county to broaden my horizons. Guess what? My brother Chuanzong was there too."
Old Man Wen suddenly stopped, glaring angrily at Er Laizi, his face flushed red with rage.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you with a hoe."
"Oh dear, Scholar Father is angry. Why would I lie to you? Do you think two taels of silver will fall from the sky? I'm not blind. Do you think I don't recognize Brother Chuanzong? I wouldn't mistake him for someone else."
“You’re saying he went gambling, how much money must that be? And he didn’t even mention taking his parents to the county to enjoy a comfortable life.”
"I earn some money outside, and I use it all to buy meat for my parents."
Wen Chuanzong was the eldest son of the Wen family, and the Wen couple had high hopes for him. Even the villagers knew that gambling was not a good thing.
Er Laizi's righteous and indignant demeanor made Old Man Wen feel uneasy.
"I heard that you sold land to buy a house for your son, you should be careful, or you might lose the house too."
Erlaizi spoke quite loudly, and several villagers passing by naturally heard him. The Wen family was already at the center of the village's gossip, and since he was talking about the eldest son of the Wen family, the villagers were even more curious.
You should know that once you get involved in gambling, nine out of ten people are doomed. Even a wealthy family in the town with thousands of taels of silver could lose it all, let alone an ordinary family.
If it's true, then the old couple from the Wen family are no good either. They didn't give a single copper coin to their second son's sick son, but they gave all their money to their eldest son's family. Now the eldest son has so much money that he can't spend it all and can go to the casino to gamble.
"You're talking nonsense, my older brother isn't that kind of person."
Wen Xiaowu walked up to Erlaizi, put his hands on his hips, and glared at him. Erlaizi was naturally not afraid of a child.
"I, Erlaizi, swear to God that if what I said is false, may I be struck by lightning."
Although Erlaizi was usually unreliable, he wouldn't swear on his life. His sudden outburst stunned the villagers. Could it be true?
Old Man Wen watched as Er Laizi left after speaking, and hurriedly went home.
After closing the door, he immediately told Liu about it. Liu subconsciously thought that Er Lengzi was going to curse people because he was talking nonsense, but later she heard Old Man Wen say that Er Lengzi swore an oath in public.
Now she started to panic a little. Could it be true? Subconsciously, she didn't want to believe it. Boss is so much better.
"That's impossible. It must be that idiot making up stories about our eldest son. No way, I'm going to find him. He's bullying us because we don't have anyone else. I'll call the second, fourth, and fifth sons too."
"etc."
"The eldest brother said he was short sixty taels of silver to buy a house. Quite some time has passed in the blink of an eye. I reckon he must have bought the house by now. Let's go and see him to find out if it's true or not."
"But we have no money at home."
"It takes several hours to get to the county by oxcart," Liu said, bowing her head.
"There are some eggs saved up in the kitchen. Why don't you add two old hens and sell them all to raise some money for the trip?"
Old Man Wen had long wanted to go to the county. His son had become a scholar, and the benefits of being granted land each year were considerable. He knew exactly how much he had received after passing the exam last year.
When other people's sons passed the exam, the whole family went to the county with them. But Wen Chuanzong used the excuse that he hadn't settled down properly and didn't bring any of his family members. At first, Old Man Wen understood and stopped trying to fool him. But as time went on, the villagers started talking about it, and he vaguely felt that something was wrong.
"Let the second and fourth kids stay home, and we'll take the fifth one with us; he's more clever."
Liu didn't refuse. To be honest, she also wanted to go to the county to see her son and see what the new house looked like. They had spent so much money, and if it was good, the two of them could move there after the autumn harvest and come back next spring. The county was definitely better than the village.
Sixty taels of silver is a considerable sum; it represents several years' worth of expenses for the entire family.
A few days later, Old Man Wen, Liu Shi, and Wen Xiaowu boarded an oxcart to go to the county. When they arrived in the town, Wen Xiaowu thought he could visit his third brother, since the oxcart would stop there for an hour.
It takes two hours to get from the village to the town and more than three hours to get to the county, but his parents didn't get off the carriage, so he couldn't say anything.
The hen in the cage next to them kept squawking. This was a special gift from their parents to their two nephews. By the time they arrived in the county, it was almost afternoon.
"Fifth brother, go ask where the county school is?"
"good."
Wen Xiaowu was a clever child, only twelve or thirteen years old, and soon an old woman was giving him directions.
"Go straight ahead from here, and when you see the county government office, turn left at the fork in the road. You'll arrive after a short walk. There are two large stone lions at the entrance."
The weather wasn't great today; it was gloomy and looked like it was going to rain. Pedestrians on the street were either carrying umbrellas or hurrying along, all afraid of a sudden downpour.
"Father, Mother, let's go."
All three carried baskets on their backs, which were also filled with things. Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu followed behind their son. Half an hour later, the group arrived at the entrance of the county school.
By this time, it was already quite dark, and it looked like it was about to rain heavily. The group found a nearby roof to take shelter from the rain while waiting for Wen Chuanzong to finish school.
Half an hour later, a sudden downpour began, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, pattering and pattering. Fortunately, the students of the county school were leaving school one after another, and everyone was walking out wearing their school uniforms and boots.
Wen Xiaowu, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted his older brother.
"elder brother."
He ran forward in the rain. At first, Wen Chuanzong thought he had misheard, but when he saw his younger brother clearly, his face immediately turned very ugly.
Before he could speak, Wen Xiaowu pulled him to find Old Man Wen and Liu Shi.
"Boss, your mother, Xiao Wu, and I have come to see you."
Old Man Wen glanced at his son and frowned. He was getting fatter and fatter. Many students came from here, but most of them were tall and slender. Only his son's belly was getting bigger and bigger.
Wen Chuanzong looked at his parents and forced a smile.
“It’s freezing cold in the rain, let’s go back first. We also wanted to see your new house. You have no idea how shameless that idiot is. He actually said he saw you at the casino. That’s complete nonsense.”
Wen Chuanzong swallowed subconsciously. There was no house at all, just two small rented rooms. As for the casino, he did go with some classmates and lost some money.
His original intention was to win money and improve his life, but unfortunately, he lost.
"Let's go, it's very cold outside, take us back quickly."
Looking at his son who was standing there motionless, Old Man Wen repeated himself, "There are people coming and going at the entrance of the county school, so we can't cause any trouble."
Seeing his classmates casting glances at him as they passed by, Wen Chuanzong silently led his family home. On the way, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
It would have been better if his parents had given him advance notice, but right now, it was all too sudden, and he didn't have time to prepare.
A clap of thunder sounded in the sky, and everyone quickened their pace to get home. When Grandpa Wen and the others reached the door, the heavy rain miraculously stopped, but the two old men were instantly stunned.
"Is this the house you bought?"
The courtyard looked quite large, but people were constantly coming and going, some carrying children, and others young people going in and out.
Old Man Wen looked at Wen Chuanzong with suspicion, just as his two sons ran out.
"Dad, Grandpa and Grandma are here, and so is Fifth Uncle."
The two children, one five years old and the other almost four, are quite adorable, and the two elders naturally like them too.
But right now, Old Man Wen couldn't stop worrying. What if that fool was right and bought the house only to lose it all?
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt like he couldn't catch his breath, and his face turned extremely pale. If this continued, he would be in serious trouble.
"Let's go inside first."
People, of course, cannot be left outside.
"Father, Mother, you've come."
Xiuyu was eating sunflower seeds at home when she saw several people suddenly appear at her door. She put down what she was holding and immediately went to greet them.
"Master and Madam, the food is ready."
Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu sat down directly on the chairs. They were really tired. They had originally thought of sitting under the eaves, but when they thought about the county, they didn't dare to do what the villagers did, for fear of embarrassing their son.
Liu quickly glanced around the room, her expression not good.
The sudden appearance of a simply dressed old woman carrying a tray puzzled her even more.
Who is she?
Liu asked with a long face. Although they were all from the countryside, they were not unfamiliar with opera. Only wealthy families would hire maids to do housework and cook.
"Mother, these are the people we invited to help with the work."
“Your father and I work ourselves to the bone in the village, and the second son’s wife makes a fuss all the time, saying that your father and I are biased. But you two are doing the same thing, using servants to help you.”
After Liu finished speaking, she glared fiercely at her eldest daughter-in-law. Xiuyu glanced at her, her lips moved, but she didn't say anything in the end, because she was in the wrong.
But they are not peasants now, and they naturally have to save face. Without servants, she was looked down upon when she interacted with others before.
"Why are you living here? Didn't you say you bought a new house? Aren't you going to take us to see it?"
At this moment, Old Man Wen also spoke up, saying that he was concerned about the new house.
That's all for today, you can go back now.
Xiuyu took the tray, looked at the four dishes inside, and carefully placed them on the table. The Wen family, those two old hags, suddenly showing up was really annoying.
But how could she possibly buy a new house? She had initially planned to invest, but for some reason, the other party changed their mind and looked down on her for being poor. So she didn't invest the money and just kept it in her hands.
This family eats and drinks in the county, hires people to do chores, and has many daily expenses.
She didn't like the ordinary small houses in the county, and she couldn't afford the bigger ones either.
"Something went wrong, and we couldn't buy it. They refused to sell to us anymore. I don't know why?"
Xiuyu looked away, and Wen Chuanzong immediately chimed in, proving that his wife was quick-witted.
"Give the money to me and your mother. Our family is on the verge of falling apart because of you."
Old Man Wen also spoke with a cold face.
He found the dishes on the tray jarring; three out of four were meat dishes. He had assumed his son was saving money by living frugally in the county and studying hard.
I never expected this couple to say they'd buy a house but then not, and they don't give any money to their family. Now they're even hiring people to do the housework. They really know how to enjoy life.
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