Chapter 118
Less than half an hour later, while it was still light, Wen Shi returned with Wen Leqian.
As he stepped into the house, compared to Wen Leqian's suddenly widened eyes, he looked at the people in the yard with a calm expression, and then gestured for Wen Leqian to call for someone.
Wen Shi was dressed in official robes and a hat, his clothes without a single wrinkle. He stood at the door with a composed demeanor, looking quite like an official.
"Oh, third son, you're finally back! I've missed you so much! You've really made me proud."
"And my dear grandson, Grandma misses you too. Let Grandma see you, you've grown up quite a bit, you look just like your father, you'll be a great person in the future."
Liu was sitting inside the house with the door open. When she saw Wen Shi and the child return, she immediately ran out, smiling at Wen Shi, praising the child and then praising him.
Wen Shi's brothers mostly watched without saying anything, but Wen Chuanzong, who had just paid for her to ride in the sedan chair, felt a little regretful. Was it really necessary? Of course, he only dared to think that to himself.
Looking at Wen Shi's current state, he felt a pang of unease.
I don't know why Wen Shi is so lucky; he seems to have all the good things in the world.
"Third son, your father and mother are here. From now on, you can focus on your official duties. Your father and I will take care of things at home, so you don't need to worry about anything."
Liu looked energetic and in a great mood. Her face was rosy and she was plump. She didn't say anything when she heard the news. After calling her mother, she said a few words to her brothers and then gestured for Wen Leqian to close the door.
He looked into the kitchen, where his wife was. There were some things that were best left for him to say. Old Man Wen also wanted to talk to him about how the house was never big enough.
However, all of this happened after the meal. There wasn't enough room at the table, the food was ready, and everyone had returned. Yuqin helped serve half a bowl of rice, and Yingxiang poured a spoonful of stew on it. There were enough bowls and chopsticks.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going inside to change my clothes first."
"Go, go."
He changes his clothes every morning before going out and every evening when he comes back. He doesn't need to wear them while eating unless he's outside and has no other choice.
When Wen Shi came out in a silver robe, everyone was already sitting under the eaves with bowls in their hands, ready to eat. There were no formalities; everyone was just hungry.
As the sun set and the evening glow was magnificent, Wen Shi couldn't help but look at his father after finishing his meal.
"Third brother, how about another bowl? You must work very hard every day."
He had just put down his bowl when Xiuyu suddenly said this, and Wen Chuanzong's expression changed unconsciously. He felt that the rice in his bowl no longer tasted good.
Amian sat not far away, not saying anything. She quietly ate the food in her bowl, occasionally feeding a few bites to the child.
The youngest child in the Wen family right now is Wen Lao Si's son. She is the second youngest after Wen Leqian. Of course, because of Wen Chuanzong, she is not valued in the Wen family.
The two elders favored the two eldest children, and their affection for the second and fourth children's families was roughly the same. Since she didn't live with them, their relationship was relatively distant.
"Thank you, sister-in-law, but no need."
After finishing his bowl, Wen Shi had eaten enough and there was no need to eat more. Taking the opportunity, Old Man Wen put down his bowl and naturally had something to say to him.
"Third brother, look at how many people we have, this place is too small to live in. We need to rent a bigger yard."
In the kitchen, Yingxiang heard this but acted as if nothing had happened.
“Father, last year I received a reward, but it wasn’t much. A house in the capital costs tens of thousands of taels of silver, which I can’t afford right now. After thinking it over, I bought two acres of land in Ping’an Village, about thirty miles outside the city, and built a new house. It’s all ready now, so it’s my temporary home.”
Wen Shi looked calm. After he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent. Everyone except Yingxiang and Wen Leqian looked at him with complicated expressions.
Wen Leqian ate a bowl, but it wasn't enough. He took the bowl to the kitchen and told Yingxiang that he wanted more. Xiuyu took the bowl from his hands without saying a word.
"Children need to eat more meat to grow."
Xiuyu immediately took the soup ladle and stirred the pot, putting the remaining ribs into his bowl, and added some vegetables as needed, making it a full bowl again.
"Eat."
"Thank you, Auntie."
Yingxiang didn't say anything; her main focus was outside.
Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard fell silent. In fact, on the way into the city, everyone had seen the prosperity and wealth of the capital. The day before, they had even put on their best clothes and fantasized about a decent and stable life in the capital.
"Stay...stay outside?"
After speaking, Old Man Wen glanced at his son, clearly disapproving.
Liu, needless to say, immediately stood up in a hurry.
“Father, I have a place to stay in the capital now, but as you can see, this courtyard is not big and cannot accommodate so many people. The rent for this courtyard alone is six taels of silver a month. My annual salary is only two hundred taels of silver. I also have a son to support and need to save money for the future. His schooling costs money, and the family's daily food and drink also cost money.”
"There are also social obligations and interactions with colleagues. It's all reciprocal, and to be honest, the money isn't even enough to cover all that."
"Didn't you say your wife is also in business?"
Liu spoke up instinctively.
Yingxiang sat in the kitchen, not paying much attention to the gazes cast at her sisters-in-law; things were different now than before.
Wen Shi was afraid that it was easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away, and she was no different. It wasn't like she had no choice; in her opinion, Wen Shi's arrangement was perfectly fine.
"Mother, the shops in the capital are not cheap either, and we can't afford them. Let me tell you this: even if I get promoted in the future, I still won't be able to afford them for a while."
"In order to save money, Yingxiang goes out early and returns late every day. She may seem like a shopkeeper, but she does a lot of work. She earns money to support her family, and her shop doesn't make much money."
Wen Shi said in a deep voice. He was quite patient in explaining and did not show any signs of impatience.
“I had a classmate who, after passing the high school entrance exam, used the tens of thousands of taels of silver his family gave him to settle down in the capital.”
After Wen Shi finished speaking, he looked at Old Man Wen.
"Tens of thousands of taels? Third Brother, are houses in the capital really that expensive?"
Wen Laosi also stood up, his eyes widening in surprise; the amount of money was beyond his comprehension.
Before this, apart from Wen Chuanzong and Wen Xiaowu, everyone else tacitly believed that Wen Shi's life was getting better. Even though Wen Xiaowu mentioned it on the way, everyone just said they believed it, but in reality, they all had many fantasies.
Back in the county, working for Old Man Wen, the two families only earned less than a hundred taels a year, and that was when business was good; they didn't earn that much before.
If you calculate it this way, even if you work yourself to death, you still won't be able to buy a house in the capital.
"If it were near the palace, even tens of thousands of taels of silver might not be enough."
Wen Shi glanced at his fourth brother and didn't hide anything.
He knew he couldn't let their appetites grow too big. Bringing them out was necessary, but the Yang family's affairs were still pressing. He hadn't forgotten that pretending to be something he wasn't meant to do would eventually backfire and would only cause his wife and children distress. There was no need for that.
It would be better to make it clear from the start that he really has no money and no ability.
"You want me, your mother, and your brothers to move into the new house you built first?"
Wen Shi nodded.
“Father, if we rent a large courtyard in the capital, the rent will double. I won’t be able to support so many people then.”
When you hear something, tell the truth.
“When I went to buy land and build a house, I was also considering my family. I definitely won’t be able to settle down in the city for the next ten years. My official position isn’t high right now, and as for relocation, that’s a matter for several years from now. Even if I get promoted, I still won’t be able to afford it.”
"That's why I want to buy land outside and build my own house, so that it will be more spacious when I go there to stay during the holidays."
“Old man, how about this, we’ll live in the city with the third son’s family, and let them live outside for now. When the third son becomes successful and a high-ranking official, he’ll definitely have plenty of money, and then we can bring them all over.”
Wen Shi didn't speak, and Ying Xiang sat in the kitchen without saying a word either.
Old Man Wen glanced at Liu Shi, then at Wen Shi.
"Since there are newly built houses, let's go take a look."
Wen Chuanzong sat to the side, not saying a word from beginning to end. Of course, he didn't dare to say anything either. Wen Shi had already put on his official robes, but what about him? His future was uncertain, and he might need this younger brother's help in the future.
"Dad, let's go in a bit."
Wen Xiaowu glanced at his third brother, who also approved of Wen Shi's actions; he had already shown great consideration for his brothers.
"Thirty li is not that far. If we get mule carts and donkey carts later, it won't take long to get into the city."
Wen Lao Er also said something.
In the kitchen, after the meal, the women began to clean up. There were quite a few pots and pans, but fortunately, everyone was quite diligent, so the cleanup was quick.
"Let's go take a look."
"Third brother, how much did it cost you to come down from there?"
"Less than four hundred taels."
He didn't hide it when he heard it.
"That's quite a lot. Third Brother has only been an official for a short time. He only earns two hundred taels a year. I'm afraid Third Sister-in-law also contributed money to that."
After Wen Xiaowu finished speaking, everyone glanced at him but remained silent.
Old Man Wen stroked his chin, his eyes unconsciously drifting towards the kitchen. He looked around at everyone in the yard; there was something else he needed to discuss beforehand.
"Old man, I want to live here."
“Mom, there’s no room here. Look, there are only three rooms. The child is so big now, he should live on his own. My third brother and sister-in-law are both earning money and have things to do. The other room is for books. My third brother will definitely need to use the study. Why would you live here?”
"If you accidentally knock over the candle when you get up in the middle of the night, and it burns in the study, all those books will be wasted, and you'll have to pay someone for the damages."
"What are you saying, child? Is your mother that kind of person?"
Liu looked at her youngest son and immediately became angry.
To be frank, everyone was very happy on the way here, thinking they would enjoy a life of luxury in the capital. But they didn't expect that after arriving, they would find that they had been dreaming.
Many people felt conflicted because they couldn't even live in the city, though some were understanding.
Wen Shi made his words very clear.
"Although Ping'an Village is a village, it is under the jurisdiction of the capital. This village is three times larger than our original village, and there are quite a few people. The newly built houses are also blue brick and white tile houses."
"If my career doesn't go so smoothly in the future, I might have to live here for the rest of my life. I really don't want to think about living in the city."
"Go take a look, and bring everything."
Old Man Wen sat up abruptly. He understood. The third son meant that he had done his best and that it hadn't been easy for him to bring the family out of poverty.
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