Chapter 13
I pray that my third son will pass the exam, but he must pass a few years later than me. I absolutely cannot let him surpass me.
Xiuyu glanced at Wen Chuanzong but didn't say anything.
"By the way, we haven't met our third sister-in-law yet. When we went back before, I heard the villagers talking about her to our second sister-in-law. They said she wasn't easy to get along with. Even your mother couldn't get the upper hand with her."
"Why are you thinking about this? You are the eldest sister-in-law. As the saying goes, the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. After my mother is gone, you will be the one in charge of the family."
"Did you tell your mother?"
Wen Chuanzong looked at Xiuyu. Xiuyu understood perfectly well. It was still about the previous matter. The couple hadn't had this idea before.
Ke Wenchuan once overheard his classmates discussing that an official had lost his job because his family member had committed a crime, and eventually died a miserable death far from home.
It's still a long way off to talk about these things now, but Wen Chuanzong is also afraid. You see, his brothers are all peasants. If they were to gain power with him one day, who knows what might happen to them?
What if he goes through all sorts of hardships to finally become an official, only to be implicated because of their foolish actions? It would be a huge loss.
He thought about it for several days, and when Xiuyu found out, she gave him a suggestion.
On the surface, they advised their family members not to separate, just to put on a show for outsiders. In reality, once they separated, they separated. They took care of their parents first, and once they were gone, why would they care about their brothers?
But we can't be too blunt right now, or it will be bad and affect them in the county.
"I told you, Mother also likes the two younger ones, but I had to use a lot of persuasion at first."
"That's good. It's not that I'm heartless, I just had no other choice."
On the other side, Yingxiang and Wenshi were also in the inn. Wenshi was studying, while Yingxiang was lying on the couch, bored out of her mind.
The exam starts tomorrow and lasts for three days. The content of the exam is different every day. Wen Shi looked at the neatly packed book box next to her and the food that Ying Xiang had prepared for her, and felt very touched.
However, he also had to think about what to do after the exam.
“If my mother causes you any distress after you return to the village, you don’t have to endure it. You can just tell me.”
If it weren't for the fact that he didn't have much money, Wen Shi wouldn't have wanted to go back so early.
"Don't worry, it won't."
Yingxiang naturally had her own ways of dealing with that biased and selfish mother-in-law, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Liu Shi wouldn't confront her.
For the next three days, it rained every day. After the exam, Wen Shi took Ying Xiang back to town to pack their things.
After the rain stopped, Yingxiang saw a beautiful rainbow for the first time in a long time. She immediately closed her eyes and began to make a wish.
When the couple returned home, their family was shocked, and Old Man Wen was even more puzzled.
"Did you take the exam this year?"
After hearing his son's words, Old Man Wen quickly got up. This year's autumn harvest was only so-so, and he lost two acres of land. There was no extra grain to sell for money, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to eat next year.
Fortunately, the eldest son hasn't come back asking for money during this time, and the family is managing to get by without any major problems.
How did the exam go?
Old Man Wen stood up, looked at Wen Shi, and asked.
"good."
Liu glanced at Yingxiang but didn't say anything. The two of them returned with many gifts, but Yingxiang locked up all the valuables.
As for Yuqin, she helped Yingxiang put her things away as soon as she entered the door. Yingxiang remembered the copper coin incident before, but she didn't hold it against her too much. They were all pitiful people. It was the off-season for farming. After the meal, Old Man Wen looked at his sons and said what he had to say.
“Our family didn’t have a good harvest this year, and the whole family needs to eat. There’s not much work going on, so you should all go to town and find some jobs. It’ll be some income.”
Wen Lao Er did not refuse, but Wen Lao Si and Wen Shi did not agree.
"Father, we've already done enough. Now that our eldest brother is a scholar, I don't want to keep making us do this."
"Besides, the New Year is just around the corner. Didn't you say you'd help me get married by the end of this year?"
Wen Lao Si was very persistent about this matter, especially after hearing what Liu Shi said that day. He privately approached the old couple several more times.
Old Man Wen glanced subconsciously at Liu Shi in the kitchen.
In the village during winter, the cold makes people shiver at night. It's a little better in the kitchen, where the soft moonlight shines on the ground in the pitch black, making it barely possible to see.
"Mother has gone to find a matchmaker and is helping you with the arrangements, but the weather is cold right now, so even if it's settled, the wedding will definitely have to wait until spring."
"I want someone who is easy to bear children; I can't let my lineage end."
"Don't worry, Mother has always been good at judging people."
After Liu finished speaking, she suddenly glanced at Yingxiang out of the corner of her eye. She had been married for more than half a year, but there was still no news about her.
Yingxiang wasn't thin at all; on the contrary, she was considered plump among the girls in the village, and she didn't skimp on herself.
Yingxiang was speechless. She stared blankly at Liu, as if she had something to say, but Liu turned her head away.
"Your third brother is taking the exam this year too. If he passes, with two scholars in our family, are you still worried about not having money or wives?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Laosi glanced at his third brother. They were about the same age, but the third brother was much more pleasing to the eye than the eldest.
The third brother is quiet, never uses sweet talk, and doesn't have many cunning schemes. He even supports his own education, making him much better than the eldest brother, and he doesn't cause any trouble for his family.
"Alright, it's cold, everyone go back and rest."
Old Man Wen slapped his thigh and went inside first.
The following morning, the village chief hosted a dinner party and sent someone to invite Old Man Wen, Liu Shi, and Wen Shi.
During this time, upon learning that Wen Shi had also taken the exam this year, the village chief said a lot of celebratory words to Old Man Wen, which made Old Man Wen feel very happy.
After all, one more person means one more hope. The feast was lavish, with plenty of food and drink. Old Man Wen didn't stand on ceremony and, while enjoying his meal, he privately inquired about Wen Shi.
How confident are you?
The eldest son took the exam for several years. If Wen Shi can pass it on his first try, it will bring honor to the family and give him more support in the future.
The words that the eldest son and his wife had said to Liu had almost made him faint with anger. In the dead of night, he pondered the matter in his heart, not wanting to be chased and cursed by his other sons after he died.
In his heart, although there was some favoritism, they were all his sons, and the whole family had worked together to support and care for them. How could he just decide not to take care of them anymore?
"Fifty percent."
After hearing this, he picked up a piece of rabbit meat and chewed it carefully.
"There is still hope."
"* Scholar Father, let us have another feast in a few days."
"If this is true, it's definitely true."
The village chief's wife said with a smile, and Old Man Wen immediately replied with a cheerful laugh.
There was also a pig in the backyard, which was quite fat. They originally planned to sell it to save the money, but if Wen Shizhong passed the imperial examination, Old Man Wen wouldn't mind killing it and eating meat to celebrate for him.
Liu didn't say much and focused on eating.
Home isn't so quiet.
Yingxiang was also shocked. She didn't expect that when her parents-in-law took her husband out to eat, she would be pulled into the courtyard by Wen Laosi and her second sister-in-law to talk about something, and they would even close the gate.
"Third sister-in-law, younger sister-in-law."
"What's up?"
Yingxiang was somewhat puzzled by the serious expressions on their faces.
“Of course there’s something going on. You and your third brother aren’t home, so you don’t know a lot of things. I overheard my parents discussing it privately before. The eldest son thinks we’re a burden. Although Dad didn’t agree in the end, you need to know about this.”
After Wen Lao Si finished speaking, Er Sao also chimed in.
The eldest brother bullies people like that, so the rest of them have to unite, otherwise they'll end up with nothing.
"It shouldn't be like that. Scholars care a lot about their reputation. If my brother really becomes successful and then ignores us, what will outsiders think of him? It will affect his reputation, and he probably won't be able to become a high-ranking official in the future."
Yingxiang said in a serious tone that she thought it was possible. How many people could remain loyal even in times of wealth and honor? Besides, she had never even met Boss Wen.
"Third sister-in-law, you're thinking too simply."
"Yes, sister-in-law."
“At that time, he will be a high-ranking official, while we are just peasants. How can we possibly win against him? If our parents are biased and listen to him, and we are separated from our families, we will have nowhere to cry.”
Yingxiang was taken aback upon hearing this.
She felt that this was their final destination, but she didn't rely on the eldest son of the Wen family; she could earn money on her own.
However, we can't avoid the Wen family right now. Thinking of this, Yingxiang said with a serious face, "If it's like this all the time, we can't let it go to waste. We need to start planning for the future now."
"Fourth brother, don't stay home and rest. Go out and do some work. Earning money yourself is the most reliable thing."
Wen Lao Si's expression changed; he was feeling a bit lazy, and it was also cold.
“Your third brother used to work at the dock unloading cargo, earning dozens of copper coins a day. That’s how he saved up money to go to school. It was hard work, but life got better. He didn’t rely on his family, so he could stand tall.”
"Second sister-in-law, you know I also sell things in town. I was thinking you shouldn't just sit idle, you should find a way to do something to earn some money."
"What if our parents ask us for money?"
Second Sister-in-law Wen was also worried about this, and Fourth Brother also had this concern; he didn't want it all to end up going to First Brother again.
"If you don't give it to them, just say it's for the children's future, since they need to get married and have wives. Fourth brother, you can say it's to save money for their wedding."
"If you are firm in your attitude, you might still be able to stay."
Modern values are very different from those of later generations, but if you blindly obey your parents who lack virtue, you will truly ruin yourself.
Yingxiang gave these two suggestions for their own good. Well, these two didn't have any bad intentions. It's just that the Wen family couple are too biased, which is why the family is not united.
Ultimately, it's all their fault; they acted unfairly.
If they could have realized this problem earlier, it wouldn't have been so bad for the family to live together in harmony. After all, in ancient times, there was truly strength in numbers.
The power of a clan should not be underestimated. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. It would be best if the whole family could work together as one.
The two glanced at Yingxiang and nodded.
In the evening, the three returned from drinking, all tipsy, but Old Man Wen was in an exceptionally good mood. The thought that he could now sit at the same table as the village chief filled him with immense pride.
He thought that he might be able to sit with officials in the future, and thinking of this made him even happier. He went to sleep contentedly.
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