Chapter 141
Ping County
Before the New Year, Yingxiang received many invitations. She attended a few banquets, but declined the rest, citing that she was not feeling well.
These kinds of banquets are all the same; they're just a bunch of women sitting together eating, drinking, and chatting. It's not interesting, and it's not like you absolutely have to go, so there's no need to make things difficult for yourself.
The weather was cold, so she would sit indoors reading storybooks, eating roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes, and occasionally brewing tea around the stove. Her days were pleasant, and she was in a good mood.
In the evening, Wen Shi returned. He took off his cloak, and after Zhou Sheng's chill dissipated, he sat next to his wife, put his arm around her, and looked at her tenderly.
Yingxiang held the half-eaten roasted sweet potato to his mouth, and after smelling it, he took it and ate it in small bites.
"Shortly after the New Year, the Prefect's wife will celebrate her birthday, and she will most likely send an invitation."
Upon hearing this, Yingxiang immediately began to plan what gift to prepare.
The prefect is Wen Shi's superior, so he cannot be too perfunctory about this. Nowadays, he has carriages, horses, servants, and plenty of money.
"Jewelry and jade or fine silks and satins?"
Yingxiang asked, after thinking it over, these were the only options she could think of. She wanted Wenshi to help her with her opinion. Anything too valuable or expensive would be out of the question, and giving money directly would be even more foolish. In any case, she couldn't afford to offend anyone.
"Just send whatever you think is best, one of these will do."
Yingxiang's mind raced, and she had an idea: she should give jewelry instead.
As for what to give as a gift, she'll prepare one privately when the time comes, then check the system store and choose something suitable. It would be better if she didn't have to spend money to buy it, since the New Year is just around the corner.
"Husband, how many more days of rest do you have?"
"At most, another half month."
There was already a lot to do at the end of the year. According to the rules, Wen Shi had to submit a memorial to the emperor every month. It was supposed to be a memorial to pay respects, but he also had to report on the situation in the local areas. Wen Shi was very serious about his work and never made a fuss.
Since arriving in Ping County, quite some time has passed. He has tried many cases and has become more familiar with the law to some extent. Sometimes, what is written is only one aspect, but when it comes to actual sentencing, various circumstances must be considered. It is not so absolute.
There are also many pitiful people among them. This time, he probably won't be able to finish writing a single memorial. Fortunately, Emperor Jingyuan is a diligent and benevolent emperor who doesn't like officials fooling him. Doing more things won't necessarily be a mistake.
"That will be soon."
The next morning, Wen Shi went to work. Ying Xiang sat up groggily and prepared to clean up her system inventory. When she saw the pill, she was somewhat lost in thought.
Yingxiang simply took out the pill. If she could truly become a mother without suffering at all, it wouldn't be so bad.
Yingxiang hesitated for a long time, calculated the time, and finally took the pill.
If the system isn't lying to her, the baby should be born in the second half of next year. The weather won't be too hot then, and she won't suffer during her postpartum period.
She now has property and money to rely on, and her pregnancy is not painful. There's nothing wrong with having another child. In the past few years, the two of them have been able to take care of the child wholeheartedly.
After washing up and having breakfast, Yingxiang went back to her room to look at the account books.
Granny Yang had already sent her the teahouse's account book and the money. Every expense was clearly recorded, the prices were the same as before, and the suppliers were the same tea merchants as before, as were the wine shops.
The saying goes, "If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them." That year, after deducting all expenses and paying taxes, the teahouse earned 1,500 taels of silver. Granny Yang even thoughtfully helped Yingxiang exchange the money for silver notes and sent them all to her. The same was true for the wine shop; after deducting all expenses, Yingxiang received 650 taels of silver.
Yingxiang carefully read through the two thick ledgers. These must be newly copied; the originals were to be kept in the capital for government inspection.
Keep the money safe and put it in your system inventory; you won't ask about it or look at it when you hear about it.
She started these two shops herself, and they've been open for several years now. The business is very stable, neither too much nor too little.
Now she's just waiting for the farm to settle in. She made the arrangements before leaving, and it should be within the next few days.
That night, my wife took the initiative, which was rare for her. She was completely open and in a very happy mood.
Yingxiang didn't say much to him; she'd just treat it as a surprise.
Two days later, Yingxiang quickly reviewed the farm's accounts and found that the income was roughly the same as before, but this year it was a bit higher, amounting to seven hundred taels.
Jiang Xian was a capable man. Although he had already saved enough money, he did not take the initiative to redeem himself. He felt that things were fine as they were, and the manager trusted him. If he redeemed himself, he would be free, but he might lose his position as manager.
Yingxiang had visited before she left. She treated her subordinates well, and none of them offered to redeem themselves; they were all willing to continue working there.
Once she got to know it, she was happy to use it. Having a contract of indenture always made her feel more at ease. Yingxiang wasn't stupid; ancient times and modern times were different after all.
The farm had many people, and some of the servants had children after getting married. In ancient times, there was no technology, and raising livestock was very difficult. Although there were experienced people, the survival rate of the livestock was not very high, and breeding was not very smooth.
Some lambs died suddenly before they were fully grown, which was unavoidable. Yingxiang didn't mind too much. The people working inside were doing their best, and as long as they made a profit, that was good enough.
It's impossible to make a lot of money doing everything; she doesn't consider herself to be blessed with good fortune.
Most of the fruits grown are sent to pastry shops, or like eggs, to restaurants. The restaurants she partners with, which are neither large nor small, can consume about 80% of the produce from her estate.
Yingxiang sometimes distributed the rest as year-end bonuses to the servants on the farm.
She always does the opposite of what she says: give gifts but not money, give money but not gifts. This year she's not here, so there won't be any bonus money, but it's not bad to give everyone some things so they can work harder next year.
To make a business successful, you can't be too stingy. Yingxiang is quite generous and doesn't mind this.
Afterwards, she wrote back to both Granny Yang and Jiang Xian. The two restaurants in Ping County had only been open for a short time, and now that she had capital, she had nothing to worry about. With the staff arranged, they had already started to make a profit, and had been earning money for the past few years.
Even though she and Wen Shi are currently in Yunzhou, Wen Shi is an official after all, and the two of them cannot fool her; the account books clearly record everything.
Ping An Village
With the Chinese New Year approaching, all of Wen Leqian's family members have returned home, including himself.
In recent years, he has always come back to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his parents. He is also familiar with the Wen family. Even though he is not talkative, the whole family is happy to flatter him.
"Leqian, it's almost time to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner. What would you like to eat? Your aunt will make it for you."
“You study hard every day, and I’m afraid you’re not eating well at the academy.”
Inside the hall, Wen Chuanzong heard this and suddenly looked at the smiling Xiuyu. He felt a little uncomfortable, but with his parents present, he couldn't say anything.
"Anything is fine, I'll eat whatever Auntie makes."
Compared to his father, he is not as cold and hard as he used to be, and he can still get along peacefully with his family.
"Studying is mentally taxing for children, so please cook some more meat for them."
"Mother, I know."
After Liu finished speaking, she looked at Old Man Wen, as well as the eldest and fifth sons, and then said, "Can the children go back to take the exam without the adults accompanying them?"
It is about Wen Leqian's three older brothers. In the blink of an eye, they have been studying for several years. Although they are still in school, it is not feasible to continue studying indefinitely, as they will eventually have to take exams.
They can only take the exam in their place of household registration. They can't take it here because their household registration isn't here. Right now, they're just here to seek refuge. Only if they were born in Beijing and their parents' household registration is here can the child register their household registration.
The management in the capital is stricter than in the provinces, and it's more like the father than the mother. This is inconvenient for some merchants and ordinary people, but the sons of officials don't have that problem. It's very convenient for them to travel from the capital to any prefecture.
"Mother, they're not young anymore. They've been studying for several years now, and it's time for them to go back and take the exam."
Coming from the county to the capital takes a lot of effort, but going back is not so difficult.
"Xiao Wu, this child is still young. What if he doesn't live for another two years?"
Xiuyu didn't say anything. Her two brothers were already quite grown up, but Yuqin was still worried about them.
"Second sister-in-law, he's not young anymore, and he's passed the imperial examination for the first degree. He'll be a proper scholar in the future."
Xiao Wu felt somewhat helpless.
The preliminary examination for the imperial examination was not difficult. It was held in the town, and all that was needed was to go back and register a month in advance. He knew the level of his nephews well, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would all pass this hurdle.
Let them go back after the New Year. If things go smoothly, they can arrive before summer. If it takes longer, it will be about half a year. This will also give them a few months to study. The exam results will be released soon, so no matter how good or bad the results are, they can come back when the time comes.
Yuqin was worried that the two older boys would bully her son on the road, after all, there was a big difference in their physical appearance. Regardless of their academic performance, the two older boys were tall and strong. If Wen Leqian were included, she would feel a little more at ease, at least her son would have a companion.
But Wen Leqian doesn't need to go back for the exam. He's currently at a very good academy and doesn't come back often. She can't make him stay with her just for her son's sake, as that would take at least half a year.
She didn't dare to speak up. Old Man Wen would definitely not agree, and the children wouldn't want to either. If her younger siblings from out of town found out, they would probably have a problem with her.
Yuqin was conflicted and extremely worried.
“It would be best for the children to go back to take the exam together, Second Sister-in-law.”
"Mom, I think Fifth Uncle is right. I'm going back. I'll stay at Uncle's house. I'll come back after the exam results are released."
There was no other way but to go back to his place of household registration to take the exam. Wen Leqian sat next to his grandfather, who handed him piece after piece of pastry.
He ate just as much as he could. He was luckier than his brothers because he didn't have to start from scratch. After studying for a few more years, he could go back to the prefectural city and take the provincial examination directly, just like his eldest and fifth uncles.
"Let the child go. Whether they do well in school or not isn't just about words; it's about the exams."
Brother Wen also spoke up. He was worried, but his son's health had improved a lot compared to before. He hadn't lacked food or clothing in the past few years, and compared to other children, he was just as tall and well-off.
"Let them go back after the New Year. In two years, the eldest son of the eldest family will be able to get married."
At this point, Old Man Wen also spoke up.
The matter was finally settled. That night, Yuqin began packing her son's things and preparing money for him to take with him to his uncle's house. He needed to bring some things with him, as it wouldn't be good for him to eat and stay for free, and there would definitely be expenses on the way.
The couple are quite hardworking and frugal, and they really don't lack anything in this regard.
“My family will definitely treat him well. It’s fine for him to go back to live there, and it will be convenient for him to take the exam. I’m just worried that those two on the way will bully him.”
"Children always have to grow up."
On New Year's Eve, both the capital and Pingxian were bustling with activity. After a year of hard work, everyone was looking forward to the next few years.
Outside, firecrackers were going off and drums were going off. The children were running around laughing and playing. They were looking forward to getting older and were happily receiving red envelopes. They were all very happy.
The adults were completely relaxed, watching the laughing and playing children, and they were also in a good mood.
Ping County
Yingxiang was with Wenshi, so the two of them weren't lonely. Wenshi offered her a wine glass, but she declined under some pretext. Fortunately, Wenshi respected her decision.
She picked up her teacup and drank the warm water, feeling no discomfort at all. Her period was due, but there was no sign of it. She guessed that she was probably pregnant.
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