Chapter 16
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Wen Chuanzong's mood plummeted. He couldn't go back, nor did he ask for leave.
Daliucun
After Wen Shi passed the exam, almost everyone in the surrounding area knew about it. Anyone with even a slight kinship with the Liu family, whether related to the Liu family or the Wen family, sent gifts.
The kitchen of the Wen family is filled with delicious aromas every day, which makes the village children very happy, as they get to eat something delicious every day.
The house is full of guests from morning till night. The not-so-small courtyard is already overflowing with people. The banquet has been set up outside. The village chief and the village head have specially prepared the land in front of the ancestral hall. The Wen family is very familiar with preparing this continuous banquet.
Of course, since his family is short of money, he has to pay for the drinks himself for now, but he won't be stingy with them in the future when he has more money.
Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu were able to handle it, and while they were delighted, they naturally didn't forget Old Man Wen.
That night, after the banquet ended, Old Man Wen and Madam Liu talked inside the house.
"I wonder when the eldest brother will be back? His husband is really something, he won't even let him ask for leave. In a couple of days, the third brother will be going to the county."
"Last year, the county magistrate gave the eldest son six taels of silver, and I figured he would give the third son even more today."
"The third son's money may not go to the family. He will need money to study in the county. His wife helped him before, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future. By the way, keep the things your in-laws sent safe. Give them to the third son to take with him."
Yingxiang's parents arrived excitedly upon receiving the news. Yingxiang's father even brought all thirty-odd eggs they had saved at home, along with a few extra hens. This was quite a generous gift in the countryside.
It's much better than when the eldest daughter-in-law's family only gave her a few eggs and a bunch of radishes and cabbages.
Liu lowered her head and remained silent; in her heart, she still preferred her eldest son's wife.
“He will go to study in the county next year. Our two sons who are both scholars should also go to live in the county. We will wait for the eldest son to come back for the New Year, and then we will discuss it with the third son.”
Old Man Wen knew very well that if he continued to live in the village, he would truly become a laughingstock.
"Xiuyu said that the county's expenses are quite high. Why don't we let the third son go to school alone? That way, we can save some money. They don't have any children. Let Yingxiang stay with us in the village. I think we can't let this land go to waste."
After pondering for a long time, Liu said the following.
Old Man Wen looked at her in disbelief.
"Honey, what are you saying?"
“The third son can come back during the holidays. It might not be good if they all go to the county. Didn’t we sell two acres of land before? We can take this opportunity to buy it back. Food and clothing are expensive in the county. Even if the two of them work together, they might not be able to support the whole family. Isn’t it safer to save some money? No matter who gets into high school in the future, the expenses will only be more.”
Old Man Wen was so angry that he turned his head away.
To put it another way, he's not young anymore. Although he looks healthy, it's hard to say how many more years he has left.
We can't keep working hard like this all our lives. There's nothing we can do about the past, but things are different now.
After a long silence, he shouted angrily, "I'm in charge of everything at home. I think you've gone mad. If you want, you can live in the village by yourself."
After saying that, Old Man Wen sat down on the other side angrily and stopped talking.
Outside, everyone was busy tidying up. The fourth brother had also returned. He had previously worked at the dock unloading cargo and earned some money. Later, he heard from people in the village that the third brother had passed the exam, so he couldn't wait to come back. The second brother did the same.
He, along with Sister-in-law Wen and Brother Wen, were all sincerely grateful to the third brother and his wife, and this time they went out of their way to help them.
As for Xiuyu, who returned with two children, she never even went into the kitchen. At most, she would gossip with people. Yingxiang didn't have a good impression of this sister-in-law either.
However, they didn't live together. It was her husband's happy occasion, and she wasn't without help. Considering that she would be going back in a few days, she didn't hold it against her.
"What's wrong, Father and Mother? This is such a joyous occasion, why are you arguing?"
The people in the courtyard glanced at her, but no one spoke. They just kept their heads down and did what they were doing. Today was the last day, and the banquet was about to end.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Xiuyu didn't feel embarrassed. She continued to look at the sky and the ground, occasionally praising her two naughty sons.
"I'm going to the county in a couple of days, you can come with me."
Wen Shi came out of the house. Upon hearing this, Yingxiang nodded, and Xiuyu was startled and immediately stood up.
“Third brother, the county magistrate has invited you. Why are you taking your wife with you? Your sister-in-law didn’t go before either. There won’t be any women at the banquet. It would be awkward for your wife to go.”
Wen Shi glanced at his sister-in-law, turned and went into the house, completely ignoring her.
As for Wen Erge, Wen Laosi, and their sister-in-law, they didn't treat her well when they remembered how she had instigated Liu Shi. Wen Xiaowu was young, but not stupid.
He helped his second sister-in-law tidy up the kitchen, acting like a little adult, without saying a word.
Xiuyu's face immediately turned ugly. She felt that her whole family was bullying her. She remembered that when she came back this time, her father-in-law looked at her with displeasure and ignored her. This had never happened before. She subconsciously looked towards her parents-in-law's room, but neither of them came out.
It's probably because of what happened last time, but they were just trying to do what's best for their family.
These brothers are all simple-minded peasants. What future can they have? What can they do if we take them out? It's better for them to stay in the countryside and farm. With a good brother by their side, who would bully them?
The next morning, the family sat down to eat breakfast together, and Wen Shi told his parents.
"Are you bringing your wife along too?"
"The New Year is just around the corner, and this is the first time we've sent a New Year's gift to my wife's family. It would be good if Yingxiang could help us choose one."
Old Man Wen picked up a cornbread and took a bite. He didn't object anymore. After all, it was about his daughter-in-law's dignity. His third son's wife was disobedient and had her own ideas, but she was genuinely living with him. He had even earned money to help her with her studies before. He couldn't say much. There were no major problems.
“Okay, I’ll go with you. Your wife is young and doesn’t understand. Let her stay at home.”
Liu handed Wen Shi a boiled egg. Although she had received many gifts and favors, she had used them up quite a bit for the banquets these days, and now her son held a greater place in her heart.
“Yingxiang is fine; she was able to run a business to support my studies.”
Upon hearing this, Liu's face turned somewhat unpleasant. Xiuyu put down the porridge in her hand, her expression complicated. She had brought her two children back and was meeting her third son's wife for the first time.
When she first met Yingxiang, she was neither warm nor cold to her, not to mention Wen Ersao.
"Father, Mother, Third Brother has already made it big. Why don't you think about me? I don't even have a wife yet."
Wen Laosi came again, seizing every opportunity.
“I made some money on this trip to town. Can you and my mother give me some more? I need to get married.”
Now it's even easier for the Wen family to find a wife. There are two scholars in the family, and the fourth son of the Wen family doesn't have a bad reputation outside. Liu nodded without thinking. She can even set the bride price and choose whomever she wants.
“The third son’s wife still needs to go. I remember you have a relative on your mother’s side who works in the county government. Go and meet him.”
Yingxiang looked at Old Man Wen, somewhat dazed, then shook her head after realizing what was happening.
“Father, we’re already beyond the fifth degree of kinship, it’s no use, we haven’t been in contact for a long time.”
Old Man Wen glanced at her and then said nothing more.
He roughly understood that this was how people in the countryside were; if someone had a relative in the county, they would boast about it endlessly, but it wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.
Seeing Yingxiang say this, he only felt regret and pity.
"Father, Mother, I'll take the two children to the county tomorrow to take care of Chuanzong. Next year, my third brother will be coming to study, and he can stay with us, which will save us the trouble of renting a place."
Are your two rooms adequate for living?
Old Man Wen asked coolly. He had a lot of complaints about this daughter-in-law. If it weren't for the fact that she had two grandsons, he would have wanted his eldest son to divorce her.
"That's enough, that's enough. We were originally planning to move to a new one. My son and I have already started looking. We found a small courtyard with three rooms in total, and the price was reasonable."
Xiuyu came back this time partly to save face, and partly because she was worried about the future.
In her heart, she only hoped that Wen Shi would go to the county alone, or at least take Ying Xiang with him. If the whole family went, they couldn't possibly ignore them.
She was unwilling. Originally, she wanted to talk to the third son and his wife about this in private, but she couldn't find an opportunity. She was too busy during the day, and at night, she didn't dare to knock on the door and disturb them. If someone overheard her, she would be in deep trouble.
“Three rooms are not enough. Now that we have two scholars in our family, and we haven’t divided the family property, the elders make the decisions. Since we are both here today, you go back and tell the eldest son to bring all the money when he comes back for the New Year. Next year, your mother, our whole family and I will go to the county and rent out the fields and this courtyard.”
Old Man Wen finished speaking almost in a commanding tone, and Xiuyu's expression changed almost imperceptibly. As for Mr. and Mrs. Wen, they didn't say anything.
The others were all beaming with joy, especially Wen Laosi. The thought of having a wife, living in the county, and living a life of luxury filled him with immense happiness.
"Dad, have an egg too."
He almost burst out laughing, took the half-peeled egg from his nephew's hand, and handed it to Old Man Wen.
The child burst into tears. Xiuyu was puzzled. Liu's lips moved slightly, but Old Man Wen didn't say anything and ate the egg in a few bites.
At this moment, he looked extremely domineering and unreasonable. Xiuyu secretly tugged at Liu's sleeve, but Liu acted as if she didn't know anything.
Xiuyu bit her lip. It seemed she would have to have a serious talk with her husband when she got back; her father-in-law clearly had a problem with them.
They are no longer the only child in the family, so we need to think more carefully.
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