Chapter 191
As people age, many changes in their bodies become unavoidable, but there is nothing that can be done but accept them.
Over the years, she has been in excellent health, and with her attention to health maintenance, her standard of living has gradually improved. She lives in a comfortable environment with warm winters and cool summers, and has hardly ever been sick. However, as she gets older, she doesn't have as much energy as before.
Inside the carriage, Yingxiang looked at Wenshi beside her.
Noticing his wife's gaze, Wen Shi opened his eyes and stared straight at her.
Are you tired?
"fine."
After hearing this, he moved closer to his wife, placed her hand in his, and wrapped her small hand in his large one.
"We're all getting old."
Although I don't want to admit it, it's the truth.
Looking at his wife, he noticed that her once lustrous black hair was now streaked with gray, and her face, without makeup, showed visible fine lines.
"May my wife be forever young and beautiful."
After hearing this, Wen Shi pulled the person into his arms. Ying Xiang felt a bit conflicted upon hearing this.
"I still remember what happened when we got married. You had just married into the family, but you dared to arm wrestle with Mother. Your sisters-in-law wouldn't have dared to do that before, especially your second sister-in-law."
"That's because your mother went too far. Every woman who gets married has dreams of finding a good husband, living a happy life together, and getting along well with her family. But she's making things difficult for me on the very first day, trying to set rules. What's she doing? Can't a family just live peacefully together?"
Yingxiang spoke without any attempt to hide her true feelings.
He chuckled softly upon hearing this.
“At that time, I thought to myself, my wife is not like an ordinary woman in this world.”
When he heard this, his eyes softened. Recalling the past, he showed no displeasure, but rather a deep sense of emotion.
As the years have passed, they have always stayed together, working towards the same goal. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the good life they have now. Living together requires mutual respect, tolerance, and consideration for each other.
Besides, in Wen Shi's opinion, it was his own mother who was wrong about what happened back then.
“You are reasonable and not blindly filial.”
After Yingxiang finished speaking, she looked at Wenshi's profile.
"A child will only be filial if the mother is kind; if the mother is not kind, the child need not be filial."
That's right.
Yingxiang agrees with this view. Some classic texts, upon careful reading, contain a preface that implies a deeper meaning than they seem.
But how many truly reasonable people are there in this world?
"If we had parted ways back then because of this, even knowing that you are where you are today, I wouldn't feel any regret."
Yingxiang said earnestly. Wen Shi looked up at his wife. There were only the two of them in the not-so-small carriage. After entering the city, the carriage slowed down a lot. Today was a festival, and there were already a lot of people on the streets, so they had to be careful.
"Life is long, and I've always felt that the most important thing is myself. I can't do things against my conscience. I just want to avoid regrets. If I can just look at my mother-in-law's face and listen to her words, it will really take up most of my life. If I can't stop it from the beginning, it will be even harder later. I'm the kind of person who's willing to risk everything. I'm not afraid of divorce, nor am I afraid of being divorced. I don't want my daughter-in-law to become my mother-in-law."
He smiled and agreed. They had shared a bed for many years, so how could he not know her? As long as she didn't cross his bottom line, that would be fine. But if she really crossed his bottom line...
She will definitely leave. She won't even argue with her. She'll probably just pack her things and leave.
She was very different from other women in the world. For most women in the world, being a good wife and mother is the most important thing in their lives, but for her, it wasn't that important.
Over the years, the couple has had a clear division of labor and worked together to achieve their current life.
To outsiders, Yingxiang may not be the best wife and mother, but to Wenshi, she is the best. Everyone has different requirements for a wife.
If Yingxiang were truly like any other ordinary woman in the world, her family probably wouldn't be living such a good life today.
Life won't be tough, but it won't be great either.
He was a sensible man. Even now that he had been promoted, some people still tried to curry favor by sending him concubines, but he still refused them with a straight face.
In the past, it could be said that we had no family wealth; now, it's better to just say that there's no need for it.
"My wife, in my eyes you are a good wife, a good mother, and now a good mother-in-law."
Yingxiang agreed with this, saying she never felt she had done anything wrong.
Life went on like this, uneventful and peaceful, but once Wen Shi discovered a problem, he really wanted to solve it.
Autumn has passed and winter has come; several more years have gone by.
The Chen family girl's mourning period is over, and she can get married. Yingxiang has no pressure and can just do whatever she wants.
The same preparations are being made now, just like before.
Yingxiang still has the betrothal gift list from when Leqian got married. The Chen family is in a hurry, so let's get the two children married here first.
Afterwards, she could look for a new house, and moving wouldn't be difficult.
Over the years, she has saved some money. If she sells this house and adds it to her savings, she can buy a larger house in a better location.
She's exactly the same as before; she's exactly the same as when Leqian got married.
For Leqian, being in the capital and seeing his younger brother get married was the best thing ever. He would be being transferred to a post outside the capital after the spring.
He had planned to leave his wife at home to take care of his parents, but Yingxiang seriously refused, and Wenshi also disagreed.
Yingxiang told him that it's not good for couples to be separated for a long time.
He currently has three children, two daughters and a son. His youngest daughter has already started to babble and can take a few steps, albeit unsteadily. According to Yingxiang's suggestion, he wants them all to go, since it's not some harsh or cold place.
The autumn wind was bleak, and the weather was getting colder day by day. On the day of Xinxin's wedding, the atmosphere was extremely lively.
The banquet was several tables larger than the one held for Leqian before. Some relatives from other places who couldn't make it had already prepared gifts to send over after learning about it.
Yingxiang was also very satisfied with the second daughter of the Chen family; she seemed like a good child.
Three days after their marriage, news suddenly came from the palace that Emperor Jingyuan had passed away peacefully.
It wasn't that sudden. It's already a miracle that he's lived to this day. You have to know that Emperor Jingyuan is already eighty-two years old this year, which is a very long lifespan.
A few years ago, the empress had passed away, and he did not appoint a new empress.
This is also why the Chen family has been urging them to hurry up after returning from their mourning period.
Besides the fact that the two children are really old, it's because of this.
The nation is currently in mourning, and for the next year, all citizens are prohibited from holding celebrations or engaging in any form of entertainment.
The crown prince is nearing middle age and has served in the court for many years, so his ascension to the throne is a matter of course. However, the enthronement ceremony will not be held for another year.
After Emperor Jingyuan passed away, Wen Shi was also saddened for quite some time.
If it weren't for the emperor's favor back then, he wouldn't have been able to get to where he is today so smoothly, with almost no major ups and downs in his official career.
Many of his former colleagues were stuck at the fourth rank, but he alone, thanks to the emperor's favor, actually rose through the ranks and even got a good job in the Ministry of Revenue.
He wouldn't do anything like embezzlement or bribery. Over the years, Wen Shi has also been good at getting along with people, and when dealing with certain matters, he always lets bygones be bygones.
Some things shouldn't be done excessively in the name of fairness and justice; that's not good.
Not long after the national mourning period, Yingxiang received a letter from the prefectural city.
Right now, Le Qian and his wife have gone to work far away, leaving only the two of them and their second son and his wife at home. After seeing this, she immediately sent someone to Xiao Wu's house to invite Madam Feng over.
Wen Chuanzong is gone.
He fell ill the month before last and consulted a doctor, but unfortunately, one night he suddenly developed a high fever, couldn't hold on, and passed away.
After reading the letter, Ms. Feng remained silent for a long time.
"This is so sudden, how could my brother be gone?"
Wen Chuanzong's affairs after his death were easy to handle. He had three sons, one wife, and one concubine. Now his children are all married and have children. The two families live their own lives. The eldest son focuses on business and has made a lot of money in recent years.
The second son works in the county government office in his hometown; he's a respectable person.
The third son, on the other hand, always helped Wen Chuanzong manage the small school he ran. The family's money was divided into three parts as usual, and the school was still run by the third son.
The eldest son didn't approve, and the second son was unhappy about it; if it were shut down, the two of them would feel they would lose an income.
The three brothers weren't particularly close, but their relationship wasn't bad either. They would split their income equally and get along well.
Xiuyu cried bitterly because of Wen Chuanzong's death. A Mian took the opportunity to leave home and found a place to settle down in the prefectural city. Her son bought her a small courtyard to live in and hired people to take care of her. This was much better than living at home and having to watch Xiuyu's mood.
Later that evening, Wen Shi returned and saw his wife sitting in the hall with a serious expression on her face.
After he sat down, Yingxiang didn't hide anything.
After reading the letter, Wen Shi remained silent for a long time.
"I can't leave my work here, so let Xinxin and her husband go for me."
He was, after all, his own elder brother. I never expected him to leave so suddenly. If nothing unexpected had happened, Wen Chuanzong would have lived for another three to five years without any problem. Old Man Wen and Madam Liu also lived to a ripe old age.
Xinxin is currently studying and has not yet entered officialdom. Her family has carriages and horses, so it won't take up too much of her time.
"My wife, you shouldn't go. The journey is too long."
After thinking for a long time, he said this.
Yingxiang didn't refuse. She knew that Wen Shi was thinking of her. Although she wasn't so old that she couldn't move, she still had to be careful, after all, she was getting on in years.
She nodded.
After her son returned, she immediately arranged for the couple to go over.
With Mr. and Mrs. Leqian gone, they certainly couldn't attend the funeral.
"After you go there, you should also kowtow to your uncle on behalf of your elder brother."
"Don't worry, Mother, I know."
Standing to the side, Chen nodded with a heavy expression.
The couple had only been married a short time when the country was in mourning, so they had to be careful not to have children. Now, this tragedy had struck their family, and the deceased was none other than the father-in-law's own brother.
He couldn't go, and his mother-in-law was getting old, so it was the couple's turn to go.
After the two left, Wen Shi didn't say much that night.
The person is gone, and the grudges are over. All he can do is burn some paper money for Wen Chuanzong when he goes to the temple to burn paper money for his parents in the future.
Xiao Wu managed to get away, and he eventually took his whole family back to the prefectural city.
In the prefectural city, Wen Chuanzong's body had already been placed in a coffin. They were now quite well-known in the prefectural city, and many people came to pay their respects. Returning to one's roots was also Wen Chuanzong's wish before his death.
In the end, I inevitably had to go back to the county.
In order to ensure the body remains intact, we must hurry on our journey.
Xiuyu was getting old and her strength was failing her, but fortunately Xuyi was a capable woman. Over the years, she had also been the housekeeper, and she had handled Wen Chuanzong's funeral in a very grand manner.
Everyone who could go went, but those who lived far away, like the second and fourth brothers' families, couldn't go. They could only find a nearby temple to burn some paper money for their brother and pay their respects.
The fourth son's child is currently in a similar position to the second son of the Wen family. He works in a local government office, not in a particularly important position, but he is well-off.
It's just that it's far from home.
The house in Ping'an Village has been vacant since the year before last.
With so many things happening, it inevitably took nearly two years for Yingxiang to finally move to a new house.
Fortunately, the house-changing went smoothly in the end. The house I live in now was sold at the original price, and I added more than 10,000 taels to buy a larger house that was more than half the size of the old one. The backyard is also more spacious, and there are three more yards.
Once the national mourning period is over, there's nothing to worry about. The furniture is all there and works, so there's no need to replace it. We can just move it over.
Money is hard-earned, and even if you have it, you shouldn't waste it; it's all earned through the hard work of the couple.
Yingxiang felt sorry for Wen Shi, who was getting old and still had to travel around every day, sometimes standing in the court for most of the day.
That year, spring arrived and flowers bloomed. In the huge mansion, only the couple remained. Half a month ago, Xinxin also took Chen Shi away for a job.
He wasn't as good as his older brother, but he wasn't that bad either. He passed the imperial examinations several times and became a third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He could forget about joining the Hanlin Academy, but being sent out to gain experience early on might not be a bad thing.
In the garden where flowers are in full bloom, a gentle breeze blows and butterflies flutter. The weather has been sunny lately, and Yingxiang is in a good mood.
Sometimes Mrs. Feng would bring her daughter to keep her company.
Wen Ling is about to get married, and thinking of her little niece, Ying Xiang is quite practical. She gave the girl six hundred taels of silver as part of her dowry, telling her to keep it as her private money in the future, and also gave her some jewelry.
My family members are currently scattered in different places, and we mostly communicate through letters.
"Third sister-in-law, the children have all grown up. In the blink of an eye, we've grown old too."
Xiao Wu and his wife have already settled down in Beijing.
"yes."
Yingxiang sat on the mahogany chair, thinking that she should log into the system tonight to see how much time was left so she could make preparations.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of life has passed. In the local parlance, most of one's body is buried in the ground, leaving only the neck.
She has basically let go of many things and is currently in a semi-retired state.
"I'm just waiting to eat at this girl's banquet."
Wen Ling was beautiful and stood dignifiedly to the side. The family she was going to marry into was also very good, and the two families were well-matched. When she heard Yingxiang's words, she smiled generously.
"Ling'er is waiting for her third aunt to send her off to get married."
"Are you really in such a hurry, girl?"
Madam Feng doted on this daughter. Her daughter was easy to take care of and sensible. If she hadn't reached the age where she was supposed to get married, she wouldn't have been willing to let her get married.
“A few days ago, Le Qian wrote to me saying that his wife had given birth to another son and that he would be returning to Beijing soon.”
"That's a good thing, I can serve my sister-in-law in the future."
Madam Feng immediately spoke up, and Yingxiang smiled, saying that her son had no concubines and already had four children, and would certainly not have any more in the future, which was good.
Leqian currently has two sons and two daughters, which is considered a very happy family.
"Third Brother must be very happy."
"yes."
When I thought of smelling it, Yingxiang was leaning back in her chair; at the moment, her demeanor wasn't so important.
When I heard and read the letter, I was overjoyed.
It was early spring this year, and he was already in a bad mood when Hu Yong'an suddenly fell ill, quite seriously. He visited Hu's family twice, and sometimes came back feeling depressed.
Yingxiang could understand him.
Seeing someone his age suddenly act like this must have made him uncomfortable, especially since Hu Yong'an was even a few years younger than him.
But people eat grains and cereals, and as people get older, it's really hard to say.
Wen Shi was willing to do it for the sake of his descendants. It was impossible not to be tired, but he still persisted. Not to mention anything else, he received nearly three thousand taels of silver in rewards and salary every year.
The couple couldn't afford to spend it all; it would all go towards their two children. Besides that, they already had one storage room full, so they opened another one—all of this was their savings.
In the evening, Wen Shi still hadn't returned. Ying Xiang checked the system and saw that she had less than a year left to live, with a red countdown appearing in her mind. Her expression changed instantly.
Time flies so fast.
Now that both of her sons have entered officialdom, if she goes, they will have to observe the three-year mourning period, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
She wasn't too worried about the two children; her biggest concern was Wen Shi.
That night, she sat on the bed. It was almost midnight when Wen Shi came back looking exhausted. He was stunned to see his wife, but felt more heartache than anything else.
"Why don't you go to sleep earlier?"
Yingxiang felt bad seeing his tired appearance.
She had tried to persuade him before, but Wen Shi didn't take her words to heart. She knew what he was thinking; as long as he wasn't too sick to get out of bed, he wouldn't give up.
"I can't sleep."
Wen Shi quickly changed into his nightgown and sat down next to her. After the children left, it was just the two of them at home. Many times, he felt as if he had returned to his younger days.
They lived like this before Leqian came along; they were all very young back then.
Before we knew it, today had passed, and we didn't even know if there would be a tomorrow.
The two slowly lay down on the couch. Yingxiang looked at Wenshi, hesitated several times before finally speaking slowly: "After this year, you should just retire next year. There's always work to be done."
When his wife brought this up, Wen Shi checked his body and found his eyes were still clear.
"Why are you bringing this up again? I'm doing fine. I have carriages and servants to take care of me when I travel. I'm usually sitting down, so I'm not tired at all."
His tone was calm, but he clearly still didn't want to give up.
"I know my wife cares about me, so I'll try to come back earlier in the future. I've been busy lately, so there's nothing I can do."
Upon hearing this, Yingxiang could only nod in the end.
She couldn't tell him that she didn't have much time left.
But how should we say goodbye?
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a headache coming on and turned to lie flat on her side.
When she heard this, she was unhappy, and then added another sentence.
"In that case, once Yueqian and the others return, I will submit a memorial to His Majesty."
"good."
Her son will definitely be able to come back this year, and Leqian will be able to see him.
As for Xinxin, if possible, she wanted to find an opportunity to visit him before leaving.
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