Chapter 23
In the evening, Wen Chuanzong returned home and saw his parents sitting at the head of the table. He was stunned and subconsciously touched his protruding belly. Then he looked at Xiuyu standing to the side, his round face full of confusion.
Although he was a scholar, he had been eating like a wealthy official, and his physique had changed drastically.
"Father, Mother, what brings you here?"
He began to have doubts. It hadn't been long before his third son brought his parents. But looking at Old Man Wen's dark face and Liu Shi's silent presence, he had a vague sense of unease.
"Can't your mother and I come to the county?"
"No, Dad, you and Mom can come anytime, why didn't you give us a heads-up?"
"Alright, return all the money we spent on you before. It's getting late, your mother and I need to go back too. We have to open for business tomorrow."
Old Man Wen had already decided how to use the money. He would keep half for himself and give some to Liu. Although Liu was muddle-headed, she had given birth to so many sons for him. Even if she hadn't done anything particularly meritorious, she had still worked hard. Without money in her hands, she would definitely feel uneasy.
He planned to give the rest to his second, fourth, and fifth sons. Although the fifth son was still young, he would definitely need money for things like getting married in the future.
Old Man Wen cut to the chase, and Wen Chuanzong was stunned. They were asking for money, but the couple didn't have much money between them.
He didn't have that much money, and his expenses in the county were also quite high.
"Father, how much do you want?"
Old Man Wen's mind raced, and he held up one finger.
Wen Chuanzong was startled for a moment.
"Father, Mother, what are you doing? We don't have that much money. Here's what we'll do: when I pass the imperial examination and have two hundred taels, I'll give it all to you and Mother."
"We'll talk about the future later. Right now, give me back the money I gave you before."
"father."
Wen Chuanzong was speechless. He didn't have that much money either. His family of four, plus his old mother, all needed to eat, drink, and take care of themselves in the county. Last year, he was a little better off financially, but this year, there were far fewer people giving him gifts.
He really didn't have that much money. He lost a lot at the casino last year, but he didn't dare tell his family. Fortunately, no one asked him about it afterward.
This year, he absolutely refused to go, which caused him to have unpleasant arguments with several close classmates.
“If you don’t give it to us, your mother and I will stay here with you. We can’t let your brothers pay for it and do all the work.”
Old Man Wen's attitude was firm, and Liu Shi remained silent. The eldest son and his wife also couldn't come up with any money. The two looked at each other, and in the end, they still couldn't persuade Old Man Wen.
Wen Chuanzong talked until his lips were chapped, but it was no use, so he had no choice but to give up.
He found the dinner tasteless and unappetizing.
At night, the family of four squeezed together.
"I'll go see Lao San tomorrow and talk to him. We can't let him ruin us."
“If it weren’t for him and his third sister-in-law stirring things up behind our backs, how could our parents have come to ask for money? Those two greedy people are trying to drive us to our deaths.”
Xiuyu was also angry, but there was nothing she could do.
Next door, Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu lay on the soft bed and soon fell asleep.
Wen Chuanzong and his wife really knew how to enjoy life, but they were also full of lies, which angered Old Man Wen and made him even more determined.
The next morning, at the entrance of the county school, Wen Shi was about to go in when he suddenly saw his elder brother.
He frowned. In fact, he had been enrolled for quite some time, but he had never met Wen Chuanzong.
"It's still early, third brother, come this way with me first."
The two brothers were in different classrooms and rarely interacted. After coming to study in the county, Wen Shi realized that he knew too little. He had previously studied in the town, where the private tutors were mediocre, and he was already very lucky to have passed the exam.
Now that he is studying at the county school, the gap between him and his classmates is quite obvious.
Wen Chuanzong pulled Wen Shi to an inconspicuous corner of the small garden. Looking at the third brother's increasingly thin face and the dark circles under his eyes, he suddenly felt puzzled.
"Third brother, you've lost some weight."
"Brother, just say what you have to say."
Wen Chuanzong realized what was happening and quickly got to the point.
The weather has been warm lately, and the county school is lush and green everywhere. The sounds of cicadas and frogs in the pond have never stopped, and the flowers in the small garden are in full bloom. A gentle breeze carries their delicate fragrance.
The two brothers were not famous students and did not attract much attention in their daily lives.
The county school had been renovated two years ago, so it wasn't old. He didn't feel like appreciating it at all; he remained expressionless the whole time.
"Father and Mother came to my place yesterday."
"Third brother, it's not that your eldest brother is unwilling to be filial to our parents. Right now, your eldest brother's conditions are limited. We only have two rooms, and when our parents come, there's no room for them. Your sister-in-law and I can only sleep in the children's room. Your eldest brother didn't sleep well last night."
After Wen Chuanzong finished speaking, he yawned. He was so early in the morning that he was even woken up by his youngest son stepping on his foot.
"Why don't you go back with your older brother tonight and bring your parents to your place?"
“If Father and Mother want to go back, they can go back on their own. Brother, I have other things to do.”
After hearing this, he turned and left. He didn't know what happened in between, nor did he care. He had a lot of things to do himself.
His new teacher at the county school was surnamed Liu, and he seemed to be a learned and very gentle teacher.
But that was only how he appeared at first sight. Later, as he gained power and influence, he treated the powerful and the weak poorly, and he treated the weak very badly. Of course, he didn't tell his family any of this when he first heard about it.
At noon, Wen Shi ate a quick meal in the cafeteria and then went to the teacher's study.
“Wen Shi, look at your writing. It’s too concise and to the point, which is a good thing, but it doesn’t bring out your literary talent at all. And your handwriting, I’m telling you, could you please practice it properly?”
During the years that Wen Shi had studied, no teacher had ever said that his handwriting was bad.
Yesterday, the teacher returned his article, saying that it was flowery but impractical and missed the point. He spent most of the night revising it, but today he has changed his tune.
He's been at the county school for a while now, and he's not stupid; this is just him deliberately making things difficult for others.
After Master Liu finished speaking, he looked straight at Wen Shi. He didn't like Wen Shi, not only because he felt that the tribute he had given him was too little, but also because the man in front of him was too studious, which annoyed him.
He had more than one poor student under his wing, and he looked down on each of them equally, disliking them all. But among these people, Wen Shi was the most ungrateful in his eyes.
He would ask him for advice all the time, unaware of his own shallow knowledge and his many problems.
He knew Wen Shi's abilities; they were far inferior to others. However, Wen Shi was very clever and could apply his knowledge effectively. If Wen Shi was a young master from a wealthy family who had given him many gifts and favors, he wouldn't mind giving him some pointers, which would be beneficial.
However, Wen Shi was a countryman, and his love of learning was seen as stubbornness and ignorance in Wen Shi's eyes, so Wen Shi grew increasingly disliked him.
Wen Shi wasn't unaware of it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Studying at the county school meant he couldn't change his teacher. There were certainly good teachers in the county school, but his ranking wasn't high enough for him to study under those good ones.
The person in front of him was a snob, and when he looked at the gentleman with his narrow phoenix eyes, he naturally felt dissatisfied.
Master Liu wasn't afraid of hearing this, and just stared straight at him.
After a long while, Wen Shi sighed inwardly.
"Then I will go back and revise it again. Thank you for your guidance, sir."
Master Liu remained silent, watching Wen Shi leave with a contemptuous smile on his face.
In the evening, Wen Shi returned home. Seeing the steaming food on the table, he cheered up again. He buried his unhappiness in his heart, not wanting to worry his wife.
"Try this roast duck, I made it especially for you."
Wen Shi nodded, looked up at his wife, and found that Yingxiang's eyes were very bright and her complexion was very good.
The duck was tender and delicious. I don't know how Yingxiang made it; her cooking skills have improved a lot recently.
"tasty."
"Then eat more."
"My parents went to my older brother's house, and I don't know when they'll be back. I heard they went to ask for money. Do you think my older brother will give it to them?"
Yingxiang took a bite of her meal, then remembered the matter and told Wenshi directly. He was focused on his studies and didn't want to miss any news from home.
"No, my elder brother came to see me today and wants me to bring them back."
Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu are elders, so they can do whatever they want. Wen Chuanzong is truly heartless.
"The food is so delicious every day, how come you don't gain weight? Husband, what time did you go to sleep last night?"
Yingxiang glanced at Wenshi. She had gotten up early in the morning and left early as well. The dark circles under Wenshi's eyes were really too noticeable. Last night, she had stayed up all night and hadn't waited for him to come back to sleep.
"I've been quite busy lately, especially in the latter half of the night."
"You still need to take care of yourself. I'll buy you a chicken to nourish you in a few days. Your health is the most important thing; everything else has to take a backseat."
"Thank you, madam."
Looking at his wife, Wen Shi's smile was genuine. He suddenly felt much happier. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for? Heaven had truly blessed him.
A few days ago, Yingxiang checked in and unexpectedly received a cookbook. She has been using it as a reference for her cooking recently, and she feels that her cooking skills will improve by leaps and bounds sooner or later.
Wen Shi devoured almost all the food his wife had prepared. After the meal, he went to his study and buried himself in revising his writings. He comforted himself with Mencius's saying, "One is born in hardship and dies in comfort," to calm his mind.
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