Chapter 26
Soon, the day of the day of rest and recuperation arrived.
Early that morning, Wen Shi got up and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The two of them were going to the temple to worship Buddha and take a stroll in the small hills in the suburbs. The hills were not difficult to climb, and Ying Xiang had not been out for a long time, so she was looking forward to it.
As she watched Wen Shi leave, she silently signed in.
After a moment, she looked at the peppercorn powder wrapped in oil paper in her hand, and her eyes unconsciously darkened.
Sure enough, there was no point in having any expectations. The surprise of the laundry tub that day was great, but these past few days, it had been the same old things again. She put the things away, tidied herself up, and turned to leave.
"Wife, you bought another potted plant?"
A basin suddenly appeared in the house. Yingxiang treasured it and placed it in the kitchen. When she smelled it, something seemed off, but it looked like an ordinary basin, nothing special.
He was about to take it out when Yingxiang immediately stopped him.
"Don't move it, just leave it over there."
With this basin, Yingxiang can do less housework and is in a much better mood. It's her treasure right now and must be kept in the kitchen. She feels bad leaving it outside exposed to the wind and sun.
Wen Shi glanced at his wife and then put the basin back.
“My wife has been making mung bean soup every day lately, which is why I haven’t caught a heatstroke.”
Thinking back to previous years, Wen Shi was filled with emotion. He was truly blessed to have such a virtuous wife. Heatstroke was a terrible thing to suffer from, and he had to endure it before because he couldn't even afford mung beans.
He has faced many hardships along the way, but he is grateful that his impoverished life is over. The future is unknown, but he believes in himself and that things will get better.
Wen Shi is very focused no matter what he does. He lives his life behind closed doors. Ying Xiang won't spoil him. He can do whatever he wants. There's nothing to be ashamed of.
The meal was simple and delicious. After they finished eating, they locked the door and left.
"By the way, husband, my sister-in-law came to me earlier, wanting to borrow money and also wanting me to pick up my parents."
"Ignore them. My brother has already contacted me before."
Wen Shi was happy to see this happen. It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to compete with Wen Chuanzong; to be honest, they were all family brothers, so there was no need for that.
He never wanted to put on a brave face or do things against his conscience. However, along the way, too many things went against his wishes. He knew from a young age that his parents were biased towards him, but for the sake of his future career and to avoid giving others cause for criticism, he would go back to pick up his relatives as soon as he settled down in the county after passing the exam.
It's really good that we're all in the county but not living together right now. Wen Chuanzong is well aware of what he's thinking, but we're all family, and they can't just not contribute anything.
There are troubles in the county school, but he can find ways to solve them.
At midday, as the sun slowly rose, the two women, though dressed in thin clothes, still couldn't help but sweat. Yingxiang had dressed up today and looked no different from the women from wealthier families.
On the way, the two even ran into Wen Shi's classmate from the county school.
Coincidentally, this classmate had previously attended the same private school as Wen Shi in town and had a good relationship with him. His family was larger and all depended on him, so he didn't have the ability to bring all his family members out with him.
Therefore, he studied alone in the county and is still unmarried.
"Brother Wen."
"Brother Song."
Song Xun was handsome with fair skin, but upon closer inspection, he was also a dashing young man.
"Brother Wen, are you going to offer incense with your wife?"
"yes."
"That's perfect, let's team up."
"OK."
Yingxiang greeted her classmate, and then followed Wenshi without saying a word. The two chatted idly while she looked around.
What makes her happy is that her husband would occasionally turn around and look at her.
Xiangji Temple
This is the largest and most popular temple in the county. Even before you get close, you can smell a strong incense aroma. As you walk up, you are surrounded by lush greenery. The cobblestone path is layered and makes walking very comfortable. The surrounding area is filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, and the scenery is quite beautiful.
It wasn't that she was being fussy; now that she was actually living in ancient times, she realized how far-fetched people's descriptions of ancient times were. In small towns, the roads were uneven, and if you weren't careful, you could twist your ankle. When there were many people living together, all sorts of smells mixed together, making it incredibly unpleasant, and there was no way to deal with all of that.
People came and went outside the temple. Officials and wealthy families usually traveled by horse-drawn carriage. Fortunately, there were several roads, so it wasn't too crowded.
"Father, Mother, are we there yet? It's so bumpy. The county is not as good as the prefectural city, and the roads are not wide either."
"Father, I want to go back."
Inside a luxurious carriage, a woman in a pink dress frowned slightly in dissatisfaction. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with skin as white as snow. She wore some jewelry on her head, and half of her hair was loose, making her look charming and cute. Her attire clearly indicated that she was an unmarried girl.
"Alright, Yan'er, your father has finally found some free time today. Let's go offer incense first, so that the Bodhisattva can bless you and help you marry a good husband in the future."
The woman sitting next to the girl had an ordinary, even plain, appearance, but she was dressed very elegantly. Her satin was shiny and smooth, and the gold hairpin in her hair shone brightly.
She sat upright in the chair, remaining motionless from beginning to end.
"Yan'er, stop fooling around, get out of the car."
"yes."
The people inside the carriage were none other than Master Liu and his family. Master Liu got out of the carriage first, followed by Liu Yan and her mother, Madam Tang, with several servants following behind.
"Go in."
Looking at the huge plaque at the entrance of the temple, Master Liu did not hesitate and was about to enter. He was dressed very carefully today, wearing a long robe made of black brocade, and his hair was tied up high and fixed with a jade hairpin.
His fair face inevitably bears some traces of time, but from a distance, he looks much younger and better-looking than his peers.
"The student pays respects to the Master and greets the Madam."
One of Mr. Liu's students, Qi Yun, a well-known wealthy young master in the county, appeared out of nowhere and bowed to Mr. Liu.
Master Liu naturally liked this student, and he nodded with a smile.
"No need for such formalities."
The Qi family was a well-known wealthy family in the county, with considerable assets. Qi Yun was not a good student, but he received excellent instruction from a famous teacher from a young age. He was not particularly virtuous in private, but he always put on a good show in public.
Privately, he had a very good relationship with Master Liu. Liu Yan, who had just come from the prefectural city, looked at this rich young master with some curiosity.
He was of average appearance, but his father seemed to like him very much.
"This is your father's student, Qi Yun."
Tang introduced Liu Yan to her daughter, saying that Liu Yan always appeared poised and elegant in public. Qi Yun, seeing that Liu Yan was quite beautiful, also praised her a few times.
"Since we've run into each other, let's go offer incense to the Bodhisattva together."
Let's go.
Upon hearing Master Liu's words, Qi Yun, whether intentionally or unintentionally, looked at Song Xun and Wen Shi not far away and called out to them.
Although they were all students, the children raised by different family backgrounds had vastly different personalities. Among his classmates, Qi Yun was very popular because of his wealthy background and his social skills; no one disliked him.
Compared to him, Wen Shi, who came from a farming family, was not so outstanding. Even though he was studious, he had limited experience because he came from a small private school. As for his knowledge? In their eyes, it was acceptable, but that was all.
Madam Liu did not think highly of such students and treated them with indifference.
In fact, Qi Yun had already seen Wen Shi and Song Xun by chance in his own carriage, but they didn't usually get along and didn't interact.
Wen Shi and Song Xun were both startled. The disgust in Wen Shi's eyes flashed across his face, but Ying Xiang saw it clearly.
She couldn't help but frown. For some reason, the person not far away gave her a very arrogant feeling. However, he was also here to offer incense today, so it was best not to cause any unpleasantness. She should still greet him if they bumped into each other, since her husband was also there.
Wen Shi and Song Xun immediately went over.
"Greetings, sir. Greetings, madam."
"No need for such formalities."
Master Liu was very cold to the two of them. Liu Yan also looked at the two of them. It seemed that they were also her father's students, but Madam Tang did not introduce them to her.
It wasn't that Tang was bad at interpersonal relationships, but rather that she genuinely didn't know Wen Shi and Song Xun.
"Father, these two are also your students."
Liu Yan looked well-behaved and adorable. Looking at his daughter, Master Liu hummed in agreement.
“This is Wen Shi, and this is Song Xun.”
"It's getting late, let's go up quickly."
Yingxiang wasn't particularly eye-catching among the group, not to mention her shabby clothes, which the mother and daughter didn't even give her a second glance.
Looking at these arrogant people, Yingxiang sneered inwardly, her good mood instantly vanishing.
"Respectfully seeing off the Master."
Qi Yun followed along, glancing back at the group with a hint of smugness. When his gaze fell on Yingxiang, he wasn't particularly surprised. He had plenty of beautiful concubines, and Yingxiang didn't have any special air about her; she just looked like an ordinary woman.
Liu Yan, however, made a point of turning back to look at Wen Shi as she left.
Yingxiang was speechless. She wasn't stupid; she could tell that the man had done it on purpose. However, his clothes were unusual, so he must be from a wealthy family.
Wen Shi and Song Xun were just ordinary people.
The group didn't linger and went up to offer incense, which Yingxiang noticed, as she wasn't happy when she smelled it.
Logically speaking, Master Liu was his teacher, and the ancients respected their teachers. However, his respect seemed to be only superficial. Thinking of the Liu family, Yingxiang also had a bad impression of them.
Not all gentlemen are highly respected; there are all sorts of people.
Her husband is definitely fine; if there's a problem, it's with that Master Liu.
After offering incense, Song Xun made an excuse to go back to his studies and left. Wen Shi followed Yingxiang to a small hill not far away.
"My husband, you don't like that teacher."
Wen Shi nodded slightly.
Yingxiang sighed, and then said, "Although it's not good to talk like that, you seem to be a high and mighty teacher. I don't know how learned you are, but your moral character is certainly not that noble."
As she finished speaking, Yingxiang lowered her voice. Wen Shi glanced at her but didn't deny it, since it was an undeniable fact.
After the Liu family finished worshipping Buddha, they returned to their carriage and watched Qi Yun leave.
Looking at his daughter, Master Liu suddenly asked, "What do you think of this Scholar Qi?"
"Not very good."
Liu Yan wasn't stupid; she now understood that what they claimed to be a Buddhist worship trip today was probably a pre-arranged marriage plan.
"That's not fair. His family is very wealthy, and they also have a distant relative in the capital. Although they are a merchant family, they have no shortage of money. He is also quite talented and could pursue an official career, so he would be a good son-in-law."
Master Liu stroked his beard; he had high hopes for Qi Yun.
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