Chapter 30
"Brother, I don't care if you take a concubine, that's your own business."
"But we can't let this affect the family. My sister-in-law went to the shop and made a scene, threatening to kill herself. If business can't be done, the family won't come back to the village. In that case, they'll have to stay at your house."
"When would I ever let your sister-in-law cause trouble at the shop? I'm not stupid."
Wen Chuanzong retorted instinctively. He wasn't stupid. If it weren't for this shop, his whole family would definitely be staying at his house. Not to mention his whole family, at least his father and mother wouldn't have left.
"That jealous woman, that shrew, I'll teach her a lesson when I get home today. She still dares to cause trouble."
“Brother, that’s the shop where our family makes a living.”
Wen Shi looked solemn. Wen Chuanzong knew perfectly well that since the whole family had come out, they couldn't possibly go back. Thinking of Xiuyu, he cursed her in his heart, saying she always caused him trouble and was not virtuous at all.
"Don't worry, third brother, your sister-in-law will definitely not cause trouble again in the future."
"The business has failed, and you'll be under a lot of pressure in the future, brother."
Yes, yes.
After Wen Shi left, Wen Chuanzong angrily kicked a large tree next to him. The next second, he pulled his foot back, feeling the pain in his foot. He cursed Xiuyu a few times before returning to his classroom.
After class that day, he declined his classmate's invitation to go drinking and hurriedly went home.
"You shameless woman, I'm doing you a favor by making you do the laundry, and you still dare to talk back. Even if my husband likes you, you're just a concubine, a servant. I am the mistress of the house."
Amian lowered her head, her stubborn eyes filled with tears, but she remained unmoved.
She worked as a maid in a wealthy family, where she didn't have to do laundry or sweep. Now that she's become the concubine of a scholar, she's practically a mistress of the house. She won't do such rough work. Compared to her frail appearance, Xiuyu has the advantage of strength.
"Don't force me to take action."
Xiuyu spoke arrogantly, and the next second, the door was suddenly kicked open.
"You bitch, what are you saying?"
“There are plenty of old women at home. A-Mian is frail, how can you let her do such heavy work?”
"If anyone's going to do it, it's you."
As soon as Wen Chuanzong finished speaking, he immediately shielded A Mian behind him. A Mian was obviously an inexperienced girl who had previously served her master wholeheartedly. Now, she was devoted to Wen Chuanzong. She knew who her master was, so she was very obedient in front of him.
Xiuyu was so angry that she immediately stood up. Her lips trembled for a long time as she watched helplessly as A-Mian was taken to the next room by Wen Chuanzong. She shouted angrily, but it was no use.
"It's too noisy here with so many people. In a few days, I'll go out and borrow some money to buy a house and a few servants. Don't worry, I won't mistreat you in the future."
Wen Chuanzong is not bad-looking. Although he has gained a lot of weight, he is very good at presenting himself in public. He always appears very gentle in front of A Mian.
A-Mian didn't reject this person. After all, she was already lucky that her master hadn't sent her to be a concubine for an old man in his seventies or eighties. She wasn't stupid.
"Madam is also unhappy with me. In the end, it's my fault. I'll go do the laundry in a bit."
“No, you’re not a servant. Besides, she used to do this work. She could do it before, and she can do it now.”
Xiuyu now sleeps in one room with her two children, while Wen Chuanzong lives with A Mian. Thinking that he will have more children in the future, Wen Chuanzong feels that the space is too small for now.
He needs to move as soon as possible. There are too many people living here, and he can't avoid being pointed at and gossiped about. It would be better to rent a small courtyard and live his own life behind closed doors.
He was short of money, but fortunately he knew a group of wealthy students. He borrowed a little from each of them, and was able to afford a small courtyard.
"You should rest first."
Wen Chuanzong didn't forget his business and turned to find Xiuyu again.
“I have already taken this concubine. If you cause any more trouble, don’t blame me for giving you a divorce letter. Also, my parents are getting old, and the whole family in the county depends on the shop for a living. If you try to coerce my family again, don’t blame me for being ruthless. You won’t be able to take the two children with you.”
Xiuyu's eyes were already red from crying, and upon hearing this, she collapsed into a chair.
"Wen Chuanzong, you have no conscience."
Wen Chuanzong was no longer paying attention to her.
The farce eventually came to an end, the hot summer passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, autumn had arrived.
"I heard the red leaves on the mountain are in full bloom. Husband, why don't we go and see them together in a few days?"
Yingxiang suddenly looked at the person beside her.
Lately, she has increasingly felt that something is wrong with her husband. He is more silent than before, and seems to be preoccupied. When asked, he will not say anything and always looks like he is deep in thought.
Upon hearing this, he quickly looked at his wife and nodded.
"Okay, I'll go with you during my break in a few days."
"What's wrong?
Yingxiang was determined to get to the bottom of things. She immediately sat up and stared straight at Wenshi. How could she keep things bottled up inside? This couldn't go on forever. She had to find out what was going on.
"Nothing much, just some troublesome matters concerning the county school."
Thinking about how he's been deliberately targeting his teacher lately, making him revise an article more than ten times, and intentionally making things difficult for him, I really felt that he couldn't take it anymore.
He nitpicks and deliberately suppresses students in class. Now all the students know that Master Liu dislikes him. He doesn't even bother with formalities. Some opportunists also speak ill of him in private.
It would be impossible for him not to be troubled.
Wen Shi knew that this teacher was of bad character, but what he couldn't understand was why he suddenly became so shameless.
He no longer seeks his advice or bothers him, and even deliberately keeps his distance, but he is now going even further than before.
"What's wrong with the county school? Is your teacher treating you badly?"
Yingxiang held Wenshi's hand. She knew her husband well. Although he was somewhat taciturn, he was very polite in his daily life. She would never intentionally offend this gentleman. It could only be that he was deliberately making things difficult for her husband.
But there has to be a reason.
Hearing this, Yingxiang remained silent, then pressed on, "Why is that?"
"I don't know either."
The room was silent for a long time before Wen Shi spoke up.
"Husband, could you please find another doctor?"
Yingxiang didn't know much. Wen Shi glanced at her and shook her head helplessly.
"Then could we study at a different academy?"
Wen Shi nodded. That's a good idea, but the best academy in the county is the county school. If we really want to switch, we'll have to go to the prefectural city, which isn't worth it. After all, studying is the most important thing.
"If we want to change again, we can only go to the prefectural city; the county is definitely out of the question."
Wen Shi's face darkened. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, but he came from a farming family and might not have enough money. The expenses in the prefectural city were twice that of the county.
Right now, the best thing for him is to find out why Master Liu is like this. If he can find a way to solve it, that would be the best thing. He should just stay here and study for three years to consolidate his foundation and learn more.
If it weren't for a last resort, leaving the county school right now would truly be the worst possible option.
Yingxiang remained silent for a long time before saying, "Your teacher has some influence; why don't you send him some gifts?"
"Need not."
After hearing this, he said, "Never mind him, I'll just keep reading. I feel like he won't be able to hold out for much longer."
He has a feeling when he smells it, and perhaps he will soon know the answer.
That day, Wen Shi left school a little late. Just as he was about to go home, Master Liu suddenly called him back.
"Come up."
Wen Shi was a little stunned, but students were coming and going at the entrance of the county school, so it was not easy to stay in a stalemate. Later, Wen Chuanzong also saw this scene, and his younger brother was being targeted by the teacher.
He had naturally heard about it. Master Liu was always good at dealing with people outside, and no one spoke ill of him. Most people said in private that Wen Shi was not well-behaved and his learning was not good, which angered the Master.
He knew the truth might not be like that, but he thought of Wen Shi's actions after passing the exam, and the disappointments he had caused him before.
He turned to look for Liu Shi and Old Man Wen, wanting to make him feel bad too. Wen Shi got into the carriage and looked at the teacher with a dark face, even more puzzled.
“You didn’t listen to what I said earlier that was for your own good. Today I’m taking you to my house so I can introduce you to someone.”
"You are already married and have a family. You shouldn't have any thoughts about this, or I won't let you off the hook."
“You have achieved official rank, and you know my abilities.”
The last sentence was a threat, and since things had come to this point, Master Liu really had no other choice.
He didn't think there was anything good about Wen Shi, but his own daughter couldn't forget her. Now that she was locked up, instead of reflecting on her actions, she started threatening to go on a hunger strike, which made him very angry.
But to be honest, she only had this one precious daughter, and he couldn't just watch her starve to death.
Liu Yan had been at odds with her family for quite some time, and there were many arguments during that period. In the end, she had only one request: she wanted to see Wen Shi one more time, just one more time.
If Wen Shi was unwilling, then she would give up. However, she was still thinking about a man she had only met once. Tang Shi regretted it deeply. She had really spoiled her daughter. But her daughter was threatening to kill herself.
She had no choice but to compromise in private, so she discussed it with Master Liu and came up with this plan: as long as Wen Shi refused, her daughter's reputation could be preserved, she would give up, and the matter would be over.
Master Liu knew Wen Shi to some extent, and knew that he possessed the integrity of a scholar. Even if his family were wealthy, he would not necessarily abandon his wife to marry another.
Wen Shi wasn't afraid of Master Liu's threats, but none of that mattered to him.
He has achieved official rank, and if he dies for no reason or something happens to him, it probably won't be easy to get away with it peacefully. Even if Master Liu has connections in the prefectural city and a respectable position in the county, he probably doesn't have the ability to go any higher.
Otherwise, I wouldn't still be teaching at the county school.
Wen Shi didn't speak, but he already had a vague guess in his mind. After bringing the person home, Master Liu went straight to the backyard and sent all the servants out.
Before he even reached the main house in the backyard, he smelled a medicinal odor, and he subconsciously frowned.
"mother."
In the exquisitely decorated room, Liu Yan sat in front of the dressing table with a smile after dressing up. She turned the white jade bracelet on her wrist, feeling very happy.
"They'll be here soon. You should know proper etiquette."
"Don't worry, Mother, I know."
Liu Yan was in poor health and had previously gone on a hunger strike. Although she had been recuperating for a long time, she still looked very frail. She used to like bright and dazzling colors, but today she was dressed in a very simple and pure style.
She wore a light blue dress and a matching shawl, with only a few jade hairpins to secure her hair. She removed the glittering gold bracelet and put on a white jade bracelet instead. Standing in front of the bronze mirror, Liu Yan was clearly a little excited. Seeing her daughter like this, Tang felt a little uncomfortable.
She married down; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to gain a foothold in her husband's family because of her daughter. Her husband's family had some power, but her husband wasn't considered the eldest son of the family, so he could only benefit from their influence and wouldn't achieve great things.
Mrs. Tang sighed, and upon hearing footsteps outside, she instinctively stood up.
Liu Yan eagerly awaited the answer.
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