Chapter 31
"Greetings, Madam."
Wen Shi remained composed and dignified, dressed in a light blue academic gown and long boots, appearing to be a refined and dignified gentleman.
Tang glanced at him, nodded, and was about to leave when Wen Shi turned around and followed her, which puzzled her.
The next second, a slightly shy voice came from inside: "Scholar Wen."
Outside, Master Liu frowned subconsciously. Now that things had come to this, his face suddenly turned very ugly. Anger surged into his heart, and he strode out. Tang called him, but he didn't stop, leaving only a stunned and injured Liu Yan behind.
If it weren't for Master Liu standing in front of Wen Shi in time, he probably would have run out.
"I have no idea what grudge I have against you, sir, that you would want to harm me like this?"
Wen Shi's expression was extremely cold. He stared directly at Master Liu, his eyes filled with anger.
"Why would I want to harm you? What do you have that I would want to harm?"
Master Liu was also somewhat angry and immediately shouted. He wasn't afraid of Wen Shi, but the look in Wen Shi's eyes offended him.
"I am married."
After hearing this, his face turned as cold as ice. He didn't want to stay there for even a quarter of an hour and was about to leave when Master Liu reached out and grabbed him.
"How could I not know? If my daughter hadn't fallen for you and was so desperate for you every day, do you think I would have bothered with you?"
"Yan'er, did you see that? Does this person have feelings for you?"
He couldn't push her away; he was furious and fuming. Liu Yan came out of the house, her eyes red. Tang stood beside her, speechless but also heartbroken for her daughter.
Wen Shi didn't even look at Liu Yan, which made her even more frustrated. Liu Yan sniffed and then said, "Do you know? My father only has one daughter, me. If you're willing..."
Liu Yan looked at the person standing not far away. He had a handsome face and a cold expression, but her heart had been filled with him since the first time she saw him, and lately she had been thinking about him day and night.
Upon hearing Liu Yan's words, both Master Liu and Madam Tang turned pale with anger and wanted to hit her.
"I am already married and have no intention of taking a concubine."
Hearing this was like a blast of ice water; Liu Yan felt a chill run through her instantly, and tears welled up in her eyes without warning.
"Don't tell me I'm already married. Even if I weren't, I wouldn't marry you, let alone become your son-in-law."
Hearing this last sentence unintentionally extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Liu Yan's heart. Originally, she thought of using benefits to lure her, since feelings can be cultivated, and as they spend more time together, feelings will naturally develop.
When Master Liu heard Wen Shi's words, his expression became complicated. He unconsciously released Wen Shi's sleeve and watched Wen Shi leave with a dark face, without stopping him.
This young man has integrity and good character, but unfortunately, his poor background is a major flaw that he cannot ignore.
No matter how good he is, he won't think much of him because of that.
"Yan'er".
Seeing Wen Shi leave just like that, Liu Yan rolled her eyes and suddenly fainted. Tang Shi immediately panicked. Wen Shi had no idea what kind of chaos would engulf the Liu family afterward.
After leaving the Liu family, he was in a terrible mood. If hatred could kill, then Master Liu would have been torn to pieces by now.
Wen Shi felt extremely irritable and angry. He wandered aimlessly through the streets, watching the people hurrying by, his mind filled with a myriad of images.
Recalling the events of the past few days, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he almost fell.
As Wen Shi looked at the shops on both sides of the street, his wife's face suddenly appeared in his mind. He took a breath and strode towards home.
After leaving the academy, Wen Chuanzong hurriedly headed to his family shop.
When he first arrived, he was out of breath, and his family didn't pay much attention to him and gave him the cold shoulder. It's impossible for him not to be heartbroken.
But when he thought of his third brother, he straightened his chest.
“Mother, the third son is not studying properly at the county school, and now he has offended the teacher.”
Upon hearing Wen Chuanzong's words, the Wen family members were instantly thrown into disarray, staring at him in disbelief.
"You're talking nonsense. How could my third brother have offended the Master?"
Wen Lao Er spoke first, and Wen Lao Die looked at Wen Chuan Zong in disbelief. In his heart, the third son was very reliable and would definitely not do anything out of line.
"Why would I lie to you? I don't know why the third brother angered the teacher at the academy. I heard the teacher doesn't like him very much."
Wen Chuanzong poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and drank more than half of it. Wen Lao Si looked at Wen Lao Die, who immediately stood up.
Do you know where the third brother lives?
Wen Chuanzong was taken aback, subconsciously nodded, and then shook his head.
"Do you know or not?"
"Old Man Wen shouted."
"I know, it's in that alley."
Wen Chuanzong had heard from a classmate that one of his classmates lived very close to Wen Shi, and he had even visited his home before. Later, this classmate told him that he often saw Wen Shi there, and that he and Wen Shi lived on the same street.
In the academy, some people privately envied the brothers for studying together. For their family, it was a source of hope, and whoever succeeded in the future would help the other.
"Old woman, let's go."
"You lead the way."
Wen Chuanzong nodded, and Liu hurriedly followed. The family looked at each other, but no one else followed.
Wen Chuanzong was chubby and walked rather slowly. Old Man Wen glared at him from behind, but he kept walking without daring to stop.
Wen Shi hurriedly returned home, but did not see Yingxiang. He poured himself a cup of tea, looked at the familiar courtyard, and slowly calmed down.
Now, there was nothing he didn't understand. So that's why. The Liu family was truly despicable; they didn't treat him like a human being at all. When Wen Shi thought of this, his hand gripping the teacup tightened involuntarily.
Instead of his wife returning, he was greeted by his elder brother and parents. Wen Shi looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression.
"Third brother, are you alright?"
Wen Chuanzong had planned to take the old couple with him and then go back, but unexpectedly, his father pushed him inside. He didn't know how his own father had such strength.
He could only force himself to greet Wen Shi with a smile.
In the small courtyard, there were even quite a few vegetables planted. After Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu came in, they quickly swept the area. Then Mrs. Liu closed the door and walked worriedly to Wen Shi.
"I'm fine."
He lowered his eyes and remained silent upon hearing this.
"How exactly did you offend the Master?"
Old Man Wen was a little anxious, after all, this was the family's hope. As soon as he said this, Wen Shi immediately looked at Wen Chuanzong.
Wen Chuanzong turned his head away, feeling embarrassed.
Liu was also anxious. The next second, Wen Shi spoke up: "The teacher looks down on our family because we are poor, and he doesn't like me either. But his precious daughter has somehow taken a liking to me. She has caused a lot of trouble at home because of this, which is why the teacher is targeting me."
After hearing this, Liu's expression became somewhat complicated. So that's how it is. The teacher's daughter? Isn't that much better than Yingxiang? Her father is a teacher, and a teacher at the county school, a government official. Her family must be wealthy.
Old Man Wen glanced at Wen Shi and saw the disgust on his face when he said this, so he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Wen Chuanzong was so envious he was almost red-eyed. He was also a scholar, so why couldn't he have such good fortune? Heaven was truly unfair.
I originally thought Wen Shi had made a big mistake, but I never expected it was because of this.
If it were him, then he would definitely...
Suppressing his excitement, Wen Chuanzong poured himself a cup of tea. The tea was fragrant, and he couldn't help but glance at his third brother, thinking to himself, "This kid knows how to enjoy life."
He got up and looked at the small courtyard. He then pushed open the doors of two rooms. One room was where the couple lived. Although there wasn't much furniture, it was clean and tidy. The other room was a study. There were many sheets of Xuan paper on the table, and the bookshelves were filled with books.
Wen Shi is living a really good life. But if the third brother had money, he wouldn't need to borrow money from others; he could just ask him for money to buy a house.
"Third brother, what are you thinking? Do you have a solution? After all, he is your husband."
After a long silence, Old Man Wen finally asked.
There are plenty of famous people in the world, it's not like he's the only one who can teach.
"Even if there's only this one, I won't study it; I won't starve."
When Wen Shi spoke, Wen Chuanzong sat back down. He was somewhat surprised, but he didn't say anything. As for Liu Shi, she looked at her third son with a puzzled expression, and Old Man Wen understood.
"You're not a child anymore, you can make your own decisions."
He knew in his heart that Wen Shi wouldn't listen to him.
"Third brother, actually, we scholars don't need to live with one woman all our lives. Your wife hasn't given you a child yet. If you ask me, if this teacher's daughter really has feelings for you, why don't you marry her and make her your concubine?"
"More wives mean more children in the future."
Upon hearing Wen Chuanzong's words, Madam Liu looked at Wen Shi with anticipation in her eyes, thinking that it was a good idea.
He neither abandoned Yingxiang nor damaged his reputation, but married the master's daughter. When a young lady from the city gets married, her dowry is sure to be more than enough.
"Brother, even if I weren't already married, I would never marry into their family."
Wen Shiliang said coolly, glancing towards the door from time to time, but Yingxiang had not returned and he did not know where she had gone.
Upon hearing the words "marry into the family," Old Man Wen immediately stood up and said, "It's not like our family can't afford to eat; we can't accept a son-in-law marrying into the family."
Liu's feelings were also somewhat complicated. Wen Shi was the family's hope, but if he married into the family, then it really had nothing to do with their family anymore.
She was unwilling in her heart.
"If that young lady is determined to be with you, Third Brother, the terms are negotiable."
“There’s nothing to talk about, brother. It’s getting late. I’ll figure out and resolve my own affairs myself. You take Mom and Dad back.”
Seeing that the sky was covered with dark clouds, Wen Chuanzong did not want to go home with a cold. Since he could not persuade his younger brother, he could only get up and take his father and Liu back first.
Halfway there, a clap of thunder sounded, and it looked like a heavy rain was about to start, so the group quickened their pace.
Soon after, a torrential downpour followed, and the streets were deserted. The large raindrops hitting people were also unpleasant.
The sky was already getting dark, and what puzzled Wen Shi was his wife. Where had she gone? Why hadn't she returned yet?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
