Chapter 33
After understanding the situation, Yingxiang stopped being unreasonable, but her husband's future studies were equally important.
"The county school is the most suitable. If possible, it would be best to continue studying here."
Wen Shi still held the same opinion as before. Ying Xiang glanced at him but didn't say anything. After all, they were both adults, and he always had his own ideas.
If the Liu family really backs down, then this matter will be over. If there are any further developments, Wen Shi will certainly be able to handle them.
He's not fickle or indecisive; his character is what it is, so there's nothing to worry about.
To put it bluntly, such things will likely happen less often in the future. Yingxiang has heard of people vying for husbands after passing the imperial examinations. The better Wen Shi's learning is, the wider his future will be, and the more such things will happen in the future. In the end, it all depends on himself.
He wasn't someone who looked down on money, but he couldn't resist temptation. To put it bluntly, if it were his older brother or someone else in this situation, Yingxiang knew all too well that human nature couldn't withstand the test.
“Husband, there’s something else I want to tell you. I’m planning to give the shop to my parents. Lately, they’ve been collecting the debts.”
Liu thought that Yingxiang had become obedient because she was threatened. She did not expect that Yingxiang had never wanted the shop at all. After getting back her previous investment, Yingxiang had already planned to hand it over.
She felt it was more appropriate for Wen Shi to step in, and it would be better for him too. Given her status, she was just a daughter-in-law. Although she was capable, in the end, without Wen Shi, there would be no her in this family.
"Can they manage it?"
“Yes, my second and fourth brothers are all very capable and willing to do it.”
"I'll talk to my parents about it later."
Yingxiang nodded.
On this day, Wen Xiaowu had a long-awaited holiday. He had changed a lot since he started school, and he was dressed in a long robe, looking quite respectable.
"Father, Mother, I'm back."
Wen Xiaowu is their youngest son, and the elderly couple treats him very well. They used to think he was clever and intelligent, and now that he is studying, they will only treat him even better.
"Little Five is back. Fourth Brother's wife, bring some food over."
Having been away from home for several months, Wen Xiaowu rarely returned. He had grown quite a bit taller, now reaching up to Liu's shoulder.
Having not seen him for a long time, Liu missed him and smiled as she held his hand, asking him how he was doing.
"Mother, I still have to thank Third Brother for being willing to let me go to school and for bringing our whole family to the county. Father and Mother, last month my writing was praised by the teacher, and he even gave me some copper coins as a reward."
"Mother, keep this. We'll buy meat later and invite Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law over for dinner tonight."
"Don't call me Xiao Wu anymore. I have a name now. My teacher gave it to me. My name is Wenli. He said that scholars must know propriety, righteousness, integrity and a sense of shame. This is the most important thing."
"The teacher is right, son, you must study hard."
Of the Wen family's sons, only Wen Chuanzong's name was chosen by the elderly couple from someone in the village. It had a good meaning, as he was the eldest son and was meant to carry on the family line. As for the other sons, they were simply named according to their birth order.
It is said that Wen Shi was given the name by a teacher after he went to study in the town. By then, he had already missed the best age for studying. At first, he learned to read with the other children who were just learning to speak. He was tall and big and looked very out of place in the classroom.
Even so, Wen Shi persisted for several years and finally read it out step by step.
The name Wen Laosan was also considered low-class, so he changed it later. Although the name Wen Shi was very ordinary, it sounded like the name of an ordinary person. Wen Laosan sounded like a villager. A scholar is different from a peasant from the countryside.
In the evening, Wen Shi came over with Ying Xiang, and Old Man Wen secretly pulled Wen Shi aside.
How has your husband been treating you lately?
"That's it."
Master Liu used to be sarcastic and cold, but now he has toned it down and doesn't pay much attention to him. Wen Shi also doesn't bother with this gentleman; he has already made his point very clear.
After Master Liu returned, neither of them mentioned the previous incident again, but they were both very dissatisfied with each other.
When Master Liu thought of his daughter, who was still bedridden, he felt that Wen Shi was ungrateful and blind. Overall, he was filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
As for Liu Yan, although she was rejected, she didn't completely let go and naturally still thought about Wen Shi.
Autumn has arrived, and it's getting dark earlier and earlier. The weather is quite cool in the mornings and evenings. Old Man Wen glanced at Wen Shi and looked somewhat worried.
"I don't care about anything else, but I'm worried that it will affect your future exams."
Old Man Wen pursed his lips; this was the most important thing.
"That's impossible."
Scientific expeditions are no small matter. The current emperor is not a foolish ruler, and Master Liu does not have that much power. Such a risky matter could potentially implicate the whole family, so Master Liu dares not do it.
He alone doesn't have that ability. To have that kind of power, one would have to be a trusted minister of the emperor.
"That's alright then, what's all this about?"
Old Man Wen glanced at his third son with a hint of helplessness.
Wen Shi didn't resemble his father or mother at first; he was handsome and grew more and more good-looking as he grew up.
Old Man Wen thought it couldn't be that the babies were switched at birth, or that they were raised by someone else. Liu Shi gave birth to the children at home, and the third son was fatter and fairer than his brothers from birth.
From a young age, he either worked silently or stayed alone in the house, never running around and playing with the other children in the village.
The kitchen was bustling with activity. Liu was in a good mood. She privately considered inviting her eldest son to have a meal with her, but after some hesitation, she shook her head.
Now that her father doesn't like this son, she hasn't taken the lead in making the decision and has decided to let it go for now.
The small table was laden with food, as plentiful as a New Year's feast. Just as everyone was about to dig in, there was a knock on the door.
At this moment, no one knew who would come. Wen Laosi opened the door. It was getting dark outside. Xiuyu was holding two children's hands. Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair was disheveled, and she was carrying two bundles on her back. She looked miserable.
"Grandpa, Grandma."
Old Man Wen loved his grandsons. When he saw his two grandsons running towards him crying, he quickly squatted down and hugged them.
"What happened? Where's the boss?"
Liu asked somewhat anxiously.
"Father, Mother, we have nowhere to go."
Xiuyu started crying after she finished speaking, which stunned the old couple. Wen Shi and Yingxiang were also puzzled. Yingxiang felt even more upset when she thought about recent events. Looking at the food on the table, she suddenly felt nauseous for some reason.
"Chuanzong, Chuanzong took that slut away. He said he was going to go out to do business with the younger brother of a classmate to earn some money first, and then go back to school in a few years."
"He said he couldn't stand the title of a poor scholar, and he wanted to make money first and live a good life."
After Xiuyu finished speaking, she started howling. Liu took two steps back instinctively, naturally worried about her son.
"That beast is doing something inhuman. Let's just ignore him."
Old Man Wen's face darkened. He knew in his heart that he couldn't control them. The person was already gone, so what could they do?
"We have no money, so we have to come back, Mom and Dad."
"You'll always have something to eat here."
After speaking, Old Man Wen subconsciously looked up at the second floor. There were only three rooms in total, no extras. When the fifth son came back, he had to sleep on the floor downstairs.
They could sleep with their two grandsons, but Liu, the eldest daughter-in-law, had naturally thought of this as well.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, why don’t you stay at the third son’s house for the night? Since the eldest son isn’t here right now and you don’t have any money, and the house is empty anyway, why don’t you go back to the village to stay?”
"Mother, I don't want to go back to the village."
Xiuyu shouted.
Yingxiang also glanced at Old Man Wen with some dissatisfaction. "What a ridiculous arrangement. They've been to the county several times before, but they've never been able to stay at Old Man Wen's house. Now they suddenly remember them."
Xiuyu is feeling extremely distressed right now. Thinking of Wen Chuanzong's resolute departure, she is almost in tears.
"Third brother, didn't your eldest brother tell you before he left?"
"Father, Mother, I don't know anything."
In the county school, there were many students who dropped out. As long as they had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), they could come back to study at any time or leave at any time.
Some students found the courses too difficult halfway through and couldn't pass the exams, so they gave up and became teachers or went into business.
Wen Chuanzong wanted to go into business to make money. Wen Shi frowned subconsciously, wondering what he was thinking.
"If you're not going back to the village, then you can sleep on the floor in the kitchen first."
Old Man Wen didn't like his eldest daughter-in-law either. He said coldly, still angry about what the two of them had done before.
Since Wen Chuanzong had already left, there was nothing they could do. Xiuyu kept crying, but she didn't object.
Going back to the village would be too shameful, and she really didn't want to. As for the third brother's family, she glanced at Yingxiang and didn't want to go either, because she was afraid that Yingxiang would bully her.
"Alright, let's eat."
The meal wasn't very pleasant. The only thing Old Man Wen felt fortunate about was that he hadn't put all the family's wealth on his eldest son; that would have been too unreliable.
The third child is better off, and there's also a fifth child now. In the future, someone from the family will surely become an official.
After the meal, Yingxiang and Wenshi went home, and Xiuyu volunteered to help in the kitchen, as she couldn't just sit there and eat for free.
A cold wind blew along the way. Yingxiang looked up at the sky and saw a bright moon and twinkling stars. The night was still beautiful.
There weren't many pedestrians on the road, so Wen Shi simply took his wife's hand and looked at her tenderly, his eyes filled with affection.
Yingxiang is not a stunning beauty, and she is quite different from the women around her. Their ideas and beliefs are very different, but I just like her when I hear about her.
Without realizing it, he found himself completely absorbed in her.
As soon as the two entered the house, Yingxiang was immediately hugged and kissed several times. She smiled helplessly, touched his handsome face, and then hugged his waist.
Wen Shi has a great physique, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He also doesn't like overeating or drinking, and he never drinks alcohol at home.
What followed was another lingering, passionate kiss. Yingxiang was a little out of breath, but she let Wenshi hold her as they sat down on a chair not far away, where she leaned against him.
"My wife."
"Um?"
Yingxiang's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she looked a little shy. The room was dark, but by the moonlight outside, Wenshi looked at her with deep affection.
Let's have a child soon.
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