Chapter 36
Mrs. Tang has aged noticeably recently, and she is truly worried.
"How about it?"
Seeing Master Liu come out, she hurried over, looking anxious.
“She told me, and she cried again. I think it’s because you spoiled her. If you don’t like it, send her to the prefectural city.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Tang's eyes reddened. The couple knew that their daughter was like this because she had been spoiled since childhood and had never suffered any hardship, which was why they didn't care about her.
If she had grown up in the countryside, experiencing periods of hunger and sustenance, she would only feel that she is a joke today.
Liu Fuzi experienced that kind of life when he was young, although it only lasted for three or four years. Even so, it left him with considerable psychological trauma. If his father hadn't been reinstated later, his family would have been in even worse shape.
There is no limit to the lives of the poor.
After finishing his speech, Master Liu returned to his study in a huff. Recalling the events of many years ago, he felt a headache coming on.
Mrs. Tang couldn't help but look into the room. In the end, it was her daughter who was only enthusiastically pursuing her daughter. The other person was already married, had clearly rejected her before, and now had a child. In her opinion, a marriage between people of unequal social standing was destined not to last.
When Tang was still young and unmarried, she had several close friends, all daughters of officials. Considering everything, she felt that marrying someone of equal social standing was the best option.
If one marries into a higher social class, suffering mistreatment is inevitable. Even if one enjoys a life of luxury and wealth, that is only in the eyes of outsiders; the actual life will not be so easy.
Marrying down means more than just being mistreated; you also have to support your husband's family, have no say in your own family, and risk being abandoned.
The best marriage is one where the families are well-matched and the couple is compatible. Having lived for so many years, Tang Shi knew this perfectly well, and that was also her expectation for Liu Yan's future husband. She hoped that his family would be wealthy and have a certain status. The two young people could develop their feelings for each other slowly. Although Liu Yan did not have any brothers, she did have cousins.
Even if she can't stand on her own two feet after the couple passes away, her husband's family will still be there to rely on. As long as she can stand on her own two feet and support herself, her future will be even better.
What she feared most was marrying a poor man and ending up with nothing. Tang knew this well. In any large family, kinship was secondary, especially since she was a married daughter.
To the couple's surprise, Liu Yan's life took a turn for the better afterward.
She no longer resisted taking the medicine, took the initiative to seek treatment, and even apologized to the couple, which made them feel relieved. Their daughter had finally come to her senses, which was good.
In a small courtyard not far from the county school, Yingxiang is currently focusing on resting during her pregnancy.
The weather was getting colder day by day, and she really wanted to see the autumn leaves, but Liu would come over from time to time with her second or fourth son's wife, who would give her a cold look and look at her with a long face.
Each time it's either a clay pot of chicken soup or stewed meat.
"Eat."
It was clear that Liu was very unwilling.
Yingxiang didn't pay much attention to her and started talking to Madam Ma beside her. The piping hot chicken soup was delivered from the shop and was just ready to be eaten.
"Fourth sister-in-law, is this the soup you made?"
Yingxiang was naturally not foolish enough to think it was Liu Shi; it was simply impossible.
"No, it's my second sister-in-law. You know she's a great cook. I help her take care of the kids, and she goes to the kitchen to cook for you."
"Go back and thank your second sister-in-law for me."
“We’re all family, and my second sister-in-law is quite willing.”
Yingxiang didn't eat everything. She drank half a can of chicken soup and ate a chicken leg. She planned to save the rest of the meat and soup for Wenshi to eat when he came back that night, as she couldn't eat any herself.
"Then I'll go back with Mother first; we still have business to do tomorrow."
"Mother, fourth sister-in-law, take care."
Yingxiang smiled and saw the two out the door. Liu Shi didn't really pay attention to her from beginning to end. If it weren't for Old Man Wen keeping her in check, she wouldn't have come at all.
Yingxiang didn't look at her much, knowing that in this family, Liu's words didn't count, and Wen Shi wasn't blindly filial.
Later that evening, a cold wind began to blow. Yingxiang went inside, put on a cloak, and continued to sit in the courtyard.
They come irregularly, but it's fine to just deliver like this. She doesn't need any extra supplements and can eat ready-made meals. Wen Ersao's cooking skills are not bad either. She drinks half a bowl of milk powder in the morning and eats normally like this. The child will definitely grow well.
Yingxiang reached out and touched her relatively flat stomach, feeling quite pleased.
When Wen returned later that evening, carrying cakes in his hands, Yingxiang knew exactly how much money he had. Seeing that he had bought cakes again, she frowned.
"Husband, I gave you the money to buy winter clothes so we could get through the winter. But with you buying pastries every day, how much money will you have left? Have you ordered the clothes yet?"
“I’ve already ordered five sets from the shop. You get three sets, and I get two. Yours are blue, purple, and red, and mine are black and gray. The shopkeeper told me to pick them up in ten days.”
Wen Shi glanced at his wife, put the book box away, and remained calm throughout. Ying Xiang sighed helplessly.
"If you're hungry, a few pieces will do you good to fill your stomach."
"Mom and my fourth brother's wife came today and brought chicken soup. I'm already full. You can heat up the rest in the kitchen; I think it'll be about right."
Wen Shi nodded and went back inside. He took off his blue long robe and changed into a coarse cloth short brown shirt before going to the kitchen. He squatted down and tended the fire with practiced ease.
His angular face looked particularly soft in the firelight. He was never emotional at home, which Yingxiang thought was really good. Looking at his clothes, she could only say that he did have some sense of style, though not much.
Yingxiang sat in the courtyard, not feeling cold at all. She simply cupped her face in her hands and quietly watched him.
Before long, the aroma of chicken soup wafted over, and Yingxiang patted her stomach.
She definitely wouldn't eat again after she'd already eaten, even if Wen Shi had already brought it to her. In ancient times, there was no such thing as a cesarean section. She was enjoying the food, but if the baby was too big, she would suffer greatly during childbirth, and the risks would be too great if she had a difficult delivery.
She wouldn't eat anything if she wasn't hungry.
"Husband, you eat."
Yingxiang insisted, and when he smelled it, he didn't say anything. He slowly started eating. He had been in a good mood lately, always with a smile on his face. Life was going on peacefully, and everything was fine.
Everyone attended classes together, and even if that Master Liu treated him badly in private, he wouldn't openly kick him out.
As long as he can attend classes normally, he can learn. If he doesn't understand something, he can figure it out himself or ask classmates who are better at learning than him for help.
There are always students who like to teach others. I'm doing fine with my life right now. I just hope nothing else goes wrong.
More than half of the year has passed, and with winter approaching, time will only fly by even faster.
Wen Shi hadn't been copying books lately. As darkness fell, he put down his pen and went inside to sleep with Ying Xiang.
Despite being wrapped in a thick quilt, Yingxiang didn't feel hot being held by such a scorching person. In the middle of the night, a sudden gust of wind rose outside, followed by heavy rain.
Yingxiang slept soundly, showing no signs of waking up. In the darkness, listening to his wife's soft breathing, he fell asleep again, completely satisfied.
Life is good right now, and next year they will become parents. Thinking of their unborn child, Wen Shi feels very happy.
The next morning, even though he moved very gently, Yingxiang still got up, but she didn't intend to get out of bed and planned to lie down for a while longer.
The couple remained silent, and since the family had been sending meat and vegetables, Wen Shi didn't prepare any extra food for his wife.
He felt that the family's support was only right and he deserved it.
It was foggy outside, and the sky was not yet bright. Fortunately, the rain had stopped. After Wen Shi went out, Yingxiang took a long time to get up.
Staying at home every day is boring. If it doesn't rain today, she'll go for a stroll in the streets. After eating and drinking her fill, Yingxiang put on her cloak and went out.
Not far away, inside a carriage, a woman opened the curtain and saw Yingxiang's somewhat familiar face. She knew she couldn't be wrong, and then signaled the driver to follow.
Yingxiang strolled along, stopping frequently, without buying much, but the walk brought her a pleasant mood.
By this time, it was already bright outside, and there were more pedestrians on the street. Yingxiang walked up to a stall selling trinkets and was attracted by a delicately crafted sachet.
She has no needlework skills, so she can only buy ready-made clothes, and embroidering small trinkets is simply a pipe dream.
She had quite a few sachets for decorating her dresses. She picked up the sachet and looked at it. Suddenly, she smelled a grassy scent. She wasn't worried that it was a bad fragrance, but she didn't find it pleasant, so she put it down immediately.
Not only were there sachets for women, but there were also sachets for men. Remembering that Wen Shi seemed to like dark-colored clothes lately, she wanted to pick out a sachet in the same color scheme for her.
"Are you Wen Xuezi's wife?"
Yingxiang had just picked up a piece that caught her eye when a sudden remark startled her. She turned around and saw a slender girl in a light green dress. The girl was also wearing a white veil, which covered part of her face, revealing only her eyes, which were not unattractive.
"Who are you?"
"May I speak to you in private?"
Liu Yan bit her lip. She wasn't dressed in a particularly flashy way. She had finally come out, and with so many people coming and going on the street, she still cared about her image.
"cannot."
Yingxiang glanced at the woman, and already had a guess in her mind.
“I am the daughter of Master Liu, and my father is the teacher of Scholar Wen.”
Liu Yan spoke with considerable confidence. Yingxiang didn't even look at her, put down the sachet in her hand, and couldn't help but look towards the teahouse not far away.
After transferring the shop, she had the idea of opening a teahouse, but that was not an easy thing to do.
Later, she became pregnant, and she gave up on that idea. The child was the priority. Ancient times were different from modern times. Except for wealthy families, there was no such thing as prenatal check-ups. She couldn't be careless.
"There's a teahouse over there, let's go there."
Liu Yan thought she could get into a private room or something, but it turned out to be just the lobby on the first floor. There were quite a few people there, but luckily Yingxiang had chosen a corner spot so she wouldn't attract too much attention.
When the maid behind her tried to speak, she waved her hand to stop her and sat down directly.
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