Chapter 38
“My lady, we have a student who passed the imperial examination and went on to have a smooth career, eventually becoming a first-rank official. He has now returned to his hometown to retire and lives in Songjiang Prefecture. He has opened an academy there, and I would like to try to become his student. If I succeed, I will definitely learn a lot from him, which will be beneficial to my future career.”
Hearing this, Yingxiang was not surprised.
It is best to find a good teacher when seeking apprenticeship. As long as the teacher is knowledgeable and of high moral character, learning from him will be of great benefit to Wen Shi in the future.
With his own savings, Wen Shi could easily afford to study in the prefectural city.
Yingxiang looked at Wenshi and then said, "Songjiang Prefecture, that's the prefecture next to ours. Husband, are you really sure? Where are our family?"
“I want to go, but they might not accept me. Let’s try first. If I succeed in becoming their apprentice, I can stay. If not, there are several famous academies over there. I can find another one. I have confidence in myself.”
Wen Shi wanted to go out to study, which wasn't a bad thing. His current teacher wasn't a good teacher and wasn't treating him well. Although he was young, he shouldn't waste his time. If he could be taught by a good teacher, perhaps her husband could also pass the imperial examination. It's always better to be young than old and gray. He could work for a few more years and eventually change his family's fortunes.
Their children will have a better life and more choices in the future.
"Husband, you can make the arrangements. It doesn't matter where we go, but we can't live apart."
This is Yingxiang's bottom line. She never talked about long-distance relationships before, and now that she's married, it's even more impossible for her to live apart from her husband. How can they live together if they can't even see each other?
“I will talk to my family. I will not take them to the prefectural city. It is best for them to live in the county.”
Wen Shi wasn't confused. The prefectural city was much bigger than the county. If he rashly took the whole family out like this, it would be a huge burden.
He wasn't a scholar yet, nor did he have the ability to do so; it was already quite an achievement for him to bring them from the village to the county.
"Just settle down first, there's no rush."
Yingxiang smiled but didn't say anything. She was confident in her body. Her pregnancy symptoms were almost gone, and she could eat and sleep well without any discomfort.
Wen Shi had already made up his mind. There must be many famous teachers in the prefectural city, and this one sounded like the best choice. But if that didn't work out, there were other options.
For the next few years, Yingxiang will stay in Fucheng, and she has no objections.
Remembering what happened early in the morning, she took Wen Shi's hand and told him that there was no need to hide it.
When he heard this, his eyes showed undisguised disgust.
"Don't pay any attention to her, and don't worry about their family either."
"No, sometimes I think it's because you're so outstanding, my husband, that people love you."
"Their family has a bad reputation. To put it bluntly, it's my tragedy that they've set their sights on me."
Upon hearing this, Yingxiang remained silent. Her husband's attitude was clear, so she had nothing to worry about.
Before we knew it, winter had arrived. The cold wind howled and the snow fell heavily. The people were very happy, knowing that next year would be another bumper harvest.
After Yingxiang was three months pregnant, Wen Shi was still worried, so he took her to the clinic again to confirm that she was alright.
He then began his next plan: first, he would go home and tell his family, which was the first step; then he would go to the county school to withdraw from his studies and prepare to set off.
“Father, Mother, I’ve made up my mind. The county school is good, but it’s not as good as the prefectural city school. Now, a new academy has opened in Songjiang prefectural city. The teacher used to be a high-ranking official in the capital. Now that he’s old, he’s come back to retire. I want to become his student.”
In the evening, there were few customers in the shop, so Wen Laosi simply closed the door. The whole family was curious about why Wen Shi had come over with such a solemn expression, but after he said what he said, everyone was shocked.
Old Man Wen glanced at Yingxiang subconsciously. Yingxiang sat there calmly, her expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. She had become somewhat adept at concealing her emotions these days.
"Third brother, are we all going over there?"
As soon as Brother Wen said this, everyone stared intently at Wen Shi. This was what they were most concerned about.
“I’m going there to study. Yingxiang is pregnant, and I can’t leave her at home. This shop is doing well. Don’t you want to keep it? Life will definitely be tight after you go to the prefectural city. It’s better to do it now, as things are more expensive there.”
After Wen Shi finished speaking, the shop fell silent. Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Xiu Yu looked at Ying Xiang, so jealous she almost vomited blood.
Liu glanced at Old Man Wen and then said, "You mean you should just take your wife and we can continue doing business in the county?"
“We are a family. I will inevitably spend money while I study there. Our family was very poor before and had no savings. To put it bluntly, even if I become an official in the future, I may not be able to support my whole family with my salary. If we want to live a good life, the whole family has to work together. I am good at studying, but I am not a god.”
"Brother, you haven't forgotten what you said before, have you, Father?"
“If you don’t want to stay in the county or continue doing business, you can go home.”
Old Man Wen glanced at Wen Shi, whose back was straight and whose handsome face showed a resolute expression.
“We definitely won’t go back to the village. Your future is important too. Just listen to Lao San. We’ll keep the shop open. We’re familiar with the place now, and we can do business.”
“You and your wife went away to study. The family spent a lot of money supporting your older brother before. Your mother and I are not biased. We will help you if we can. Your wife knows how much our shop earns in a month.”
The prefectural city is bigger than the county town, so it might not be a bad thing for the family if I go out to study now.
Old Man Wen knew that he didn't get along with that teacher. The academy in the prefectural city was definitely better than the one in the county. His son's future would be better, and the family's future would be better. He could distinguish between big and small matters.
His family didn't support him before, but they didn't abandon him even after he became a scholar. Now that he wants to go out to study, his family will definitely support him and won't object.
Compared to Wen Chuanzong, Wen Shi is now seen as a thoroughly good child in his father's eyes. He never thought of abandoning his family before, and he will never do so in the future.
If it weren't for Wen Shi, how could they have come to the county? They would still be farming at home and wouldn't be living such a good life now.
Yingxiang was not surprised by this situation; her husband had finally learned a bit about human relationships.
"There are some things that can't be taken with us, so we might need to bring them over."
"Just bring it over, Third Brother, come up here with me."
"good."
Upstairs, Old Man Wen took out some money and handed ten taels of silver to Wen Shi. Half of his savings were gone in one go, but he didn't feel bad. This son was worth it.
"Keep it. Keep it for yourself. Don't give it to your wife. There are many expenses outside, such as renting a place. Will she be able to come back for the New Year?"
"It's uncertain this year."
"Take care of yourself. Your mother, brothers, and I are all here. Although we are far away, it's not like we can't come back."
Old Man Wen felt a little heavy-hearted. Thinking of his son who was about to leave, he patted him on the shoulder.
"Next, I have to go to the county school and pack my things. It will take at least half a month before I leave with Yingxiang. Before we leave, let's have a meal together as a family."
"good."
No one in the family would question Wen Shi's decision. Old Man Wen was sure to pay him if he asked him to go up there, but no one was unhappy. Xiu Yu wasn't happy when she first arrived either.
No matter how clueless she is, after living here for so long, compared to her bastard husband, she has to admit that Wen Shi is a good person with good character.
As dusk fell, the two quickened their pace home after leaving the shop. By this time, there were hardly any people on the road, and the usually bustling streets looked rather desolate.
The cold wind howled, and Yingxiang wrapped herself up tightly, only revealing her eyes.
Thinking about what to pack, Yingxiang felt a little worried. She hadn't forgotten how the two of them had brought so many bags and packages to the county before, and this time they were going to another place. What should they bring and what shouldn't they bring? She was also pregnant. After arriving home, Yingxiang sighed.
The snow fell heavier and heavier. After the two went inside, Yingxiang sat by the window. She was going to draw a rough sketch of a suitcase and then have a carpenter make it. As long as it had four wheels so it could be pushed back and forth, even if the road was uneven, as long as it was sturdy, it would save a lot of manpower.
Seeing his wife sitting at the desk and starting to dip her brush in ink, he was puzzled and went over to see.
Yingxiang couldn't write calligraphy. When she held the brush, her hand trembled unconsciously. So she simply stood up and slowly started drawing, even though the lines were of varying thicknesses.
Wen Shi could tell that Yingxiang had erected a large, locked wooden box, removed the central lock, added locks at the top and bottom, and added four small wheels at the bottom that looked like carriage wheels. Although the wheels were not large, they were able to support the wooden box.
Yingxiang was more skilled when she painted the second one, but this time there were two more partitions in the wooden box, and she divided the large box into three parts.
I suppose it's for storing different things.
Wen Shi suddenly remembered the trunks his classmates carried when they went to take the exam. He himself had a hand-held one for his study materials, which was also divided into three layers. He usually carried other things in a backpack.
However, the one his wife drew seems more practical; it doesn't need to be carried on his back and can hold more.
"Husband, these two large boxes should be enough. Tomorrow, take them to the carpenter's shop and have them made to order as soon as possible, especially the wheels at the bottom. With these, we won't have to carry all our things on our backs when we go to the prefectural city."
"good."
As I watched the paper slowly dry, I just thought this thing was very convenient.
"Don't use planks that are too thick or too thin, just sturdy ones."
"Um."
Remembering the money Old Man Wen had given him, Wen Shi took it out of his pocket and gave it to his wife without saying a word. Yingxiang simply put it away; she was in charge of the accounts, and this was a consensus between the two of them.
The two of them had quite a lot of things. She definitely needed to bring all her clothes and moisturizing cream, Wen Shi's books, pens and ink, and any unused paper. He also needed to bring his clothes and bedding, as they were essential for the journey in such cold weather.
I just don't know how we'll get there, whether by oxcart or horse-drawn carriage. The journey is long, and we'll need plenty of provisions; we can't go hungry.
Yingxiang thought that she would have to go to the kitchen to make some food that would keep well, since it was getting cold and things wouldn't spoil so easily.
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