Chapter 39
The following morning, Wen Shi arrived at the county school and went directly to the dean's study.
"You're going to drop out of school?"
Students came and went from the county school, and the dean was used to it. He didn't even glance at the young man in front of him.
"yes."
The dean nodded and readily agreed. He then took out a roster from a drawer to the side, which contained the names and information of all the students who enrolled this year. Wen Shi's name was listed towards the back.
The dean simply crossed out Wen Shi's name with a brush, and then wrote a small "retire" character above it.
"Go tell your husband that you can leave once you have packed your things."
The dean expressionlessly put away the roster; he was already used to it. Master Liu didn't like Wen Shi, but when he heard the news that Wen Shi was leaving, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He had advised Wen Shi before, but Wen Shi hadn't agreed at the time.
Why did he change his mind now? It's good news for him. His daughter has returned to the prefectural city, and this matter should be over. As for what happens to Wen Shi in the future, it has nothing to do with him.
"Then let's go."
After a long silence, he only said one sentence: "If you're going to do something, do it thoroughly." He didn't think much of it at the time. After that, he said goodbye to several students with whom he had a good relationship.
"What are your plans for the future, Brother Wen?"
"It's hard to say, but I always have to go out and explore. I plan to study away from home in the future."
"That's good too. Take care on your journey."
Song Xun and Wen Shi had a good relationship. When he learned that Wen Shi was leaving, he was a little reluctant to see him go. The two spent a long time saying goodbye. It was almost time for class to start, and Song Xun watched Wen Shi leave with big strides before entering the classroom.
After leaving the county school, Wen Shi felt completely relaxed. Before leaving, he looked back at the county school one last time.
On the huge plaque, there were still those two familiar characters. For the past six months, he had been coming and going every day and had gotten used to it. He remembered the first time he came here.
At that time, he was full of expectations and eager to learn. Later, many unpleasant things happened, but they are all in the past now.
Wen Shi turned around for one last look before leaving without looking back.
It was almost noon, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street. The sun was shining outside, and Wen Shi, wearing a padded coat, walked in the cold wind toward several security escort agencies in the county.
The law is strict now, but the journey may not be smooth. Escort agencies travel all over the country, transporting goods. Paying a little money to travel with them would definitely be much safer, and you wouldn't lose your life if you encountered danger.
The caravan transported goods by horse-drawn carriages. If they walked or rode in oxcarts or donkey carts, it would take an unknown amount of time, and the roads were bumpy. Wen Shi didn't want his wife to go through too much trouble.
After visiting several escort agencies, Wen Shi found one that was going to deliver goods to Songjiang Prefecture in five days. He immediately made a reservation with them. If he missed this one, he would have to wait another month and a half. There were still many things to do after he arrived, and he didn't want to delay.
Reading is also important, and it's better to start early than late. My wife's pregnancy is progressing further, and although things are stable now, we can't really wait until her belly gets really big, because then it will be even more inconvenient for her to move around.
After arranging the escort agency, he hurried to the carpenter's shop.
"Sir, you're only giving me three days? That's a bit too much for me."
Wen Shi looked at the chubby boss and, without much hesitation, took out ten more copper coins.
"Alright, alright, it seems we're destined to meet. I'll stay up all night to make it for you, and you can pick it up in three days."
The carpenter had been doing manual labor for many years. Although the things Wen Shi was going to make were a bit strange, they were not difficult in general. The box was easy to make, and as for those few small wheels, they were not that difficult either. He was confident in his skills.
After visiting the carpenter's shop, Wen Shi hurriedly returned home.
The departure date was earlier than he had expected, and he needed to cancel his lease and pack his things immediately.
"Are we leaving this afternoon? We still have five days, is that enough time?"
"Yes, the escort agency said they're in a hurry for this shipment and will travel day and night. I told them we can ride in the carriage; it'll be quick."
Yingxiang saw that her husband's face was flushed from running around. He had gone to several places that morning, and she touched his cheek with some heartache.
"You should boil some hot water to take a bath, get rid of the cold, and change your clothes. Let's take the things we don't need to the shop first."
"good."
Life is tough when you don't have money. Neither of them are wasteful people, so they brought what they could on this trip, otherwise they would have had to spend money to buy things. Over the next few days, Wen Shi made several trips back and forth, and finally managed to get everything he needed.
Once the box was ready, he immediately took it back, and Yingxiang began packing things inside.
"Should we bring this basin too?"
Seeing Yingxiang put the previous basin back into the box, I was a little puzzled.
He didn't think the wooden basin was worth much. Yingxiang glanced at him and then said, "I'm used to it."
Yingxiang first put the wooden basin into the box, then put in clothes, jewelry, and moisturizer. She had quite a lot of clothes, and the undivided box was packed full. Fortunately, she could fit all her things in there, as well as her bag for money.
She had already secretly taken out five taels of silver and given it to Wen Shi. She was to carry this with her and use it whenever needed. The rest of the silver was locked in a box and carried with her for safety.
Wen Shi had a book box, which could barely hold all his reading materials. He didn't have that many clothes, so he only used two compartments.
Yingxiang put some food in the top empty space, including various pastries, pancakes she made herself, and boiled eggs. She could only make do with what she had along the way, as long as she didn't go hungry.
The bedding was rolled up for the two of them on the day they set off, plus two pillows, all wrapped in a large sheet. It was just the right size to carry them on their backs. Yingxiang took a hot bath one last time, dried her hair, and then the two of them set off.
Although the road is uneven, pushing it like this is definitely much easier than carrying it.
Upon arriving at the escort agency, Wen Shi helped his wife into the carriage, and then got on himself. There were dozens of carriages in total, and the caravan was packed full of goods. The carriage the two of them were in was also mostly filled with goods.
There was only a little space left for them inside the carriage. The tall and spacious carriage became somewhat crowded after the two of them got in.
It was Yingxiang's first time riding in a carriage, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous and curious. She looked around. The carriage slowly started moving and was fairly smooth. After leaving the city, it started galloping. She subconsciously grabbed Wenshi's hand.
Along the way, Yingxiang ate little and drank little cold water, at most just moistening her lips to prevent them from cracking.
She remained huddled inside her cloak the entire time. The carriage was a bit drafty, but thankfully her cloak was warm, and she managed to get through the journey to Songjiang Prefecture.
It was already afternoon when they arrived at the gate of Songjiang Prefecture. The two of them got off the car with their belongings and did not travel with the convoy.
After the soldiers guarding the city checked Wen Shi's documents and belongings, they glanced at the two men and then let them into the city.
This is another benefit of having official rank: one can travel freely without restrictions, and there is no need to beg and plead with the county government for various travel permits or spend money to bribe officials.
Yingxiang was his wife and also the scholar's wife. They could just come along. The soldiers didn't check their belongings and let them pass without any inspection.
As the sun set and a cold wind blew, the two walked through the ancient and majestic city walls and into the city.
Pedestrians came and went on the street. The weather was nice and bright today. The roads in the prefectural city were different from the slightly smooth dirt roads in the county. Thick bluestone slabs were laid on the ground. In the county, only wealthy families had such roads. The road surface was smooth, and Yingxiang did not have to walk carefully.
She followed Wen Shi and walked forward. The shops on both sides were bustling, and people were coming and going on the street, but no one paid any attention to them.
Upon arrival, the first thing to do is find a guesthouse to stay in, and then rent a house to settle down.
The two walked through two streets and Wen Shi chose an inn that looked neither too big nor too small and was called Fugui Inn to stay in.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered, the two saw the owner arguing with a young man.
"Why is the price changing every day? It went up just a few days ago, how come it's gone up again today?"
“This is the price we charge now. There are no cheap inns in the whole city. There are students from all over the country coming to study. As you know, prices have gone up regardless of how far or near the academy they are. The inns near their house are now charging dozens of taels of silver a day. I have no choice but to earn money and make a living. My family has more than ten mouths to feed.”
The boss was a tall, thin man who felt annoyed as he looked at the young man who was stubbornly insisting on spending a dozen or so copper coins.
"You are a scholar, but what good is that? If you want to stay at the inn, then pay up, or you can move out and find somewhere else."
The shopkeeper became even more impatient after seeing Wen Shi and Ying Xiang come in.
"I didn't say I couldn't stay, I'll make it up to you."
Perhaps feeling ashamed and indignant, the young man took out a dozen or so copper coins from his pocket, turned around and went back upstairs.
Wen Shi overheard his boss's words; it seemed the competition was far more intense than he had anticipated.
"Greetings, esteemed guests. Are you looking for a room? How many days? We have both superior and inferior rooms available."
The boss's expression changed instantly, and he looked at Wen Shiyingxiang with a smile.
How much does a superior room cost?
Wen Shi walked in and asked.
The shopkeeper glanced at Wen Shi and then said, "Eighty copper coins a day."
Yingxiang raised an eyebrow and subconsciously looked at Wenshi. Goodness, that's really expensive. But she had also heard what the boss said earlier.
Prices are determined by supply and demand. Right now, this place is hot, with such a famous official coming here. Prices definitely won't come down for several years.
"We will stay for three days."
"good."
Wen paid quickly and promptly. Seeing his prompt payment, the owner was in a good mood and led the two upstairs to make introductions.
"Our room is on the third floor, fully furnished, with three meals a day and five buckets of hot water every day. You two have come all this way, so I'll serve you a pot of hot tea in a bit."
He led the two to the door, opened it, and helped them put their things inside. After thanking him, he gestured for his wife to sit down quickly.
"No need for hot tea, just a pot of hot water will do."
"OK."
The journey had been bumpy, and he was worried that Yingxiang wouldn't be able to handle it. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be in any obvious discomfort. Now that they had a room to rest in, Yingxiang immediately sat down in a chair and subconsciously rubbed her sore legs.
She wanted to take a bath, drink hot water, and eat.
Along the way, she only ate a little and didn't dare to eat much, as she wouldn't dare to relieve herself in a place like a remote mountain village.
"Bring the food quickly."
"Alright, alright, please rest first, gentlemen."
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