Chapter 63
The next morning, it was bright daylight.
Wen Shi opened his eyes, checked the time, and saw it was still early. Once he was fully conscious, he glanced at the person still fast asleep beside him. Yingxiang's beautiful eyes were closed, her eyelashes were long and curled, her cheeks were fair and rosy, and she looked very healthy and peaceful in her sleep.
Thinking back to last night, I smiled slightly as I gently placed a kiss on my wife's brow.
He slowly got up and quietly tidied himself up.
"It's getting late, I have to go now. I'll bring my son over later."
Yingxiang mumbled a sleepy "hmm," she was extremely tired, the soreness in her lower back hadn't subsided, and she even felt like she hadn't slept for very long.
In the study, the child was fast asleep on the bed, drool still at the corner of his mouth. He was sleeping on the innermost side, covered by a thick folded quilt. Wen Shi looked at her son, picked him up and kissed him.
"Since Father isn't here, you must listen to Mother and not act recklessly."
He was met with the soft snoring of a child. When he smelled the items, they had already been packed away; they were nothing more than some books and a change of clothes.
He woke his son up and fed him goat milk. There was plenty of milk today. The little guy was drowsy but thankfully didn't cry. After he finished drinking, he fell into a deep sleep again. Wen Shi carried him to the main room and gently placed him inside. He sat by the mother and son's bed, staring at them for a long time before leaving the room, looking back every few steps.
The next time he returned was when his family went to the prefectural city to take the exam. To be honest, he had no other choice but to do so for a better life in the future.
Upon hearing this, his expression hardened.
When Yingxiang woke up, it was almost noon, and the sun had already risen. She sat up groggily, smoothed her slightly messy hair, and saw her sleeping son at her feet. She picked him up and carried him to her side.
"He can sleep even better than your mother."
Yingxiang spoke with doting affection, and after finishing, she kissed her son again. Thinking of last night, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Let's take care of yourselves for a while and wait for your father to come back."
Yingxiang started getting dressed and washing up. She was also hungry. As for the child, after waking up, he was kicking his little legs and holding a small toy, clearly happy.
The teacher was very happy when Wen Shi moved to the academy. After all, this exam was just the beginning. If Wen Shi was too attached to his family and couldn't distinguish between what was important and what was urgent, then frankly speaking, he wouldn't have much of a future in his official career.
Being overly sentimental is not a good thing for officials entering public service.
He had told Wen Shi before that he should move in as soon as possible, but Wen Shi always seemed to have something he couldn't say. He knew that Wen Shi's wife and children were here, but if he was worried about his elderly mother who was over eighty years old and seriously ill, then he could understand.
What is there to worry about with a young wife and a young child? The city is very safe, the child will grow up, and he will have his own mother to take care of him.
At noon, the students sit in the classroom to eat. It's great that they don't have to bring their own food, as fresh and delicious meals are delivered from the kitchen every day at noon.
Today's meal was stir-fried potatoes with pork, egg drop soup, and a small bok choy. The food was light and delicious, with meat, vegetables, and soup. Everyone could eat as much as they wanted, as long as nothing was wasted.
The more energy the students expended, the stronger their appetite became. Every scholar present desired fame and fortune, and they were all putting in their best effort.
Living in a dormitory-style room isn't very comfortable. Since most of us were students and rarely rented our own apartments, we were able to get used to it.
With the exams approaching, many people are feeling nervous. Mr. Huang sees this atmosphere and is pleased with it.
He had endured many hardships in his studies, and now that he runs his own academy, he values the students' lives very much. In winter, there is always enough charcoal, and in summer, ice is always readily available.
He stood outside the window, recalling how the classroom used to be noisy and bustling every noon, but now only the sound of students eating and chewing could be heard, and some even ate while reading.
Soon after, the old man turned and left, his face beaming with happiness.
Wen Shi ate two large bowls of rice and then drank a large bowl of soup. After he was full, he stood up and read a book aloud. Many people did the same.
At home, after having breakfast and lunch with her child, Yingxiang saw that the weather outside was sunny and the air was fresh, so she put the child in the bamboo cart and prepared to go out to herd sheep and take the child for a walk.
The little guy stood and sat for a while, and he was quite well-behaved in the car. There were still a few of his toys inside, and he was holding a piece of milk cake in his hand, happily munching on it.
The ewe was very docile, and Yingxiang wasn't worried when she took it out; she had let it roam freely a few times before.
On the bustling street, people came and went, some leading cattle, others herding several sheep, but Yingxiang was not particularly eye-catching.
The shops on both sides of the road were bustling with customers. The prefectural city was not the largest city in the country. Yingxiang suddenly thought of the capital, under the emperor's nose, which must be even more prosperous than this.
I just don't know if I'll be able to go there in my lifetime. Ordinary people can't enter the capital without connections or a travel permit. The capital is inhabited by the imperial family and nobles, and even ordinary people are much richer than those in the provinces. Unless you're a student going to the capital to take the imperial examinations, most people will never have that opportunity in their lifetime.
Yingxiang wore no makeup, dressed plainly, and her hair was simply tied up with a silver hairpin. From a distance, she looked like an ordinary woman; there was no need to be too conspicuous.
The mother and son left the city and walked towards a stream not far away. The ewe grazed and drank leisurely, and Yingxiang would occasionally encounter a few cowherds dressed in coarse cloth and short brown clothes, who looked much older.
She looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, a gentle breeze carrying a faint fragrance of flowers. The weather was quite pleasant and comfortable.
"mother."
After leaving the city, the little guy became less well-behaved in the bamboo cart. He wanted to get off and walk. Yingxiang suddenly remembered his first birthday banquet, which probably couldn't be held. However, his father's matter was more important, as the whole family needed to eat.
"Be a good boy, wait until your mother sheep has eaten her fill before we talk."
The little guy looked at Yingxiang with a half-understanding expression and quieted down. Yingxiang dressed him in a dark red outfit today, with matching shoes. The weather was warm, and he had hair, but not much. She had shaved it once when he was a month old.
Now, his hair is black and soft, and Yingxiang tied it into a little bun with a red string. He looks no different from other children of this era. He is chubby and looks like a New Year's picture doll hanging on the wall.
Little Leqian, who can already walk steadily for a few steps, sometimes lies in the sheepfold before going to sleep and stares at the sheep for a while. Of course, the ewes ignore him, but he always stares at the sheep with his big, round eyes.
Yingxiang said these things in private in front of her child, and thinking about it, there was nothing wrong with them. Later, she didn't have enough breast milk, so her son basically drank the milk from this sheep.
He was practically a mother to her son, and without goat milk, he might not be as strong as he is now. In this era, there was no infant formula for him to drink to supplement his nutrition.
Looking at the plump and healthy ewe, Yingxiang thought, if her son grows up and stops drinking milk in the future, she can't kill and sell the sheep; she should keep raising it.
After the ewe had eaten and drunk her fill, Yingxiang carried him out and let him walk slowly along the small bamboo cart. He walked steadily, and Yingxiang pushed the cart, tying the sheep rope to the back of the cart. The two of them followed him like this.
That day, a light drizzle fell early in the morning, and Yingxiang was making large meat buns in the kitchen.
"We'll go see your dad in a bit and bring him some good food."
Yingxiang specially made large steamed buns with thin skin and thick meat. In the blink of an eye, Wen Shi had been away from home for several days. Both mother and son missed him very much, and the child also missed him at night.
He always stood at the entrance of the sheepfold, gazing longingly at the gate. The child couldn't speak, only able to call out "father" and "mother," and his words weren't very clear. Yingxiang knew that he wanted to smell it.
Wen Shi is not a hands-off father; he takes good care of the little one when he is at home.
Half an hour later, the large, soft, and fluffy meat buns were steamed. There were also a few extra steamed buns for the children. Yingxiang took a bite of the bun and found that the meat was very substantial and fragrant.
They broke off most of a steamed bun for the child, and after the two had eaten and drunk their fill, they arrived at Wenshi Academy before noon.
There were still people queuing up to become apprentices at the gate, but there weren't as many as before. When they heard that Yingxiang had come to look for someone, the servants at the gate immediately went in to call for him.
A moment later, Wen Shi came out, looking somewhat anxious.
"My dear husband, studying is important, but your health is just as important. I made some steamed buns and brought them to you. They were just made this morning, so remember to eat them later."
The buns were still warm inside the oil paper. Yingxiang had placed several in the paper. After taking the buns, Wenshi gave his wife a deep look and nodded.
The child in the bamboo cart stared at him longingly. He walked over and picked him up with one hand.
"I'm fine, and I don't have much time left."
"Listen to your mother at home. Your father will be back in a few days."
After Wen Shi finished speaking, he lowered his head and kissed his son. Although there was a short rest time at noon, Ying Xiang knew this. After delivering the things, she took the child back. Wen Shi hadn't lost weight; the dark circles under his eyes were still very noticeable.
With people coming and going at the entrance and so many people watching, neither of them, being reserved by nature, could say anything about missing each other.
Wen Shi brought the steamed buns back to the classroom. It was lunchtime, and a classmate curiously leaned over. The oil paper was opened, and the big meat buns inside emitted an enticing aroma.
"This was done by my wife."
"I have heard that your wife is skillful and truly virtuous."
Thank you.
Wen Shi was visibly happy. Although the time they spent together was short, just a little while, he was very happy that Yingxiang brought her child to see him and gave him gifts.
Last night, he even dreamed of the mother and child. It was impossible for him to find time to go back, and he didn't have the time either. Nowadays, even going to the toilet was something no one would delay him from doing.
The teacher had previously served as an examiner and proctor for several years. In the past few days, he has started explaining to them what to pay attention to during the exam, and has even started creating questions based on past exam questions for them to answer.
The actual exam questions couldn't possibly be leaked, as they change every year. This is a major event, used by the country to select talent. The old gentleman is very knowledgeable, so the difficulty of the questions he sets is definitely not too different. He would also explain to them how to answer the questions from previous years.
He couldn't finish five big steamed buns, so he shared two with his two close classmates, ate the rest, and then started writing his article again as fast as he could.
Although he was very tired and under a lot of pressure, he felt full of energy every time he thought of his wife and children.
Before we knew it, it was mid-May.
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