Chapter 70
Wen Shi was somewhat expectant; he wanted to know as soon as possible, so he decided to stay and wait until the results were released so he could find out immediately.
"good."
The two raised their glasses and clinked them together. After drinking the sweet and mellow wine, they glanced at the wine jar on the table and nodded in approval. The wine was not pungent; instead, it had a pleasant fragrance. It was indeed quite good.
He thought to himself, if he goes back, he can bring some back for his family. They can drink it in winter to warm themselves up, and it's also a presentable gift.
After a few rounds of drinks, neither of them dared to drink too much, as neither of them were heavy drinkers. They mostly drank in small sips. After they parted ways, Wen Shi returned to the inn.
Yingxiang and her child had been waiting for him. When he returned, the mother and child smiled brightly.
"Let's go out for a stroll tomorrow."
Seeing this, he couldn't help but raise his lips slightly, feeling a little tipsy.
Since we're already here, we can't stay here all day. We'll change inns in a couple of days, as most of the students haven't left yet.
"You've been drinking? What did you eat?"
Yingxiang walked up to Wenshi and smelled the aroma of alcohol. As soon as she said this, the child suddenly pinched his nose.
Wen Shi nodded in agreement and patted his son's head.
"I met up with Song Xun, but we didn't drink much."
"Have a cup of tea to sober up."
"good."
Late at night, Wen Shi carried the half-asleep Ying Xiang to the soft couch in the outer room. In the dim candlelight, he took off his undergarment. Ying Xiang opened her eyes and kicked him lightly.
This is considered the outer room, and it's quite a distance from the inner room, but it would be terrible if a child suddenly ran out and saw it.
"Don't worry, he's fast asleep."
He took a breath and covered his wife's soft red lips with his own again, savoring the taste to the fullest. He had been holding back for quite some time.
Yingxiang wanted to refuse, but he held her down firmly. Wen Shi knew her well, and soon she began to pant.
"you."
"I'll be gentle, don't worry."
Yingxiang was afraid to make a sound, so she could only bite his shoulder tightly. She was quite happy when she smelled it, and felt a different kind of feeling.
As dawn broke, the two went back to bed. Yingxiang was already fast asleep. Wenshi looked at the child lying on the innermost side and Yingxiang sleeping in the middle, and smiled with a satisfied expression.
Upon closer inspection, Yingxiang's body was covered in red marks, and when she smelled them, she held him in her arms and soon closed her eyes contentedly.
At noon, Yingxiang was woken up by her child, or more accurately, by him touching her face. She opened her eyes and saw the little person so close to her, with his chubby little hands, and she couldn't help but smile.
"mother."
The little guy called him softly. He called his parents "father" and "mother" very sincerely, but he was still reluctant to say anything else. At most, he would nod or shake his head to express his preferences. Yingxiang tried to coax him to speak, but mostly failed. Even using his favorite milk cake was useless.
Not far away, Wen Shi was sitting in a chair, leisurely drinking tea.
The little guy touched the little bun on his head and gestured for Yingxiang to look. Overall, it was alright, although not as good as when he tied it himself, but it was still passable.
"Go find Father, Mother, get dressed and we'll go out."
The little girl turned and left, already wearing her inner garment. She put on her outer garment, yawned, and looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly; it was only mid-August, and it was still quite warm.
Fortunately, the sun isn't as intense as it is in June or July, and the temperature is gradually decreasing.
"Here are two more pastries, my wife, have some to tide you over, let's go out."
Yingxiang ignored him and ate by herself. She naturally ate the pastries, but she didn't give him a kind look. She suspected that Wen Shi had been making a scene with her last night while drunk, as if he was venting some dissatisfaction.
Although it was over, she was still angry, so she decided to ignore him for the time being.
Wen Shi smiled gently, and he wasn't angry. The family of three went out, and the streets were bustling with people, with a carriage passing by every now and then.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Yingxiang finally walked to the left. Wenshi, holding her son's hand, immediately followed.
During this period, the mother and son had visited most of the famous snack shops in the city. Yingxiang's appetite was not so strong. She also took her son to some fun places in the city.
As for large restaurants, they are not places where they can spend money freely at the moment.
"This one?"
Yingxiang turned her head, and the father and son nodded in unison. The family of three then went inside. Even though the exam was over, most of the people inside were still talking about the exam.
Yingxiang looked at Wenshi as if she remembered something, and Wenshi gave her a reassuring look.
"Absolutely certain?"
Yingxiang tentatively spoke up, saying that she also hoped he would be well. If he was well, she and her child would be better off. Now that the exams were over, there was no harm in asking.
"About the same."
Wen Shi was confident, but he couldn't be too certain, otherwise, if something really went wrong, it would all be for nothing. He was quite prudent.
"My husband, I believe you. Let's go to the temple after we finish eating."
"good."
Daliucun
Last night was the only night that Old Man Wen slept soundly in recent days. He woke up early and took a stroll around the village, feeling refreshed.
He was having lunch with his family, and no one dared to speak. His two grandsons were also unusually quiet, heads down, eating their rice without daring to utter a word.
"The third child is a reliable and good kid, there won't be any problems."
Although Liu was sitting in a chair, she did not touch her chopsticks to eat. Her wrist was still uncomfortable, and it was Amian who fed her.
She couldn't directly complain about her own son, especially since he had returned to his former glory, but she wouldn't hold back against this woman who was nothing.
Even with her big belly, A-Mian couldn't rest. She was afraid that Liu would cause trouble for her, so she was very careful and respectful. After everyone else had finished eating, all that was left for her was a little bit of leftover food.
Xiuyu felt a lump in her throat when she heard this.
She still remembers herself and Wen Chuanzong from a few years ago. Now, everything has changed, and Wen Chuanzong is such a good-for-nothing.
“Father, Mother, today I took them to school. The teacher said that he would collect tuition fees and filial piety gifts for the next six months.”
Old Man Wen completely ignored her. Liu was taken aback, and her lips moved slightly.
"Go find someone to carry on the family line; we have no money at home."
"When Chuanzong is away from home, he has to eat and drink, so there won't be much left over, not to mention that both of them need to study."
The two children are a year apart, and their heights are similar. They are both big eaters and mischievous. After starting school, they were severely disciplined by their husbands a few times and became much more obedient, but they are still very willful at home.
"Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, you should give the teacher more gifts so that he will treat my brother and me better and care about us."
“The classmate at the next table gave five chickens to the teacher before, and the teacher liked him very much. Mother, you only prepared two. I feel that the teacher doesn’t value me and my brother very much.”
Xiuyu fell silent upon hearing this, but her eyes remained fixed on Old Man Wen.
Wen Chuanzong is the eldest son and grandson, and these two are also the future eldest son and grandson of the Wen family. She also feels that the family should provide support and cannot rely entirely on the couple.
"If you don't have enough money, go rent two acres of land and work on it. Don't stay idle at home."
After speaking, Old Man Wen put down his empty bowl and chopsticks and went straight into the house. Xiuyu bit her lip, and Liu followed closely behind.
"It's all your fault, you bitch."
Xiuyu immediately vented her anger on Amian. She disliked Amian no matter what she did, but to put it bluntly, Amian was pregnant. If something happened to her, she might even be involved in a murder case. Right now, all she could do was curse.
"Life is really tough these days."
After her family members left one by one, A-Mian looked at the leftover food on the table and the pile of bowls and chopsticks. She subconsciously held back her tears. She didn't know how long she would have to live like this. It was too hard to bear.
At the temple, Yingxiang led her child and followed Wenshi one after the other. There were quite a few people who came to offer incense today, many of whom, like Wenshi, had just finished their exams.
The temple was filled with the fragrance of incense and osmanthus blossoms. Offerings were laid out in front of the Buddha statue in the center of the main hall. The two devoutly offered incense and then went to the backyard.
Osmanthus trees are planted on both sides of the stone-paved road. It is the best time for the osmanthus to bloom, and there are quite a few people coming to admire the flowers.
Yingxiang suddenly remembered that the temples in Songshan Prefecture, where they lived, seemed to have osmanthus trees planted there, and the osmanthus trees were indeed very fragrant.
There were too many people, so Wen Shi picked up her son so he could also see the flowers.
"If my family has a big yard in the future, I will raise fish and grow flowers, and create a courtyard."
Yingxiang said she was really looking forward to it.
She didn't have much money. Even though she had a small courtyard before, she could only grow vegetables and raise chickens to supplement her income. If she had money, she could live a life of luxury and enjoy it slowly. Yingxiang really wanted to live that kind of life.
Life is so short, it's best to enjoy it to the fullest. Look at this city, one mansion after another, living in them must be so wonderful.
Compared to Songshan Prefecture, it is undoubtedly the best choice, but unfortunately, she cannot go to the capital. However, if Wen Shi proves herself, she still has a chance.
Wen Shi kept his wife's words in mind.
"Don't move."
Seeing her son about to reach out, Wen Shi quickly stopped him, saying it was impolite.
Although the child is young, he is not stupid. As he grows older, we should not only pay attention to his health, but also restrain his words and actions. Thinking of this, Wen Shi's expression became somewhat solemn.
As the saying goes, strict discipline is necessary in raising children, but good character is even more important. He suddenly realized that the burden on his shoulders was not clear.
In the future, even if my son doesn't have a talent for studying and can't pursue a career in government, I can't let him be illiterate. He must know etiquette and abide by the law.
In the evening, the family of three returned to the inn, and the little one fell asleep from exhaustion.
Wen Shi sat down in front of Ying Xiang and told her his worries.
"He's still young."
“He’s not that young. I plan to start his formal education when he’s four.”
"This isn't a good idea."
Yingxiang looked at Wenshi. There was no harm in studying early, but the Wen family had already changed its social standing. To put it nicely, they were now a family of farmers and scholars. Of Wenshi's five brothers, three were scholars.
Wen Xiaowu is clever and quick-witted. Putting aside everything else, he will definitely not be worse than his older brother in the future. Even if Wen Chuanzong is not good, he still has the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and can be considered a respectable person.
Liu couldn't control her sons' decisions, and apart from the second son, Wen, no one listened to her. The family was also on the rise.
The next generation will definitely have it much easier than this generation, and their lives will be much better. You can see that now. When I was little, unless it was the New Year, we didn't get a single piece of meat.
Then look at his son, who, at such a young age, is already living in the prefectural city with his parents.
“When he begins to read, he doesn’t necessarily have to practice calligraphy. He can take the pen in a couple of years, but he must receive instruction.”
Wen Shi was very firm in his opinion. Ying Xiang looked at her son, who was fast asleep, and suddenly smiled.
"My husband, let's talk about it then."
It's still a few years away from the peak, but it's never a bad idea to plan ahead.
"Tomorrow, I'll go with you to buy jewelry. We've only been going around buying the same few items, so let's get some new ones."
"good."
Yingxiang didn't refuse. Then, thinking of something, she sat a little closer to Wenshi. Wenshi was delighted, but the next sentence was like a bucket of cold water being poured on him.
"Make do on the soft couch tonight."
Yingxiang also had her own considerations. In ancient times, it was not easy to prevent pregnancy. Although there were so-called contraceptives, she dared not buy them to take.
Every medicine has some degree of toxicity, so she could only calculate the so-called safe period based on her monthly menstrual cycle, but even that wasn't 100% safe.
Right now, one child is really enough. Wen Shi is okay in other aspects, but in this aspect, he is really out of control.
She has plans for the future and is also worried about this. If she gets pregnant, she can't just not have the baby. It will take several years after giving birth. The ancients believed that having many children brings many blessings, but she doesn't have that idea. She thinks that she herself is the most important.
The saying goes, "Only when the mother is good can the child be good."
After a long while, Wen Shi nodded.
We haven't been together for a long time.
He seemed to be explaining himself for last night.
“I know, my husband. Let’s not talk about the past. It’s good for your health to live a simple and frugal life.”
Wen Shi nodded. He wasn't that crazy after all. It seemed he really went too far yesterday. He should be more careful in the future.
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