Chapter 50
After autumn arrives*, the weather becomes increasingly cool.
On the day of Wenshi's day off, the weather was clear and cloudless. The couple took their child out. Looking at their well-behaved and adorable son lying in the little bamboo cart, Yingxiang couldn't help but bend down and kiss him.
The two of them could only wander outside for a maximum of two hours. The weather was getting colder, and the little one couldn't drink anything cold or go hungry. They couldn't take the goat milk with them, so after discussing it, they found a small temple in the city nearby for easy access back.
The city has a large population, and all the temples, big and small, are bustling with worshippers. This temple is not large, but it has many osmanthus trees planted inside. Before Yingxiang even reached the entrance, he could smell the fragrance of osmanthus mixed with the scent of incense, and watch the people coming and going.
Yingxiang couldn't help but glance at the child in the bamboo cart.
Along the way, she observed that some people brought children out. If they were from wealthy families, the wet nurses would carry the children while the host walked ahead. Some women carried their children themselves, and many used small bamboo carts. However, there were often several children in the bamboo carts.
The little bamboo cart in my memory didn't look like this. Wen Shi was quite skillful; she made this cart quite well. With a soft little blanket laid on it, the little guy was very happy lying down.
"Mom, I want to eat that, I want to eat that candied hawthorn."
Today isn't a particularly significant day like the first or fifteenth of the lunar month, but there were still quite a few people offering incense.
"I'll buy it for you when I come out. Let's go inside first."
The woman was leading a toddler of about five years old, walking hurriedly and looking very busy.
Yingxiang saw this scene not far away, glanced at the child in the car, and thought that in a few years, she would be just like this. She wondered if he would still be as well-behaved as he was now.
As the two walked in, Yingxiang slowed her pace considerably as she gazed at the blooming osmanthus flowers.
A cold wind blew, bringing a slight chill, and she pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
Upon arriving at the Buddhist hall, the two devoutly prayed to Buddha for blessings, good health for their family, and the safe growth of their child. They donated some money for incense and then went to the back of the temple.
There are free vegetarian meals available here. Yingxiang took a bite of the stir-fried tofu on top of the rice and suddenly felt a pang of emotion, realizing how quickly time flies.
More than half the year had passed. Looking at her son, who was blinking his eyes, she squeezed his little hand.
Raising children is full of joy. With Wen Shi's help, Yingxiang wasn't as tired as she had imagined. In the blink of an eye, it was late autumn.
The heavy rains caused the temperature to drop sharply, as if winter had arrived. Both of them had winter clothes and didn't need to buy any more, but they had to buy new ones for the child.
“This year, when we go home for Chinese New Year, he’ll be all grown up, so we can just carry him.”
Yingxiang looked at her son, who was already sitting in the bamboo cart playing with toys, and couldn't help but smile.
"My husband, studying is important, but you also need to take care of your health. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If your health deteriorates, even if you become the top scholar in the imperial examination, to put it bluntly, you might regret what you've done today."
Yingxiang felt a pang of sympathy for the man who had stayed up late the previous night.
It's not that I'm criticizing him. He's just an ordinary person. Although he's well-educated and has a good character, he's just an ordinary person. He studies all day and stays up all night, so how many hours of sleep does he get each day?
If you're in poor health, even mountains of gold and silver won't guarantee you happiness in the future.
"I've been busy with schoolwork lately, but it'll be fine in a few days. I know what I'm doing, so don't worry."
Looking at the dark circles under his eyes, Yingxiang sighed helplessly.
Since the child learned to roll over, he can no longer sleep in the cradle and has gone straight to bed with the two of them. After washing up at night, Yingxiang puts him in the middle.
During that time, he called out "Mother" in a garbled manner, though it wasn't very genuine.
Hearing that it was an hour earlier than yesterday, Yingxiang fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Listening to his gradually steady breathing, Yingxiang finally closed her eyes.
The change was sudden, but she had no choice but to accept it. She hadn't expected the old woman she had hired to leave so quickly, and in the end, she had to take care of the child herself.
Even if we look again, we might not find a suitable one. As the child grows up, he is not as good-looking as before, and his emotions are not very stable right now. He cries and makes a fuss. To be honest, he is not as well-behaved as he was when he was a child.
She herself gets impatient sometimes, let alone others. Sometimes when she lets the child hold her and watch the sheep, it can take an hour, and she cries endlessly. Yingxiang is not at ease during the day.
But you can only look after your own child. Once you've made a choice, you won't regret it; the child will always grow up.
At the academy, Master Huang advised all his students to sign up and try it out. If they didn't pass, they could continue their studies. He told them to treat this exam as a learning experience, not to be nervous, and to familiarize themselves with the material first.
Not long after winter began, he gave all the students a holiday, telling them to come back after the New Year. Of course, he also reminded them not to forget to study when they returned home, as they would be taking exams in the second half of the following year.
With the Lunar New Year still some time away and no need to go to the academy, Yingxiang and Wenshi packed up and prepared to go home before it got too cold.
County
Old Man Wen had received Wen Shi's letter before, and he was also eagerly anticipating seeing his third son and, more importantly, the children.
Late that night, as snowflakes drifted down from the sky, someone suddenly knocked on the shop door. Old Man Wen often coughed and couldn't sleep well when the weather got cold, so he immediately got up.
This commotion also made Liu get up.
The knocking from below grew louder, and the person outside seemed to be getting impatient. The second and fourth brothers living next door also woke up, still half asleep.
"See if the third son is back. Second son, hurry up and go open the door. It's cold, we can't let my grandson get cold."
Wen Chuanzong's two sons were woken up, turned over and mumbled a couple of times before going back to sleep.
Wen Lao Er hurriedly went downstairs to open the door. He was holding a candle. A gust of cold wind blew by, and he instantly sobered up. Looking at the person in front of him, he was completely stunned for a moment, thinking that he had seen a ghost.
"Second brother, did the third brother come back with his wife and children?"
Old Man Wen hurried downstairs, followed closely by Fourth Brother Wen.
"No, no, it's my elder brother."
Wen Lao Er turned around and let Wen Chuanzong and A Mian come in. As soon as he said this, Liu Shi hurriedly came out of the house.
It was the dead of night, and the cold wind mixed with snowflakes made it even colder. When Wen Chuanzong entered the door, he was trembling all over. Without saying a word, he knelt on the ground and burst into tears. Wen Lao Er closed the door and looked at his elder brother with complicated thoughts.
The shop, which had been dark, suddenly became bright. Wen Laosi lit another candle, and everyone in the family woke up.
Amian stood to the side, head down, silent.
As her family members came downstairs one after another, Yuqin looked at the person kneeling on the ground and crying. She was a little curious, but when she saw that it was Wen Chuanzong, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Wen Chuanzong was wearing a drab, old-fashioned gray coat. He used to be as fat as a wealthy man, but now his cheekbones were sunken and his face was pale, as if he had returned to the time before he became rich.
No, she had never seen Wen Chuanzong like this since she married him. He considered himself a scholar and was very particular about everything he did; he wouldn't even wear clothes with a patch on them.
Right now, she was visibly dejected and lost. Yuqin was a little curious as to why she had become like this. She remembered that Xiuyu, who had nowhere to sleep at night and had to make do in the kitchen, was still not up.
"Brother, where did you go to do big business? Did you become rich? Now that you're back, you're thinking about your family."
Yuqin's words were purely a joke and a mockery. Anyone who wasn't stupid could see how disheveled Wen Chuanzong looked at that moment, and that he was dressed worse than them.
This was something that would have been impossible before.
Liu glared at Yuqin. She felt only heartache for her son and wanted to help him up, but a look from Old Man Wen made her hesitate.
In the middle of the night, everyone was wide awake, and Yuqin headed towards the kitchen.
At first, Xiuyu thought she was dreaming. She was in a daze. The kitchen was warm enough during the day, but it was freezing at night. She wrapped herself in several quilts and didn't dare to take off any clothes before she could finally fall asleep.
"Sister-in-law, brother is really back, he's just ahead."
Xiuyu regained consciousness and immediately ran forward. Damn it, who knows how she's managed all this time? She's been working herself to death in this shop every day, and at the end of the month, half of her meager monthly salary is deducted, supposedly for her food expenses.
Yes, the second and fourth sons' families are paid per person, and they earn significantly more than her each month. Old Man Wen said that the shop belongs to the family, but it will eventually belong to the two brothers.
She has nothing to do with Wen Chuanzong, so she shouldn't even think about it. They can let her stay out of consideration for the family, but her monthly salary will be less. The children are considered part of the Wen family, so they don't need any money. She has been eating and drinking at the family home a lot while following Wen Chuanzong, and she still owes the family money. Giving her some money is already considered generous.
Xiuyu didn't want to go back to her hometown, so she could only swallow her anger and keep to herself.
"You damned bastard, why didn't you just die out there? What are you doing back here?"
Xiuyu shouted angrily, her voice preceding her arrival, drawing everyone's attention. She had previously prided herself on being a scholar's wife and never did any work, but she no longer looked as well-off as before.
Seeing Wen Chuanzong kneeling on the ground, Xiuyu initially thought she was seeing things. She looked more closely, then grabbed Wen Chuanzong's collar and started howling.
Looking at A-Mian behind him, Xiu-Yu glared at her fiercely.
"What are you doing in the middle of the night? Boss, tell me, what have you been doing all this time? You left without a word, and now you're crying here. Explain yourself clearly."
"Dad, I... I did it for the good of the family. Now that the third son and I are both in school, how can the family not be under pressure? I think as the eldest son, I should sacrifice some things. But I was afraid that you and Mom would not agree, so I went out without saying a word, wanting to earn money to support the family in the future and let everyone live a good life."
Wen Chuanzong was crying and sobbing. Madam Ma didn't say anything. Yuqin and Wen Laosi started rolling their eyes, thinking to themselves that this man was really shameless.
"Really? So you're doing this for the family's good?"
"Yes, Dad, I did it all for the family."
As Wen Chuanzong recalled all his experiences during this period, tears streamed down his face. He had been tricked into going out to do business and almost, almost didn't make it back.
If he hadn't already held the title of a scholar, he probably would have died there.
He finally managed to run back.
"You slut."
Xiuyu suddenly stood up, looked at A-Mian behind him, and rushed up and slapped her twice without saying a word. She was still not satisfied and wanted to hit her again, but Wen Chuanzong pushed her down.
"What are you doing? If it weren't for A-Mian, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to stand here."
Upon hearing this, Liu felt even more distressed. Old Man Wen's expression remained indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Judging from your appearance, you haven't made any money. Do you have any debts?"
No, no.
"It's good that you're back. You can rent a place later, or take your wife back to your hometown. There's no place for you to stay here."
After speaking, Old Man Wen suddenly coughed, whether from anger or because his condition had worsened, it was unclear.
"You can all go back to sleep tonight. We need to open for business tomorrow."
Wen Lao Si went up first, while Liu Shi kept turning back to look at him, but dared not say anything. Wen Chuan Zong was completely dumbfounded when he saw this scene.
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