Chapter 484 A Dream of Youth 16
"There has been some turmoil in the court recently, so he was transferred to a distant place by his teacher. He was passing through this place and, knowing that I was here, came to talk to me. He will continue his journey to his new post by boat tomorrow."
Going from a proofreader to a registrar in a county can be considered a demotion, but it was Zhao Chengran's teacher's decision, which was naturally for Zhao Chengran's own good. He himself knew this, but he still felt a little melancholy.
Chen was not very knowledgeable about court affairs and was only worried about Xie Wangzhi's exam.
“By summer, your mourning period will be over, and you will be able to take the provincial examination. You have waited for so many years... Will this matter affect you?”
Xie Wangzhi simply shook his head. "I am just a nobody. Although I am on good terms with Cheng Ran, the infighting in the court will not affect me."
The only concern is how to choose sides if he actually makes the list. Now that the New Party is in power, the Old Party might turn the tide tomorrow.
He has elderly parents to care for and young children to raise; all he wants is a peaceful life.
"That's good."
Unaware of Xie Wangzhi's inner worries, and seeing the sorrow still etched on his brow, Chen changed the subject, saying, "My brother said he has already found a house for us in Quanzhou. Once things are settled here, we can move there."
We were planning to move there this month, but with my sister-in-law's accident, it's better for us to stay home and look after her for a while longer.
"That is indeed the case. I will trouble you, stepmother, to write back to your brother."
The two whispered private words, and Xie Ning lay on the small bed listening intently. Apart from some initial discussions about politics, the conversation turned to everyday matters, and Xie Ning gradually became sleepy.
Children have little energy. After playing outside all day, they also had to memorize their books three times when they got back. It's impossible for them not to be tired.
Xie Yun naturally had to personally return to his hometown to discuss the matter of his divorce from Guo Dayong. After all, the marriage was arranged by Xie's grandfather's mother, and she was still alive. Since the marriage was over, he had to go back and tell her.
Moreover, taking Xie Yun back would deepen the relationship with the Xie clan members, preventing any negative rumors about Xie Yun from spreading from Guo Dayong's family. If other Xie clan members heard these rumors, they could then retaliate.
It takes an hour and a half to travel from Shangquan Town to Xinghua Village, where the Xie family lived, by oxcart, but only half an hour by boat.
Xie Ning nestled in Chen's arms, watching the layers of clouds in the sky, swaying gracefully like delicate feathers, or like ripples spreading across a calm lake.
Look at these clouds... it's going to rain.
However, the Xie family felt that the weather was sunny today, so they did not bring umbrellas, but only a lot of gifts.
Xie Ning only hoped that it wouldn't rain before they arrived at their hometown in the countryside, otherwise they would all be soaked to the bone.
"Baby, look what this is?"
Xie Qi opened his palm, revealing a jade-white apricot blossom with a slight blush at the center, like an apricot blossom lightly infused with rouge.
As the boat passed through the waterway, women on the shore carried bamboo baskets, breaking off branches of apricot blossoms, ready to take them to the street to sell. The branches were shaken, and the apricot blossoms drifted in the wind, falling in scattered specks onto the river surface.
Every now and then, a fishing boat would pass by, and the boatman would pick up a hairpin and put it behind his ear.
Xie Qi pinned the flower to Xie Ning's forehead ribbon, and seeing that one flower looked too lonely, he picked up some more and pinned them on.
Xie Ning looked up and refused, "Brother, give it to Mother. I have thinning hair and I can't bear to part with it."
Even with a lot of hair, it can't be held in place. It's just a single flower, without any branches to insert into the hair. A gust of wind and it will fly away.
Upon hearing Xie Ning's suggestion, Xie Qi enthusiastically pinned a flower on Chen Shi's head. Chen Shi tapped his forehead, signaling Xie Qi to stop fooling around, and then took out a small piece of millet cake from her bag for Xie Ning to eat.
Children shouldn't eat too much at once, but Chen was afraid that Xie Ning would get hungry, so she often kept food in her purse to feed him.
Xie Ning never refuses any delicious food.
The millet cake, with its yellow and brown hues, is soft, sweet, and very delicate. Chen also added some chopped candied fruit, giving it a unique and refreshing sweetness.
"Have some soy milk to rinse your mouth." The soy milk was served in a special bamboo tube and was still warm. It wasn't very sweet, but it tasted fragrant and rich.
Xie Qi pinned flowers on everyone's shoulders, and amidst the laughter and commotion, the boatman shouted, "We're here! We're here!"
The loud voice startled the dove perched on the scarecrow dressed in tattered clothes. The bird flapped its wings, and seeing that the people didn't go over to hit it, it went back to its original position. It seemed that the scarecrow made by the farmer had not frightened it.
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