Chapter 733 A Dream of Youth 265
"Does the young master know poetry?"
"Yes!" The little boy proudly raised his chin; he was really good at reciting poems!
"Then I won't take your money. If you recite a line of poetry, I'll give you a skewer of grilled meat, okay?" Xie Qi smiled as he looked at the five or six-year-old child in front of him. The child was exquisitely beautiful and indeed very cute.
The boy thought for a while, then nodded. Reciting poems was also a form of exchange; when he recited poems at home, he could exchange them for pastries from his grandmother's room.
Xie Qi not only tested him, but also expanded on the word meanings to teach him, since he was bored anyway.
"Mu'er".
The two, one adult and one child, were having a great time asking and answering questions. The servants and nannies who were taking care of the child saw the newcomer and quickly bowed, saying, "Madam."
Xie Qi looked up and saw a woman in her thirties, dressed in a purple-gray crepe robe with lace trim and narrow sleeves, walking towards him. He couldn't help but stand up and greet her, "Greetings, Madam."
The woman returned the greeting, glanced down at the boy whose mouth was greasy from eating, gave him a stern look, and then smiled apologetically, "Please don't be offended, young master. It's my fault for not teaching my son well and for disturbing you."
"It's alright. Your son is very well-behaved. He just recited quite a few poems. He's really intelligent."
Xie Qi naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a child, and besides, it was boring on the ship, so having a child around would add some fun.
"Young master, you flatter me." The woman saw that Xie Qisheng had an extraordinary bearing and did not seem to be a young master from an ordinary family, yet he was dressed plainly. Moreover, she had overheard a few words from behind and knew that Xie Qisheng was quite talented, so she couldn't help but have some thoughts about him.
Her child is intelligent, but the enthusiasm for learning she has shown today is unprecedented. I wonder if I could ask Xie Qi to be her child's tutor?
Although the woman believed she was well-educated, she still needed one or two mature and knowledgeable men to guide her child's growth so that his personality wouldn't go astray.
"I come from the He family of Yuzhou. May I ask which family you belong to, young master? Today, this child has the good fortune to receive a few words of instruction from you. I will bring him to visit you another day to express my gratitude." It was a little abrupt, but still quite polite.
It was abrupt because, under normal circumstances, such words should have been spoken by a male member of the household, or by Madam He to the other party's wife in the inner quarters.
At this moment, it was Madam He herself who spoke to Xie Qi. Although it was meant to be friendly, Xie Qi was still slightly taken aback.
However, he still replied very politely, "My surname is Xie, not a very common surname..." After a pause, Xie Qi seemed to remember something and asked hesitantly, "Does Madam He know the He family in Quanzhou?"
Madam He pursed her lips, somewhat surprised. "That's my maternal family."
Xie Qi was startled, not expecting this connection. He told Xie Ning about it when he returned to his cabin. He didn't know Madam He, but Xie Ning did.
"Two months ago, when I was still in the capital, I received letters from Sister Lanxue and Baozhu, saying that Madam He had divorced her husband and should be returning to her parents' home with her child."
Although we only played together a few times when we were young, the two families would exchange gifts every year. So, in addition to the adults, the children also corresponded with each other, and over time, they developed a friendship.
"Why do you want a divorce? What happened? Why is the husband willing to give his legitimate son to Madam He?"
Xie Qi would talk about these things when chatting with his classmates. He even got into a fight with one of his classmates because the classmate's brother-in-law bullied his sister.
When it comes to domestic violence, the wife's family naturally steps in. While the adults argue, the younger ones can't stand it. They gather a group of people and put the abusive man in a sack and beat him up.
His gaze involuntarily fell on Xie Ning's face, and Xie Qi immediately sat up straight. He still needed to continue to improve his martial arts skills. If Xie Ning was bullied in the future, he would take his wife to put sacks on him.
He dislikes wrangling at all; he prefers to just beat people up a few times.
Xie Ning had no idea where Xie Qi's thoughts had wandered off to, so she just lowered her head and rubbed Xueqiu's ears. "The reason for the divorce is very simple: he took a concubine."
"Taking a concubine?"
Xie Qi found it somewhat unbelievable. Although he had no intention of taking a concubine, influenced by the prevailing social trends, he was not averse to the practice, as it was all too common.
"Um."
Compared to the openness of the previous dynasty, the lives of women in the Great Zhou Dynasty tended to be more introverted and conservative. They focused on managing their families, taking it upon themselves to be good wives and mothers. The dominant position of the patriarchal ideology and the idea of male superiority over females in society was further strengthened.
Even though feudal ethics still loomed over women, their right to divorce was further expanded and protected, which surprised Xie Ning.
After reading the letter, she went through the law and some files and found that women's own wishes regarding divorce were being increasingly valued.
Even if neither party has committed any serious wrongdoing, as long as their personalities clash, the woman can still file for divorce.
Moreover, the criticism the woman received after the divorce was not as severe as she had initially thought, so Xie Ning thought of Xie Yun.
When Xie Yun got divorced, even though it was the man's fault, there were still many gossips from the neighbors. But as she left that small town, she realized that divorce wasn't such a big deal after all.
If Xie Yun truly believed that divorce would damage his reputation, then he wouldn't have had so many friends over the years, even if many of them were there because of the Xie family.
But most people came for Xie Yun himself.
There were already quite a few people trying to arrange marriages for Xie Yun, but since she returned from the palace banquet, there have been even more. No one discriminates against remarriage, after all, whether to marry or not is a personal freedom.
Not to mention remarriage, there are plenty of women who have married three or four times.
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