Chapter 132: The Pity of Parents
"I am Lu Ne, a junior. I have met Lord Shen."
On the second day after Lu Ne arrived in the capital, he sent a visiting card to the Shen family. Shen Yun thought that they would be a family in the future, so he asked him to come back in the afternoon so that they could have dinner together in the evening. He also wanted to see what his niece's fiancé was like.
It is normal to come to pay respects when the marriage is already arranged.
Shen Yuan originally planned to go to Xie's house to deliver the things she brought back from the farm. Thinking that Xie had been to her house several times and she hadn't been to Xie's house for a while, she decided to deliver the things herself.
However, after receiving a visiting card from her future brother-in-law, Shen Yuan decided to go home to thank him tomorrow. Today, she naturally wanted to stay at home to see who her elder sister was engaged to be.
"At home, you don't have to address me as Lord Shen. Since you and Xixi haven't gotten married yet, then based on age, your father is younger than me, so you should just call me uncle first."
When Lu Ne came to visit, Shen Yun first received him in the front hall, and then asked the servants to go to the backyard to inform everyone in the family to come out to meet him.
"Yes, Minsi has met my uncle." (Lu Ne, courtesy name Minsi)
"Did you have a smooth journey here? Where will you stay after you enter Beijing?"
At first glance, Shen Yun was quite satisfied with this future niece-in-law. He was handsome and one could tell from his eyes that he was a decent man.
"It's smooth sailing. I came here with a few fellow villagers and are currently staying at the Jidi Inn in the city."
There were many inns which, for the purpose of bringing good luck, were named Dengke, Jidi, or Zhuangyuanlou. Students going to Beijing to take the imperial examinations also preferred inns with these names in order to have a good start.
Lu Ne was a little nervous when talking to Shen Yun. This uncle of his fiancée was not even fifty years old, and he had reached a third-rank position without relying on his teacher or marriage. He must be an extraordinary person.
When Shen Yuan heard the servants say that her elder sister's fiancé had arrived, she could no longer sit still, so she was the first to arrive.
"Manman, come and see Master Lu."
As Shen Yuan approached, he quietly looked at these Master Lus, "I have seen Master Lu."
"Hello, Fourth Miss."
Lu Ne also returned a salute to Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan heard his clear voice and his proper eye contact with hers, then stopped looking around. He was tall and handsome.
Overall, Shen Yuan felt that he was quite pleasing to the eye when they first met, although she secretly felt that no one was worthy of her elder sister...
Shen Xi came here with her grandmother and mother. From the moment her elder sister entered the courtyard, Shen Yuan paid special attention to the expression of this Mr. Lu.
"I have met the old lady, the lady, and the third lady."
Shen Yuan discovered that this future cousin-in-law actually blushed secretly when he greeted his elder sister, which she found very interesting. She had been so thick-skinned for so long that she had forgotten that other engaged couples would blush when they met.
According to the agreement between the two families, after the Spring Imperial Examination, the two will get married regardless of whether they pass or not this year. In just a few months, they will be a family.
This marriage was also agreed by Old Lady Shen and First Lady Shen. The Lu family had a clean family tradition and a simple family. Lu Ne was the eldest son, and he had a pair of twin brothers and sisters who were only about ten years old this year.
Mrs. Shen had seen the two children and found them to be very well-behaved and not noisy. She had also observed carefully that the Lu family did not favor young children. Mrs. Lu had also assured her that a Lu family man could take a concubine only if he was 40 and childless. Only then did she nod and agree to the marriage.
And she also had a little selfish motive. She had asked people around and found out that the boy from the Lu family was well educated and had a great chance of passing the imperial examination. She wanted her daughter to follow her, whether she stayed in Beijing to work or was sent to work in other places. The Lu family had also hinted at this. They were still young and did not require the eldest daughter-in-law to be with her parents-in-law and fulfill her filial duties.
"Where will you live in the capital? Are you used to it? If you have any difficulties, just come here. We are all family now, so don't be too restrained."
"In reply to the old lady, I am staying at the Jidi Inn in the city with a few fellow villagers. Thank you for your concern, old lady."
Originally, his family had suggested that he rent a house in the city in advance, but he preferred to live in an inn so that he could communicate with more students and improve his knowledge.
Shen Su and He Ying arrived later. He Ying was pregnant and Shen Su was worried, so he walked as slowly as a turtle. Even the good-tempered He Ying wanted to kick him.
Shen Xu didn't like his cousin's husband very much, but he still showed all courtesy.
Before Lu Ne came, he knew that his fiancée's cousin would also pass away this year. He was also wondering if he would have a chance to read his cousin's essays. After all, he was a student of the Imperial College, and every scholar would be envious of him.
"Minsi has met Brother Shen and Sister-in-law."
"It just so happens that both Minsi and Kang'er are going to take exams. You two can read each other's articles when you have the chance. The most important thing to avoid when studying is to be blinded by one thing. Look more at others' works and think more about your own. Only by learning from others' strengths and making up for your own weaknesses can you make progress."
"Yes, son, I will follow your instructions."
Mrs. Shen had been thinking about how to ask the grandfather of Kangge's daughter-in-law to help read the article. A few days ago, Mrs. He sent her a message saying that the old lady agreed to let Minsi send an article to him for him to take a look.
Madam Shen secretly hopes that the boy from the Lu family can do better in the exam, and it would be best if he can stay in the capital, so that at least her daughter has relatives here to look after her.
According to the official selection system of this dynasty, officials cannot return to their hometowns to take up posts. If they are sent to work in an unfamiliar place, she will not know whether her daughter is living well.
"It's getting late, let's set the table for dinner. After dinner, Kang'er, you can take Minsi back to the inn. Tomorrow you can also go outside and talk more with the students from outside the capital."
There is always someone better than you. Although scholars have always regarded the Imperial College as the best institution of learning, there are still four major academies outside, and many talents emerge in every imperial examination.
When it comes to studying, there is no best, only better. Shen Yun was afraid that his son would be trapped in the capital and unable to see the outside world.
"Yes, father."
Even if his father didn't tell him, Shen Su would have wanted to go out and see the world. Recently, students from all over Dazhao have been coming to the capital, and Shen Su also wants to go and take a look. He knows the level of his classmates in the Imperial College, but he is not sure about those outsiders.
After much thought, Mrs. Shen decided to tell Shen Yun about reading the article. She thought that after all, the He family was her brother-in-law's in-laws, so it would be appropriate for her to tell her brother-in-law when she contacted them.
"That's it, sister-in-law. Since Mr. He has agreed, you should let Minsi know right away and decide whether to write a new one or pick the best one you've written before and show it to Mr. He. If you can't make up your mind, you can show it to me first."
"Uncle, you have to be on duty every day. I think you are busy, leaving early and returning late every day, and I am afraid that I will disturb your rest."
"It's no problem. I'll always have time to read a few more articles. If you don't mind that I'm only a second-class scholar, just ask him to bring it to you."
Madam Shen said quickly, "The second-class is one in a million, most people can't even find it, I can't even thank you enough, how could I reject you, I thanked my uncle on behalf of Xixi."
"We are all family, why thank you? We are the only two brothers in the Shen family, and Xixi is my niece. Isn't this the way it should be?"