Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Wen Huai just came out of Xie's house in the afternoon. When he passed through the street again, he had completely lost the excitement he had when he just came back. He looked like an eggplant hit by frost, and he couldn't muster any energy at all.
The teahouse had a new owner, and his pockets were empty, even the box of clams on the horse was gone.
He returned to the Wen family empty-handed. His face was too dark, and he didn't recognize the door at first glance. He looked carefully before he exclaimed, "The Third Young Master is back!"
After the Wen family went bankrupt, the eldest lady never went to Old Lady Wen's house again. The first wife's family moved to Dongdu again. The mansion was deserted and even no one could hear talking.
Wen Huai didn't know about it, so he asked the concierge, "Why is it so quiet?"
"I'm afraid the Third Master didn't receive the letter. Half a month ago, the Master took several young masters and young ladies to the Eastern Capital. Now only the Old Madam and the First Madam are left at home, waiting for the Second Master and the Third Master to come back."
Although he had suffered enough fright today, he was still stunned when he heard such news. He didn't even have time to change his clothes and went to the old lady's room first.
Madam Wen was having lunch when the maid outside saw someone first and hurried in to report, "Madam, the third young master is back."
The old lady didn't come back to her senses, "Who's back?"
The maid repeated happily, "Third Young Master."
Madam Cao was the first to react and said with a smile, "You are finally back. The old lady was still talking about you yesterday..."
Just as I finished speaking, I heard a voice from the opposite corridor, "Grandma."
Who else could the cheerful voice be but the Third Young Master Wen Huai? Madam Wen glanced at the tray in front of her and hurriedly ordered the maid, "Quick, move away, move this one too..."
Several maids were quick-witted and had just removed the dishes of meat from the table when Wen Huai walked in. "Grandma."
Old Madam Wen looked at the young man in front of her who was smiling with a row of white teeth, and was stunned for a moment, "Did you come out of the ash?"
"Grandma, you don't understand. This is called health." He knelt down and kowtowed. "I was not able to be with you and fulfill my filial duty. I apologize to you."
Still with this honest character, Madam Wen's eyes were filled with tears and she reached out to help him up, "Hurry up and get up."
Wen Huai stood up and sat next to Madam Wen. He looked at the old lady carefully. She was in good spirits. After chatting for a while, his eyes suddenly fell on the food in front of her and his face froze.
A plate of peanuts and a plate of vegetables.
Can this be eaten?
Although he had learned that the Wen family had gone bankrupt, seeing with his own eyes the meals the old lady had prepared was still too much for him to bear, and his heart ached.
He and his father have been away from home all year round just for the sake of their family living a good life. Now that they see their ancestors living like this, what's the point?
Madam Wen saw his expression and wanted to have someone prepare a table of wine and food to welcome him, but she resisted the urge and asked in a gentle voice, "You haven't eaten yet?"
Wen Huai ate a plate of clams and a white flour bun. The culprit who caused all this was not having a good time either.
Old Madam Wen was unaware of this and thought that his return was another big piece of fat meat and that nothing could be done unless she made up her mind, so she winked at Aunt Cao.
Aunt Cao understood quickly and complained to Wen Huai, "Fortunately, the Third Young Master came back in time. The Second Lady used all the Wen family's property to store food and donated it all to Luoan. The Wen family went bankrupt, and the old lady fell ill. She had no money to buy medicine, so she pawned all her jewelry and hairpins, which was barely enough to cover the expenses of the people in the courtyard..."
Wen Huai felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife when he heard this. In just half a day since he came back to Fengcheng, he had already regretted countless times. He regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. Why didn't he bring back more silver?
He handed the last ingot of silver left in his purse to the old lady, "Grandma, take it and use it first."
Madam Wen stared at the ten taels of silver in her hand, looking puzzled, "Is that all?"
Wen Huai's face turned red, "My grandson left in a hurry to attend the wedding banquet, and he didn't bring any money with him."
The only box of clams has been given to Jiaxian.
Afraid that the old ancestor would worry, he hurriedly comforted her, "Don't worry, grandma, father will be home in a few days. There are more ships going out this year than in previous years, and there are more seafood. We have made a lot of money. Please bear with me for a while."
The news of the Third Young Master's return soon reached the ears of the First Madam, Mrs. An.
After these few days, all the money for the mansion's expenses came out of her pocket. If she continued like this, she would probably be penniless and would have to go to Dongdu to ask the master for money.
The only hope was to wait for the second wife to come back. After waiting for a long time, she finally came back. He hurried over. Wen Huai had just come out of the old lady's room. He was penniless and his pockets were cleaner than his face.
After a few pleasantries, Wen Huai politely said to the eldest lady, "I didn't know that Gaoxian had donated all the shops. I didn't bring any money with me when I came back this time. For the time being, I have to trouble my aunt to take care of the expenses of the mansion and my grandmother."
The eldest lady's expression changed immediately. She has been away for more than half a year and there is nothing?
The eldest lady didn't believe it, so she asked the maid to inquire again, and reported back the news, "The second young master came back this time with nothing, only riding a horse."
The eldest lady fell on the couch, full of resentment, "Didn't he go out to make money? How can he have the face to come back penniless..."
At night, we heard rumors that this year was not only a natural disaster in Gyeongju, but the fishery in the sea was also in short supply. The second master had sent all the boats out, and this time he was afraid he would lose money.
The eldest lady's heart fell to the bottom. The next day, when she saw Aunt Cao coming to collect the old lady's money for the next day, she had lost all hope. She couldn't help but grit her teeth and cursed, "I didn't make any money, and I didn't take care of my family. None of them are useful..."
Poor Wen Huai, he had been following Aunt Cao and wanted to speak for the old lady and ask his aunt to give him more money for expenses, but when he heard this, his face turned red, he felt ashamed and angry, and his heart sank.
Whenever he came back in the past, the people in the big house would greet him with a smile and welcome him and his father. They had never had this attitude before. They thought they were all family and really cared about the hardships they suffered outside.
Today I finally understood that what could make them welcome him with a smile was probably the money in his pocket.
He lost everything overnight and experienced the fickleness of human nature and the cruelty of the world. After several blows, the pure-hearted young man lost all his innocence.
When the mind is damaged, the body suffers as well.
Yesterday, I gave the only money I had to Madam Wen. The servants went to the kitchen but couldn't find any food. I definitely couldn't bring myself to go to the old lady's room to eat.
The last meal I had was fried clams at Wen Shuse’s.
Both physically and mentally tortured, Wen Huai persisted until the morning of the third day. Finally, he dragged his tired body, took the document sold to him by Wen Shuse, and found Mrs. Zhou.
Wen Shuse received the news in the afternoon.
The maid of the Wen family brought a letter, "The eldest lady said that she can hardly support the old lady, so how can she afford to support a freeloader? She also said that the third young master is already a 20-year-old man, and he didn't make a penny after going out. Does he want to eat and use the family's money?"
The maid spoke vividly. Wen Shuse sat in the room, peeling longans while listening attentively with sympathy in her eyes. "Did you really not eat?"
The maid shook her head and said, "Second Madam didn't see it. After two days of hunger, Third Master couldn't even walk steadily. His legs were shaky. I couldn't bear to see him. The old lady secretly shed a few tears."
She was right. The Wen family had no food for him. This time, he probably completely understood what human nature was. He hurriedly asked the maid, "Where is he now?"
"I don't know either. When I left, the Third Young Master hadn't come back yet. He should still be in Prince Jing's Mansion."
It's the first day I take office, so I just need to hold a position and it won't take that long.
I could still find out what was going on at home, but once I got to the palace, I had no idea. I also didn't know if he had eaten today. I was still worried and wanted to send someone out to inquire, but I guess ordinary people couldn't find out anything inside the palace.
Just as she was worrying, Xiangyun reminded her, "Isn't the son-in-law also a Yuanwailang? He has been on duty for a few days earlier than the third young master. He should have experience. Let's wait for the son-in-law to come back and ask him."
The words awakened the dreamer, so when Xie Shao came back in the evening, he saw a young lady standing under the long corridor outside the garden from afar.
She folded her hands in front of her stomach, stretched her neck, and stared at this direction infatuatedly. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up and she came forward enthusiastically, "My dear, you are back."
He could tell that she came specially to pick him up, so he naturally knew what she was doing. He replied, "Yeah." He suddenly felt a little proud and couldn't help but keep him in suspense.
The young lady leaned close to him and turned her head to ask, "Are you tired today, my dear?"
"fine."
He had a pair of long legs, and he took one step for every two she took. Wen Shuse quickly caught up with him and asked directly, "Have you seen my third brother?"
Xie Shao asked unnecessarily, "Wen Huai?"
The young lady nodded quickly, "Yes."
"Oh," he said, pretending to recall the past, "Yes, I saw him. Didn't he arrive at the palace this morning?"
The young lady immediately perked up, "So how is he?"
"He doesn't look well, and seems quite weak." He suddenly remembered, and said, "The prince also asked me privately if he had any hidden illness." Turning to look at the young lady next to him, he asked seriously, "You should know that officials need to be in good health. Today, I have guaranteed it to the prince because of your relationship. Tell me honestly, is there anything wrong with him?"
Wen Shu was stunned, but he didn't suspect anything and retorted anxiously, "What's wrong with him? He just hasn't eaten for two days."
I see.
As expected, it was even worse than his. Xie Shao was shocked and said hypocritically, "Has the Wen family really reached this point? Doesn't the Wen family master care?"
This remark touched the young lady's lungs, and she retorted, "Master Xie is the deputy envoy, why didn't he take care of you when you were hungry?"
Xie Shao: ...
Indeed, they are all miserable.
But this guy always likes to have someone to keep him company when he's down and out, especially when he knows there are people who are worse off than him. He asked curiously, "Has he saved any money in all these years away from home?"
"What money can I have? When I came back, I only had ten taels of silver in my purse." The young lady didn't treat him as an outsider, and talked about her family's dirty laundry. "He thought it was the same as in the past, thinking he could eat and drink well when he returned home, but in the end he saw a cold stove. He couldn't bear to see his grandmother suffer, so he gave all the ten taels of silver he had to the old ancestor. He was considered penniless. When the eldest wife heard that he had no money, she immediately turned hostile and didn't even leave him a bowl of soup. The master and servant had their last meal at our house. He still had half of the box of clams he brought back, but he probably didn't have the face to ask me for it."
Xie Shao sighed when he heard this, and completely forgot about his difficulties in the past few days. "No wonder I couldn't even stand steadily when I got to the palace."
The young lady sighed, "So, the world is fickle and people's hearts are hard to predict. When you have money in your hands, you give hundreds or thousands of taels to others without blinking an eye, but they may not appreciate your kindness and may even think you are a fool. Now that you are in trouble, look at what you get in return? Not to mention money, you didn't even get a bite of food. You realize how fickle people are, but it's too late."
Xie Shao: ...
Her words were somewhat hurtful.
Fortunately, the young lady didn't say anything more, and got back to the point, asking him, "What did he say when he came to the palace today?"
Xie Shao replied, "After asking about the salary, I decided to take up the position."
The young lady breathed a sigh of relief and thankfully said, "Fortunately I was smart and asked for an official position. Although I have to work hard from dawn to dusk, at least I can support myself in the future."
Xie Shao was stunned. She might have forgotten how she and Wen San had ended up like this.
Even though Wen San lost his official position, he could still support himself by going out to sea to fish. But thinking of the "congratulations" that Wen Huai said to him yesterday, he felt that life should not be too smooth sailing, and he had to try some areas that he was not good at.
For an unmarried man, she is deciding the trivial matters of marriage. I have to say that the young lady is really good at choosing. Compared with this, as a military judge, I really have to thank her.
The young lady beside him suddenly came over again, pulled his sleeve, and said softly, "According to the Wen family's seniority, he is your elder brother-in-law, but in terms of age, you are one year older than him. Whether in terms of knowledge or intelligence, you are superior to him, so if he has any difficulties in the future, I will trouble you to take care of him."
What she said made sense to her, and he had made a good calculation. He knew that he was asking for help, but when it came to officialdom, he always judged the matter by the facts rather than the people. "That depends on his own luck."
Little did he know that the next day when Wen Shuse arrived at the Wen family, he also said to Wen Huai, "You are his brother-in-law. You have heard of Xie San's reputation in Fengcheng. He is stupid and easily deceived. In the future, when we serve as officials together, you must remind him if there is anything."
Wen Huai was more straightforward than Xie Shao. He nodded and said, "I know."
In just a few days, Wen Huai experienced all the sufferings of the world. He was devastated by reality and became numb both physically and mentally. He had long since resigned himself to his fate.
Why did she make up her mind to go to the palace yesterday? It was also because she was forced by the first lady An. The person she had been waiting for came back, but not only did he not bring back half a tael of silver, he also set his eyes on her purse.
Madam An was already angry because she didn't go to Chengdongdu, and now she couldn't stand it anymore. In front of the old lady, she said to Wen Huai, "Your uncle and your eldest brother are officials in the court, and they are very busy. If the whole family goes with them, how can they cope? Since the third brother has returned, I thought about going to Dongdu to help them share some of the burden." Seeing Wen San's brows knitted, she was very unhappy, "In these years, the second master and the third brother have been away all year round, and we have the first house to take care of the old ancestor, so we can rest assured. But as a son or a grandson, if you don't show filial piety now, when should you wait?" She turned her head and muttered softly, "After all, the second master is still the old ancestor's biological son..."
Madam Wen didn't react much, but Wen Huai felt distressed when he heard it.
The old ancestor worked hard all her life to raise her children and grandchildren, but in her later years she ended up being despised by others. Wen Huai stood up on the spot and said, "If you want to go to Dongdu, go ahead. I will take care of your grandmother in the future."
At dawn the next day, he took the official documents Wen Shuse bought for him and went to the palace to take up his post. He came back late because he went to the yamen of the eldest son of the Xie family to take up his post. Xie Heng invited him to dinner.
Before Wen Shuse came today, Madam An had already boarded the carriage to Dongdu, taking her valuables with her and moving out all the valuables in the house.
Now, there are only three generations of the Wen family left in Fengcheng.
You have to bear the consequences of your words. With no money in his pocket, Wen Huai also learned from Xie Shao and withdrew ten taels of silver from Zhou Shizi in advance. He spent every penny wisely. He couldn't treat his ancestors badly, but his meal was even more shabby than what he had eaten at sea. Thinking of Wen Shuse's picky nature, he didn't invite her to eat at home that day. When it was time for dinner, he drove her away directly, "You should go back. Third Master Xie also has a salary."
Wen Shuse tutted and said sarcastically, "You are such an irresponsible brother."
Wen Huai sneered, "If I were irresponsible, I would have taken back that half box of clams a long time ago."
Yes, even though her legs were weak from hunger, she didn't come to beg for food, which was enough to show that he still loved her very much.
If she didn't want to eat, then she didn't have to. She really couldn't eat the food. She took Xiangyun out of the Wen family. After digesting the greasy food from last time, she started to yearn for the delicacies from the mountains and sea outside.
Having already been to Zui Xiang Lou, this time they wanted to go to a different place. After getting on the carriage and putting on their veiled hats, Wen Shuse said to Xiang Yun, "Let's go to Bai Lou."
Before going out today, she had already said goodbye to Xie San and would not be back until the evening.
It's still early, so I'll have lunch and then go to the jewelry store. I can't wear my jewelry, but I can just look at it and touch it.
A few days ago, Xie Shao heard Pei Qing say that Dongdu had sent several waves of people to Fengcheng, and he became wary. Pei Yuanqiu only had Pei Qing as his only son, so he would have tried every possible way to get him out of Fengcheng before anything happened.
What happened at the armory last time was just the beginning, and Dongdu will definitely take more action next.
Moreover, the war in Luoan has already put the country in a difficult situation. The best solution is to find something bigger to cover it up.
With several things happening at the same time, Zhongzhou would not be peaceful. The prince might have seen this, so he changed his route and went to Dongdu.
If you receive a salary, you have to do practical work. Today, I took Zhou Kuang with me to patrol the streets.
Zhou Kuang's heart was elsewhere, he was only focused on laughing at his joke, "I heard that the eldest lady of the Wen family went to the Eastern Capital, and only the old lady and your brother-in-law who has a cleaner pocket than his face are left in the mansion?"
It was one thing to discuss it with the young lady behind closed doors, but now that it was brought up by an outsider, it was strange. Suddenly, I felt a sense of honor and disgrace. I glanced over coldly, "What does it have to do with you?"
"I am concerned about you." Zhou Kuang said, "Looking at it this way, my sister-in-law is farsighted and bought you an official position, so you can at least keep your job."
It was time for lunch. He gave 10 taels of the 20 taels of silver to Xie Shao and 10 taels to Wen Huai. He had no money to enter the restaurant, so he handed him a piece of pastry. He looked up at the white building in front of him and sighed, "It's really hard to look back on the past. We haven't been in for a long time?" He suddenly couldn't move, "Let's just stand here and smell the smell."
My dears, have a nice weekend! (Send 100 red envelopes)
I'd like to recommend my friend's article to you guys. I'll update it to 10,000 words soon. "The Little Palace Maid Wants to Become a Superior" by The Star in the House
Introduction:
Yun Si is just a little palace maid
She's not a nice person, but she's a beauty.
She knew that her status was lowly, and even if she left the palace in the future, becoming a concubine for a noble family would be considered marrying up.
She was used to the luxurious life in the palace and could never go back to the old days.
So, she set her sights on the man on the dragon throne.
Everyone says that Yun Si is very scheming and is favored by the emperor.
But no one knows
After being spotted by that man, Yun Si remained in the position of a palace maid without any status for two whole years.
Tan Yuanchu will initially fall in love with Yun Si
It's because of her clumsy flattery that she thinks she is smart
He kept Yun Si by his side for two whole years.
Only then did he give Yun Si the status she had always wanted.
He watched with cold eyes as Yun Si, a villain, bullied others by taking advantage of his power after he succeeded.
Until the end
Tan Yuanchu realized that he was not only attracted by her beauty
He coveted everything about her, including her little thoughts that she thought were well hidden.
【Since you are smart, I am stupid. 】
【What you see may not be what I want you to see. 】
ps: This is a palace fighting story, not a sweet story, the male lead is not a C, please do not read if you mind
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