Chapter 80 The Wen Family
Southeast corner of the capital.
Lark Street, Daji Lane.
The third house from the end of the alley.
A middle-aged man in a crimson official robe returned home in the sunset.
Looking up and carefully examining the house, it is hard to imagine that this is the residence of a fourth-rank official in Beijing.
Although the house could not be described as dilapidated, it was indeed rather shabby compared with the houses of other officials of the same rank in the capital.
The vermilion lacquered gate looks a bit old, and it is obvious that it has not been renovated for many years.
The threshold is low and uncarved, with only a plain wooden plaque hanging on it with the words "Wen Mansion" inscribed on it.
The front yard is paved with blue bricks. There is no rockery or pond, but there are four pear trees planted on the west side and a vegetable patch.
The hem of his crimson official robe brushed past the newly sprouted branches of the pear tree, startling a few drops of snowflakes off their branches.
Wen Tingkuan stopped in front of the vegetable patch and saw the newly turned soil, a helpless smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
It must be that after he got up in the morning and went to the yamen, his wife brought the old servant here to serve him.
He walked around the hall with a reed curtain and suddenly heard the sound of a wooden shuttle hitting from the west wing.
A slender figure was reflected on the window paper, and the loom was making a creaking sound.
When Wen Tingkuan pushed the door open, he brought in a gust of draft, which startled the white cocoons in the bamboo basket and made them tremble.
Liang Yuhe hurriedly used her white scarf to cover the half-woven pear blossom silk, but her feet did not stop moving.
Wen Tingkuan was helpless: "We just dug the ground, why are we weaving cloth again?
Liang Yuhe said, "Every spring, I would knit a skirt for Li'er. Even though she's married now, she still needs a skirt. I'll save it for now, and when I have the chance to see her one day, I'll bring it with me."
As she finished speaking, she caught a glimpse of the frayed edges on the elbows of her husband's official robe.
She added, "Your official robe was woven the year Li'er entered the palace. It's time to get a new one. There's a piece of red silk in the storeroom that would be perfect for making you one too."
Wen Tingkuan took off his black hat, placed it on the desk beside him, and shook his head.
"Don't be too tired. I can wear this official robe for another two years without any problem."
Liang Yuhe stopped what she was doing and glared at him.
"Our family is not so poor that we can't even afford an official's robe. You are at least a fourth-rank official now, so you don't have to worry about being laughed at."
Wen Tingkuan said with a smile: "Let them laugh as they please, I wear mine, why should I care what they do?"
However, Liang Yuhe was firm this time and insisted on letting him do it.
Wen Tingkuan couldn't persuade her and had to agree.
But I couldn't help but remind him again: "I'm not in a hurry to put it on, don't tire yourself out."
Seeing the distress and pity in her husband's eyes, Liang Yuhe blushed and glared at him angrily.
"It's just making a set of clothes, how can it be tiring for me?"
When Wen Tingkuan saw his wife's shy face, a wave of heat suddenly surged in his heart, and he pulled her to be gentle with her.
Liang Yuhe's face flushed red and her head seemed to be smoking.
She stepped on Wen Tingkuan's official boots and gently scolded him, "You shameless old man!"
After scolding, she quickly fled from the west wing.
Wen Tingkuan touched his nose, his eyes full of smiles, and slowly followed him out.
Liang Yuhe went straight to the study and asked her son to come out for dinner.
When Wen Zhiyan heard his mother's call, he hurried out and went to the dining hall with his parents.
At this time, Liu Ma brought three dishes and a soup to the table, and then complained to Wen Tingkuan about her wife.
"Master, you must have a good word with Madam. She has been tilling the fields all morning and weaving non-stop this afternoon without a break. I can't persuade her no matter what I do."
"Auntie Liu!" Liang Yuhe stomped her feet and glared at her pretending to be angry.
Aunt Liu knew her wife's temper too well, so she ran away happily and went to the front yard to have dinner with her old man.
Liang Yuhe faced two disapproving glances and said consciously, "I won't do that again. I just have a lot of energy today."
As a result, the father and son snorted in unison and didn't believe her at all.
After the two men took turns scolding her, they started putting food into her bowl again.
Liang Yuhe ate slowly and leisurely, glancing at the two of them.
There are two paper tigers at home, much ado about nothing.
When she saw the bruise under her son's eye, she felt heartbroken again.
"Ayan, don't try too hard. Just do your best, but don't exhaust yourself."
Wen Tingkuan also nodded in agreement: "You have learned everything you need to learn over the years. There is no need to be nervous. It's just an examination. Just perform as usual."
Wen Zhiyan nodded: "My son knows that he just wants to consolidate the knowledge in his mind so that he can have more confidence."
Wen Tingkuan nodded and stopped persuading him.
Liang Yuhe glanced at her son's serious expression and thought of something.
"Sir, the wife of Minister Chen from the Ministry of Rites came over today and brought a lot of things. I forced her to take them back."
Wen Tingkuan nodded: "Madam, you did a good job. In the future, don't have any contact with his family."
"good."
Minister Liu and Wen Tingkuan were colleagues. Although they were not in the same department, they still had some interactions on a daily basis.
When her son reached the age to get married, Liang Yuhe saw that the Chen family had a daughter who was about to get married. She was gentle, virtuous, and kind-hearted.
She thought about giving it a try to see if it would work.
As a result, Mrs. Chen rejected her outright.
There is nothing special about this dish. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
My son is just a juren now, so it's normal that people look down on him.
However, when word spread in the palace that Li'er was pregnant and the Crown Prince was taking over the government, Mrs. Chen's attitude immediately took a sharp turn.
Not only did he frequently visit her to keep in touch with her, but he also intentionally or unintentionally brought up the topic of his children's marriage.
Mrs. Chen's attitude must represent the attitude of the Chen family.
Liang Yuhe was angry.
If the Chen family still insisted on their previous approach, she would still look up to them and continue to interact with them.
But their expressions changed faster than the weather in June, which was really disgusting.
Liang Yuhe hated getting along with those people who were opportunistic and fawning on the powerful, so she immediately decided to stay away from the Chen family in the future.
Thinking of her daughter, Liang Yuhe put down the chopsticks in her hand.
She choked up and said, "I don't know how Li'er is doing in the palace now. With her soft personality, she will definitely be bullied. She is pregnant now, I wonder if she is suffering."
Wen Tingkuan and Wen Zhiyan were both silent.
Two years ago, after Li'er was chosen to enter the Eastern Palace, their family was worried for a long time.
I was afraid that Li'er wouldn't live long in the palace.
In such a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones, simple-minded people don’t even have the ability to protect themselves, let alone gain favor.
So, when the news of Li'er's pregnancy spread out of the palace, they were actually the most surprised.
Because this was far from what they expected.
…
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