Chapter 114 [VIP]
The two chatted at the Wang family's house until noon. Wang Tongzhi insisted that they stay for a meal, and Liang Lao, not wanting to refuse him, stayed with Chen Qingyan.
It just so happened that Wang Tongzhi's sons also came, so they had a meal together.
His eldest son is thirty-four years old this year. Because he is only a scholar, he was assigned to a sinecure position in the government office.
The second son is also in his thirties this year. He is mentally challenged (low IQ) and now works as a clerk in the prison. You can tell from his speech that he is not a normal person. During the meal, he actually talked about how he was tortured in prison. The description of the scene was so vivid that it made Wang Yi so angry that he threw down his chopsticks.
"If you don't want to eat, then get back home!"
He wanted to yell back at his father, but the eldest brother grabbed his arm and pulled him down. The third and fourth brothers were so scared that they didn't dare to breathe and followed him down.
This kind of thing happens almost every time the whole family eats together. Unless it's the Chinese New Year, Wang Yi usually doesn't let them come to his house, so as not to embarrass them.
"Boqing, you flatter me. My third son is just not very bright..."
Liang Boqing was also shocked. He remembered that when he first saw his children, he thought they were stupid and never expected them to be like this.
Only then did I realize why my old friend, at his advanced age, was still so eager to climb the social ladder. If we didn't scheme and climb, the family would fall apart once he was gone.
"Oh, you've had a tough time all these years."
The meal ended unhappily because of this incident. When Wang Tongzhi saw the two out, he promised to have a good drink with them next time.
On the way back by carriage, Chen Qingyan frowned and remained unusually silent.
What are you thinking about?
"I'm thinking about how to start Yuanbao's education."
Liang Boqing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "He's only two years old, what kind of enlightenment is that? He can't even hold a pen properly."
“I only have one son, and I want to help him plan things out so that he won’t go astray in the future.”
"Don't worry, you can tell what a person will be like at three years old. Yuanbao is a smart and sensible child, and he will definitely not cause you or Wang Ying any trouble."
"Thanks to your kind words, teacher, I hope so."
You don't know the love of your parents until you raise a child yourself. Only after he had Yuanbao did he understand the profound meaning of parents' love for their children and their plans for their future.
Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. We've bought all the New Year's goods we need, closed our shops, and are now enjoying a family reunion at home.
*
Snowflakes began to fall early in the morning, adding to the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
Yuanbao had changed into his new clothes early on: a red jacket with a front opening, and a bright yellow vest embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns and ruyi heads.
This outfit is made entirely of silk, which feels soft and fine to the touch. It's also padded with a thick layer of new cotton, making it light and warm to wear.
Speaking of which, Fang Ling embroidered the flowers on this jacket. Li Shi's needlework skills are not good. She can make simple clothes, but she can't do very delicate embroidery.
In previous years, Chen Rong was always around and Fang Ling would help her with the clothes. This year, however, her third aunt was not around but her fourth aunt had come. Coincidentally, Fang Ling was also very skilled at needlework, so she took the initiative to embroider this outfit for Yuan Bao.
After getting dressed, Mu Tou and Chun Sheng took him out to play.
"Keep an eye on them, don't get their clothes wet."
"Oh well, that saves me the trouble."
The servants also had new jackets made. Although the material was just ordinary coarse cloth, the cotton inside was really thick and substantial.
The Chen family is known for its kindness and has never mistreated its servants since the time of the patriarch. Now that life is gradually getting better, Wang Ying is even less likely to do anything to torment people, and has prepared cotton-padded clothes, trousers, and thick cotton shoes for everyone in advance.
Wang Ying changed into new clothes when he entered the room. He had bought the clothes directly from a clothing store and only had the sleeves altered, so they fit him perfectly.
The clothing shops in the prefectural city are different from those in the town. Not only are there more styles, but the variety is also more complete. You can buy almost anything you can think of.
The dark blue, slanted-front, fitted robe is the most popular style for young men at the time. With his hair tied up with a silver crown, he looks exceptionally tall and spirited.
Chen Qingyan hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek through the bronze mirror. "Aying is so beautiful."
"Glib-tongued."
"No, I'm just telling the truth."
Wang Ying turned around, cupped his chin with both hands and looked him over, "I think you're getting more and more handsome. I'm afraid that if I pass the imperial examination, someone will try to marry me off to someone else."
Chen Qingyan chuckled, "There's no such thing."
"Isn't that how it's always portrayed in plays? A poor scholar passes the imperial examination and becomes a rich girl who takes a liking to him and tries to marry him. He rises to the top in one step with the help of his father-in-law's power and money. As for his wife, he secretly orders her to be eliminated to prevent any future troubles."
"Where did you hear this kind of opera script?"
"Regardless of where I heard it from, just tell me if it exists or not."
Chen Qingyan pulled Wang Ying down to sit and said seriously, "I've never heard of such a thing, but it's unlikely to happen in the Wu Dynasty. Putting aside everything else, if you don't rank in the top tier of the provincial examination, even a second-tier candidate can only become a seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy. It would take forever to climb the ranks. Not to mention the possibility of being demoted, dismissed, or even having your property confiscated, exiled, or beheaded if you accidentally offend someone..."
Wang Ying took a deep breath. Her husband hadn't even started taking the imperial examinations yet, and he was already worrying about his future career as an official.
"Therefore, aristocratic families would never agree to marry their daughters to such a person, because who would want to marry a poor scholar when there are better marriage partners? Merchant families might be more likely, but abandoning one's wife for a merchant's daughter would not benefit one's career and would only bring infamy, so I doubt anyone would dare to do that."
“I was just saying it casually, but you took it seriously.”
Chen Qingyan said, "Of course it's true. I take every word Aying said to heart."
Wang Ying was thoroughly annoyed by his sweet talk, but her heart was warmed. "I understand, I won't tease you with those kinds of things anymore."
The two of them went to the east room together. Li Shi and Qingyun were stringing silver coins. This year had not been easy. Everyone had followed them so far. They planned to give the servants more bonus money for the New Year.
In previous years, when they were in their hometown, they would give their servants an extra half string of cash as a reward at the end of the year. This year, Li took out an extra ten taels of silver from her own private savings, intending to give each servant a string of cash.
Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan also sat down to help string the coins together. It was a set of one thousand copper coins, and the finished string was heavy and felt quite substantial in their hands.
Soon after, Chen Qingsong arrived. "Mother, why are you stringing so many copper coins together?"
"It's almost Chinese New Year, so let's give everyone some money to buy food and clothes."
"It would be so much more convenient to just give them small change."
Li said, "You don't understand. Although silver is valuable, an ounce is only about the size of a thumb, and it feels light and weightless in your hand. Copper coins are much more pleasant to hold and convenient to spend."
This is the wisdom of the ancients; they understood the thoughts of their servants better.
The money was almost gone, so Chen Qingyan went out and called the servants in. Needless to say, besides this cash, Wang Ying would also give Uncle Chen a lot of money privately.
Then came Aunt Chen and Granny Zhang, who served Yuanbao, followed by Chen Ershun, Ma Zhandong, Tian Ju, and Chen Fang, each receiving one string of cash.
The two children of the Huang family received one guan, and naturally, Mu Tou and Chun Sheng were not left out; they were also given one guan.
After the money was divided, Huang Baiguan suddenly pulled his younger brother forward, knelt down, and kowtowed, saying, "Master, we can't accept this money. You've taken us in and provided for our food and drink, how can we accept your money?"
"You're a sensible child," Wang Ying said, gesturing for them to rise. "Baiguan will be thirteen after the New Year. Although your father sent you two to live with me, you're not my servants, so I haven't assigned you any work. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you what your plans are for the future."
Huang Qianguan looked up at his older brother, Huang Baiguan, and mustered his courage to say, "I plan to take my younger brother to the martial arts school to learn martial arts. After he finishes learning, he will stay by the side of Master and Second Master to take care of them, just like Uncle Chen Guang..."
Wang Ying was somewhat surprised, not expecting the two brothers to have made such a plan.
Staying at home won't be of much help right now. Even taking care of Yuanbao is being done by Mutou and Chunsheng; they really can't get involved. If they keep just eating for free, they'll definitely become annoying in the long run. It's better to find some other way out.
A few days ago, when Huang Baiguan went out, he heard that the martial arts guild in the city was recruiting apprentices. They would provide food and lodging and pay ten coins a month. However, after completing their apprenticeship, they would have to work for the martial arts guild for three years before they could leave.
He felt this was a good opportunity for him and his brother, as they lacked any means of making a living. If they could learn martial arts, they could find other jobs to survive even if they no longer served the Chen family.
Wang Ying said, "Since you have made up your minds, I will send you to the martial arts school in the prefectural city after the New Year. However, learning martial arts is hard work, and I don't know if you can endure the hardship."
The two children kowtowed and said, "Don't worry, my lord, we can endure any hardship!"
The flood took away the families of two children, but it could not take away their spirit. Wang Ying also looked up to them from the bottom of her heart.
"This is New Year's money given by the old lady. You two can take it."
Li nodded, "I dare not refuse a gift from an elder, please take it." Only then did the two children take the copper coins and obediently retreat.
As for Liang An, who came with Elder Liang, and Chen Guang, the follower sent by Chen Jing, they shouldn't have been given a reward, since they weren't their servants.
But Wang Ying prepared money for everyone equally, one string of cash for each person.
Liang An wasn't young either, about the same age as Uncle Chen. He took the money and grinned from ear to ear, "What about mine?"
"Wishing you good fortune, Uncle Liang, a peaceful and healthy new year."
"I wouldn't dare. You can just call me Liang An, just like you do, sir."
“I am honored. You have taken great care of my husband and two younger brothers along the way. I hope you will not refuse this small token of my appreciation.”
"Okay, then I'll accept the money."
When the money was given to Chen Guang, he didn't say anything, just nodded as he took it.
He was a man of few words, with a taciturn personality and a reluctance to communicate with others. In addition, he possessed formidable martial arts skills, so Wang Ying always kept her distance whenever she saw him, fearing that she might provoke this ancient version of a secret agent bodyguard.
After the servants finished distributing their rewards, the elders began to give gifts to the younger generation.
As the oldest among them, Old Liang took the lead in giving away money. He gave away two bolts of brocade from Yangzhou to Wang Tongzhi, and gave one bolt to each of the other six bolts. He even gave away small gold ingots.
This thing is really valuable. A single horse usually costs around three hundred strings of cash, and it's priceless. Everyone accepted the gift and kowtowed to the old man to wish him a Happy New Year.
Next was Li, who was more practical. Each person received a red bag containing a small silver ingot weighing five taels.
Yuanbao was too young, so Wang Ying accepted the money on his behalf.
Finally, Fang Ling had her servants bring over a wooden box filled with items carefully selected by the couple.
"The imperial examinations will be held next year. All three of you must work hard. These inkstones were specially found by Brother Jing. I wish you all the best in passing the exams."
The three accepted the heavy inkstones and thanked them one by one. Don't underestimate these inkstones. Those who don't know them might just think they are a few black stones, but those who know their stuff will know that these inkstones are made of black stone from the Kunlun Mountains in northern Xinjiang. Not only is it extremely difficult to mine, but this kind of inkstone is also exceptionally hard. It takes a carver a year to carve just two inkstones.
Looking at the inkstone, Liang Boqing said, "This is a fine piece of stuff. If I had been able to get one back then, none of what happened afterward would have happened."
Wang Ying had already learned about Liang Lao's experience from Chen Qingyan. Back then, his half-brother replaced his inkstone, and as a result, the inkstone had a hidden compartment containing several pre-written notes.
It is indeed impossible to guard against being framed by one's own family.
After giving the gifts to the three people, he took out a set of Hetian jade jewelry and gave it to Qingyun. Hetian jade is a specialty of Shanzhou, and its price varies greatly depending on the quality of the jade.
The set of jade that her fourth aunt gave her was clearly of excellent quality; the white jade was delicate and smooth, and included a jade hairpin, a pair of jade bracelets, and a jade pendant.
When it was Wang Ying's turn, her fourth aunt mysteriously brought out a box. "This is a gift specially prepared by your fourth uncle. Ying, guess what it is?"
Wang Ying shook his head; how could he possibly guess that?
Auntie Si slowly opened the box, and inside was half a box of seeds.
There were about four or five kinds mixed together, but it didn't stump the agricultural student. He recognized the chili seeds in them at a glance!
"Where did this... where did we get this?"
“When your fourth uncle was working in Laizhou, he got to know many maritime merchants. These things were all brought back from overseas, but we didn’t know how to grow them, so we thought we’d give them to you to try.”
This gift touched Wang Ying's heart, and she quickly and carefully accepted it to express her gratitude.
Little Yuanbao, who had been waiting for a long time without receiving his things, pouted and whispered, "Has Fourth Aunt forgotten about Yuanbao?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Fang Ling quickly picked him up and kissed him, saying, "How could I forget my dear grandson? Fourth Grandma prepared this for you."
As he spoke, he took out a large jar of milk candy, a specialty of Shanzhou, handmade by the herdsmen. It has a strong milky aroma and is a favorite among children.
We welcomed the new year amidst laughter and joy.
A note from the author:
The imperial examinations are about to begin.
By the way, Fourth Uncle wasn't a time traveler, but he does have a really impressive skill—catering to people's preferences.
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