Chapter 78 [VIP]
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the villagers, young and old, spontaneously visited the landlord's house to offer New Year's greetings, bringing their children with them.
In previous years, the villagers would spend the New Year in town, which was far away and inconvenient for them to visit. It would be the head of the village, Chen Xi, who would bring New Year's gifts to town to send greetings. This year, it's convenient for them to be in the village, so naturally they came to pay their respects.
The gate to the villa opened, and the yellow dog barked twice. Seeing its owners warmly welcoming them in, it wagged its tail and went back to its kennel for a nap. The firecrackers that had been going off all night had kept it awake.
Wang Ying prepared plenty of melon seeds and candies. Whenever the children arrived, she would grab a handful and stuff them into her pockets, making the kids extremely happy.
Sugar was expensive, and even during the New Year, families in the village couldn't afford to buy too much. They would often just buy a few pieces to sweeten their mouths, and the children would finish them before they had had enough.
The villagers who came to pay their respects were very sincere. They kowtowed as soon as they arrived and poured out a whole bunch of auspicious words, making everyone very happy.
People kept coming to pay New Year's visits until noon. Li was a little tired, so she took Yuanbao back to the backyard for a nap.
Wang Ying led several children to play cards in the front room. Last year, the children lost money and dared not gamble anymore. This year, Wang Ying simply led them to stick paper strips on their faces. They tore straw paper into small strips and stuck one on their face when they lost.
After two rounds of cards, Wang Ying had the worst luck; her face was almost covered with paper strips.
When Chen Qingyan came over, he burst into laughter, "What are you all doing?"
"You've come at the perfect time! Come on over and help me play a few rounds. These three kids are specifically targeting me."
Qingyun laughed so hard she almost fell over. "Sister-in-law, you can't take it off! We agreed you can only take it off after we've finished hitting it."
Wang Ying blew on the note on her forehead and said, "I won't take it off. Your older brother will deal with you later."
As a result, Chen Qingyan's card skills were also lacking, and he returned empty-handed with his face covered in notes. The couple looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down their faces.
After a joyful Spring Festival, the busy and stressful study life resumed.
After celebrating Yuanbao's first birthday, and with the weather gradually warming up, Liang Boqing planned to take the three of them on a study tour.
The saying goes that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Much of the knowledge in books cannot be clearly expressed in words; one must experience it for oneself to understand its profound meaning.
Old Liang's planned route was to first travel by carriage to Jizhou Prefecture to visit several of his old friends, and then turn back to Laizhou.
He lived in Laizhou for seven or eight years and still has a house there. He's going back this time to settle it down so it won't fall into disrepair over time.
He had many friends in Laizhou. He knew almost all the instructors at the prefectural school, and the dean was a disciple of one of his friends. He could use this connection to get the three of them in for a few months so they could experience the learning atmosphere of the prefectural school.
In June or July, they would take a boat back to their hometown of Yangzhou to show them how students in the south study. Finally, they would return before the end of the year to participate in the county examination next year.
When Li heard that her two sons were going to be gone for a year, she was very worried and reluctant to let them go. However, she also understood that this was a rare opportunity. Without Mr. Liang leading the way, her three children would never have been able to travel such a long distance in their entire lives.
Two days before leaving, Wang Ying prepared a large pile of clothes for Chen Qingyan, some thin and some thick, in case he was too hot or too cold outside.
Although the two had an experimental field that allowed them to communicate daily, Wang Ying was still worried.
Ancient times were not like modern times. Transportation and communication were backward, bandits roamed the mountains and fields, not to mention that typhoid fever and the common cold could be fatal. I was really worried about them.
Chen Qingyan noticed his worry and took his hand, saying, "Don't worry, this is all official road. We can meet in the experimental field every night. Nothing will happen."
"We can't drive the experimental fields every day. What if it's inconvenient to sleep in the car or at a rest stop on the road?"
"When it's inconvenient for me, I'll take some time to go in and leave you a note to let you know I'm safe."
Wang Ying hummed in agreement, her nose feeling a little sore.
Chen Qingyan raised her hand and lifted his face, "Why are you crying, brother?"
"I didn't cry."
Seeing him like this, Chen Qingyan couldn't help but hug him. "I've been away for a year, so I'm entrusting the family to you."
Wang Ying said in a muffled voice, "Just take good care of yourself, and don't get sick on the way."
"I understand."
Both of them knew that the temporary separation was for a better future, so Wang Ying wholeheartedly supported him.
Wiping away her tears, she began to instruct, "When you get to the South, don't forget to find fruit trees for me—oranges, lychees, bayberries, loquats…you need all of these. Also, put some of the good vegetables you find into the experimental fields."
"Okay, I've written it all down."
"It's okay if we can't find fruit trees; I can try to cultivate them even if we don't have the pits." There are simply too few types of fruit in the north, and coupled with the inconvenience of transportation in ancient times, it was impossible to eat southern fruits.
"Okay, I'll also pick some pretty flowers and plants for you to put in the experimental field."
Wang Ying nodded, and the two looked at each other, feeling touched. They couldn't help but hug each other again, truly reluctant to part.
“Once you leave, Yuanbao will be able to talk when you come back.”
"Will he forget about me? I wish my son could go to the experimental field too."
Wang Ying dared not try it lightly. He still remembered the first time he brought in a cricket and pressed it into a two-dimensional plane. Without the system's prompts, he dared not bring in a gold ingot.
The next morning, Chen Qingyan woke up and went to the backyard to see the children.
I'm leaving tomorrow, so I'm taking advantage of today's free time to go out and have some fun with him.
Although it's still cold outside, the snow has already melted, so dress the children warmly to keep them from getting cold.
Chen Qingyan carried her son on her shoulders and first looked at the puppies and kittens.
"This is Wangwang, our little dog."
“Xiao Dou…” Yuanbao can speak now, but he has a lisp and his words are not clear.
The big yellow dog sat on the ground, its tongue lolling out, tilting its head to look at the father and son.
"Wangwang, this is your little master. You must protect him from now on."
As if understanding, the dog obediently lay down on the ground, making gurgling sounds.
"The one lying on top is a cat, that's our cat."
Yuanbao stared wide-eyed at the orange cat with curiosity.
Normally, this cat is very aloof and ignores everyone, but today, perhaps because it was in a good mood, it jumped over, rubbed against Chen Qingyan's legs, and meowed.
"Kitty, kitty!" This made Yuanbao very excited, and he reached out to pet the kitten.
Chen Qingyan was afraid the cat would scratch him, so he didn't dare put the child down. He carried the child directly out the door and along the path to the village.
Along the way, they encountered many people who came up to greet them, saying, "The boss is out! This must be the young master. He's so handsome!"
"Being fair and chubby looks like a blessing, like a fairy child in a temple."
Little Yuanbao wasn't afraid of people at all, and waved to everyone with a smile. His adorable appearance was truly endearing.
"This is a big tree, this is a sparrow, this is a mule..."
Chen Qingyan was teaching her son about new things, and since she was about to leave, it seemed like she wanted to teach him everything.
However, the child was too young and got tired after a while, so he lay on his head and sucked his fingers.
When they arrived at Chen Xi's house, they found the family helping Er Shun pack his things. The Chen family was just as worried about his departure, which would last for a year.
Upon seeing Chen Qingyan approach, Chen Xi hurriedly came out to greet him, "Greetings, Master, Young Master, it's cold outside, please come inside."
This was Yuanbao's first time visiting someone else's home, and everything looked new and exciting to him.
Chen Xi's family didn't have much food for the children, so his wife quickly started a fire and boiled two eggs. After they were cooked, she rinsed them with water, peeled them, and gave them to Yuanbao to eat.
"Did you thank Grandma?"
Yuanbao raised his two chubby little hands and bowed to express his gratitude, which made everyone laugh heartily.
"I wouldn't dare accept that. I'm just glad you're happy, young master."
“This trip will last a year, so I’m sending Ershun’s wages in advance to prevent him from spending them recklessly on the road.” Chen Qingyan took out ten taels of silver from his pocket and put it down.
"No, that won't do! How can I accept so much money from the employer!"
"Take it. It's been a long and tiring journey. Hiring someone else would cost money, so it's more convenient to have Ershun by your side."
Ten taels of silver is quite a lot; it's enough for them to buy a mule and start farming. Chen Xi felt more and more that the landlord was kind and his son would definitely do well following him.
He turned to his son and instructed him, "Be quick-witted in your words and actions when you go out, and be diligent in your work. Don't cause trouble for the employer."
"Oh, I understand."
February 16th is an auspicious day for travel.
Early in the morning, the servants placed the packed luggage and books on the cart behind them and covered them with tarpaulins to prevent them from getting wet in the rain.
After finishing their last breakfast, Liang Boqing led them to prepare for their departure.
Originally, Uncle Chen was going to go with them, but Chen Qingyan was worried about his family, so he only brought Ershun to accompany him. Together with the attendants that his fourth uncle had sent, the group of six set off.
We drove two carts: a horse-drawn carriage carrying passengers and a mule cart behind it to pull our luggage, which was convenient if we got stuck on the road.
Chen Qingyan hugged Yuanbao and kissed him several times. "Daddy has to go now. Stay home and listen to your father and grandmother."
Little Yuanbao, unaware of the long separation, giggled as he was kissed, "Daddy, give me a kiss, give me a kiss."
Li secretly wiped away her tears, took out a hundred-tael silver note from her bosom and handed it to him, saying, "Hide this silver note well, in case you encounter any difficulties."
"Sigh." Chen Qingyan did not refuse. Although there was a lot of silver in the experimental field, there would inevitably be times when he was away from home and could not collect it in time.
Madam Li looked at Qinghuai and her youngest son Qingsong beside her, "You two should listen to your older brother when you're outside. Especially Qingsong, you mustn't be naughty anymore, understand? It's not like home outside. If you encounter someone with a bad temper, you'll have nowhere to seek justice if you suffer a loss."
Chen Qingsong nodded in agreement.
Qingyun then handed each of the three a sachet, saying, "These contain amulets to protect you and ensure a safe and smooth journey."
Finally, when it came to Wang Ying, he hadn't prepared anything. He simply reached out and straightened Chen Qingyan's hair ornament, saying, "When you're out there, don't get into arguments with people. Take good care of yourself."
"Um."
Liang Boqing, who had been waiting impatiently in the carriage, lifted the curtain and asked, "Are we leaving or not? Or should we have lunch first?"
The three quickly got into the carriage, and everyone reluctantly saw them off outside the courtyard.
Yuanbao, seeing that the person was missing, anxiously reached out to look for him, "Daddy, Daddy..."
Wang Ying hugged her son tightly and comforted him, "Daddy went out to work, he'll be back soon."
"Waaah—" Little Yuanbao cried out in distress.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyan's eyes instantly reddened. He quickly lowered his head to hide his tears, already experiencing the bitterness of separation even before they had gone far.
It will be hard to say goodbye when we meet again; I won't be able to return for another year.
A note from the author:
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