Chapter 83 [VIP]
Wang Ying sat down, holding Yuanbao, and began to chat with him about everyday things, "How was your day in the prefecture?"
“Our master took us to the prefectural school and we met Lu Zhongqi, the great scholar who wrote ‘Quchi River’.”
Wang Ying was stunned. Qingyan could actually see the people in her book. Suddenly, she felt a sense of unreality.
Did you speak to him? How old is he?
"Old Master Lu is over sixty years old and has a very kind personality. Tomorrow we will go to the academy to listen to his lectures, and Master will also teach the students at the academy for a few days."
As Yuanbao listened to the two talking, his head started bobbing up and down like a chick pecking at rice.
Chen Qingyan reached out and took the child, holding him in his arms to lull him to sleep. "We met a student at the academy. He turned out to be from Tianyang County, and he was even a classmate of my second cousin."
"What a coincidence." Wang Ying couldn't help but say with some concern, "You've just met him. You shouldn't have any intention to harm him, but you must be wary of him."
"I know." Having learned from Zhang Xiucai's example, Chen Qingyan dared not easily open his heart to anyone again.
"By the way, Mother has been arranging a marriage for Qingyun these past few days."
Chen Qingyan frowned slightly, "They're already discussing marriage so early?"
"It's getting late. Qingyun will be fifteen after the New Year." According to local custom, girls can be engaged at fifteen and get married after their coming-of-age ceremony at sixteen.
Although Wang Ying was also reluctant to let Qingyun get married so early, this was the case for all the men and women in the town. If they didn't arrange a good marriage for her now, it would be delayed later.
"Tell Mother not to worry, it's not too late to order after I return from my studies abroad."
Wang Ying nodded, "Mother didn't say anything about settling down right away, she just wanted to find someone to match with. Plus, matchmakers have been coming to the door these past few days, so we've started thinking about it."
"Wait a little longer. Next year, Qinghuai and I will both take the county and provincial examinations. If we can pass the provincial examinations, we can find a good marriage for my sister."
"Okay, I'll talk to Mother about it tomorrow."
The two stayed in the experimental field until their time was almost up before leaving. Wang Ying carefully put her son back on the kang (a heated brick bed) and covered him with a small quilt.
The child was still sobbing in his sleep, muttering, "Father... Yuanbao knows he was wrong."
Wang Ying felt a wave of regret, wishing she could punch herself. He was so small, why did she have to scare him like that!
However, this time the two-person mixed education did work, and Yuanbao no longer dared to sneak into the experimental field alone.
The next morning, Wang Ying went to the front yard and called the two young servants, instructing them not to tell anyone about what happened yesterday. She warned them that if word got out, the speaker might not mean anything by it, but the listener might take it to heart, which could be detrimental to Yuanbao.
Chunsheng still looked bewildered, unaware of what had happened yesterday. He only remembered that the young master had suddenly disappeared, leaving him in a state of shock and blankness, unable to recall anything afterward.
The boy with the wooden head was quite perceptive. "My lord, I didn't see anything yesterday."
Wang Ying gave him an approving look, "Good boy, Aunt Chen will stew meat for you for lunch."
The two children stopped worrying about it and smiled. Since coming to the Chen family, they had both gained weight, especially Mu Tou, who had been starving and hadn't had a proper meal since his grandmother passed away. Now, not only could they eat their fill every day, but they could also have meat every few days. They couldn't be happier, and they even seemed to be growing taller.
After instructing the two children, he told them to go to the backyard to play with Yuanbao, while he went to Li's room.
"Mother, are you up?"
"Come in." Madam Li had been awake for a while. People her age don't need much sleep. She was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) making summer clothes for Yuanbao.
"You've come at the right time. Help me thread the needle; I've tried several times to get it on."
Wang Ying sat beside her, helping her thread the needle. "Mother, I want to tell you something."
"What's up?"
"Don't rush to arrange Qingyun's marriage. Qingyan will be able to take the imperial examination soon. If she passes and becomes a Juren, we can find her a good marriage."
Li put down the scissors and said, "I've thought about what you've said, but Qingyun is not young anymore. Girls her age are basically all engaged. What if Qingyan doesn't pass the exam? Wouldn't that be a waste of her time?"
He could understand Li's feelings; all parents hope their children will find a good marriage. Especially for girls, marriage is like a second chance at life. Marrying into a good family, living in harmony with their spouse, and having a happy and fulfilling life is the best outcome. If, like his third aunt, she marries into a family that looks respectable but is actually despicable, her life is ruined.
"I'll look around first, and if I find a suitable one, I'll make an appointment. If not, I'll wait until Qingyan finishes the imperial examination."
Just then, Qingyun came over. "Mother, sister-in-law, what are you talking about?"
"Let's talk about your wedding."
Qingyun blushed, "Sister-in-law, please don't tease me."
Li said, "A few days ago, the matchmaker mentioned the second son of the Feng family in town. He's a year older than you. I wonder if you remember him."
Qingyun had seen him before. That kid always had a runny nose in winter, and his coat sleeves would be wiped until they were shiny. The children gave him the nickname "Snotty Boy".
"Snotty-nosed boy, I won't marry him!"
"Don't talk nonsense. He hasn't had a runny nose for a long time now. I heard he's helping his father run a cloth business."
"No, no, I won't marry him."
Li slapped her on the back, saying, "Marriage is a big deal, you can't just do whatever you want. But I don't think his family is a good match either. Feng's mother is too slovenly. She buys pigs by looking at their pens. If you marry into that family, they definitely won't be clean either."
Wang Ying burst out laughing at her mother-in-law's words, and Qingyun couldn't help but laugh too. The two sisters-in-law laughed until tears streamed down their faces.
After scolding the two men, Li started laughing herself. After a while, she stopped laughing and said, "There's also the eldest son of the Sun family. He looks just average to me. He's the same age as Qingyun and is also studying. He looks like the God of Longevity, with a forehead so big it looks like he's wearing a bowl on his head."
"Ouch, hahahahahaha..." Qingyun clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she almost choked.
It wasn't that Li was being mean; the child did indeed have a large forehead and a high hairline. In ancient times, men mostly wore their hair in high buns, which made their foreheads appear even larger. Sun's mother often boasted about her son's head, saying he was "exceptionally intelligent" and would definitely become the top scholar in the imperial examinations.
Li then selected several young men, but felt that none of them were good enough for her daughter. There's an old saying: "Your own children are the best, and other people's crops are the best."
"Let's pick one first. Your sister-in-law said she's not in a hurry to arrange a marriage for you. She wants to wait until your older brother passes the imperial examination and finds you a good family."
Qingyun lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, "Mother and sister-in-law can decide."
Wang Ying couldn't help but chuckle, recalling when Qingyun had just married into the Chen family; she was still a child, and in the blink of an eye, she had grown into a young woman.
*
In April, Chen Rong returned with Lin Sui. Lin Sui and Qing Yun were the same age and of marriageable age. A matchmaker came to introduce them, and Chen Rong found a son-in-law in the county so that the two brothers could help each other if needed.
Li: "Has Sui'er's marriage been arranged?"
"It's arranged. It's a Huang family in the county town. They run a business with two shops. They'll pick an auspicious day to get married next year after the New Year."
Li held Lin Sui's hand and said, "You're really willing to marry off our second son so quickly."
“How could I bear to part with them? Children grow up and can’t stay at home forever. If I keep them around, they’ll only become enemies. I might as well marry them both off to my husband and I’ll have peace and quiet.”
Lin Sui lowered his head shyly. He had met the second son of the Huang family before. Chen Rong had not taken a liking to him when the matchmaker introduced them, because there were four brothers in the Huang family, and there would inevitably be disputes over the family property in the future.
But after meeting Huang Erlang, Lin Sui was immediately captivated by his striking appearance and begged her mother to agree to the marriage.
Li asked, "How's the wheat? It's been six months now, hasn't it?"
“We left exactly six months ago. He had some health problems recently, with mouth ulcers that prevented him from breastfeeding and caused him to lose several pounds. It was an old doctor who gave him a folk remedy: grinding borneol and indigo into powder and applying it to his mouth that cured him. He's been able to eat and drink well again lately and has gained weight back. He has his mother-in-law taking care of him, and I only brought Sui’er back after I saw that he was alright.”
"That's good. I was hoping Qiu'er could bring the child back with her this time."
"It's too small to handle. We'll bring it back when it's a bit bigger so it can play with Yuanbao."
Mentioning Yuanbao, Chen Rong said, "Where is he? Where has that kid gone to play?"
Wang Ying said, "My mother found him two playmates. Lately, the weather has been warm, and he spends his days digging for earthworms and catching crickets in the fields. He doesn't come back until it's time to eat."
"Be careful not to get bitten by insects or snakes."
Li said, "It's alright, I put a realgar sachet on him to ward off snakes."
Just then, the three children returned from outside, with Chunsheng carrying Yuanbao on his back, running and covered in sweat.
"Grandma, Grandma, look what I caught!" Yuanbao was holding a palm-sized gray rabbit in his arms, his little face covered in mud, looking as dirty as a little kitten.
Chen Rong stepped forward and hugged Yuanbao tightly. "My dear grandson, I've missed you so much! Do you still recognize me?"
Yuanbao didn't remember her at all. Chen Rong was only a few months old when she left, and Yuanbao tilted his head, looking at her with a face full of curiosity.
This little guy looks exactly like Chen Qingyan, which makes Chen Rong extremely fond of him. She quickly takes a handkerchief to wipe his face clean, saying, "I am your great-aunt."
Yuanbao wasn't shy at all and greeted her confidently, "Grandma."
"Why!"
Mrs. Li asked her grandson with a smile, "Where did you get this rabbit?"
"Brother Wood caught it for me."
Chen Rong looked at Mu Tou and Chun Sheng standing beside her and asked, "Is this to find servants for Yuan Bao?"
"Yes, they are all children from the village, honest and law-abiding. Chunsheng, this is Third Aunt."
The two children respectfully kowtowed to Chen Rong, saying, "Greetings, Third Aunt."
"Get up, take good care of Yuanbao, and don't let him get hurt."
"yes."
Yuanbao couldn't stay inside. After playing for a while, he picked up his little rabbit and wanted to go out again. The two children hurriedly followed him out, and everyone started talking about Qingyan and the others.
"I heard from Cao Kun that the three of them went on a study tour with Elder Liang?"
Wang Ying said, "They left in February, and should have arrived in Jizhou by now. They will go to Laizhou in a while, and then take a boat to Jiangnan. They won't be back until the end of the year."
"They've been gone for so long, I'm really worried about them."
Li chimed in, "Who says otherwise? It's good to go out and broaden one's horizons; such opportunities don't come around often."
"Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you," Chen Rong said in a low voice, "Lin Changbin is dead..."
Li asked in surprise, "Ah! When did this happen?"
"She died around the time Xiaomai was a month old! I only found out last year; I heard she starved to death..."
"What about that slut's child?"
"He starved to death too. He was so small and had no one to feed him, how could he survive? I heard that when the neighbors found the body, the child's stomach was so shrunken from hunger..."
The two couldn't help but sigh. The child hadn't done anything wrong, but it was a pity that he was born into such a family and had to suffer for nothing.
Li silently murmured "Amitabha," and said, "His death is a consequence of his own actions; no one will bother Qiu'er anymore."
A note from the author:
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