Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Amidst cries of "scandalous," Wang Ying emerged from the bedchamber, shaking with laughter. Teasing Chen Qingyan was, perhaps, one of his few pleasures.

The young man was utterly bookish, spouting "propriety and integrity" one moment and "how outrageous!" the next. He couldn't even swear properly and was prone to blushing—truly amusing.

It was just a pity his health was so fragile; he might drop dead any day. Thinking about it, it was rather sad.

By the time Wang Ying reached the main hall, the meal was already laid out on the table.

Li Shi asked a few questions about his family, then, without eating, clutched her forehead and retired to the inner room. The two children also looked distressed, heads bowed, uttering not a word.

Wang Ying tentatively asked, "Did something happen at home?"

Chen Qingyun opened her mouth to speak, but tears immediately welled up and fell.

Wang Ying was startled and quickly pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to her. "It's alright, it's alright. Take your time."

"Right after you left this morning, big brother fainted. The physician came and used acupuncture to revive him. *Waaah...*"

Wang Ying was taken aback. When he had returned, Chen Qingyan had seemed quite lively—how could he have become so gravely ill so suddenly?

"Did the physician say anything else?"

Chen Qingyun nodded. "He said big brother probably doesn't have much time left—at most three months, or as little as... half a month. He told me to prepare in advance..." By the time she finished, Chen Qingyun was sobbing uncontrollably.

Beside her, San Lang was also wiping away tears, a sight that made Wang Ying's heart ache.

"Don't listen to that quack's nonsense. I think your big brother is fine; perhaps he just needs some rest to recover."

The two children looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, absolutely." Although Wang Ying had only been with the Chen family for two days and hadn't developed deep feelings for them, he still had to consider his own future.

If Chen Qingyan died, he would nominally become a widower, and the Chen family would lose its pillar.

Li Shi's temperament was hardly suited to managing the family estate, and Chen Qingyun and Chen Qingsong were still too young. In that scenario, they would likely have to rely on the Chen family's second uncle.

Judging by that man's character, he would probably devour the Chen family whole. Moreover, Wang Ying had just offended him yesterday—there was no guarantee he wouldn't seek revenge later.

With that thought, Wang Ying began to feel anxious. Chen Qingyan absolutely could not die!

When he returned to the bedchamber, Uncle Chen was attending to Chen Qingyan, wiping his face. Having likely learned about the day's events, Uncle Chen looked utterly contrite.

Before the old master passed away, he had entrusted him with taking good care of the young master. Not only had he failed in his duty, but now things had come to this...

Hearing Uncle Chen's suppressed sobs, Chen Qingyan sighed. "Go get some rest."

"This old servant will stay and attend to you tonight."

"There's no need. You've been driving the cart all day."

"I'm not tired. Please let me stay!"

As the two began to argue, Wang Ying cleared his throat. "How about... I take care of him tonight?"

Uncle Chen paused, suddenly remembering that the two were married. It truly wouldn't be proper for him to stay.

"Then I'll trouble Young Master."

"It's no trouble. Uncle Chen, please go rest."

Wang Ying saw him out, closed the door, and moved a stool to sit by the bed. "Hey, I heard you fainted during the day?"

Chen Qingyan snorted coldly, lying on the pillow with his eyes closed, clearly ignoring him.

"You didn't eat again, did you?"

Chen Qingyan opened his eyes in surprise, wondering how he had guessed.

"Sometimes I really don't understand what you're thinking. If you truly want to die, I can teach you—this bed curtain would work well; you could wrap it around your neck and hang yourself without even getting out of bed. If you think hanging is too unsightly, these teacups and bowls would do too—smash them and cut your wrists. Or you could just bash your head against the wall..."

"What are you trying to say?"

Wang Ying dropped his playful expression. "If you want to die, then do it cleanly. What's the point of dragging it out and making everyone sad and distressed?"

"I'm not..."

"If you don't want to die, why not take care of your health? Or do you think pride is more important than life?"

Chen Qingyan pressed his lips together and said nothing, though tears glistened in his eyes. "You just don't understand..."

"I don't understand how much your pride is worth, but I do know that if you die, your uncle's family will move in tomorrow, seize your family's house and land, bully your mother, mistreat your younger siblings, and perhaps even force Qingyun to become a bride for a sickly man."

"Impossible! I won't let him do that!"

"Don't you know what your uncle is like? Besides, if you're dead, how will you stop him?"

Chen Qingyan's chest heaved with anger as he glared at Wang Ying.

"Don't get mad at me. I'm merely telling you what's likely to happen."

"What does it matter? I'm already as good as dead."

Wang Ying grew angry at his hopeless demeanor. "Why are you so determined to die? So you failed the imperial exams? If you fail once, try again! I've seen people who didn't pass until they were fifty or sixty."

"You just don't understand! Do you think I don't want to take them again?! If it were just one failure, why would I be like this?!" Chen Qingyan suddenly deflated, collapsing back onto the pillow. "I can't take the exams anymore. I'll never be able to again..."

He began to sob, his cries growing louder until he was wailing, as if venting all the injustice and anger in his heart.

Afraid he might faint again, Wang Ying quickly reached out to support him, letting him lean on his shoulder while patting his back to soothe him.

"Take deep breaths. Let it out slowly!"

Chen Qingyan cried for nearly fifteen minutes before gradually calming down. He pushed Wang Ying away and lay back on the bed, lifeless once more.

"What do you mean you can't take the exams anymore?"

"None of your business."

"Come on, tell me. We're married, after all. If you die, you'll have to rely on me to burn joss paper for you."

"Shameless..."

"Yes, yes, I'm shameless. If you don't want me as your wife, we can be like brothers. I'm a bit older, so you can call me big brother."

Chen Qingyan looked at Wang Ying strangely. How could there be a man like this? He had never heard or seen anything like it. Could it be that country folk were all this bold?

He had never told his family about being unable to take the exams, keeping it bottled up until it became a heartache. For some reason, he suddenly felt the urge to confide in someone. But just as he opened his mouth, there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Knock, knock, knock, Young Master, what happened?" It turned out that Uncle Chen had heard the crying in the room and hurried over to ask.

Wang Ying quickly replied, "It's nothing, really. Uncle Chen, you should go to bed early."

After the person left, Chen Qingyan refused to say anything more. No matter how Wang Ying threatened or coaxed him, he remained stubborn, closing his eyes and pretending to be dead.

"Alright, if you don't want to talk, I won't ask. I know you're hiding something. But remember, a hard life is better than dying. If you die, your mother would surely be the most heartbroken. What if she, overwhelmed by grief, follows you? Then your family's vast estate would simply fall into others' hands."

"Besides, not being able to take the imperial exams isn't the end of the world. You have hands and feet, and you're literate—you can do other things."

Chen Qingyan looked at him in surprise. "Other things?" Since he began his studies at six, passing the imperial exams had been his sole life goal. He had never considered doing anything else.

"Like farming. Doesn't your family own hundreds of acres of fertile land? Farming well is a skill too."

"Tenants take care of the farming. There's no need for me to do it myself."

"Others farming and doing it yourself are two different things. Don't you think it's fulfilling to watch the seeds you plant take root, sprout leaves, bloom, and finally bear fruit?"

Chen Qingyan shook his head.

"Well, there's no use explaining it to you. How about going into business or learning a trade?"

"Those are lowly occupations. How could I do such things?"

Wang Ying was taken aback by his feudal mindset.

"Occupations aren't inherently high or low—it's people's subjective views that assign them value. You should know that great merchants in the south amass wealth rivaling nations, and even high officials show them respect. As for craftsmen, the court has a Ministry of Works, and its head holds a second-rank position, on par with the other six ministries. How can you call that lowly?"

Chen Qingyan was stunned, hardly believing these words came from a village boy.

"How do you know all this?"

Wang Ying stammered, "There's a private school in our village. When I used to gather firewood in the mountains, I often eavesdropped on the teacher's lessons. I didn't just hear these things—I also learned to read quite a few characters..."

Chen Qingyan didn't doubt him, as it was hard to imagine how else he could know about the outside world.

After all, this era lacked access to information and transportation was inconvenient; most ordinary people never left their hometowns in their lifetime.

Seeing Chen Qingyan lost in thought, Wang Ying knew his words had struck a chord. He got up, picked up his bedding, and prepared to continue sleeping on the floor.

"You... why not sleep on the bed? The floor's too cold..." Chen Qingyan had originally intended to have the servants tidy up the west wing for him to stay in, but with the chaos at home after he'd been unconscious half the day, it hadn't been arranged.

"It's fine, this is comfortable enough." Wang Ying was still thinking about the experimental field and didn't dare move elsewhere, unsure if the phenomenon was location-specific.

After blowing out the lamp, the two lay down, each lost in their thoughts. After an incense stick's time, a white light flashed before Wang Ying's eyes again, and a drop of water suddenly fell on his face.

He opened his eyes to find himself back in the experimental field—only this time, dark clouds gathered overhead, and it was raining!

Author's Note: