Chapter 45

Chapter 45

In March, as everything came back to life, with grass growing and orioles singing, the snow on the mountain finally melted away. Wang Ying decided it was time to start building their house.

First, they needed to gather materials. Although the house was to be built on the estate, he didn't want to cut corners, as they might live there permanently in the future. Bricks and tiles couldn't be bought in the village and had to be special-ordered from town. This would also be a good opportunity to visit his family.

"I’m going back to town tomorrow. Will you come with me?"

Chen Qingyan put down the book in his hand and shook his head. "I don’t want to go back…"

Wang Ying knew he still harbored reservations about the town and naturally didn’t want to force him. It had taken so much effort to help him recover a little; he didn't want to push him and risk a setback.

"Then I’ll go back alone tomorrow. Business at the shop has been slow lately. I’ll bring the children back to play for a few days when I return."

"Okay, whatever you think is best, brother."

Wang Ying’s heart softened. He led Chen Qingyan out to the experimental field.

Whenever he entered the experimental field, Chen Qingyan always relaxed more than usual, probably because it felt cut off from the outside world, alleviating much of his internal pressure.

The two had been on the estate for two months. Chen Qingyan had gone from being unable to speak at all to now mostly regaining his ability to express himself in daily life. However, he still felt nervous around strangers and was reluctant to initiate conversations.

Wang Ying was patient; he had plenty of time to support Chen Qingyan’s gradual recovery.

The peach trees in the experimental field had matured, bearing round, large peaches, though the quantity was a bit small. Wang Ying didn’t plan to sell them. Instead, they filled a basket to take into town tomorrow for the family to enjoy.

After picking the peaches, the two sat under the tree to cool off in the shade.

Wang Ying laid his head in Chen Qingyan’s lap, eating a peach, and asked, "I plan to build a house on the estate. What sort of house would you like?"

"Anything is fine."

"Don’t you have any particular preference?"

Chen Qingyan thought for a moment and said, "Could you build a hexagonal pavilion for me? When the weather is warm, we can relax and play chess inside. When it’s cold in winter, we can sit around the stove brewing tea and enjoy the snow."

"Of course! We can plant a few plum trees next to the pavilion then, and we can enjoy the plum blossoms too!"

"It’s a shame it’s too cold here to grow bamboo. If we could plant a few green bamboos, the scenery would be even better."

Since ancient times, scholars and refined individuals have had a special fondness for plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. Wang Ying remembered that there was a type of moso bamboo that could grow in North China. He decided to have someone inquire about it later; if he could buy some, he would transplant a few.

Chen Qingyan began to look forward to the new house. He even got out a brush to sketch out plans for his study.

Seeing him in such good spirits, Wang Ying felt relieved. People always need something to look forward to; having a goal keeps one from feeling lost. Otherwise, given Chen Qingyan’s previous condition, Wang Ying wouldn’t have dared to leave him alone.

*

Early the next morning, Dun Zi drove the mule cart, carrying Wang Ying and two baskets of peaches, toward town.

The snow on the road had completely melted, making the journey much easier. They set out before dawn and arrived at the doorstep by mid-morning.

The gatekeeper, Lin Zai, was excited to see their family's cart and rushed out. "Young Master! You're back!"

Wang Ying got out of the cart and said, "I came by myself."

Lin Zai happily swung the gate open, letting Dun Zi drive the cart into the courtyard.

Li Shi and Chen Rong also came out upon hearing the noise. "Ying’er, you're back!"

"Mother, Aunt."

"Why isn’t Yan’er with you?"

"Qing Yan didn’t want to come back. I came back alone."

Li Shi’s face fell slightly, but she quickly brightened and pulled Wang Ying into the house.

"How have you been on the estate these past two months? Have you adapted?"

Wang Ying said, "At first, it was a bit hard to adapt. It was inconvenient to get things on the estate, and the Manor Head’s family was overly polite, making meals for us every time. They nearly went through all their chickens."

"Oh dear, we can't have you troubling them like that."

"Qing Yan and I tried to persuade them several times, but they wouldn’t listen. Later, we secretly slipped them some silver, and only then did they stop."

Li Shi cautiously asked about her son’s condition. "Is Qing Yan... better now?"

"Much better. He’s pretty much his old self again. However, he still doesn’t like interacting with strangers and refuses to speak when he sees people he doesn’t know."

Chen Rong patted his hand and said, "That’s good. Your mother and I have been worried sick, afraid he might get down like he did before."

Wang Ying reassured her, "Don’t worry, Mother. Although the estate isn’t as convenient as town, the people are simple and honest. They don’t spread gossip or say hurtful things. Let him recuperate there for a while longer until he’s fully recovered before coming back."

"No rush. Can you stay a few more days this time?"

"I’ll stay for two days and then head back. I plan to buy some materials to build a house on the estate. I’ll hire people to build it when the spring farm work is done. That way, if you ever want to stay on the estate for a while, there will be a place for you."

Hearing this, Li Shi’s eyes lit up. "That’s wonderful! Do you have enough money? If not, I can give you some!"

"It’s enough. It won’t cost too much." Labor and materials were cheap, and the land was their own, so no money was needed for that. Wang Ying estimated that seventy or eighty taels of silver would be sufficient.

"I’ll have Er Shun inquire about where to buy bricks, tiles, and timber. It’s best to have them delivered directly to the estate."

"Okay."

Around noon, Chen Qingyun, Lin Qiu, and Lin Sui returned from the shop.

After Wang Ying left, the vegetable shop had been handed over to the three of them to run.

At first, Li Shi and Chen Rong were worried and went with them a few times. But when they saw that the three were doing a good job with the business, they let them take charge.

As soon as they saw Wang Ying, Chen Qingyun excitedly rushed over. "Sister-in-law!"

Lin Qiu and Lin Sui also happily gathered around. "Cousin-in-law, you’re back!"

Wang Ying smiled and ruffled Qingyun’s hair. "I’m back for two days."

"Where’s big brother? Didn’t he come back with you?"

"No, but in a few days, I can take you to the estate to stay for a few days."

"Really? That’s great!"

Lin Qiu said, "Let Sui Er go with you all. I won’t be going…"

"Why?"

Li Shi smiled and said, "Her marriage has been arranged for October this year."

"So soon? Which family is it?"

"It's that guy surnamed Cao."

Wang Ying was astonished, never expecting the two of them to actually get together!

Chen Rong then spoke of Lin Qiu's marriage. "On the third day of last month, Cao Kun came with his mother and a matchmaker to make the marriage proposal. Coincidentally, I actually knew the matchmaker—it was the proprietor of the fabric shop where we used to sell our fabric."

Back in town, Chen Rong had helped provide for the family by weaving cloth with her two children, delivering the fabric to the shop every month for sale.

The fabric shop proprietor was a kind person, never nickel-and-diming them when accepting the cloth. Over time, the two became acquainted.

Chen Rong would often stop by for visits, and occasionally, when the family faced difficulties, the proprietor even helped them out a few times. She was a truly good person.

"As soon as Proprietor Feng arrived, I felt at ease. She’s a sharp and respectable woman who rarely acts as a matchmaker for just anyone. Since she vouched for Cao Kun as a good man, I went ahead and finalized the marriage."

Wang Ying laughed, "That’s wonderful! It looks like we’ll be attending our cousin’s wedding celebration!"

Lin Qiu turned bright red with embarrassment.

During this time, Cao Kun kept finding reasons to come to town to buy vegetables, visiting six or seven times a month. Each time, he brought plenty of gifts—local delicacies, beautiful hairpins and accessories, and expensive fabrics. Being older, he certainly knew how to be thoughtful.

As they spent more time together, Lin Qiu gradually started to like him. Cao Kun was straightforward, responsible, and reliable—completely different from his father—qualities Lin Qiu greatly admired.

Speaking of his father, Cao Kun also brought news of Lin Zhangbin.

After the separation, Lin Zhangbin had married the widow, but within half a month, she began engaging in prostitution at home, cheating on him.

The two had a physical fight, and Widow Yu yelled at him, saying he wasn't much of a man since he couldn’t earn a single coin, leaving the family destitute, yet forbidding her from selling her body to support them.

Lin Zhangbin insisted she weave cloth to make money, but Widow Yu wasn't willing to put in the hard work and refused outright.

Now they had become the butt of jokes on the entire street. Whenever he went out, people would tease him about his wife's rates.

With no other choice, Lin Zhangbin divorced Widow Yu and was now living alone with a nursing child, struggling in poverty.

Hearing this, Chen Rong felt it served him right. "Someone like him deserves such a fate! I heard he even wanted to reconcile and come back to town—in his dreams! I’d rather die than go back to him!"

Wang Ying also felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this. It was just karma at work—what goes around comes around. He had a good life but had to go and ruin it, and now that the family had fallen apart, he had no choice but to learn his lesson.

Li Shi added, "There’s one more thing. The letter from Laizhou arrived the day after you left. Your fourth uncle said his term ends next year, and he might be transferred to the capital. He’ll try to see if there’s an opportunity to help Qing Yan clear his name."

Wang Ying was stunned. "Is... is that really possible?!"

"I’m not sure, but it’s still good to hear."

"If that’s true... then Qing Yan might still have a chance to take the imperial exams!"

Li Shi nodded. "But the letter also said not to tell Qing Yan for now. This matter is quite difficult to resolve, and we’re worried that if it doesn't work out, he won’t be able to take the disappointment."

Wang Ying nodded. "I understand..." No one could guarantee success, but having hope was better than having none.

After the meal, Wang Ying returned to the backyard to rest. The room they lived in was cleaned daily by the servants, and it was just as tidy as before.

Sitting on the bed, Wang Ying started thinking of Chen Qingyan. Though they had only been apart for half a day, he already missed him...

In the afternoon, Er Shun went out to check out brick kilns. The current prices for blue bricks and tiles were quite affordable—blue bricks cost a little over three *li* each, or three for one *wen*. The large blue bricks of ancient times were different from modern red bricks. Building five rooms would require about 50,000 bricks, costing around sixteen *guan* in total.

Tiles were slightly more expensive, but fewer were needed, totaling about eight *guan*.

The most expensive material was lumber. For building a house, properly aged fir wood was best, followed by hardwoods like pine and cypress.

Ordinary families would start stockpiling wood over a decade in advance if they planned to build a house. While he was alive, Chen’s father had saved some lumber, originally intended for renovating Qing Song’s courtyard when he got married. For now, since it wasn’t urgently needed, they decided to use it for building the house on the estate.

The next day, they contacted several experienced carpenters and purchased some good-quality lumber, spending nearly twenty *guan* in total. With the materials ready, they only needed to deliver them to start construction.

*

After two days, Wang Ying was eager to get back.

He had originally planned to bring the children along, but living space was tight. Since the children were older, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to share a room, so they decided to bring them over for a stay once the house was built.

On the way back, Wang Ying was anxious to return, experiencing for the first time what it felt like to be separated from someone.

In his past life, he had watched TV dramas where characters would become inseparable after just a few days apart, thinking it was exaggerated. Now, experiencing it himself, he understood the saying, "A day apart feels like three years."

His thoughts were filled with Chen Qingyan. What was he doing while Wang Ying was away? Was he studying or lost in thought? Had he fed the little dog in the yard? Would he feel nervous around strangers…

As the mule cart drew closer to the estate, even before entering the village, Wang Ying spotted the figure in stone-blue clothing crouching by the roadside. Like a homeless puppy, he was plucking wild grass.

Wang Ying’s heart leapt. "Chen Qingyan!"

The dazed figure suddenly snapped back to reality, lifted the hem of his robe, and sprinted toward the cart. "Brother!"