Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"A letter from Laizhou?"

Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan quickly took the letter from Er Shun.

Last time, Fourth Uncle's letter mentioned helping Chen Qingyan clear his name—could it have happened so quickly?

Upon opening the letter, however, there was no mention of the imperial examinations. Instead, it reported another major incident.

Originally, Chen Jing was supposed to be transferred to the capital after his term ended this year. But recently, the coastal areas of Laizhou were invaded by Japanese pirates, who attacked seven or eight cargo ships, including an official vessel carrying the family of the Minister of Justice.

The court was furious about the incident, and Chen Jing, as the Prefect, was implicated and demoted ahead of schedule to serve as the Prefect of Shanzhou.

Although his official rank remained the same at sixth-rank, Shanzhou and Laizhou were worlds apart—one a desolate backwater, the other a prosperous coastal region; the two could not be compared.

It would be extremely difficult to achieve any notable accomplishments in Shanzhou, and Chen Jing's official career was likely to end there.

The main purpose of this letter was to entrust his eldest son, Chen Qinghuai, who was fifteen years old and already a student scholar, to prepare for next year's county exam.

According to the rules, he had to register for the exam in his place of household registration, which was Longquan County. Shanzhou was too far away to travel back and forth, so he planned to send his son back to their hometown in Qingshui and have Chen Qingyan look after him for a while.

Accompanying him was also Chen Jing's close friend, surnamed Liang and named Liang Boqing, who was also Chen Qinghuai's mentor. They hoped the two could be properly accommodated.

The letter additionally mentioned that the friend had an eccentric temper and asked the nephew to be patient.

After reading the letter, Wang Ying cautiously nudged the person beside him.

Chen Qingyan seemed unaffected. "It’s perfect timing—our estate is ready. When they arrive, we can see if they’d like to stay with us on the estate or in town."

"Alright, we’ll set aside two bedrooms in the new house and also prepare two rooms in town."

The feast lasted until evening before everyone dispersed. The two walked back side by side, and Wang Ying, sensing his disappointment, gently hooked her finger around Chen Qingyan’s hand.

Chen Qingyan held it back and sighed. "Although I knew from the start that there was little hope, I didn’t expect it to fall through so quickly... But it’s alright. I’ve long accepted my fate—perhaps I’m just not meant for the imperial exams in this lifetime."

"It’s fine. I’ll teach you farming and tending the fields. Managing the estate well is also a good path. Besides, passing the imperial exams and becoming an official isn’t necessarily a good thing. Look at Fourth Uncle—he worked diligently for so many years, yet he was demoted just like that. And in the capital, it’s even worse. If you accidentally offend the emperor, you could lose your head in a blink."

Chen Qingyan was amused by his exaggerated expression. "I don’t have that kind of capability. Passing the county exam would already be an achievement—becoming a provincial graduate is beyond my dreams, let alone serving as an official in the capital."

"Thinking about it this way, not achieving the status of a scholar doesn’t seem so hard to accept."

"Brother is right. A scholar’s status isn’t worth dwelling on. Tomorrow, let’s go back to town together, tidy up the courtyard, and furnish the new house."

"Alright!"

*

Three months had passed since Chen Qingyan left. Returning to town still made him nervous.

Fortunately, riding in the carriage meant he didn’t have to greet anyone. They went straight to their doorstep, where the gatekeeper opened the gate and they entered the courtyard directly.

Li Shi, hearing her son was returning, had been waiting in the courtyard early. Mother and son couldn’t hold back their tears when they met.

"I have been unfilial, causing you worry all these days."

Li Shi held her son’s hand and examined him carefully, relieved to see he was well. "It’s fine. Coming back is what matters!"

Once inside, Wang Ying brought up the letter from Fourth Uncle. "The letter says our cousin and his mentor will be staying for a while. We thought we’d fix up the empty rooms in the backyard first. Since the new house on the estate is also ready, we need to have furniture made. Tomorrow, we’ll hire some carpenters to come home. They can choose to stay wherever they prefer."

"Ying'er, you can arrange it as you see fit."

Li Shi asked further, "Do you plan to live on the estate permanently?"

Chen Qingyan nodded. "Mother, don’t worry about us. I’ll make time to come back and see you often."

"Very well. The estate is quiet and not too far away. Just come back regularly."

"Where is Third Aunt?"

"These past few days, her headaches have been acting up, and she hasn’t been sleeping well at night. I didn’t tell her you were coming back."

Wang Ying said, "Then we’ll go see her later."

"Alright, go rest in the backyard for a while. I’ll have someone bring you food when it’s ready."

The two returned to their courtyard and instantly relaxed. While they were away, the courtyard had been maintained.

The vegetable garden planted last year had sprouted new greens, and a few melon seedlings were growing well, though they needed pruning. Wang Ying rolled up his sleeves and started tending to them.

"Take a break. Since we weren’t home, no one’s been eating these vegetables anyway."

"I can’t help but take care of them when I see them. Later, we’ll transplant them to the experimental field and take them back to plant at the new house on the estate."

Seeing this, Chen Qingyan also came to help. He picked up quickly and, after being taught by Wang Ying a few times, became skilled even at delicate tasks like transplanting roots.

They picked and chose, moving all the thriving seedlings into the experimental field.

Since the experimental field was upgraded, access had become much more convenient. Previously, it could only be opened actively and not entered freely, but now, as long as Wang Ying silently recited "open/close experimental field" in her heart, she could enter and exit automatically.

Just as they finished, a maid brought over their meal. The two washed their hands and sat at the stone table in the courtyard to eat.

"Mmm, Aunt Chen’s cooking is still the best. This braised fish is so flavorful!"

Chen Qingyan reached out and wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of his mouth. "If you like it, I’ll take some time to learn from Aunt Chen and make it for you back home."

"Didn’t you scholars say, 'A gentleman stays away from the kitchen'?"

"Mencius said: 'For a gentleman, regarding birds and beasts, seeing them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; hearing their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. Therefore, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.' This speaks of a gentleman’s compassion, his unwillingness to kill, not his refusal to cook. Those who misinterpret it are merely making excuses for their laziness."

"So that’s how it is. Then I’ll handle killing the fish, and you can braise it."

"I’ll handle killing the fish too. Last time, you said you couldn’t stand the fishy smell."

Wang Ying couldn’t help but smile. "Then aren’t you being a gentleman anymore?"

"The sages said, 'A gentleman does not fuss over minor details.'"

"Hehe~ you rascal." Wang Ying felt as though she was being treated like a young girl, but she was quite happy about it.

After eating, the two went to see Chen Rong. Third Aunt was indeed ill, looking pale and noticeably thinner.

Seeing them, she quickly tried to get up. "When did you return? Why didn’t you say anything in advance?"

"Third Aunt, please lie down. We just returned today and heard from Mother that you were ill, so we came to see you."

Chen Rong sat up leaning against the bedpost. "It’s nothing, just an old ailment. It started after I gave birth to my second child—my head hurts when the wind blows."

Chen Qingyan asked, "Have you called a physician to take a look?"

"She's already been seen by the doctor, and he prescribed some medicine. She’s been on it the last few days."

A young maid brought stools, and Chen Rong instructed her, "Go make some tea."

"No need to go to the trouble."

"What trouble? Sit down quickly. Will you be leaving again?"

Wang Ying nodded, "The house out at the estate is finished. We’ll stay there for a while first. It’s not far anyway, so we’ll come back to visit when we have time."

Chen Rong said, "Where you live isn’t what matters. What’s important is that you’ve come to terms with things and don’t get stuck in your head."

Chen Qingyan let out a sigh. "Yeah."

After a while, noticing the fatigue on their faces, Chen Rong said, "You must be tired from the trip. Go back and rest now."

Returning to the backyard, the two were just about to rest when their third brother, Chen Qingsong, came home.

Hearing that his elder brother and sister-in-law had returned, he came running into the backyard, his voice arriving before he did.

"Elder brother! Sister-in-law!"

Chen Qingyan frowned slightly, "Stand properly. Look at you—you don’t act much like a scholar."

Chen Qingsong immediately straightened up and gave a proper bow to the two.

As the eldest brother, Chen Qingyan was like a father figure to him, especially since their father had passed away early. Chen Qingsong always listened to his brother.

Chen Qingyan’s expression softened, "Mom told me that you’ve started attending the Jiang family’s private school?"

"My old school wouldn’t have me, so Mother asked around and found another one."

Jiang Guangzhi was already in his thirties but remained a student scholar. While he was fine for basics, he likely wouldn’t be of much help for imperial examinations. "In a few days, you’re coming with me to the estate."

"Really? That’s great!" Chen Qingsong was overjoyed.

"This isn’t for fun. The goal is to pass the exams early and study at the county school—that’s the right path."

"Don’t worry, elder brother. If I go to the estate, I’ll definitely study hard!"

In truth, Chen Qingsong faced no less pressure than his elder brother. Since the incident, their family had become a topic of ridicule among the scholars in town. Whenever Chen Qingyan was mentioned, it inevitably led to mockery.

At first, Chen Qingsong tried to argue with them, but he was outnumbered and always lost the arguments. In the end, he had no choice but to bite his tongue and pretend not to hear.

Although fewer people brought up the matter lately, he still felt uneasy and found it hard to make friends with the other students.

"I heard Cousin Qinghuai is coming soon. I’ll study with him then!"

Chen Qingyan thought of his cousin. They had only met once, at their father’s funeral. Though three years younger, Qinghuai had studied under their fourth uncle since childhood and was both knowledgeable and well-read. It would indeed be good for Qingsong to study with him.

"By the way, that Xiucai Zhang who wronged you... he’s lost his mind."

Chen Qingyan was stunned, "Lost his mind?"

Wang Ying was also surprised. Could it be that she had frightened him into madness before leaving?

Chen Qingsong said, "I heard he went to the county town recently to file a report. No one knows what happened there, but he came back insane. Now he sits on the street every day, cursing people and even peeing right there in the street..."

Chen Qingyan sighed after hearing this. He quizzed his brother on his studies and, satisfied that he hadn’t slacked off over the past few months, shooed him off.

Lying in bed, Wang Ying rested her head on his arm and asked, "Do you still hate him now?"

"I do, and I don’t. He ruined his own future because of me, and now he’s ended up like this. We’re square. From now on, it’s as if I never knew him."

*

The weeks flew by, and soon it was April. On an ordinary afternoon, a carriage stopped outside the Chen family’s gate.

A teenager and a thin, middle-aged man stepped out—Chen Qinghuai and his teacher, Liang Boqing.

Little did Chen Qingyan know that this man would change his life forever.