Chapter 76

Chapter 76

“The wrongful conviction was overturned?!” Chen Rong exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, it’s all thanks to Old Man Liang’s help that the rehabilitation was successful.”

“That’s wonderful! Qing Yan can now take the imperial exams!” Chen Rong was overjoyed, pulling her nephew along.

“This year has been filled with one happy occasion after another. Our families are sure to have better and better days ahead!”

“Indeed, better and better!”

Everyone raised their glasses in celebration, and the meal lasted until the end of the You hour (around 7 PM).

In winter, the nights were long and the days short. Outside, the sky had already turned completely dark. Wang Ying helped Chen Rong as they walked ahead, while Chen Qingyan and Cao Kun followed behind, chatting as they went.

“How are the preparations for the shop in your county coming along?”

Cao Kun replied, “It’s almost ready. I was just planning to discuss it with my cousin-in-law. After the full-month ceremony, we’ll start going to the town to purchase vegetables.”

“Alright, just let me know in advance how much you need, and I’ll prepare it for you.”

To transport the fresh vegetables, Cao Kun had specially bought a new wooden cart and two good mules, hoping to make a good profit during the New Year period.

He had always wondered where these fresh vegetables came from, but since his cousin and cousin’s wife didn’t bring it up, he was too embarrassed to ask.

Selling fresh vegetables was a profitable business. Last year, just by helping with transportation, he had made seven or eight strings of cash in profit. Now that he was selling them himself, he could easily make several dozen strings of copper coins a month.

However, he couldn’t handle the work alone and needed to find someone to help with the transportation.

*

The full-month ceremony took place as planned. There weren’t many guests, just close friends and relatives, all gathered together to chat about daily life.

Suddenly, someone brought up Lin Qiu’s father.

“Did Lin Qiu's father not come?”

“No… I heard they divorced.”

“Why?” Divorce was quite uncommon in this era, and everyone was curious to know more.

One woman who knew both families well whispered, “Keep this to yourselves, but Lin Qiu’s father is Xiucai Lin from West Lane!”

“What? It’s him!”

“No wonder they divorced. No one could live with someone like that!”

Someone who didn’t know the story asked, “Who is Xiucai Lin?”

“He’s quite infamous in West Lane. He divorced his wife to have a son and then married a secret prostitute.”

“Oh my, such a thing happened!”

“You could say heaven's justice has prevailed. The child he had is a fool—almost two years old and still can’t walk or talk. I saw him recently, crawling on the ground without even wearing pants in the freezing cold.”

“Tut tut, he's suffering retribution in this life.”

“Doesn’t Cao Kun or his husband care? After all, it’s his own brother…”

“How can they? Taking care of that fool means taking care of him for life—once you’re involved, you can’t shake it off. Besides, after what Xiucai Lin did, would any of you take responsibility if it were you?”

The women all shook their heads—who would care about his child with a prostitute when they despised him so much? As the banquet was about to begin, everyone quieted down and stopped discussing the matter.

*

In the Lin family’s home in West Lane, the once tidy and clean courtyard had become rundown without anyone to maintain it.

The withered grass in the yard stood half a person high, and snow piled up knee-deep with no one to clear it away.

Xiucai Lin was ill, lying in bed under several layers of quilts yet still shivering uncontrollably from the cold. He coughed from time to time, his breath rasping like a leaky bellows would with a sharp, wheezing sound.

"Hungry, hungry..." His foolish son crawled on the floor bare-bottomed. The child knew no other word but "hungry," and when starved enough, he would pick up anything and put it in his mouth.

Lin Zhangbin watched coldly without stopping him. Starve then—better if he starves to death!

He had long regretted his actions. If it weren’t for him, his wife wouldn't have divorced him, and Qiu Er and Sui Er would not have disowned him!

This cursed child should never have been born in the first place!

"Cough, cough, cough..." Lin Zhangbin coughed again, consumed by hatred, but his body was too weak to even get up or get a drink of water.

Sleepiness overcame him, and he couldn’t fight off the urge to fall into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he returned to many years ago, when he was still teaching at a private school. Every day after classes, he would return home and hear the sound of weaving as soon as he entered the courtyard.

"I’m back."

The weaving sound stopped, and Chen Rong came out all smiles to greet him. "You must be thirsty, husband. Have some water. I’ll make dumplings for you later..."

Lin Zhangbin gulped down water from a ladle, thinking to himself how wonderful it was to have his wife at home...

But alas, even the sweetest dream must eventually end. When he opened his eyes for the last time, he found that his son had starved to death, and he himself could no longer move. Lin Zhangbin shed bitter tears as he gazed out the window, then slowly closed his eyes.

It was several days before the neighbors discovered that the Lin father and son had starved to death at home.

*

The full moon celebration went smoothly. After it ended, Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan did not stay long and set off by carriage the next day. They missed their child terribly after not seeing him for several days.

On their way back, they ran into heavy snow and had to stop at an inn for two days. By the time they returned home, it was already mid-November.

As soon as they entered the gate, Wang Ying couldn’t wait to jump off the carriage and rush toward the main room.

"Little Yuanbao, your father is back~"

Inside, Li Shi and Qing Yun were tending to the child when they suddenly heard Wang Ying’s voice. Little Yuanbao instantly dropped the toy in his hands, turned around, and looked toward the door.

The door opened, and Wang Ying looked at his son with a beaming smile. "Little Yuanbao, did you miss your father?"

Little Yuanbao held out his little arms, asking to be held, tears falling pitifully down his cheeks.

Wang Ying’s heart went soft. He quickly picked up his son, patting his head to comfort him. "Don’t cry, Little Yuanbao. Your father is back."

Chen Qingyan followed into the room. "Why is Little Yuanbao crying?"

Li Shi said, "You tell me! The day you left, he started looking for Father. When he couldn’t find him, he cried at night. He cried for three or four nights in a row."

Wang Ying kissed his son’s forehead. "Next time, Father won't leave again."

"Father..."

Wang Ying froze, thinking he might have misheard. "Did Little Yuanbao just call me?"

Qing Yun exclaimed excitedly, "He did! I heard him!"

"Yuanbao, say 'Grandma' for me?"

"Yuanbao, say 'Auntie'!"

"Say 'Daddy'."

Little Yuanbao hugged his Wang Ying and buried his head in the crook of his neck, looking utterly adorable.

Li Shi said jealously, "You little ungrateful one, as soon as you see your father, you forget all about Grandma."

As if understanding what she said, Yuanbao raised his hand and patted Li Shi’s arm, just like how everyone usually comforted him.

This made everyone burst out laughing—this kid is so smart!

*

As Yuanbao grew older, he became clingier. Every time he had to be away from Wang Ying, even for a short while, he would whine and cry. Yet, with how cold it was, they couldn't bring the child along to the shop.

Moreover, Wang Ying wanted to stay at the estate for a while in the coming days, so he hired a manager to help run the vegetable shop.

The new manager, Liao Hai, was a man in his thirties. He was not very tall, with a distinctive mustache, and was literate and good with numbers.

Having previously worked as a manager at a wine shop for several years, he was already experienced. After just one day of training, he was able to run things himself.

Wang Ying paid him five hundred wen a month, with a three-month trial period. If he performed well, the shop would be let him manage it.

On the thirteenth of November, Wang Ying, along with the child, his mother-in-law, and Qing Yun, returned to the estate for a long stay. They wouldn't be back until after the New Year.

Before setting off, Li Shi, worried the child would catch a chill, bundled Yuanbao up so much he looked like a little ball.

The little one, however, remained quiet and well-behaved, his big dark eyes curiously taking in the surroundings. Since winter had set in, he hadn’t been outside much, and the sight of snow was all new to him.

Once in the carriage, he kept wanting to look at the snow. Wang Ying grabbed a snowball for him to play with.

The little one held the snowball with curiosity and even tried to take a bite out of it.

Li Shi quickly stopped him, "Oh no, you can’t eat that! You'll get a tummy ache."

Little Yuanbao gave the snowball back to his grandmother and pointed outside, wanting to see more snow. Wang Ying cracked the window open slightly so Yuanbao could peek out.

A gust of cold wind blew in, making him sneeze. Li Shi immediately closed the window.

The swaying of the donkey cart soon rocked the child to sleep.

The landscape was covered in snow, and the carriage looked like a little boat across the snowy ground. They had set out in the morning and arrived at the villa around noon.

Having been informed by Wang Ying the previous evening, Chen Qingyan had been waiting anxiously. The moment he heard the gate open, he rushed out.

"Finally, you’re here! Was the journey cold?"

Wang Ying got out of the carriage first, then passed Yuanbao over to him. "It was alright, but your son insisted on watching the snow. We had the window open for a while, so it got pretty cold."

Liang Boqing, hearing the noise, also came out. Initially standing with his hands behind his back, he came over and took Yuanbao from Chen Qingyan upon seeing the child. "It's freezing cold out here! Why are you standing outside with the child? Get inside!"

Wang Ying just laughed. "Keep an eye on him, or he'll grab your beard again."

Qing Huai and Qing Song helped unload the luggage. Since they were staying for an extended period, they had brought plenty of clothes for both adults and the child; they filled two big trunks.

Qing Yun assisted Li Shi out of the carriage. It was their first time at the villa, and they were amazed by the big courtyard.

Qing Yun had only stayed at Chen Xi’s place for a day during her previous visit, and in her memory, the houses were old and cramped. She was surprised to see how spacious and impressive this place was.

In the middle of the courtyard flowed a stream, with steam rising gently from the water.

Qing Yun curiously approached and touched the water. "It’s warm!"

Wang Ying explained, "There’s a hot spring in the back mountain. The water is channeled from there. Let’s go see the newly built rooms—I haven’t seen them yet either."

Passing through the corridor, they reached the backyard. The old fence had been replaced by a row of spacious rooms, with a shaded veranda supported by pillars, giving it a simple yet elegant feel.

Upon entering the room, warmth enveloped them, accompanied by the fresh scent of pine wood unique to new houses.

Li Shi remarked, "I don’t see a stove in here, but it’s so warm!"

"The walls have heating channels, and there’s a kang in the bedroom."

The east room was reserved for Li Shi. It was bright and spacious, with furniture already in place, including a dressing table and a wardrobe.

"Is this the kang? Won’t it roast you alive if you sleep on it at night?"

Old Liang had asked the same question. Wang Ying laughed. "No, it’s covered with a mat, so it’s not too hot. You can try it."

Li Shi took off her shoes and stepped onto the kang. Warmth spread from her feet, dispelling the chill from the journey. "It’s really nice."

"The only downside to the kang is that it can be a bit dry, which might cause discomfort. Placing a basin of water in the room at night helps."

The adjacent room was Qing Yun’s bedroom. Slightly smaller than Li Shi’s, it also had a kang and was thoughtfully furnished with a bed curtain.

Qing Yun eagerly climbed onto the kang. "It’s so hard!"

"You’ll need to lay bedding on it for sleeping. You’ll get used to it."

Soon, Chen Qingyan brought Yuanbao over, who was crying loudly.

"What happened?" Li Shi hurried over upon hearing the cries.

"He wouldn’t let go of Master’s beard, so I gave him a couple of light smacks."

Li Shi scolded, "Why hit him? He’s so young—he doesn’t know right from wrong!"

"But we can’t let him be mischievous all the time..."

Wang Ying nudged him, signaling him to say no more.

"Oh~ don’t cry, sweetheart. If your dad dares to hit you again, Grandma will hit him!"

"Hit, hit..."

Wang Ying chuckled, "Hey, you little rascal, you’re taking advantage of the situation."

Not daring to scold Wang Ying, Li Shi quickly carried her grandson to the bedroom. "Come play with Grandma, not with them."

The couple exchanged a helpless glance. Grandparents' doting—their mother was spoiling the child too much.