Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Wang Ying sat down with Yuanbao on his lap, initiating a casual chat. "How was your day at the prefectural seat?"

"Master took us to the prefectural academy, where we met the esteemed scholar Lu Zhongqi, the very one who penned 'Qu Chi River'."

Wang Ying was taken aback. The thought of Qing Yan actually meeting someone from the books he read felt surreal.

"Did you speak with him? How old is he?"

"Elder Lu is already over sixty and very amiable. Tomorrow, we'll return to the academy to attend his lecture. Master will also be teaching the students there for a few days."

As the two conversed, Yuanbao's head began to nod off, like a chick pecking at grain.

Chen Qingyan reached out, gently took him, and cradled him to sleep. "We met a student at the academy who's actually from Tianyang County—he was even a classmate of Second Elder Cousin."

"What a coincidence," Wang Ying remarked, a hint of concern in his voice. "You've only just met him. While it's good to be open-hearted, one must also be cautious."

"I understand." With the cautionary tale of Scholar Zhang, Chen Qingyan was no longer quick to trust others.

"By the way, Mother has been discussing marriage prospects for Qing Yun these past few days."

Chen Qingyan frowned slightly. "So early for marriage talks?"

"It's not early. After the New Year, Qing Yun will be fifteen." According to local customs, girls could be engaged at fifteen and marry after their sixteenth birthday and coming-of-age ceremony.

Though Wang Ying also wished Qing Yun wouldn't marry so young, it was common practice for young men and women in town. If they didn't secure a good match now, it might be too late later.

"Tell Mother not to rush. It won't be too late to decide after I return from my studies."

Wang Ying nodded. "Mother hasn't settled on anything yet; she's just looking. With matchmakers visiting recently, she's started to consider it."

"Let's wait. Next year, both Qing Huai and I will take the county and provincial exams. If we succeed and become provincial graduates, we can find a much better match for our sister."

"Alright, I'll talk to Mother tomorrow."

The two stayed in the experimental field until their allotted time was nearly up. Wang Ying carefully carried his son back to the kang, tucking him under a small quilt.

Even in his sleep, the child was still sniffling and mumbling, "Papa... Yuanbao knows he was wrong."

Wang Ying felt another pang of regret, wishing he could punch himself. He was so little—why had he scared him like that?

Still, the combined scolding from both parents had its effect: Yuanbao never dared sneak into the experimental field alone again.

The next morning, Wang Ying first went to the front courtyard to summon the two young servants. He instructed them not to speak of what happened yesterday—if word got out, even unintentionally, it might bring trouble for Yuanbao.

Chun Sheng still looked utterly bewildered, unaware of what had occurred. He only remembered the young master suddenly disappearing, which had scared him so much his mind went blank—he couldn't recall anything after that.

The child named Wood, however, was more perceptive. "Young master, I didn't see anything yesterday."

Wang Ying gave him an approving look. "Good boy. At noon, tell Aunt Chen to stew meat for you."

The two children, no longer dwelling on the matter, broke into smiles. Since coming to the Chen family, both had visibly gained weight, especially Wood. Previously, he'd been terribly starved—after his grandmother passed, he hadn't had a full meal. Now, not only did he eat his fill every day, but he also had meat every few days. He couldn't be happier, and he was even starting to grow taller.

After instructing the children, Wang Ying sent them to the backyard to play with Yuanbao, then went to Li Shi's room.

"Mother, are you up?"

"Come in." Li Shi had been awake for a while—people her age slept lightly. She was sitting on the kang, cutting summer clothes for Yuanbao.

"You came just in time. Help me thread the needle—I've tried several times and couldn't get it through."

Wang Ying sat beside her and helped with the needle and thread. "Mother, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"About Qing Yun's marriage. Please don't rush to decide yet. Qing Yan will soon take the civil examinations. If he passes and becomes a provincial graduate, he could find a good match for her, couldn't he?"

Li Shi set down her scissors. "I've thought about that too, but Qing Yun isn't young anymore. Most girls her age are already engaged. What if Qing Yan doesn't pass? Wouldn't that delay her?"

Wang Ying understood her concerns. As parents, they all hoped for a good marriage for their children. Especially for girls—marriage was like a second rebirth. Marrying into a good family, with a harmonious and happy life, was ideal. But if she ended up like Third Aunt, married to a husband who seemed decent but was actually terrible, her life would be ruined.

"Let's keep looking. If there's a suitable match, we can decide. If not, we can wait until after Qing Yan finishes the exams."

Just then, Qing Yun came in. "Mother, Sister-in-law, what are you talking about?"

"Your marriage."

Qing Yun blushed. "Sister-in-law, please don't tease me."

Li Shi said, "A matchmaker mentioned the Feng family's second son a few days ago. He's a year older than you—do you remember him?"

Qing Yun had seen him before. That boy always had a runny nose in winter, his sleeves shiny from wiping it. The children had given him the nickname "Snotty Boy."

"Snotty Boy? I won't marry him!"

"Don't talk nonsense. He doesn't have a runny nose anymore. I heard he's helping his father run their cloth business."

"No, no, I won't marry him."

Li Shi swatted her lightly. "Marriage isn't something you can decide on a whim. But I'm not keen on his family either. Old Lady Feng is too sloppy—'you can tell a man by the company he keeps.' If you marry into that family, it won't be clean."

Wang Ying couldn't help but laugh at her mother-in-law's words. Qing Yun also burst into laughter, and the two sisters-in-law laughed until tears streamed down their faces.

Li Shi scolded them but soon joined in the laughter. After a while, she composed herself and said, "There's also the Sun family's eldest son. He's the same age as Qing Yun and also studying. He looks like the God of Longevity—his forehead is so big it's like he's balancing a bowl on it."

"Oh dear, hahahaha…" Qing Yun clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

It wasn't that Li Shi was being harsh—the boy's forehead was indeed large, and his hairline was high. Most ancient men wore their hair in high topknots, making his forehead appear even larger. Old Lady Sun often boasted about her son's head, saying he was "so smart he's balding" and would surely top the imperial exams someday.

Li Shi mentioned a few other young men but felt none were good enough for her daughter. As the old saying goes: "The grass is always greener on the other side."

"Let's keep looking. Your sister-in-law says we shouldn't rush your engagement. She wants to wait until your elder brother passes the exams to find you a good family."

Qing Yun lowered her head, her cheeks flushed. "Mother and Sister-in-law can decide."

Wang Ying couldn't help but smile, remembering when she first married into the Chen family. Qing Yun had been just a half-grown child then—now she'd blossomed into a young woman.

*

In April, Chen Rong returned with Lin Sui. Lin Sui was the same age as Qing Yun and also of marriageable age. A matchmaker had come by with introductions, so Chen Rong found a son-in-law in the county town. This way, the two brothers would live close by and could support each other if needed.

Li Shi asked, "Is Sui Er's marriage settled?"

"It's settled. He's engaged to a family named Huang in the county town. They're merchants and own two storefronts. They'll pick an auspicious date after the New Year for the wedding."

Li Shi took Lin Sui's hand. "You're really willing to let our Second Son marry so soon?"

"How could I bear to? A grown son must leave the nest—keeping them too long breeds resentment. I might as well marry both sons off and have some peace and quiet."

Lin Sui shyly lowered his head. He had met the Huang family's second son. Initially, Chen Rong hadn't been interested when the matchmaker introduced them because the Huang family had four sons, which could lead to disputes over family property later.

But after meeting him, Huang Erlang (the second Huang son) was exceptionally handsome, and Lin Sui was smitten with him immediately, pleading with her mother to agree to the marriage.

Li Shi said, "How is Xiao Mai doing? She must be six months old now, right?"

"She was exactly six months old the day we left. A while ago, she fell ill, developing mouth sores and couldn't nurse, losing a lot of weight. An old doctor gave us a folk remedy—grinding borneol and indigo powder into a paste and applying it in her mouth—which cured her. Now she's eating and drinking just fine and has gained the weight back. With her mother-in-law taking care of her, I felt comfortable enough to bring Sui Er back."

"That's good. I was hoping Qiu Er could bring the child back this time."

"She's too young to travel. We'll bring her back when she's a bit older, just in time to play with Yuanbao."

Mentioning Yuanbao, Chen Rong said, "Where is he? Where has that little rascal run off to play?"

Wang Ying replied, "Mother found him two playmates. With the weather warming up lately, he's been digging for earthworms and catching crickets in the fields every day, never coming home until it's time to eat."

"We must be careful he doesn't get bitten by insects or snakes."

Li Shi said, "It's fine. He wears a realgar sachet to ward off snakes."

Just as they were speaking, the three children returned from outside, with Chun Sheng carrying Yuanbao on his back, both covered in sweat.

"Grandma, Grandma, look what I caught!" Yuanbao held a palm-sized gray rabbit in his arms, his little face covered in dirt, messy like a little tabby cat.

Chen Rong stepped forward and lifted Yuanbao down. "My dear grandson, I've missed you so much! Do you remember me?"

Yuanbao didn't remember her—he was only a few months old when Chen Rong left—and he tilted his head, looking at her curiously.

His little face was the spitting image of Chen Qingyan, and Chen Rong was utterly charmed by him. She quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his face clean. "I'm your great-aunt."

Yuanbao wasn't shy and called out readily, "Great-aunt."

"Yes!"

Li Shi smiled and asked her grandson, "Where did you get this rabbit?"

"Brother Mutou caught it for me."

Chen Rong looked at Mutou and Chun Sheng standing nearby. "Are these the attendants found for Yuanbao?"

"Yes, they're both children from the estate, honest and dependable. Chun Sheng, Mutou, this is your Third Great-aunt."

The two children respectfully kowtowed to Chen Rong. "Greetings, Third Great-aunt."

"Rise. Take good care of Yuanbao and make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Yes."

Yuanbao couldn't stay indoors for long. After playing for a while, he wanted to go out again with his little rabbit, and the two children hurriedly followed. Everyone began chatting about Qing Yan and the others.

"I heard from Cao Kun that the three of them went on a study tour with Old Liang?"

Wang Ying said, "They left in February. They've probably reached Jizhou by now, then heading to Laizhou in a while, and later taking a boat to Jiangnan. They won't be back until the end of the year."

"Such a long trip! I'm really worried about them."

Li Shi agreed, "You can say that again, but it's good for them to see the world. Opportunities like this don't come often."

"By the way, let me tell you something." Chen Rong lowered her voice. "Lin Zhangbin is dead..."

Li Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! When did it happen?"

"Right around the time of Xiao Mai's full moon celebration! I only found out after the New Year. I heard he starved to death..."

"What about the child born to that wretched woman?"

"He starved to death too. So young, with no one to feed him, how could he survive? I heard when the neighbors found the bodies, the child's stomach was sunken from hunger..."

The two women sighed. The child did nothing wrong—it's a pity he was born into such a family, suffering for no reason.

Li Shi murmured, "Amitabha. His death was his own doing. Now no one will bother Qiu Er anymore."