Chapter 92 Three Years Later

Chapter 92: Three Years Later

"My lord, a letter has arrived from the capital." Xue Sheng returned from outside, walking hurriedly.

The spring sunlight was warm and pleasant, streaming through the trees into the courtyard. Meng Wan, dressed in a long green gown, stepped out to greet him, extending a fair, slender hand with faint calluses. "Let me see."

Three years had passed, and he was now twenty years old, but his height had not changed in a year—he would probably not grow any taller, now standing about five foot nine.

His figure had stretched out, and the lines of his face were no longer as soft as before. Shedding the childishness of youth, his face had become increasingly radiant and captivating. Every feature was exquisitely refined, his skin as fair as snow. His thick, jet-black hair was casually pinned at the back of his head with a Xiangyun silver hairpin, making him both handsome and strikingly beautiful.

Taking the letters from Xue Sheng's hand, Meng Wan said in surprise, "Two of them?"

He went back to his study to look them over carefully. One was from Nie Zhiyao, and the other from his teacher, Ms. Xiang.

Ms. Xiang had returned to the capital in the autumn of the twenty-second year of the Qisheng reign, after spending the New Year in Changping Prefecture and waiting until the summer heat subsided. This was several months later than originally planned. Before leaving, she had finally agreed to accept Meng Wan as her disciple, drinking his formal tea of apprenticeship and receiving his ceremonial bow as a student.

Over the years, although he could not personally travel to the capital for festivals, Meng Wan had always carefully prepared the annual gifts.

Nie Zhiyao had also returned with Ms. Xiang to the main Nie family home in the capital that same year.

Meng Wan had only one true friend like him, so naturally, he felt reluctant to part. Although they could no longer meet up to watch plays or attend storytelling sessions as before, they exchanged letters frequently, never losing touch.

In the evening, when Song Tingzhou returned home, the household had dinner. Meng Wan mentioned the letters he had received that day.

"Yao Ge'er is doing well. After returning to the capital, his marriage talks weren't going smoothly for a while, but last winter he said he had taken in a son-in-law. He said he didn't want me to worry, so he only wrote to me after everything was settled."

The Song family did not observe the rule of silence during meals; in fact, they often discussed many things at the dinner table.

"Taken in a son-in-law?" Chang Jinhua put down her chopsticks in surprise. That was quite a rare occurrence.

"There must be other things behind it, but Yao Ge'er is decisive and strong-willed. He shouldn't be bullied."

As Meng Wan finished speaking, a chicken drumstick appeared in his bowl. In return, he gave Song Tingzhou a chicken wing before picking up the drumstick and starting to nibble on it.

Two letters had arrived that day, but Meng Wan only spoke about Nie Zhiyao's matters at the dinner table.

That evening, after washing up and returning to their room, the young couple spent time in the study—one reading, the other painting.

After a while, the courtyard grew quiet as everyone retired to their rooms. Only then did Meng Wan speak up. "Ms. Xiang also sent a letter. Lord Lin is advanced in years. He submitted three letters of resignation before the Emperor approved it. The couple has dismissed most of their servants, saying they want to return to their hometown in Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

Song Tingzhou put down his book. In the lamplight, his face appeared more mature and handsome. "Even if he retires, there's no harm in staying in the capital. Why must they return to their hometown?"

Meng Wan leaned over the desk and sighed softly. "Who knows? I was planning to set out for the capital in October to visit her, but before I could even arrive, they've already left."

Although he had only studied under Ms. Xiang for less than a year, she had taught him everything she knew. Though she always appeared indifferent on the surface, she had always kept him in mind after returning to the capital. Whenever she found something nice, she'd set it aside for him; when she saw fine fabric, she would have it shipped to him, saying it was for making clothes. A teacher like a mother—that was the kind of bond they shared.

Song Tingzhou gently cupped his cheek. "If I pass the metropolitan exam successfully, we'll return home first, then go visit Ms. Xiang and Lord Lin. If I don't pass, we'll head south directly."

Meng Wan looked up and placed his hand in Song Tingzhou's. "That works too. Going back to Sanquan Village would be a bit farther, but heading south would be much quicker."

In the past three years, they had only returned to the village once for the New Year. They paid respects to the clan ancestors and visited Song Tingzhou's father's grave, then returned to the city on the sixth day of the first month.

Many things at home had changed, yet also remained largely the same.

Man Ge'er and Dali's business was thriving. They had bought a small shop with a courtyard in town and had moved the whole family there.

Man Ge'er was also pregnant, much to the delight of Sixth Uncle Song's family. Sixth Aunt Song was a wonderful mother-in-law, taking on all the heavy work at the shop herself and not letting Man Ge'er lift a finger.

When they returned, Sixth Uncle Song's family warmly hosted them and even asked Sixth Uncle to come back with them to help clean the house.

Seeing that their own courtyard had not a single weed and that the roof tiles were neatly arranged, Chang Jinhua realized that Sixth Uncle Song and Sixth Aunt Song had been coming by frequently to take care of things. She was deeply moved.

Back when they left, Song Tingzhou had passed the provincial exam and was exempted from grain taxes. As a result, the Liu family, who rented their land, had a much easier time. Though their clothes still had patches, at least the whole family could eat their fill.

The Liu family were honest people. Over the years, they had converted half of their grain into silver and handed it over to Chang Jinhua. When Zhang Xiaoyu and Second Uncle Song came to visit, Chang Jinhua secretly gave the money back to Zhang Xiaoyu, telling him to hide it and use it to buy some meat to nourish himself. She advised him that only with a healthy body could he bear children; otherwise, no matter how hard he worked, it would all be in vain.

Zhang Xiaoyu cried as he took the money. Even his own family would only speak kind words to him, but they couldn't spare so much silver to support him. He kept Chang Jinhua's words in his heart.

Chang Jinhua also put on a stern face and scolded Second Uncle Song thoroughly. A grown man, rotting away at home, leaving all the farm work to his spouse—wasn't that a disgrace to the Song family?

Ever since the villagers learned that Song Tingzhou had become a Master Juren, Chang Jinhua now had more say in the clan than the clan leader.

Meng Wan gave Chang Jinhua some advice. He advised her and Song Tingzhou to give one hundred taels of silver to the clan leader, asking him to use it to help the most impoverished members of the Song family or those without children.

This amount was neither so large as to draw attention nor too small for Song Tingzhou's position. One person can lead and lift up a clan, and in turn, the clan can support many people.

They stayed in the village for about a week or so. Zhang Xiaoyu and Sixth Aunt Song came to visit often. Besides them, many relatives, the village head, and local country gentry also came calling. The house was always full of visitors; they only had peace at night.

From the Tian family's yard next door came the soft babbling of a baby. Xiao Mei's child was already a year old. When Meng Wan passed by, he saw a very cute little boy, though he was thin but shy, nothing like his mother used to be, so lively.

Sixth Aunt Song said that when Xiao Mei was giving birth, she almost died at home. Tian Wang had to borrow the village head's ox cart to take her to town before she could safely deliver the child.

Meng Wan had seen his aunt go through pregnancy and childbirth before. Back then, there were all kinds of check-ups and supplements, and mood mattered a lot—nobody in the family dared to upset her.

Xiao Mei's hard labor might have been caused by the stress during her pregnancy—the string of deaths in her family had left her traumatized. Fortunately, both mother and child were fine.

Before leaving, Meng Wan went to see her and left a roll of fine cotton cloth for making clothes for the child. As a mother, Xiao Mei had become much more settled. Even the way she spoke to Meng Wan was different—more polite and formal.

After they returned to Changping, Chang Jinhua was upset for a few days, saying that the older she got, the more she missed home. Meng Wan managed to distract her with jokes and small talk, and soon she forgot about it.

On the fifth day of the fourth lunar month, Meng Wan went to the shop to settle accounts, calculating the dividends and wages for Huang Zheng and the other writers. He held onto Nie Zhiyao's share for now, planning to convert it into banknotes and take it to the capital at the end of the year.

By now, the shop was bustling upstairs and downstairs, a far cry from the empty place with just a few employees three years ago.

After settling the accounts, Huang Zheng summoned Meng Wan upstairs for a talk. "Big Sister, recently Baojin Studio has been trying to poach our people."

Huang Zheng's expression was angry and frustrated. Over the years, they had built a reputation for Qingxiao Pavilion, offering the best pay and reputation in Changping, attracting more and more writers.

With more people came more choices. Meng Wan no longer hired just anyone. He had set entry requirements. Those who manned the shop had all undergone his training, and creative ideas were first offered to the shop's writers. Other freelance contributors could write freely, and Huang Zheng would pick the best works for display.

In recent years, the quality of the shop's storybooks had steadily improved. Not only bookstores in Changping but even shops in neighboring Fengtian were coming to discuss cooperation.

Baojin Studio had tried to copy them at first, but now they couldn't even catch up. Whatever became popular at Qingxiao Pavilion, Baojin Studio would try to imitate, but before they could produce anything worthwhile, Qingxiao Pavilion would change its writing style.

As a result, the writers at Baojin Studio were seen as useless in the eyes of their boss. The owner had a terrible temper and treated the writers like animals, keeping them locked up. They envied Qingxiao Pavilion's treatment, but none dared to betray Baojin Studio. The reason was simple: Baojin Studio had the backing of Prefect Wu. Their families' lives were at the mercy of the boss.

One move can set off a chain reaction.

After three years of running the business and facing many challenges, Meng Wan had already prepared contingencies for building Qingxiao Pavilion into what it was today. So he wasn't flustered. "Don't worry, they're just desperate. Long-term gains or short-term temptations—any smart person knows what to pick. Even if Baojin Studio were ruthless enough to throw a lot of money at poaching all our writers, we still have countless backups, plus those young ladies and gentlemen in their private chambers who never show their faces. How can he poach them?"

Baojin Studio had connections, but didn't Meng Wan have his own network now?

After hearing this, Huang Zheng calmed down. "Then I understand." Over the years, he had matured enough to stand on his own.

Meng Wan smiled. "Don't push yourself too hard. It's time to think about settling down."

Huang Zheng blushed a little. "My parents have mentioned it, but I haven't made up my mind yet."

He was around Meng Wan's age and still single, which was considered late by current standards. Having seen capable xiaoge like Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao, his standards had become quite high.

“Just because it's later doesn't mean you won't find the right one. Thinking this way shows you’ve truly matured. Since that’s the case, take your time.”

When Meng Wan returned to the village, Shopkeeper Huang and his wife had made a passing inquiry. Their son, thanks to Meng Wan's support, had become a shopkeeper in the prefectural city with a substantial income, so the couple was naturally extremely grateful. Huang Zheng’s mother saw Bi Yun beside him and even wanted to ask Meng Wan to give Bi Yun to her son as a wife, but Shopkeeper Huang stopped her.

That was why Meng Wan asked today. If Bi Yun was willing, he could free her from slave status, but since neither of them had that intention, there was no need to force a match.

Leaving Qingxiao Pavilion, Meng Wan walked toward Huaqi Alley and ran into Xingtao, the maidservant of the neighboring Jiang family.

“Wang Pozi, hurry up! Our concubine can’t wait any longer!”

Xingtao pulled a woman in her forties, hurrying and dragging her along into the Jiang residence.

Meng Wan entered his own home. Chang Jinhua was airing out the thick winter quilts with Bi Yun.

He could faintly hear from next door the midwife’s soothing voice, crying, and the scolding of Old Madam Jiang.

Meng Wan looked at Chang Jinhua and silently pointed to the next house.

Chang Jinhua patted the quilts a few times. “Sounds like the younger one in the Jiang family is about to give birth.”

Bi Yun said quietly, “If she has a boy, won’t she get even more full of herself? Things will get even harder for Jiang Fulang.”

Living as neighbors for so many years, they knew all about the Jiang family's affairs. Jiang Fulang and his husband had known each other since they were kids, with deep affection. For many years, there had been no one else, but they never had any children. Both of them were pushing forty, so Old Madam Jiang took it upon herself to buy a concubine for her son. Afraid that her son might not like her, she instructed the broker to find someone from a clean family background and with good looks. The broker then arranged for the current Concubine Tao to be sent over.

Since she was a woman from a respectable family sold into this, it was understandable that she kicked up a fuss at first. But later, when Master Jiang couldn't get intimate with her, he got upset and wanted to sell Tao Hua back to the broker. This time he didn't care about looks, just wanted someone docile and obedient.

Unexpectedly, after he slept with Tao Hua while drunk, she stopped causing trouble and settled down peacefully.

Concubine Tao was beautiful and young. Master Jiang wanted to be with her, so he neglected Jiang Fulang.

Jiang Fulang was originally a soft-natured person. He often had to put up with the concubine's anger over little things. Fortunately, Old Madam Jiang still favored him.

Chang Jinhua chided Bi Yun, “After all, he is the legitimate husband. A concubine can never outrank the legitimate husband.”

Meng Wan helped them with the work and asked, “Why didn't they invite the midwife home earlier? I just saw Chan'er go to call the midwife and bring her back.”

“The midwife just went?”

Chang Jinhua wondered, “Logically, a family like theirs should have had the midwife stay with them in advance when the pregnant woman was close to her due date, right?”

The Jiang residence was in a state of chaos. Concubine Tao’s door was closed, and from inside came cries of pain and the midwife’s instructions.

“Concubine, don’t push yet. The baby hasn’t appeared. First, prepare some rice porridge and ginseng soup in the kitchen. If you run out of strength halfway through, that won’t do.”

Old Madam Jiang, who was outside the door, heard this and quickly instructed the maidservant to buy ginseng from the pharmacy and cook porridge on the stove.

Master Jiang, who only had this child at over forty years of age, rushed back from his shop upon hearing the news, even tripping over the threshold and falling hard.

“How is it?” “Has she given birth?” “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Old Madam Jiang helped her son up. “Don’t worry yet. She hasn’t given birth. The midwife is in there watching.”

Master Jiang took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead, panting as he asked, “Wasn’t there still over a month? Why is it early?”

Old Madam Jiang glanced at Jiang Fulang, who had been standing behind her with his head down and eyes lowered.

Master Jiang frowned when he saw this. “What happened?”

The maidservant of Concubine Tao came out and explained, “My lady, Concubine Tao, wanted to go for a walk, but Master Jiang's husband wouldn't let her. They argued, and she... she fell to the ground, and then she started bleeding.”