Chapter 111: A Family Doesn't Speak Two Families' Words

Send the old woman away; she didn't stop, this matter has nothing to do with her, push it onto Old Mr. Wang—if he's willing to take a student he'll teach, it's just one more pupil; if he isn't, he won't teach. With his status, who would dare make him angry?

At this moment Mrs. Wang is feeding the small animals in the backyard, and Wang Lao Yezi is inside drinking tea and reading.

The old woman at the door said, "Old Master, at the courtyard gate Xin'er will return home in three days, bringing her husband to see you."

Old Mr. Wang hummed, "Invite them in."

Xin'er and Xianggong entered the room and quickly bowed to the old gentleman.

"Xin'er sends her respects to you, Feng Yinshi sends his respects to you."

"Mm, please sit."

The two servant girls following behind hurriedly placed the gift box on the table and stepped back.

"Where is the lady?"

"Sir, Xin'er's husband is eighteen this year; he passed the xiucai exam at sixteen and wants to advance further, what do you think?"

"Servant girl, even after marriage you must consider your natal family; your mother and your master have both had it hard. Your mother, to give you a splendid marriage, emptied the family funds; your master, for you, just built a house and has little silver left. Go see the vegetable jar by the courtyard wall; to earn more silver she has people pickling vegetables every day just to sell at a good price in winter."

I will answer you, I feel sorry for your master; this servant girl is too exhausted, too hard‑working, and I don't want to bring more people into the household and add to her burden.

"Xin'er feels ashamed."

Although he concealed it well, Qiao Mai's perception is too strong.

If I were to agree, you and your husband would have to move back here, continue to eat, drink, and live for free? If you spend money, your master would definitely not allow it.

"Hehe, that's the matter. You should have come to me first; you were embarrassed to refuse Yinshi, I was embarrassed, Old Mr. Wang originally didn't want to teach my husband and them; it was forced by his granddaughter, he definitely won't take more students, he doesn't care about any favors, if he doesn't want to teach, he simply doesn't."

If you don't spend money, then you're just seeking to bask in her glory again. Have you ever thought about your master? Is she tired? Does her money suffice for this whole family's expenses?

At noon, the kitchen prepared a table of dishes; Qiao Mai and Yuan Jiaqi came over to keep company, and Old Mr. Wang and his wife ate in their own courtyard.

"You see her from dawn to dusk without a moment of leisure, working desperately to earn money for this family; your whole family eats and drinks here, lives here, and all the money comes from her, even the money for your wedding celebrations—have you ever thought of sharing the burden with her?"

"If that were true, the students who entered the School could all vie for official positions; you know this gentleman's role isn't free, he has to mentor each one, point out their flaws, and the fatigue is not just physical but also mental."

She begged the gentleman to take Yinshi as a student; the gentleman refused, and gave Xin'er a lecture.

"Go, go, I will spend my entire dowry, and also let my husband go."

"There is no one to introduce us there, and besides, the annual tuition is so high that my in‑laws cannot afford it."

Whether they look up to you or look down on you doesn't matter; as long as you respect yourself, that's enough.

"What wrongdoing?"

"There's no need for politeness, we're good sisters; a family doesn't speak as two families."

"Out of respect for your master, I didn't say anything unpleasant; if it were someone else, with my temperament I'd certainly have cursed them."

"Sir, I'm sorry, Xin'er truly didn't think that way."

Yuan Jiaqi is no longer even a child scholar; he hasn't hidden anything from Feng Yinshi either. However, Qiao Mai, from the look of the Feng family son‑in‑law, sees that he looks down on Yuan Jiaqi, perhaps thinking that at his age he still hasn't attained any Merit.

"Yes, sir!"

Then he sealed the letter and handed it to Xin'er.

Ruxin and Feng Yinshi's faces flushed, "The gentleman said so."

Carrying the letter, the young couple said farewell to the gentleman and went to the front hall; Shopkeeper Lu, seeing their expressions, knew the matter hadn't succeeded, and Xin'er told Lu Sanniang about meeting the gentleman.

"I also know; during Jiuyue Li they came to the house for recognition, I hinted to them, but they wouldn't listen and insisted on hitting the southern wall; I couldn't help it."

"You call me 'sir', then I have to keep saying, your master has been so good to you, you cannot repay her in this lifetime, what have you done for her?"

She is just an outsider; Qiao Mai wouldn't mind, as long as Lu sister and her family are doing well.

"Sir, are you still taking students?"

The two lowered their heads, speechless at Old Mr. Wang's words.

"Oh, that's wonderful; when my in‑laws first mentioned this to me, I disagreed, because Old Mr. Wang is truly advanced in age, and being a teacher for the Qiao family is also for your master's skill; didn't you see he only teaches in the morning and rests in the afternoon?"

"Your dowry is more than enough; don't think I'm a fool."

Feng Yinshi gave Xin'er a hopeful glance; having lived in the house for a while, she has a certain understanding of the gentleman's preferences.

Now Xin'er and Feng Yinshi's faces flushed with embarrassment, "No, sir, Xin'er never thought that way, she just feels that teaching one is still teaching, teaching two is also teaching, like, like herding sheep…"

After the meal, Yuan Jiaqi returned to his own courtyard; Qiao Mai and Shopkeeper Lu prepared many gifts for the two, and had them take them back.

Shopkeeper Lu held Qiao Mai's hand, "Sister, thank you for your hard work."

"Yes, mother‑in‑law!"

This woman, once she becomes someone else's daughter‑in‑law, her thoughts are entirely devoted to her husband's family, not at all considering Qiao Niang or Shopkeeper Lu.

"Because you're accustomed to your master's contributions; if you came here to ask me to help your husband get into the Fenglin Academy in Fucheng, I wouldn't be angry, but you actually want to stuff your husband in, right?"

"It was my mother who was at fault, didn't consider so much."

Old Mr. Wang, upon hearing this, narrowed his eyes, his complexion slightly darkened, and he gave Xin'er a deep look.

"I won't take any more; these few already tire me to the limit, I have no energy to accept more. At my age I should be retired; if it weren't for your master's superb cooking, which teases my appetite, I wouldn't even plan to take those few."

"You still don't want to spend silver, yet you want your husband to become a disciple of a famous master; such a thing doesn't exist in this world. Take your master as an example: even though she never pays me the annual tuition, you know she spends on me each year more than three times the tuition amount."

"Xin'er, even though she's married, her nature is simple and her thoughts are straightforward; you must teach her a bit, lest she be taken advantage of in her husband's family."

"My annual tuition, when calculated, is far more expensive than that of Fucheng; do you still want to ride on your master's glory, stuffing your husband in to save a tuition fee? This aside,"

Xin'er's tears fell in a flash, "Sir, I was wrong!"

"The gentleman is kind, he didn't scold me; he just clarified the matter, teaching his daughter how to conduct herself, and he also wrote a recommendation letter for the daughter, allowing the husband to study at Fenglin Academy."

Old Mr. Wang rose, went to the desk, picked up a brush, and swiftly wrote a recommendation letter, then sealed it, addressing it to the director of Fenglin Academy.

"Upon arriving at Fenglin Academy, study diligently and strive to pass the recommended scholar exam soon."

"Sorry, sir, it was Xin'er who didn't know gratitude; she was too reckless today."

"Mother‑in‑law, the young son‑in‑law is already content, he has caused trouble for Xin'er and you."

"Do you want to go to Fenglin Academy?"

Xin'er really didn't think about it.

Ruxin messed up today.

Think twice before acting.

I went to the backyard; seeing those little ones all day feels closer than seeing my own grandchildren.

Go to the Fenglin Academy in Fucheng; many successful candidates for the imperial examinations come from there.

Lu Sanniang also felt her face flush; she knew she shouldn't have let her maiden go to see the old gentleman, it was too reckless, and she bore responsibility for not stopping her.

From now on, each month I'll take Ruyi to County Town to see her.

You go rest; I have to go pickle the vegetables, and there's still a lot of work.

Shall I help you?

No need; you're not the one who does this work, let me do it.

(End of chapter)