Chapter 57: Chapter 57: So That’s How It Is_1
Translator: 549690339
Lady Wen finished the prefix and then began to teach medical knowledge.
Yingbao listened carefully, cross-referencing with the book.
This book had never been seen in the market, probably a treasure of the Wen family.
Lady Wen explained the first section, then guided the two children through it, followed by asking them to copy it word by word and sentence by sentence to deepen their impressions.
After the lesson, Lady Wen asked her daughter, Wen Shu, and Yingbao to quiz each other as follow-up exercise.
She went straight back to her room afterwards.
Walking into the inner room, she met her husband’s gaze, Wen Yanmin. She turned her head, not wanting to deal with him.
Wen Yanmin stepped forward and held onto his wife’s sleeve, whispering, “Zhenniang, are you still angry?”
Xiu Zhenniang shoved his hand away, coolly saying, “What do I have to be angry about? We’re already here. We can’t go back, can we?”
Wen Yanmin sighed, “Coming here isn’t all bad.”
Xiu Zhenniang sneered: “It sounds nice, but the so-called advantage you’re talking about is the apothecary in Luzhou that your great-nephew gave you, right?”
Wen Yanmin rubbed his nose and cleared his throat, “The pharmacy in Luzhou is quite good, it can make quite a bit of silver each year, and it’s close to here so we can manage it easily. It was a gesture of kindness from our father, not a gift from Hengchuan.”
Xiu Zhenniang closed her eyes, sat down on the bed, and picked up a medical book.
“Zhenniang, when Father arranged for us to come here, it wasn’t like you thought …” Wen Yanmin tried to explain.
His second and third brothers refused to come, and the old father had no choice but to let him, the fourth son, bear the burden.
But he didn’t think it was a burden; he liked the peaceful life in this little mountain village.
Xiu Zhenniang did not look at her husband, simply said with indifference: “I know, he wants us to look for some secret medicine, a remedy for lung disease, to save the only child of the Central Palace.”
The present Emperor’s offspring were fragile, with only the Empress bearing a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, the royal son is poorly and at a tender age of nine; his disease was beyond cure.
Furthermore, the Emperor’s wife is jealous, while the imperial in-laws are dominant. As the Emperor is facing the threat of having no heir, the Vassal Kings seem to be ready to make a move at any moment.
“Hush, lower your voice.” Wen Yanmin looked to the outside, “If you know it, that’s good. This matter concerns the rise and fall of the Wen family, the old man is also out of options.”
Xiu Zhenniang sneered, “Only now you realize there are no options? Were it not for your eldest brother’s bootlicking, promising whatever he could, how could the Wen family be dragged into this?”
Wen Yanmin’s oldest brother worked at the Imperial Medical Bureau, he used to treat nobility exclusively. Somehow, he managed to establish a connection with the Empress’s family and promised to cure the Empress’s only son. As a result, he’s entangled in a tricky situation.
Wen Yanmin kept silent for a moment and then apologized to his wife, “There’s no point in complaining any more. Zhenniang, we are one with the Wen family, in glory and disgrace. Father had us settle here with the intention to preserve us. As for seeking the secret formula, it was nothing but an excuse.”
In such a desolate little mountain village, sporting a glance, he did not believe there could exist a recluse or an expert.
Let alone the secret prescription, he didn’t even see a decent village doctor.
And the Jiang family — none of the three brothers stood out, and old Mr. Jiang was completely illiterate.
He would never believe that such a family could possess any rare prescription.
Xiu Zhenniang turned her face away, pulled out her handkerchief to gently wipe her eyes, and said through her sniffles.
“I’m not so much complaining as worried about Shushu and Baobao. Should they live their entire life in this small mountain village?”
Shushu was almost ten years old and soon it would be the right time to arrange her marriage. However, they currently resided in a small village. How could they find a match for Shushu from an equivalent background now?
Wen Yanmin massaged his brow while soothing his wife, “If the situation in Beijing calms down and there’s no major incident, we may be able to go back.
Shushu and Hengyin are still young – it wouldn’t matter if we waited a few more years before returning home.”
Xiu Zhenniang sighed faintly, “One can only hope.”
After class, Yingbao sincerely invited Miss Wen to her home.
Wen Shu happily agreed, leading her younger brother to visit the Jiang family and to see the golden ear mushroom in her bamboo shed.
“These are the golden ears we grow at home. They haven’t matured yet.” Yingbao pointed to the mulberry rack, “When they come of age, I will give you some.”
Wen Shu was curious, crouching down to get a closer look at the golden item. She exclaimed, “This is the first time I’ve seen fresh golden ears. They’re really beautiful.
She couldn’t help reaching out to touch them. They were soft and really looked like small ears.
After admiring the golden ears, they went to see the deer and chicken in the deer shed.
Yingbao took a dozen eggs from the egg basket and used another basket to collect them for Wen Shu, “Our chickens lay a dozen eggs each day. Sister Wen, take some home – they’re delicious when boiled.”
Wen Shu felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to decline, but the enthusiasm of the child was overwhelming.
“Well, then I’ll make some mung bean cakes for you to try when I get home.” The friendship between girls often starts with food.
For instance, eating snacks together, shopping for treats together, and eating at roadside stalls together.
Wen Hengyin was not interested in the girlish chit-chat; he only liked the magnificent deer.
He secretly reached out to pat it, and seeing the deer did not resist, he felt a burst of joy.
If he could ride on it, he would surely look impressive.
A few days ago, when he first saw the little girl riding on that deer, he was utterly amazed.
The little boy kept stealing glances at the girl with the braids shaped like goat horns.
Alas, he couldn’t find the words to speak up.
Wen Hengyin drooped his head in disappointment.
Perhaps next time, he would give her his Nine-Linked Rings, in exchange for a chance to ride the deer. Yes, that seemed like a good plan.
After looking at the chickens, the children ran to Uncle Jiang’s pigpen to see the pigs.
This spring, Uncle Jiang had bought a healthy black-and-white sow, intending to find a boar to breed piglets with.
It was the first time Wen Shu and her brother had seen a live pig, so they couldn’t help but peer over the low wall of the pigpen in fascination.
Such a large fat pig, snorting as it sniffed at them, begging for food.
Yingbao ran back to her house and then came back again, bringing a large bundle of shepherd’s purse and green vegetables for Wen Shu: “Sister Wen, you feed her.”
Wen Shu took the greens and began to feed the sow piece by piece.
Seeing the sow enjoying the food, Wen Hengyin couldn’t help himself and began to throw some shepherd’s purse over as well.
The sow seemed to really like the shepherd’s purse and kept nudging Wen Hengyin’s hand with her snout, urging him to give her more.
Wen Hengyin chuckled continuously, stood on his tiptoes, leaned down to touch the pig’s head, and then pinched its large, floppy ears.
So much fun!
Before they knew it, the afternoon had passed, and the siblings left reluctantly, carrying a small basket of eggs that Yingbao had given them.
After seeing off the Wen siblings, Yingbao returned home, full of high spirits.
Upon entering the house, she saw her two little brothers were standing at the door to her western room, looking at her with a touch of resentment in their eyes. Their lips were downward turned, as if they were about to cry any second.
Yingbao had no choice but to hug her brothers, “What’s wrong Xiaojie, Dawu?” Xiaojie’s nose was all red, and he was sniffling as he clung onto his sister’s neck without saying a word.
Dawu also leaned against his sister, grabbing her arm and trying to burrow into her embrace.
Spring Mother walked over, laughing, “The little ones are feeling neglected. Sister Bao didn’t take them out to play after school.”
Feeling slightly guilty, Yingbao held her brothers’ hands and said, “Next time, I’ll definitely take both of you out, all right?”
Her brothers nodded their heads.
Thinking for a moment, Yingbao reached into her school bag, took out her medical book, and said to Xiaojie and Dawu, “I’ll read to you.”
Her two brothers immediately ran to fetch their small stools, and sat down in front of their sister, their eyes sparkling like stars.
Patting their heads, Yingbao laughed and said, “Now it’s sister reading to you. But in the future, Xiaojie and Dawu will read for sister, all right?”
Nurturing a child prodigy requires encouragement and guidance from an early age. Get them into the habit of reading, make them love reading, and then they can grow up and become important officials to support themselves, hehe…
“Okay!” The two little ones said in unison.
#Before, some readers pointed out an error in the quantity of gold earrings after they were dried. This has been corrected, and from now on, please use the current number as the reference.. Thank you all for your attention to detail!#
