Chapter 70 Meng Qing glanced back at her family, her face…

Chapter 70 Meng Qing glanced back at her family, her face…

Meng Qing glanced back at her family, her face showing obvious reluctance.

"Young master, come here." Butler Chen bent down and beckoned to Wang Zhou.

Wang Zhou glanced at Meng Qing, pursed his lips, walked over, and stood beside Meng Qing's legs.

"This child looks just like you." Butler Chen squatted down, smiled at Wang Zhou, and looked up at Meng Qing. "Miss Meng, your family is wealthy, your parents are kind and understanding, and your brothers are loving and affectionate. I can understand your reluctance to leave your homeland and be separated from your family. But what did you marry into the Du family for? Wasn't it just to gamble on Du Xuezi's bright future and to secure a path for your descendants to rise in society? You've already gambled on your marriage, so why are you hesitating now?"

Meng Qing's eyes showed hesitation, clearly indicating that she had taken his words to heart.

Butler Chen smiled and pressed on, "Just think of it as scouting ahead for your son. Twenty years from now, when he goes to the capital for the imperial examinations, he can't be clueless about the ways to get there."

A smile appeared on Meng Qing's face. She happily patted Wang Zhou's head, looking delighted with the prospect of achieving fame and success.

When Master Chen saw her like this, he disdainfully looked away. "A scholar who has passed the imperial examination is like a lotus root in a lake? Anyone can dig one up from the water. She's truly greedy, both greedy and ignorant."

"I'll talk to Du Min when he comes out of the examination hall," Meng Qing said, feeling she had acted long enough.

Upon hearing this, Master Chen immediately went outside. Knowing Du Min's nature of rushing towards anything with a fishy smell, he knew that as long as he let slip a word, the other party would be extremely grateful and would not refuse at all.

“Miss Meng, if Scholar Du passes the provincial examination, he will likely set off north in early September. My master has already packed his bags and is just waiting for Scholar Du to be ready before we depart. Time is tight, so you must hurry up with making the paper offerings and don’t delay the journey,” Steward Chen said, rising to give his instructions.

Meng Qing nodded, "There's still time. All seven of my apprentices are now skilled at making paper-mache funerary objects. Each of them can make one, and we can finish it within ten days."

"Alright, calculate how much it will cost in total. Once you've discussed it with Scholar Du, go to the manor and give him a message. I'll settle the bill for you on the way." After saying this, Steward Chen turned and walked out.

Meng Qing took Wang Zhou's hand and followed him out to see him off. As they walked out of the paper horse shop, she saw Master Chen standing under the big locust tree, facing the shop and staring at the storefront, seemingly lost in thought.

"Uncle Chen, are you going to Chang'an with your parents this time?" Meng Qing asked softly.

Butler Chen nodded, “With the master gone, the old house in Wu County will be empty. It’s not interesting for me to stay here and guard the empty house. I might as well go and take care of the old master’s children and grandchildren.”

Meng Qing immediately perked up, "Great, I have company on the road now."

Butler Chen was taken aback. He glanced at Meng Qing, his smile becoming more genuine. "If you need anything on the road, you can come to me."

Meng Qing nodded repeatedly, "Are your family members going to Chang'an with you? If my aunts and sisters-in-law are going too, then I'll have places to visit in Chang'an. Once I leave Wu County, I can only hear the local accent when I meet fellow villagers."

"Go, all of you go." Seeing that Master Chen was getting impatient, Steward Chen gave Meng Qing a wink and hurriedly ran over.

Master Chen strode away with his hands behind his back. As he walked out of the antique shop, he glanced back and saw that there was no one outside the paper horse shop.

"What was she saying to you? You two seem to have a lot in common," he asked.

"Miss Meng asked me if I wanted to go to Chang'an with you. In my opinion, the arrangement to go to Chang'an is too sudden for her. She is uneasy and uneasy. After all, it is thousands of miles away from her homeland. If something happens, she will not have anyone to help her. Having an acquaintance or a companion will give her someone to rely on." Steward Chen spoke to Meng Qing. "You should not be impatient with her. She is a woman in her twenties. No matter how clever or resourceful she is, she is only so brave. It is normal for her to be uneasy and fearful."

Master Chen breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re right. If she comes to you again, please take extra care to get the necessary paperwork done for her, so she won’t be troubled by a lowly servant.”

Steward Chen agreed, and after returning to the Chen residence, he sent a servant to the Meng family to deliver a message.

"Steward Chen said that once you've made your decision, you should tell him who will be traveling with you. He'll then go to the Registrar of Household Affairs to handle it, so you won't be bothered by the lowly soldiers when you go to process it." The old woman came to the paper horse shop to deliver the message.

Meng Qing thanked her and handed a handful of copper coins to the old woman, saying, "Thank you for making this trip. Please have a cup of tea."

The old woman glanced at the copper coin, then left satisfied.

"Qingniang, let's leave Wangzhou at home," said Meng's mother.

"No, I want to take it with me." Meng Qing refused decisively.

Mencius' mother was angered by her reaction, "I'm not going to take the child away from you, I'm just raising him for you for a year. He's still so young, how can he endure traveling thousands of miles by boat to another place? Isn't this just suffering for nothing?"

Meng Qing hesitated, "But I can't bear to part with him. If I don't take him with me, he won't recognize me when I come back."

“Even if you don’t know each other, you’ll get to know each other after living together for a while.” Meng’s mother glanced at the boat and asked, “Your parents are going on a long trip with your third uncle. The journey will be tough. Can you stay at home with your grandmother and uncle and wait for them to come back?”

Wang Zhou shook his head.

“If you can’t understand what I’m saying, then shake your head,” Meng’s father asked.

Wang Zhou nodded.

Meng's father: "...This child, he's always silent when he should be talking."

Wang Zhou looked up at him but didn't say a word.

“You told him to be as noisy as a goose, and he got angry.” Meng Chun laughed.

Meng Qing squatted down next to Wang Zhou and said, "Traveling by boat is not like walking. Life on the boat may be a little boring, but it won't be too hard. I've decided to take him with me to Chang'an. Du Li and I will take good care of him on the way."

Mencius' mother sighed, "Then you must take good care of him and make sure he doesn't get sick."

“Sister, I’ll go with you. If you need to make paper effigies for funerary objects when we get to Chang’an, I can lend you a hand,” Meng Chun said.

Meng Qing shook her head, "If we both leave suddenly, the paper horse shop's business probably won't be stable. My parents' skills are a bit lacking, and it's hard to say whether the apprentices will be able to work diligently. You have to stay and keep things in order."

Mencius' parents remained silent, clearly agreeing with her view.

“As for me, your brother-in-law can help me out. It’s okay if it’s a little slow; I’m not in business,” Meng Qing said. “The three of you stay home and get the paper horse shop business sorted out. I’ll come back to pick you up next year or the year after.”

“Alright, it’s settled then,” Meng’s father decided.

Meng Chun was not happy. He glanced at Meng Qing again and again. He also wanted to go to Chang'an with her to see the Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an, to see the scholars riding horses through the streets, and to see the excitement caused by the paper effigies of funerary objects under the imperial city.

Meng Qing pretended not to see his gaze.

*

On the evening of August 25th, Du Min walked out of the examination hall. Du Li squeezed through the crowd to take his grain bag. Seeing that although his face was sallow, his steps were still steady, he said, "It seems that going out for a trip is good for your health. I don't need to carry you back this year."

Du Min let out a long sigh. He walked to the tree and stood there for a while, then said in a hoarse voice, "When I was on the ship, I practiced a set of boxing with Mr. Qinglun."

"You'd better shut up, your voice is awful." Du Li took his arm. "Come on, let's go home. Your second sister-in-law is waiting for you there."

Meng Qing had already prepared the meal. She led Wang Zhou to wait on the bridge. When Du Li and Du Min appeared, the mother and son spotted them immediately.

Wang Zhou skipped and hopped across the bridge, and he followed him along the river to meet him, while Meng Qing watched quietly from the bridge.

When the two sides met, Wangzhou chased after them like a little tail.

"Second Sister-in-law," Du Min called out as they crossed the bridge.

"You've made progress by walking back upright this year." Meng Qing covered her nose. "Go back and wash up, you smell just like the pickled vegetables in the jar."

Du Min choked, coughed, took a deep breath, and said with a forced smile, "Second sister-in-law, please go first, please take five steps ahead."

"The voice is awful too," Meng Qing said disdainfully before walking away quickly.

Du Min looked at Du Li, who asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Why are you looking at me?"

"Aren't you going ahead?"

“It’s no big deal to travel this distance; I’m already so disgusted by your stench that I can’t smell it anymore,” Du Li said bluntly.

Du Min was instantly enraged by the couple. He pushed Du Li away and walked back, holding his breath.

Wang Zhou chased after him, deliberately saying, "Third Uncle, you smell bad."

Du Min glared at him.

"It stinks!" Wang Zhou said, pinching his nose and buzzing.

Du Min gritted his teeth and remained silent. He insisted on walking into Jiayufang. Just before entering, he suddenly quickened his pace, grabbed the fat boy in front of him who was yelling that he smelled bad, and with a sneer, he pressed Wang Zhou into his arms.

Wang Zhou shouted for help, and the four geese in the house came running over with a clatter. Du Min was bitten a few times, and he abandoned Wang Zhou and fled to the backyard, panting.

Meng Qing stood outside the kitchen with her arms crossed. "You still look quite energetic."

Du Min remained silent, keeping an eye on the outside. Seeing Zhou and the goose chasing after him, he dashed into Meng Chun's house.

"Alright, alright, take your goose outside, it's making so much noise," Meng Qing shouted.

Wang Zhou was unwilling, "Third Uncle is smoking me."

“He has already admitted defeat,” Meng Qing said.

“Yes, I admit defeat,” Du Min shouted through the door.

Du Li herded the four geese to the front yard. He and Meng Qing exchanged a glance, neither of them understanding why Du Min would be so childish.

"Come out for dinner, I made pork bone and lotus seed soup," Meng Qing called out.

Du Min opened the door and came out. He glanced at Zhou and said, "I admit defeat. You can't cause me any more trouble."

"You did well on the exam? You seem to be in a good mood," Du Li asked.

Du Min nodded, "I'm much more confident than last year. This year's exam was quite easy."

Meng Qing brought out the rice and soup, saying, "Eat first. Your second brother will fetch you bathwater. After you've eaten and drunk your fill, take a bath and go to bed. We can talk about anything after you've woken up."

Du Min let out a long breath; this feeling of disdain that wasn't real disdain was actually quite nice. He sat down to eat, and after he finished eating, he went to wash up. When he came out after changing into clean clothes, the Meng family of three had also returned.

"How did you do on the exam?" Meng's father asked with concern.

"Not bad, nothing unexpected happened." Du Min said, "Uncle, you guys eat, I'm going back to my room to sleep."

"Okay, go to sleep."

Du Min slept until the afternoon of the next day. He opened the door and went outside. The sun was already setting, and the backyard was bathed in golden sunlight. The air was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. He stood at the door for a while, then turned around and noticed a piece of paper stuck to the door. He tore it off, glanced at it, and went to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of rice.

Suddenly, the sound of geese honking came from outside the door. Du Min chewed his rice and looked over. Under his gaze, the door opened from the outside, and Du Li led Wang Zhou in. However, four geese lingered outside the door.

"You're awake? Is the food still warm? If it's cold, you can heat it up again." Du Li asked.

Du Min, holding the cold rice, nodded without changing his expression, "Why are you back?"

“The geese are coming back; it’s time for them to go down to the river to play.” Du Li led Wang Zhou out again. “I’ll take Wang Zhou to the river. After you’ve eaten, go to the paper horse shop. Your second sister-in-law needs to see you.”

Du Min watched the father and son leave, and the four geese flapped their wings and honked loudly as they ran away.

After they left, the woman across the hall with a sullen face opened her door and was about to curse when she noticed that the Meng family's door was still open. She went over to take a look and met Du Min's gaze. She was startled and immediately turned away.

Du Min turned his face away and continued eating. After he finished eating, he washed the dishes and chopsticks, locked the door, and went to the Paper Horse Shop.

"You've arrived?" Meng Qing was trimming the straw stubble left behind after shearing the fat man in the backyard. As she wielded the shears, she repeated the words left by Master Chen.

"Go to the Chen residence," Meng Qing said.

"I understand." Du Min pondered for a few moments. He thought of Du Li leading Wang Zhou and the geese to play by the river. Perhaps because he had been asleep for so long, his conscience had awakened, and he felt a pang of pity and shame.

"Second sister-in-law, I have disrupted your peaceful life, and I have troubled you to travel thousands of miles away from your homeland with me," Du Min said with his head down.

"Why are you saying such things? This isn't like you." Meng Qing chuckled. "I also have my own motives; it's not a selfless act."

Du Min felt a lump in his throat, a kind of uncomfortable feeling. He secretly resented her for being ungrateful, but he didn't know how he wanted her to react. After all, he couldn't possibly let her stay in Wu County just because of this feeling of guilt. In the end, he attributed this awkwardness to his own hypocrisy. He had received real benefits, yet he still wanted her to comfort and understand him.

"What are you daydreaming about? Aren't you going to the Chen residence today? If you're not going, come help me with the chores." Meng Qing tentatively handed over a pair of scissors.

Du Min hesitated for a moment, then chose not to make things difficult for himself or pretend anymore.

“I’m not the type to do this kind of work.” He turned and walked out. “I’m going to help Wangzhou herd geese so my second brother can come back and do the work.”

Meng Qing breathed a sigh of relief behind him; he was finally back to normal.

*

The next day.

Du Min went to the Chen residence alone. This time, he entered through the main gate and was led by Steward Chen.

Master Chen was tidying up his books in his study when he heard footsteps coming in, but he didn't turn around.

"How did the exam go?" he asked casually.

Du Min knelt down and bowed deeply. "This student thanks you for your appreciation and kindness. It is thanks to the virtue of my ancestors that I have been able to be valued and promoted by you. If I cannot repay you in this life, I will repay your kindness in the next."

Master Chen walked around the desk, bent down, and helped him up, saying, "Why make such a grand gesture?"

"Yes, sir. Your selfless help is truly appreciated, but I have nothing of value to offer. I can only express my gratitude by kneeling in thanks." Du Min bowed deeply again.

Master Chen felt a rare sense of shame. He was ashamed to face such a sincere sentiment, so he pretended to be angry and said, "Sit down and talk. If you continue like this, I will kick you out."

"Yes." Du Min sat down by the window, tears streaming down his face. "Yesterday, my second sister-in-law conveyed the master's message to me. I've already discussed it with her, and she's willing to go all the way to Chang'an to help me. But the master has gone to so much trouble for me; I don't know what I can do for him."

"I simply can't bear to see a gem go to waste, and since we're from the same hometown, helping you out is just a convenient thing to do." Master Chen had no intention of revealing his purpose. He sat down opposite Du Min and asked, "How did the exam go?"

“It should be fine, I’m more confident than last year’s provincial examination. But my feeling doesn’t count, I plan to go to the prefectural school later to find Dr. Xu and have him write down my answers for him to review,” Du Min said.

Master Chen asked him to write down the test questions, and then he asked Du Min to recite them orally.

The two spent the whole day in the study, and Du Min was even more tired when he came out than when he left the examination hall.

It was already dark when he returned to the Meng family home. Du Li opened the door for him and said, "I thought you weren't coming back tonight."

“Where else can I stay besides here?” Du Min sighed. “Tell my second sister-in-law to pack her bags. We’ll set off after the results of the imperial examination are posted.”

"Have you eaten?" Meng Qing asked, standing at the door.

“He ate with Master Chen. Second sister-in-law, he didn’t reveal his purpose. His words were all high-sounding words about mentoring the younger generation. You two keep your mouth shut and don’t let anything slip.” Du Min reminded, “I don’t know if he likes a good reputation or if he thinks we are not worth knowing about his affairs. Since he wants to continue acting, we will play along with him.”

"Okay, I understand." Meng Qing nodded.

*

The next day.

Meng Qing and Du Li took Wang Zhou to the Chen residence again, asking Steward Chen to apply for a passage to Chang'an for their family of three, and to retrieve the 210 strings of cash that Master Chen had paid for the paper horses, paper houses, and paper sedan chairs.

The three of them took the money home. Du Min also returned from the prefectural school. After learning that he had met with Master Chen, Dr. Xu asked him a few simple questions and then sent him away.

"Third brother, take a look." Meng Qing handed him the account books for the past two years. She looked at Zhou shoveling goose droppings in the front yard, not worried about him overhearing. She no longer concealed her words: "Last year you got 112 guan of profit. This year, up to the Chen family's business, you got 78 guan of profit."

"Business is bad this year? Why are there fewer deaths among the local gentry and wealthy merchants?" Du Min asked, looking at the account book.

Meng Qing: "...You're really like a death knell. There are two reasons why the profit sharing is less this year. One is that the apprentices are almost ready to graduate. They can make paper horses and simple paper houses and sedan chairs, so I have to make fewer paper funerary objects myself. The other reason is that it's only the end of August, which is eight months of profit sharing. My parents' accounts haven't been settled yet, but even if they are, it won't be much. There are fewer guests from Chongwen Academy and the prefectural school this year."

Du Min calculated that in less than three years, he had earned at least 250 strings of cash in interest. This paper horse shop was a real fat sheep.

"Elder sister, your third brother wants to discuss something with you." Du Min said with a flattering look, "If you open a private school and recruit apprentices in the future, can I participate? I'll provide the connections, and you'll give me 20% of the profits."

Meng Qing scoffed, "You're exaggerating when you call me 'elder sister.' You should just call me 'second sister-in-law.'"

"Are you going to go back on your word? You said yourself that it could be my eldest sister's." Du Min retorted, acting like a liar.

“When your elder sister is scolding you, it’s not the time to divide money and take advantage of others,” Du Li interjected. “I think you’ve become greedy and greedy.”

“Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. If I remember correctly, this is a saying that my second sister-in-law also said,” Du Min said.

“Yes, I did say that. But it’s too early to talk about profit sharing. You should help me settle the private school matter first.” Meng Qing snatched the account book from his hand and said, half-jokingly, “Third brother, your second sister-in-law can be your money bag. If you do your work, your second sister-in-law will give you money. If you need money, I can lend it to you. Don’t you dare try to touch other people’s money bags. If I find out, I’ll show you the power of your eldest sister.”

Du Min smiled and said, "Alright, I'll be an honest official."

"Father, a guest has arrived, looking for you," Wangzhou called from the front yard.

It was Uncle Du who came to ask Du Min if he had taken the provincial examination this year.

"The results of the provincial examination haven't come out yet. I'll go back and share the good news when they are," Du Min said.

"Alright, alright, the village is still thinking about raising money for your travel expenses. Remember to go back and get it," Uncle Du said.

Du Min forgot about the saying about being an honest official at this moment, and he nodded in agreement.

...

On the eighth day of the ninth month, the results of the imperial examination were announced at the examination hall, and Du Min was on the list, ranking third.

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Du Min returned to the village and took away the ninety strings of cash that the village had raised for him.

On the tenth day of the ninth month, Meng Qing and Du Li, along with Wang Zhou and his four goose friends, boarded the Chen family's large ship at the Wumen Ferry with Du Min.