WSMTATMC C70

Chapter 70

After delivering the New Year’s gifts, it was nearly noon, and everyone began gathering around the table, awaiting the start of the feast.

The full-month banquet was lavishly prepared, with ten dishes per table. Besides chicken, fish, and meat, there were many fresh melons and vegetables, all freshly picked from the experimental field by Chen Qingyan just the day before.

Though the season was well into spring with grasses growing and orioles singing, the vegetables in the fields had yet to mature. The shop’s vegetables were still priced low, making them affordable for ordinary folk. Even wealthy families could enjoy such fresh vegetables at every meal.

Especially notable was the candied tomato dish. Few had ever tasted it before, but several ladies from wealthy families couldn’t help but praise it. “This banquet is quite exquisite. My son once wanted to eat tomatoes and bought five, paying fifty cash! With so many tables here, it must have cost a lot!”

Someone nearby sneered, “It’s the vegetable shop’s own produce — imagine how much they spent.”

Another woman said, “True. They grow their own vegetables and haul them all the way here; that’s the cost.”

Actually, they knew that Wang Ying himself grew the vegetables — but this lifetime, he’d probably never reveal that to others.

After the meal, guests left one by one. Madam Lu noticed Li Shi was free and walked over to speak with her.

“Madam Chen…”

“Oh, sister-in-law from the Lu family, did you enjoy the meal?” Li Shi approached with a bright smile.

“Yes, very good. The dishes were excellent.”

“We specially hired cooks from the Yingke Restaurant to assist in the kitchen. Luckily, my son-in-law has some connection with its owner, so we managed to bring them in.”

Madam Lu nodded in agreement.

“By the way, you said you wanted to talk to me just now—what is it?”

Madam Lu hesitated, “Perhaps we should go inside to talk.”

Li Shi followed her inside. After settling in, Madam Lu suddenly said, “Sister, I owe you an apology…”

“What do you mean?”

Madam Lu stammered, telling of her son’s foolish deeds, leaving Li Shi stunned. “You say the people who framed Qingyan were hired by your son?”

“I know Chang’an did wrong. I came to apologize on his behalf. Given our many years of friendship, please forgive him.”

Li Shi was momentarily at a loss for words, clutching her chest. After a while, she said, “You know our friendship is deep—how could you not know that Qingyan was wrongly accused of cheating at the county exam, fell gravely ill, and nearly died?”

“At that time, I prayed daily and consulted doctors everywhere. I hated to trade my life for his. After so much effort, we barely saved him. The men your son hired nearly killed him again!”

“Chang’an is so foolish…”

“Enough! From now on, our two families shall no longer associate.” Li Shi ordered her servants to return the gifts Madam Lu had just sent.

Madam Lu sighed, holding a silver bracelet, knowing that Li Shi had forgiven her son.

After guests left, Li Shi wept bitterly but quickly wiped her tears as more visitors arrived.

Meanwhile, Li Cheng had arrived with his two sons and ended up sitting with Liang Boqing at the same table.

The father and sons were rather reserved, for Liang Boqing’s reputation was immense — a literary titan among scholars, hard to imagine appearing in a modest town.

They ate little, eyes fixed on Liang Boqing and Chen Qinghuai beside him.

Was he really Liang Liufang? What was his relation to Liang?

When the meal was finished, Li Cheng sought Chen Qingyan out and pulled him aside.

“Qingyan, I came to ask if you would like to accompany me to study in Tianyang County?”

“Thank you, elder uncle, for your kindness. I have already apprenticed under a teacher, and my young child still requires care, so I cannot go.”

Li Cheng showed no offense. “Your master is the elder who recently composed poetry for the children — the famed Yangzhou talent Liang Liufang?”

Chen Qingyan nodded, “Indeed.”

“Truly him!” Li Cheng smiled brightly and held Chen Qingyan’s arm. “How did you meet him?”

“It’s a long story. He was a close friend of my Fourth Uncle and also my cousin’s master. When my Fourth Uncle was transferred to Shanzhou, he accompanied my cousin to the county exam and stayed with us, teaching both me and Qingsong occasionally.”

“That’s excellent! You must study well with him! I hear Liang is exceptionally talented, the foremost scholar of Jiangnan. With him as your teacher, you certainly have a chance to top the exams!”

Chen Qingyan smiled but said nothing; after all, he currently lacked the qualification to take the imperial exams and was unsure if he ever would.

After the full-month celebration, Li Cheng and his sons stayed only two days before departing.

Chen Qingyan wanted to take them to see the nearby spring, but Li Cheng chuckled, “Perhaps next time — family matters keep us busy, and we should return soon.”

Li Shi bid them farewell, escorting them out of town before returning.

On the carriage, Li Bingchen whispered, “Father, is my cousin’s teacher really the great master Liang?”

“Yes.”

Li Bingwen could only sigh. “I never imagined Qingyan would have such fortune. Maybe he can become a juren someday.” He knew his own talent was limited and doubted he’d make it, having abandoned the imperial path early, taking only the xiucai degree to work at the prefectural office.

The Li family’s academics were shaky at best, so Li Cheng kindly left his son with Master Liang to study.

Brothers discussed Liang Liufang’s reputation while Li Cheng, silent, gazed at the outside landscape with a sigh.

After the full-month, Master Liang moved back to the manor.

Though reluctant to leave his young son, Chen Qingyan continued studying diligently, even if only for the land’s sake.

He wanted to prevent anyone ever mocking little Yuanbao by saying, “You have a father who cheated and failed the imperial exams.”

Chen Rong’s family stayed behind, and Cao Kun came to visit the husband regularly.

Wang Ying teased, “Businessman Cao comes so often — worried your husband might run off?”

Cao Kun scratched his head and laughed, “Sister-in-law, you joke. It feels like a year apart in a single day.”

Lin Qiu spat on him playfully, “Go away, don’t keep coming. Keep doing your foot-trading business.”

“I am! Just came to tell you we plan to travel to Hangzhou — it’ll take about two months.”

“So long?” Lin Qiu’s heart tightened.

“You’ll be safe here. When we return, it’ll be May or June, just in time to take you back to the county.”

Lin Qiu nodded, eyes moist.

Wang Ying, perceptive, carried Yuanbao back to the backyard, giving the little couple private time.

Time passed. Yuanbao grew from the size of a kitten into a chubby, round little boy. Weighed a few days ago, he reached seventeen jin (about 8.5 kg).

Lately, Yuanbao could make people laugh. Whenever Wang Ying clicked his tongue, the boy would grin widely and chuckle uncontrollably — a delightfully rare sight.

His appetite increased too, drinking half a bowl of milk per feeding, now up to a full bowl to feel full.

During the day, Li Shi and Chen Rong mostly stayed in their rooms, often coming to Wang Ying’s to compete for holding the grandson. Wang Ying enjoyed some leisure, though his shoulders ached from holding the baby so much.

At night, the baby was entrusted to the nanny’s care. Wang Ying arrived early in the experimental field to wait for Chen Qingyan.

Since the field’s upgrade to level five, besides occasional rewards, they gained many base benefits:

Usage time extended by an hour, now up to three hours per day.

Max growth speed for plants increased to five times, but required more experience points.

A new one-click harvest feature appeared… making it more like a mini-game.

Additionally, harvested vegetables could be directly stored. They preserved according to the plant’s natural shelf life, hidden in an unknown place where expired goods would disappear automatically.

The storage option also included converting mature crops into experience points to further upgrade the field.

Wang Ying exchanged several thousand jin of stored wheat for experience points but only increased by two percent, making him regret the trade instantly — he could sell the grain for more silver than what the experience points were worth!

Otherwise, the experimental field remained the same: you reap what you sow.

Around the you hour (around 5 pm), Chen Qingyan entered, first asking about Yuanbao: “Was he fussy today? Did he eat on time? Is he feeling well?”

“Eating and sleeping well. How about your studies?”

Chen Qingyan hugged Wang Ying and kissed his forehead. “The teacher praised me today — the first time ever!”

Liang Boqing was strict with older relatives but doting toward grandchildren.

Recently, Chen Qingsong had been lazy, faking his readings for several days, and had even swollen his palms after being struck by the old man.

“How are Mother and Aunt?”

“They visit daily to hold Yuanbao. When the baby grows a bit, I’ll leave him with them and go to the manor.”

Chen Qingyan hesitated. “You should stay by Yuanbao’s side. He’s so small — it would be sad to separate him from his father and ‘Ah Fu’.”

Wang Ying saw the tenderness in his lover’s expression and couldn’t help but smile. Since having a child, Qingyan had shed youthful awkwardness and become a mature, responsible man.

Such a small husband was especially charming, prompting Wang Ying to wrap his arms and kiss.

Chen Qingyan cupped the back of his head, returning the kiss. They stumbled backward onto a bed of young wheat, their clothes scattered on the ground.

Perhaps related to the childbirth, Wang Ying was now comfortable both mentally and physically with his identity and sexuality, no longer shy during intimate moments, doing whatever felt good.

He mounted Chen Qingyan, swaying his waist seductively. Sweat dripped from his forehead to his chin, then down between their joined bodies, evaporating with each vigorous movement.

After their passionate encounter, they lay panting on the clothes, Wang Ying resting his head on Chen Qingyan’s arm: “How’s the wheat at the manor growing?”

“Pretty well. Yesterday, I met with Chen Zhuangtou. He said our manor’s wheat was better than several neighboring villages.”

Because the winter was warm, wheat seedlings had sprouted. Only a few villagers in Chen Manor and nearby hamlets tended the fields; others neglected them.

After New Year, sudden drops in temperature and successive snowfalls froze the seedlings. By spring, the fields were bare except for a few scattered stalks.

People hurried to replant other crops, but this year they could only harvest what they had. Millet wouldn’t ripen until June; crops sown in July or August surely wouldn’t harvest.

Wang Ying thought anxiously of the wheat seeds sent to the capital, knowing their growth was just beginning…

Footnotes:

Jin (斤) — A traditional Chinese weight unit, approximately 500 grams or 1.1 pounds.

You hour (酉时) — A traditional Chinese time period from 5pm to 7pm.

Xiucai (秀才) — Holder of the county-level imperial examination degree.

Tongsheng (童生) — Student who passed the county examination, eligible to take the provincial exam.

Book of Songs (《诗经》) — Classic collection of Chinese poems often referenced symbolically.

Ah Fu (阿父) — An affectionate term for “father” or “dad” in some Chinese dialects.