Chapter 44

Every spring, as the rivers thaw, it is the time for the trade routes to reopen. At this time every year, Canglong Mansion is bustling with activity, as caravans from all over the country enter and exit, transporting large quantities of goods across the nation.

Besides the trade, another lively event also begins at this time, which is the school enrollment.

Although the admission to Xiyue Academy starts at the beginning of summer, due to the long journey, some people who are worried about delays start making preparations at this time.

This year, Tang Jie is sixteen years old, Shid Meng is fifteen, and the young master is fifteen and a half. The once naive and inexperienced boys have now grown into handsome young men, some of whom are almost as tall as adults, and they have become much more mature and sensible than before.

Today, the Wu family is particularly busy.

As Tang Jie just came in from outside, he saw Wu Lao Han and his wife taking out large and small packages from the house, including various quilts, clothes, and shoes, piling them up one by one.

Tang Jie was surprised: "Father, Mother, what are you doing?"

"Well, aren't you going to the capital tomorrow? We need to prepare winter clothes for you," Wu Lao Tai answered while tidying up.

"But winter just passed, didn't it?"

"Then do you want to skip next winter? What about the year after next?" Wu Lao Tai gave her adopted son a disapproving look.

Tang Jie helplessly said: "Then we can wait until next year to see, and if we really need to, we can buy some more."

"Would that work? Things in the capital are very expensive. Look at our clothes, they are still in good condition, and it would be a waste not to wear them," Wu Lao Tai said, waving a small jacket in her hand.

Wu Lao Han couldn't bear it anymore: "Old lady, that is something Xing'er wore when he was a child. Don't give it to him; young people nowadays don't wear old clothes."

"It's still new, it would be a waste not to wear it," the old lady mumbled, but she still put the clothes down and picked a few more for Tang Jie.

Then she took out a small cloth bag and handed it to Tang Jie, holding his hand and saying: "There are 23.4 taels of silver in here. Take it, so you'll have money to use when you get to the capital."

Tang Jie pulled back his hand: "Mother, what are you doing? I don't lack money; the Wei family gives me a monthly allowance."

After becoming a servant student, Tang Jie and Shid Meng's treatment changed. They receive ten taels of silver each month, equivalent to 10,000 yuan in modern terms, which is a decent salary. This doesn't even include the basic expenses covered by the Wei family for the academy.

"Oh, what good is that monthly allowance? You don't think I don't know, but the expenses at the cultivation academy are huge. Even the young masters of the great families complain about not having enough money. Xing'er wrote to me about it!"

"Xing'er wrote to you again about not having enough money?" Tang Jie sensed something was wrong.

Wu Lao Tai's expression faltered for a moment, then she laughed dryly: "He wrote a letter not long ago, saying he needed to buy some immortal medicine but didn't have the money..."

"How much did he need?"

"500 taels, but we didn't have that much, so we gave him 100 taels."

"100 taels? You've given him a lot of money over the years, where did you get 100 taels?" Tang Jie was stunned, then suddenly realized and exclaimed: "Did you give him all the money I gave you over the years?"

The two elders looked down awkwardly.

A surge of anger rose in Tang Jie's heart: "Why did you hide it from me? That was the money I gave you to buy medicine!"

Over the years, since he spent most of his time at the Wei family, Tang Jie could only visit occasionally. So, besides sometimes using his rewards to buy medicine, he often gave the silver to the two elders to buy medicine for themselves.

Now it seems that, apart from the medicine Tang Jie bought, they didn't spend a single penny on themselves.

"Oh, it's nothing," Wu Lao Han quickly grabbed Tang Jie: "We're both old, a few more days or a few less days doesn't matter. Besides, look at our health; we're fine."

As he said this, he pounded his chest a few times, but the force was a bit too much, causing him to cough continuously. He quickly waved his hands: "I'm fine, fine, just a bit stuffy lately..."

Wu Lao Tai stepped forward and pushed the cloth bag into Tang Jie's hand, saying awkwardly: "The silver is yours, and we kept it from you. We originally planned to give it to you when you entered the academy, but Xing'er needed it, so we gave it to him. We feel bad about it, so we've gathered some more..."

"I'm not angry about that!" Tang Jie shook his head: "Wu Xing has hands and feet; he can earn his own money! 100 taels of silver won't even buy a single genuine spirit pill at the academy, but it could make your health better and allow you to enjoy your later years, yet you..."

He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't bring himself to do so in front of the two elders. He could only stomp his feet in frustration, secretly resenting Wu Xing's lack of understanding.

The two elders said awkwardly: "We just wanted to help as much as we could."

Seeing the two elders' troubled expressions, Tang Jie's anger suddenly subsided, and his eyes became moist.

After a while, he said: "Forget it, even if you didn't give it, you didn't buy medicine either. If you gave it, it's given. I hope he won't let you down."

Hearing Tang Jie's words, the two elders felt relieved. Wu Lao Tai insisted on giving the silver to Tang Jie. Knowing that if he didn't take it, the two elders would feel even worse, he had to accept it and planned to buy some genuine high-quality spirit medicine for them once he got to the academy.

That day, Tang Jie didn't let the two elders do any more work. He packed everything at home and served the two elders until they went to bed before resting himself.

Lying in bed, Tang Jie thought to himself that he didn't know when he would see the two elders again after leaving.

Over the past three years, the two elders had already treated him like their own son, and he also regarded them as his parents.

Now that he was about to travel far away for a long time, Tang Jie couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness.

The next morning, Tang Jie returned to the Wei family with a large bag of clothes. He saw that the Jingxin Garden was bustling with activity, with countless servants busy packing the young master's luggage. It looked more like they were moving the entire family rather than going to school.

Although only three people were entering the academy, over ten servants would accompany them to Wanquan City, including a spirit master to ensure safety along the way. Even after arriving in Wanquan City, there would still be some servants outside the Xiyue Academy, while the servant students would be responsible for life within the academy.

Tang Jie bypassed the large crowd and returned to his small room in the Wei family, only to find that Manager Qin was already waiting for him.

"Uncle Qin!" Tang Jie called out.

Manager Qin smiled and looked at Tang Jie: "You're leaving tomorrow, are you all packed?"

"Yes, just need to pack this room," Tang Jie replied.

The two entered the room, and Tang Jie packed the writing materials and some casual clothes on the table, then took down the two pots of flowers.

Manager Qin was surprised: "Are you taking these two pots of flowers with you?"

Tang Jie smiled: "After being at the Wei family for so long, I didn't learn much else, but I did learn how to grow flowers. These two pots have been with me for a long time, and seeing them reminds me of the time I spent here, so I decided to take them as a keepsake."

Manager Qin looked at the small white flowers and the thick root sculpture in the pot, which he found quite ugly, and laughed: "Talented people always have their quirks. Well, it's your business, and if you like it, that's fine."

Then Manager Qin said: "By the way, take this silver with you; you'll need it when you enter the academy."

Manager Qin took out a bag of silver and handed it to Tang Jie.

"Uncle Qin!"

"Take it," Manager Qin smiled. "I know the two elders of the Wu family must have given you some silver, but money is never too much. Once you're at the Xiyue Academy, it won't be the Wei family anymore. If you need anything in the future, I won't be able to help, so you'll have to rely on yourself."

"That's not necessarily true. There's still something Uncle Qin can help with."

"Oh? What else do you want me to help with?" Manager Qin smiled casually.

"Nothing much, just want to ask Uncle Qin to write a few more letters for me..."

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Bringing the two pots of flowers back to the Jingxin Garden, everyone was indeed amazed.

However, Tang Jie was now a favorite in the Wei family, not only valued by the lady but also entrusted with the family rules. Just the prospect of a bright future was enough to make all the servants dare not mock him.

The enrollment convoy consisted of seven carriages, with three of them filled with the young master's luggage. The other four carriages were for the young master's meals and rest, the spirit master, other servants, and one for Shid Meng and Tang Jie.

Since the young master needed to be attended to, Shid Meng and Tang Jie took turns, but Tang Jie didn't spend much time attending to the young master, so this responsibility mainly fell to Shid Meng. Tang Jie's main role was to supervise the young master's cultivation and discipline his behavior to prevent him from getting into trouble once they arrived at the academy.

Therefore, this journey would be much easier for Tang Jie compared to Shid Meng.

After finally packing everything, they had a quick meal before the convoy set off. Zheng Shufeng watched her son leave, bidding farewell with tears in her eyes, and repeatedly instructed Tang Jie before finally letting the convoy depart with everyone's persuasion.

On the road, Shid Meng went to attend to the young master, while Tang Jie sat alone in the carriage, looking out the window at the scenery.

The scenery outside the window slowly receded, gradually becoming distant, and the people who had come to see them off turned into small black dots, disappearing from sight...

"Ha ha!" A laugh came from behind.

Little Yiyi climbed onto Tang Jie's shoulder. At this point, only one of the two pots of flowers remained, with the thick root sculpture still standing alone in the pot.

Yiyi had grown much larger since the first time she met Tang Jie.

The once thumb-sized girl was now over twenty centimeters tall, still delicate but no longer the tiny, easily stepped-on creature she once was.

Like a small squirrel, Yiyi perched on Tang Jie's body, looking out the window curiously: "Brother, are we finally leaving here?"

"Yes, we're leaving," Tang Jie answered mechanically, suddenly remembering the homesickness Miss Si had mentioned.

Indeed, there are always people you can't bear to part with!

On the other hand, this little creature had been with him since birth and had never interacted with anyone