Chapter 66

As the sky grew dark, Father returned. When Wang Xian asked, Father had actually gone to the government office to handle some procedures. However, since Father had first gone to the Personnel Office, the two of them missed each other. Because Father was going to serve in a higher-level government office, not as an irrelevant county magistrate, he naturally received more attention from the county than during his previous two returns. Even County Magistrate Wei made time to see him, addressing him as 'Brother,' which flattered Father to the point of dizziness...

"My son, I have heard of your recent performance, and I am very pleased." Back at home, Wang Xingye was still reluctant to take off his black hat. He wore a green robe with a small bird embroidered on the chest, sitting grandly in the head of the family's seat, reminiscing about the scene when he met the county magistrate. He couldn't help but prop his elbow on the table, stroke his beard, and speak in a refined manner.

Wang Xian stood in the hall, his skin crawling. He was still more accustomed to the father who gambled in the reed beds and picked his feet in the courtyard, calling himself 'old man.' He had to endure the discomfort and say, "The progress I've made is all due to Father's wise guidance."

"Indeed..." Wang Xingye picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then suddenly put it down, splashing himself, "It's scalding my tongue!"

"What?" Yinyin asked curiously.

"It scalded my mouth," Wang Xian whispered, "Hurry up and wipe it off for Father."

"Oh." Yinyin picked up a cloth to wipe it, but Wang Xingye stopped her, "This is a tablecloth!"

"What?" Yinyin's little mouth opened slightly.

"This is a tablecloth!" Wang Xian coughed twice, thinking to himself, Father, even County Magistrate Wei, a second-rank scholar, doesn't speak so formally. You're just a ninth-rank official, why are you trying to be so refined?

Yinyin had to use her sleeve to wipe the water off Father's chest, staring at the patch on his chest as she did so, "Father, the patch on your chest has a little bird, clouds, and waves. It's so beautiful!"

"This is not a patch, it's a badge," Father said angrily.

"This is not a patch, it's a badge," Wang Xian explained before Yinyin could ask, "Different birds represent different ranks."

"What kind of bird is this?" Yinyin asked curiously, "I can't really recognize it..."

"A quail," Father said somewhat awkwardly.

"What's a quail?" Yinyin looked at her second brother with wide, curious eyes.

"This...," Wang Xian coughed lightly, "It's a quail."

"Ha..." Yinyin burst out laughing, "Father, it's so funny to have a quail on your chest."

"Cough, cough," Father glared at Wang Xian, "You beast, you're not a proper son!"

"Father, are you going to keep speaking like this?" Wang Xian smiled bitterly.

"Ignorant child, in the provincial capital, all the high officials speak in this manner. If I don't, how can I fit in?" Father said angrily.

"Those people speak formally because they are scholars," Wang Xian smiled bitterly, "We are clerks by origin. If we try to speak formally, won't we just be laughed at?"

"Uh..." Father thought about it and realized it was true. Today, he had seen County Magistrate Wei suppress his laughter several times, probably laughing at him. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed, "I also felt it was strange, but it turns out I was tricked by those rascals." It turned out that when Father was running for office in the provincial capital, a few clerks from the provincial administration told him that all the officials in the capital spoke formally, and speaking in plain language would be laughed at.

Father, who wasn't easily fooled, didn't believe them, "I've served several high officials, and they all spoke in plain language."

They laughed and said, "That's in the county, when they're talking to you country bumpkins. In the provincial capital, even your county magistrate speaks formally." They also said that since he was a clerk by origin, he didn't need to be so formal, but now that he was an official, he needed to maintain his dignity, and speaking formally was the first step.

Father, obsessed with his official position, was dazed and confused, with his intelligence reduced to half of what it usually was, and actually believed them. So he had been speaking formally all along. It wasn't until Wang Xian pointed it out that he realized he had made a fool of himself...

"Embarrassing..." Father, unable to bear the shame, got up and went into the inner room. When he came out, he was already wearing his usual six-sided hat, silk-lined cotton robe, and old cloth shoes, looking much more natural...

In the evening, Mother cooked a full table of delicious dishes.

The family gathered around the table, with Father and Mother sitting at the head, Wang Gui and his wife on the left, Wang Xian and Lin Qing'er on the right, and little sister Yinyin sitting across from them. This revealed the depth of the Wang family, as in truly wealthy families, the wives don't sit at the table during meals...

But in the end, rules are just rules. As long as everyone is comfortable, that's what matters.

Wang Xingye sat in his chair, looking at his children, thinking about how last year at this time, he was being exiled to a salt field in the cold and rain. He never imagined that just a year later, he would have a reversal of fortune and be living a good life again. Thinking of this, his honest face broke into a broad smile, and he looked at his little daughter, "Today, we have four joys in our family. Yinyin, do you know what they are?"

"I know, I know," Yinyin chirped, "The first joy is that Father has become an official!"

"Very good," Wang Xingye smiled, "Shouldn't each of you offer me a cup of wine?"

"Of course," starting with Wang Gui, each of them, including his wife, offered Father a cup of wine, making Wang Xingye beam with joy.

"The second joy is that Elder Sister is finally pregnant..." Yinyin praised, "It's really not easy, after three years!"

The speaker was innocent, but the listeners blushed, and Wang Gui and his wife wished they could find a crack to hide in.

"Anyway, it's a good thing to be pregnant," Father laughed, "Shouldn't you offer your sister-in-law a cup of wine?"

"Sister-in-law, congratulations, you must have a healthy baby boy!" Wang Gui's wife couldn't drink, and neither could Yinyin, so they clinked glasses with water.

Wang Xian and Lin Qing'er also offered their respects to their brother and sister-in-law. Wang Gui couldn't sit still, pulled his wife, and stood up to offer wine to their parents, "We were ignorant before, but from now on, we won't be."

Mother inwardly sneered but, on such a joyful day, didn't want to say anything harsh. She said coolly, "I hope so." She drank the cup, giving them face.

"The third joy," seeing that they had finished, Yinyin quickly continued, "is that Second Brother has become the god of wealth of Fuyang... Second Brother, why do they call you the god of wealth?"

"Because I am very talented," Wang Xian said seriously, making Lin Qing'er giggle.

"Stupid girl, the silver and grain stores of Fuyang County are all managed by your second brother. Isn't he the god of wealth?" Seeing that his daughter didn't fully understand, Father proudly told Mother, "Today at the government office, what I was most proud of wasn't the flattery I received, but the praise for Little Second. I was so surprised, I wondered if they were talking about my son." He couldn't help but laugh.

Mother glared at Father, "Old Wang selling melons, praising his own goods. Can't you even recognize flattery?"

"It's not flattery, it's genuine admiration," Wang Xingye shook his head and smiled, "We've been together for over ten years. Can't I tell if they're being sincere?"

"Of course it's true. Uncle's character and ability are well-known in the county. Who doesn't know that the 'First Clerk of Jiangnan,' personally bestowed by the cold-faced and iron-hearted official, is the sixteen-year-old second son of the Wang family!" Hou Shi couldn't help but interject, flattering Wang Xian, "Uncle is truly capable. Sister-in-law was truly blind before. Fortunately, Uncle is magnanimous, and Sister-in-law is both ashamed and grateful..."

Wang Xian said many comforting words before Hou Shi finally stopped her incessant chatter. Yinyin couldn't wait, "The fourth joy is that my elder brother has finally achieved his wish and become the owner of a paper mill!"

"Hehe..." Wang Gui laughed foolishly. Today, he had already talked to the former owner, who, grateful for his years of hard work and thinking of future reliance on him to connect with Wang Xian, gave him twenty strings of coins as wages... all in cash.

"What?" Hou Shi was confused, looking at Wang Gui, "What kind of owner are you?"

Wang Gui briefly explained that Wang Xian had bought the Zhang family paper mill for him. He was honest but not stupid, only saying that the brothers would each take half, and not mentioning anything else.

Hou Shi, after hearing this, was both surprised and delighted, and couldn't help but laugh foolishly. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Xian, completely seeing him as a god of wealth. "Second Uncle, living in the government office must be very uncomfortable, right?"

"It's okay, there's a canteen for meals, and servants in the morning and evening," seeing that Lin Qing'er was also looking at him with concern, Wang Xian had to muster his spirits to answer.

"How can servants take care of Uncle properly?" Hou Shi said earnestly, "Sister-in-law will find two diligent and charming maids to serve you in the morning and evening, so you can be at ease at home."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law, but there's no need to worry about me," Wang Xian was sweating, thinking to himself, in front of Lin Jiejie, if you offer me charming little maids, are you trying to get on my bad side?

Lin Qing'er just smiled, showing no change in her expression.

"Cough, cough." Mother finally couldn't stand it and said, "Wang Gui's wife, you don't need to worry about Wang Xian. Save your money and hire two maids to serve yourself." Seeing that Hou Shi was stunned, Mother announced her decision:

"Your father and I will go to Hangzhou with your sister after the New Year." After Mother said this, she clearly saw surprise in the eyes of the eldest daughter-in-law and anxiety in the eyes of the second daughter-in-law. "Wang Gui's wife is right. Wang Xian needs someone to take care of him in the government office. Besides, without elders at home, it's not convenient for Qing'er to live with her brother and sister-in-law. We might as well have her move to take care of Wang Xian. If Wang Gui and his wife want to stay at home, they can, or if they want to live in the big house, they can. Mother gives you the freedom."

"Mother..." Lin Qing'er, who had been listening calmly, suddenly blushed and lowered her head, but didn't say 'no'...

"I knew you had already thought about your own little life," Mother sneered, "All of you, once you marry, forget about your mother. But I must remind you, Wang Xian, you two are still siblings. What siblings should and shouldn't do, I don't need to tell you, right?"

This made Wang Xian's face turn red, and he said helplessly, "Mother, rest assured..." It won't lead to anything serious.

[End of Volume]

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