Wanjin Lady

Chapter 189 Mother and Son
Wen Weiming subconsciously glanced at Wen Wan.

In the crowd, the young lady was talking and laughing, looking weak, but the lines of her profile showed strength.

weak?

Ask Yuan Wulang, ask Zhu Wang, who dares to say she is weak?
It seems that having a son or a daughter is not important, what is important is... being able to stand on your own feet.

If the eldest granddaughter can inherit my daughter's brains, it seems that it is not impossible...

With the sound of firecrackers a year old, the spring breeze sent warmth to Tusu.

The Cheng Family Winery holds its annual reunion dinner at the home of the eldest sister, Madam Yuan. However, this year, due to the absence of Yuan Liulang, the dinner was a little less lively.

Only Jia came from the third branch of the Yuan family.

It is said that after Yuan Yidao returned from Ping County and handled Yuan Jing's funeral, he fell ill and could not get up. Concubine Chun also became much calmer.

The entire third house is now headed by Jia and Yuan Qi.

There are nine people in this generation of the Yuan family's younger generation, and now without Yuan Jing, the banquet is not very good.

The whole family reunion dinner is no longer as lively as before, and it doesn’t dare to be lively.

Someone just died in the third room, who dares to make a fuss?
Didn’t you see that Yuan Jing’s biological mother, Jia, who was at odds with him, looked so sad?

The meal was finished quietly, and everyone dispersed to go home. Outside, the sound of firecrackers and laughter could be heard through the low earthen wall, causing even a slight ripple in the stagnant water of the Yuan family.

After dinner, Cheng Yunzhang and his mother walked in the corridor one after the other.

The elder wife was quite old when she gave birth to Cheng Yunzhang. In addition to the passing of time and the running of business, she was only in her early fifties, but looked much older than other people of the same age.

The elder lady was very thin, as frail as a sheet of paper, her body almost shrunken, like the last fallen leaf in autumn. Her dark red lips made her look like a wax figure when she smiled. She habitually hunched over, her steps shifting between deep and shallow, clearly from leg injuries. She leaned on an elm cane carved with an animal head.

"I received all the gifts from Miss Wen. She's a thoughtful and meticulous person, and I really liked what she gave me." The elder lady sighed heavily. "It's just a pity for the Wen family winery. They say the wine is made from mountain spring water, which is the sweetest. The Changchun wine they make will surely satisfy His Majesty."

Wen Wan actually gave a gift to her mother?
Cheng Yunzhang was confused, but he figured it out in an instant.

This was a gesture of goodwill, and also meant to ask the Cheng family to stop targeting the Wen family's winery.

Cheng Yunzhang didn't say anything. The elder lady turned her head to look at her son. In terms of appearance and talent, Cheng Yunzhang was far inferior to his elder brother, but now she only had this one son, so she had no choice.

"I heard from Accountant Zhou that Lord Yao adopted Miss Wen as his adopted daughter?"

Cheng Yunzhang nodded, "Yes."

"That's not a good thing to do. If the two families start fighting again, it will be a slap in the face of Master Yao, and even more so, a slap in your face."

Cheng Yunzhang didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell the Yuan family not to consider his face and hinder their business, nor could he let the Yuan family continue to plunder.

Once a fight breaks out, the teacher is caught in the middle and is caught in a dilemma.

Although the conversation was casual, the elder lady's words were full of curiosity. "Your junior sister...how old is she now? What's her appearance and character like? Is she married?"

The curve of Cheng Yunzhang's lips turned colder, but his smile remained unchanged. "Why is mother asking about this?"

"After all, Miss Wen is your junior apprentice sister, so we are family. Both families are in the wine-making business. If Miss Wen doesn't get married, wouldn't it be better for her to marry into my Yuan family?"

"Mother, you're worrying too much. Miss Wen has a miserable life. She just lost her husband and is pregnant with a posthumous child. I'm afraid she won't consider marriage for a few years."

"Ah..." The elder lady's thoughts were dashed. She was happy at first, but then she was heartbroken by the three words "posthumous child".

Widowed, posthumous child? Her expression suddenly became complicated.

That's how she came here step by step.

Only she herself knows how much pain this involves.

The elder lady's heart softened, and she no longer doubted Wen Wan's strange behavior of suddenly sending gifts to her house. After all, she was doing it to protect her Wen family winery.

That young lady...will probably suffer the same way she did in the past.

The mother and son looked at each other in silence for a moment, with only the sound of footsteps, one deep and one shallow. The reunion night was bustling everywhere, but this yard seemed to be tightly entangled by thin threads, and not a sound could be heard.

If the elder lady doesn't speak, Cheng Yunzhang won't speak either.

Cheng Yunzhang was a man of few words and remained silent all the way. He only gave brief answers when his mother asked him questions.

"Oh, right. A few days ago, your third sister sent someone to bring back a letter..." Madam Yuan's brows furrowed, a look of worry on her face, "saying that you were going to study at the Imperial College... I'm afraid it won't work out."

Cheng Yunzhang's face froze, and he said helplessly, "Mother, you finally went to look for my third sister? You know her situation. She's just a concubine. How could she have such extraordinary ability to help me get a place in the Imperial Academy?"

The elder lady pouted, annoyed that Cheng Yunzhang was too idealistic and inflexible. It was the same in the officialdom and the business world. If you don't beg others for mercy... do you have to wait for others to bring the food to you and then feed it to you?

"If she doesn't have the ability, she can ask Prefect Yan for help. We're all family after all. If Lord Yan helps you, he's also helping himself. It's the best of both worlds, so why not?"

family?

A concubine's family and the prefect are considered one family?

Cheng Yunzhang pursed his lips, suddenly losing the strength to refute.

The man's shoulders were tense, and deep in his eyes were calm yet turbulent emotions.

Among his brothers and sisters, the eldest brother passed away first, and he didn't even know what he looked like.

My second sister got lost in the exile team.

In the past, he only had his third sister to depend on him. When he was just learning to walk, his third sister had already taught him to read and write.

Later, his mother's business grew bigger and bigger. She was busy all day and rarely showed up at home. Only his third sister kept him company at home.

The third sister was proud and arrogant, but in the end she became a concubine of a powerful man because she saved him. She was wasted by the mistress all day long and lived like a walking corpse.

If the mother asked, and it was about his matter, how could the third sister refuse to agree?
Even if she had to go through fire and water, the third sister wouldn't blink an eye.

But how could Cheng Yunzhang, a seven-foot-tall man, suck all the blood from the third sister like a leech?

"I know you're worried about your third sister. But now that she's climbed to that high position as the prefect, there's no turning back. Making the most of her resources is the most sensible thing to do. What are these current hardships worth? As long as you succeed, your third sister will have a good life over there. By then, her status will rise, and Lord Yan can help her become a co-wife. It will be a boon to you... and to the Yuan family... "

enough.

A voice in Cheng Yunzhang's heart rushed out of his throat impatiently, but it was choked back by a trembling of the tip of his tongue.

My eyes unconsciously fell on the ant nest under the tree.

There was an ant that had fallen behind, running around in panic and fear. The way home was right before his eyes, but he couldn't find it.

Much like him.

(End of this chapter)