El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 70

Cheng Mutian's hand was held by her, and his eyes darted around like a thief, afraid of being seen by a passing servant. He was distracted and became somewhat absent-minded: "Your son is yours to do as you please."

After being thrown out by his father, Wu immediately went back to his room and rummaged through the table. Sure enough, he found a note from Chen, in which he said that he was going to break up Qianqian's engagement, take her home, and then beg his parents for their permission. He also said that his running away from home would definitely drag his brother down, and asked him to understand and forgive him.

Wu kicked the table and said angrily, "Foolish boy, I will never forgive you." He then grabbed the paper and ran quickly to the garden, intending to complain to his parents and bring back the wayward Chen.

Cheng Mutian's hand was still being held by Xiao Yuan. When he saw Wu Ge running over, he hurriedly pulled his hand away and instantly moved half a foot away from Xiao Yuan. He lowered his head to hide his blush and asked, "What are you doing here? Don't ask about Zhang Zhaoniang's affairs. Your mother and I don't know anything about it."

Wu Ge's personality was completely different from his. Hearing him mention his sweetheart, he didn't seem to care at all, and grinned broadly, saying, "I already have a way to give him a gift, so parents don't need to worry." He handed over Chen Ge's message, and after Cheng Mutian and Xiao Yuan finished reading it, he asked, "Won't Chen Ge really do something foolish?"

Although Cheng Mutian knew that with Cheng Fu by his side, nothing serious would happen, he was still so angry that his face turned ashen, and he pursed his lips, unable to speak. Xiao Yuan deliberately tested Brother Wu: "What do you mean by 'foolish'?" As the eldest brother, Brother Wu was quite disappointed in Brother Chen's actions: "Breaking up someone's marriage doesn't sound good. He's so reckless; it will affect his future admission to the Imperial Academy. What should we do?"

Xiao Yuan asked again, "Then do you think Qianqian and your brother are a good match?" Wu Ge glanced cautiously at Cheng Mutian, and seeing that he was still immersed in anger and hadn't noticed them, he boldly shook his head. Xiao Yuan smiled with satisfaction, patted his shoulder, offered a few suggestions to please Zhang Zhaoniang, and let him go.

She moved closer to Cheng Mutian and said, "Our Brother Wu has good taste." Cheng Mutian smiled wryly, "When it comes to matters between men and women, Brother Wu seems muddle-headed, but he's actually shrewd; our youngest son is the exact opposite."

Xiao Yuan, after hearing his words, sighed along with him. Seeing her like this, Cheng Mutian comforted her, describing the Qiantang River tide to her. Only when he saw her smile again did he reveal his true nature, gently pushing her away and deliberately keeping his distance, before they went back to their room to eat one after the other.

Rui Niang sat next to Cheng Mutian, chattering happily: "Sister Zhao wants to catch one of the kittens born to Lady Fugui and raise it, but she's afraid her mother will scold her. So I came up with an idea for her: have Big Brother raise it for her first, and when she marries into our family, it will be her cat." Everyone at the table choked on their food because of this, especially Wu Ge, who coughed incessantly, whether from a sore throat or from embarrassment, he just wouldn't lift his head.

Cheng Mutian muttered "Children's words are innocent" while instructing Rui Niang not to say such things carelessly. Xiao Yuan asked with great interest, "Then what did your Sister Zhao say?" Rui Niang thought for a moment, "Sister Zhao just blushed and didn't say anything, but she seemed to nod when she left." The people at the table burst into laughter again. Wu Ge got up and ran out, but turned back at the door, saying, "Bring the food and the cat to my room."

Chapter 214 Imperial Academy

When Rui Niang asked about Chen Ge's whereabouts, Xiao Yuan said he was studying diligently in the other courtyard, refusing visitors. She and Cheng Mutian both thought they would have to wait anxiously for more than half a month, but unexpectedly, Chen Ge returned dejectedly a few days later, his face haggard, his once round face much thinner. As soon as he entered the house, he went straight into his room and refused to come out.

Xiao Yuan looked at Cheng Mutian and asked, "Is he blaming us?" Cheng Fu, standing on the ground, replied, "He's not blaming the young master and young mistress, he's blaming Third Sister, or perhaps he's blaming Qianqian..." It turned out that Qianqian hadn't been betrothed to her original poor relative, but rather, through the efforts of Gan Shier and Cheng San Niang, she was engaged to another powerful and influential family. Such a perfect match was not to be ruined by Cheng San Niang, so she sent many people to block the entrance, refusing to let Chen Ge in. It was said that Qianqian originally wanted to see Chen Ge out of consideration for their past relationship, but after being persuaded by Cheng San Niang for something, she gave up the idea. During his stay in Quanzhou, she didn't even show her face.

So it turned out that Brother Chen hadn't seen Qianqian at all; no wonder he came back so early. Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and ordered someone to stew chicken soup and send it to his room. Physical illness is easy to cure, but mental illness is difficult to heal; she was afraid he would be quiet for a while.

Chen Ge's way of healing was quite unique; he didn't shed a single tear, but instead held a book and read voraciously. By the time Sister-in-law Yu brought in the chicken soup, he was already laying out paper and grinding ink, preparing to write an article. In the following days, Zhang Shanzhang frequently visited the Cheng family, praising Chen Ge for his extraordinary diligence and deeming him a man of great talent.

That day, Headmaster Zhang came again. Cheng Mutian took Wu Ge to entertain the guest, but Chen Ge only went to make a brief appearance before returning to his room to study. Xiao Yuan pushed open the door and went in, urging him to rest for a while. She then asked, "Hey, why don't you go and keep the Headmaster company?" Chen Ge put down his book and served tea, saying, "My brother and Miss Zhang... he can keep them company."

He also knew how to help others achieve their goals, and perhaps he had come to terms with his own feelings. Xiao Yuan pulled him to sit down beside her, touched his thin face, and said with heartache, "Eat more, don't stay cooped up in your room all day, you should go out for a walk." Chen Ge answered softly, "Yes." Xiao Yuan sighed, "I thought your relationship with Qianqian was just childhood affection, I never knew you were so hung up on it. If I had known, I would have arranged your third aunt's marriage back then, so you wouldn't be so upset."

Chen shook his head slightly, remaining silent. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Mother, do you think Qianqian would be with me if our family were poor?" Xiaoyuan didn't answer. How could Qianqian not know? But Cheng Sanniang would never let her daughter marry into a poor family and suffer. Although she disliked Cheng Sanniang's materialism, she understood her. What mother wouldn't want her daughter to have a better life? Seeing her daughter suffer always pains a mother's heart.

Chen Ge was still waiting for her answer, his face filled with anticipation. Xiao Yuan pondered whether to explain things to him with modern perspectives or to restrain him with the social norms of the Song Dynasty. Why were her two sons so at odds with the established norms regarding relationships? Wu Ge was initially unaware of the proper boundaries between men and women until the incident with Su Niang brought him to his senses; Chen Ge, knowing his parents' opposition, still ran away with a note for his love affair—a grave offense in the Song Dynasty. Where exactly did her parenting go wrong?

Xiao Yuan recalled the bits and pieces of her children's growth and began to reflect. Perhaps because of her inherent love for freedom, she had been too indulgent with her sons, to the point that they unconsciously acted with the mindset of modern people. In the strict social order of the Song Dynasty, this inevitably led to setbacks. And she was always slow to realize this, only thinking of pulling them back and forcibly stuffing them into the framework of Song society after something happened. Without proper upbringing from a young age, it's no wonder they suffered when forced into this new way.

It turned out she was wrong. The most painful thing for a person is not being oppressed by society, but being incompatible with it. For the first time, she wanted to educate her child in the way of the Song Dynasty. Although it was difficult for both her and Chen Ge, she still chose to speak: "Whether Qianqian has feelings for you or not is not important. What is important is that her parents object. If she insists on associating with you, she will be unfilial. Do you want her to bear such a crime?"

After she finished speaking, she stood up, her back to Chen Ge, and said with difficulty, "These principles are probably explained more clearly in books. As the headmaster of Qiantang Academy's prized student, do you really need your mother to explain them to you?" She heard sobbing behind her, but dared not look, much less comfort him, and fled as if she had done something wrong. She ran back to her room, threw herself into Cheng Mutian's arms, hugged him tightly, and kept whispering, "I was being stubborn once too..."

Cheng Mutian pricked up his ears and listened to her recount what had just happened. He patted her back and asked curiously, "You did the right thing, so why are you upset?"

He was a native of the Southern Song Dynasty. Since he was right, then there was nothing wrong with him. Xiao Yuan was slightly relieved and decided that in the future, when educating her children, she would first listen to his opinions.

As it turned out, the educational methods that conformed to the rules of the Song Dynasty were correct. Although Chen Ge didn't quite believe Xiao Yuan's explanation, he couldn't resist the fact that his classmates, friends, teachers, and even books all conveyed the same principles. Day after day, he slowly changed his mind, no longer wallowing in the pain of heartbreak, but instead throwing himself wholeheartedly into his studies. He was naturally intelligent, and coupled with his diligence, how could he not succeed? At the age of fourteen, amidst the envious gazes of his classmates and the high praise of Headmaster Zhang, he became the youngest student at the Imperial Academy.

A few years before enrolling in school, Cheng Mutian, who had already been "promoted" to "Master," booked the largest restaurant in the city and held a three-day banquet. The men went to the restaurant for the banquet, while the female guests stayed in Cheng's garden. Xiao Yuan was so busy that she had to find time to secretly meet with the matchmaker and ask her to go to the Zhang family to propose marriage for Wu Ge, so as to prevent his family from targeting Chen Ge.

Madam Zhang, unaware of Xiao Yuan's subtle actions, sat at the table with the most radiant smile, as if Chen Ge had already become her son-in-law. In truth, if she were more perceptive, she should have guessed the Cheng family's intentions from the time Cheng Mutian declared that Chen Ge wouldn't be engaged until he entered the Imperial Academy. Unfortunately, she was still immersed in her own joy, and even in her joy, she couldn't change her nature, happily discussing with Madam Tang that the tableware was too gaudy. Madam Tang secretly grumbled, "On such a festive day, why not use red? Are we supposed to set a table full of white plates?" Zhang Zhaoniang also found her too much of a spoilsport and quietly left to play with Rui Niang.

Although Madam Zhang was critical of everything, she was in a great mood. When someone from her household came to report that the Cheng family had proposed marriage, she was even more delighted. She clinked glasses with Xiao Yuan several times before taking her leave.

Upon returning home, the matchmaker launched into a tirade of eloquent rhetoric, leaving her bewildered. She quickly waved her hand, saying, "Young Master Cheng has just entered the Imperial Academy; he naturally has a bright future. You don't need to tell me."

The matchmaker was taken aback: "I was referring to the eldest son of the Cheng family, nicknamed Wu-ge, whose formal name is Cheng Zilin." Madam Zhang's smile immediately froze. After confirming several times that it was indeed Wu-ge, not Chen-ge, she didn't even utter a word of politeness and went straight to the inner room. The matchmaker was extremely embarrassed, standing awkwardly for a moment before putting away Wu-ge's birth date and time and returning to the Cheng residence to report.

Xiao Yuan had already anticipated this outcome and wasn't surprised, but she was troubled, wondering how to shift the Zhang family's attention from Chen Ge to Wu Ge. While she was still clueless, Cheng Mutian, drunk, was helped back by his two sons. She quickly put aside the marriage proposal for Wu Ge and focused on helping her husband sober up.

Cheng Mutian was quite excited. He hid on the couch and kept chatting with Chen Ge. Xiao Yuan chased her two sons out, helped him up to drink some sobering soup, and scolded him, "You're drunk and still won't stop. Why don't you think of a way to help Wu Ge? I sent a matchmaker to the Zhang family to propose marriage, but Madam Zhang ignored me."

Emboldened by the alcohol, Cheng Mutian pulled her close and kissed her a few times, laughing, "Take it slow, what's the rush? The matchmaker's visit was actually a good thing; at least the Zhang family won't propose marriage to Brother Chen anymore, right?" Xiao Yuan pushed away his alcohol-smelling face, pressed him down onto the couch, draped a thin blanket over him, and said, "You're quite open-minded, but Zhang Zhaoniang has already come of age and could be engaged to someone else at any time. If the Zhang family really betroths her to someone else, what will happen to our Brother Wu?"

Cheng Mutian propped himself up on his arms and said, "How about we use some money to get Brother Wu into the Imperial Academy?"

Wu Ge dropped out of school to go into business a few years ago. It would be a joke for him to go back to the Imperial Academy now. Xiao Yuan rolled her eyes at him and didn't bother to reply. Cheng Mutian used up the little energy he had left, and the effects of the alcohol made him sleepy. Xiao Yuan quickly helped him to bed, took off his shoes and clothes.

When she finished serving him and came out after closing the door, Wu Ge was already waiting inside. Xiao Yuan naturally knew why he had come and gently shook her head. Wu Ge couldn't hide the disappointment on his face and said, "I'll go find her." Xiao Yuan pulled him back and said, "What's the use of finding her? Marriage is decided by her parents." Wu Ge lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "I'll think of a way." After saying that, he lifted the curtain and left.

Cheng Mutian couldn't think of a solution for a moment. Could he possibly have one? Xiao Yuan watched his retreating figure, hardly believing he could come up with a solution. In the following days, she met with almost every matchmaker of average or above-average rank in Lin'an City, offering them tips and hoping they would let her know when they visited the Zhang family. Wu Ge was also extremely busy, constantly inviting people out for drinks, whether for business or his own marriage, it was unclear.

Xiao Yuan was preoccupied with Wu Ge's affairs and couldn't spare the time to deal with Chen Ge's enrollment. Fortunately, Rui Niang was very capable and quickly and efficiently used the abacus to give her second brother "vegetarian allowance". Chen Ge received the money and confidently promised: "I just enrolled this year and am only a student in the outer dormitory, so I have to pay 'vegetarian allowance' to eat in the official kitchen. Next year, I will not only be promoted to the inner dormitory, but also strive to get a teaching position and receive a 'monthly allowance'."

Chapter 2150 Life Goes On

“We students of the Imperial Academy study in separate dormitories, with thirty students in each dormitory. There are five rooms in the entire dormitory for reading; there is also a stove pavilion, which is where the whole dormitory holds meetings and conducts business; our outer dormitories have recently appointed a dormitory head and a dormitory supervisor, one of each.” Chen Ge had been studying at the Imperial Academy for several months, and his eyes were particularly bright.

No one knows a son better than his mother. Xiao Yuan knew he wouldn't explain such a passage for no reason, so she asked, "What position do you hold?" Chen Ge, having his thoughts seen through by his mother, lowered his head and smiled, "My classmates elected me as the head of the dormitory."

Cheng Mutian felt very proud and repeatedly told Xiaoyuan to instruct the kitchen to prepare more dishes for dinner, as he wanted to have a few drinks with his sons. Rui Niang was also happy and prepared to cook herself. While ordering someone to fetch silver turbans, she asked curiously, "Second brother, what does the headmaster do?" Chen Ge smiled and said, "The headmaster can punish students who break the rules according to the five levels of the rules. Every month, he also has to record the students' conduct and learning skills, and then send them to the instructor for evaluation. Finally, they are submitted to the registrar, the headmaster, and the professor for evaluation."

Seeing the adoring look on her little girl's face, Xiao Yuan knew that she had come up with another excuse to gather the young ladies for a get-together. She pushed Rui Niang out the door, shaking her head with a smile. She really didn't know who this girl took after, being so fond of liveliness, inviting the young ladies to her house to play every few days.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. A few days later, Rui Niang indeed sent out invitations, inviting a group of familiar young ladies to her home to celebrate her second brother's promotion to head of the academy. These young ladies all had brothers studying at the Imperial Academy, and they had the opportunity to get close to the head of the academy's sister. Even if they didn't want to come, their families would urge them to. So on the day of the gathering, everyone who had sent an invitation showed up exceptionally well, except for Zhang Zhao Niang.

Several young ladies gossiped in small groups, saying that Zhang's son, who was studying at the Imperial Academy, was adopted and not close to Zhang Zhaoniang, so he didn't bother to associate with the headmaster's sister. Rui Niang, who was very close to Zhang Zhaoniang, naturally didn't believe it. Knowing that Madam Tang and Madam Zhang were close friends, she went to ask her daughter, Tang Dongning. Sure enough, Tang Dongning knew the truth: it turned out that Headmaster Zhang and Madam Zhang had arranged a marriage for Zhang Zhaoniang, but Zhang Zhaoniang was unwilling, so she resorted to a hunger strike, locking herself in her room and refusing to open the door.

Rui Niang naturally understood why Zhang Zhao was unwilling, and worriedly said, "What if you don't eat or drink and your body gets sick from hunger? My brother... I'll be heartbroken..." She almost let slip what she meant, and hurriedly corrected herself. Fortunately, Tang Dongning didn't notice, or perhaps she did, but pretended not to. Although she was talking about Brother Wu, the worry on her face wasn't feigned. Seeing her like this, Tang Dongning covered her mouth and laughed, "There must be some snacks hidden in the room, just to scare the adults. Zhang Zhao's mother is clever, unlike her mother."

After hearing her say this, Rui Niang thought for a moment and guessed the reason. After the gathering ended, she quietly asked Wu Ge, and sure enough, it was his "masterpiece".

Wu Ge usually relied on Rui Niang to pass messages to Zhang Zhao Niang, so he didn't hide it from her and told her the whole story. It turned out that he had come up with two plans, one inside and one outside. The inside plan was to have Zhang Zhao Niang pretend to go on a hunger strike, and the outside plan was to bribe Zhang's adopted son to "speak up" to Zhang Shanzhang.

These two methods seemed simple, but they were extremely effective. Although Madam Zhang was strict with her daughter, she was still her own flesh and blood, and she couldn't bring herself to be cruel to her. After starving her for less than two days, she went to discuss the matter with Headmaster Zhang. Headmaster Zhang was counting on his adopted son to support him in his old age, so he naturally listened to his opinion to some extent. So the couple discussed it for most of the day and sighed in unison: "Cheng Zilin it is. Although she has not achieved any official rank, she is still the eldest daughter-in-law, so she can't be too bad off."

In the days that followed, the matchmaker shuttled between the Cheng and Zhang families, going through the procedures one by one: drafting the betrothal letter, finalizing the engagement, and finding a suitable bride. By the second half of the year, the marriage between Wu Ge and Zhang Zhaoniang was finally settled and officially confirmed.

After finishing one thing, Xiao Yuan started working on another—Cheng Si Niang was seventeen. Since she was fourteen, matchmakers had been coming to her door one after another, but she refused to marry into wealthy families who wanted her as a concubine, and she was looked down upon by poor families who wanted her as a wife. So she dragged her feet and was about to pass the age limit for marriage. Even Cheng Mutian was getting anxious and wished he could send her away immediately.

On this day, someone came to propose marriage again, but it wasn't a matchmaker. Instead, it was a woman named Sister-in-law Si who had known Cheng Si from her time living in the apartment. She had heard that Cheng Si couldn't get married, so she boldly came to the door again to personally arrange a marriage for her son, who was a "marriage prospector."

After years of searching, Cheng Si Niang was overjoyed to finally find someone willing to marry her as his principal wife, who didn't mind her small feet. She nodded shyly to Xiao Yuan and went into the room.

Xiao Yuan was also happy for her. Her husband's family had a low status, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing for her. At least they would look at her with more respect and wouldn't bully her. She discussed it with Cheng Mutian and decided to give her the bionic flower workshop as part of her dowry. They found a shop downstairs from the building where her husband's family lived and moved the workshop there.

The workshop was very profitable, and since it was located near her home, all the neighbors could see it. Cheng Si Niang gained both face and substance, and was both happy and grateful. She kowtowed to her brother and sister-in-law properly, and then left in a bridal sedan chair.

The following year, Chen passed both the private and public examinations at the Imperial Academy, and was successfully promoted to the Inner Dormitory, continuing as its head. With this trajectory, entering officialdom seemed imminent, and matchmakers flocked to the Cheng family to propose marriage. Xiao Yuan once asked him what kind of woman he preferred, but he replied that he would leave it to his parents. Xiao Yuan knew this was the proper attitude for a child of the Southern Song Dynasty, but she still felt disappointed and guilty. Fortunately, Wu secretly told her that Chen had long admired Tang Dongning of the Tang family, but dared not speak up for fear of Xiao Yuan's opposition.

Xiao Yuan sighed softly. It seemed this was a consequence of her interference in Chen Ge and Qian Qian's relationship. Reproaching herself, she busied herself sending a matchmaker to the Tang family to inquire about the situation. With such a promising young man as Chen Ge, how could the Tang family not be interested? Within three days, they sent over a preliminary engagement letter. Xiao Yuan showed the letter to Chen Ge, but didn't rush into an engagement ceremony. After all, the children were still young, and it was always better to leave some room for maneuver.

Zhonglang and Chenge were about the same age, and Xiaoyuan wanted to help him find a wife, but unfortunately, he was still clueless about love and preferred to play cockfighting and cricket fighting with others rather than pay attention to matchmakers. As the saying goes, forced love is never sweet, so Xiaoyuan had to put the matter aside and wait until he was older to make plans.

Rui Niang is eleven years old, and matchmakers often come to her door, asking for her birth date and time. However, Cheng Mutian is determined to wait until she is seventeen and is unwilling to arrange a marriage early. He rejects one match after another.

Jin's eighth brother also took a liking to Rui Niang and secretly arranged a marriage for her behind Cheng's back. However, Xiao Yuan felt her daughter was still too young and wanted to wait until she grew up before making the decision herself. That day, another matchmaker in a purple vest came to the door. Cheng Mutian politely asked her to leave and went back to his room to complain to Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan was busy looking at the map on the wall, marking it up. She casually comforted him, saying, "A family with a daughter has many suitors; that's a good thing. It shows you've raised your daughter well. If no one wanted her, you'd probably be worried." Cheng Mutian was pleased by her words, smiled, put his arm around her waist, and asked, "Looking at the map again? Where do you want to go?"

Xiao Yuan rested her head on his shoulder and said, "Home is wherever family is. It doesn't matter where we go. The key is whether you come with me or not."

Cheng Mutian lowered his head and kissed her, saying indistinctly, "Have another child with me, and I'll personally steer the boat and take you out to sea..."

End of article