Capítulo 1313: Chapter 1313: Tremendous Good News

As soon as Lord Du left, Old Granny Zhang came out from inside, frowned, and said, “We should have made things clear earlier. Helping the Du family teach their child is something we’ll do without complaints. We must remember Old Master Du’s kindness; no matter how difficult, as long as we can help, we should help!”

“But while we’re helping them teach their child with good intentions, I’m worried we might end up being blamed instead, incurring the child’s resentment.”

“They’re a close-knit family of father, son, and grandson; where there’s no overnight grudge. Wouldn’t it all be your fault as the little teacher aunt?”

“At first, watching you hide the truth and deliberately bully the child, I thought you were planning to play the villain. What suddenly made you change your mind?”

Wang Yongzhu sighed, “I originally intended to first observe Brother Jun’s character. If I didn’t say anything, I wanted to see how he would act. But today, Shopkeeper Wu came, and the news he brought indicates changes in the tea business. I’m afraid I won’t have much free time soon.”

“If I don’t make things clear with him now, go to Qilidun, and momentarily overlook something, it might lead Brother Jun astray. It’s better to explain things upfront so he understands our intentions. If he’s smart, he’ll know how to choose.”

Wang Yongzhu had not changed her mind before meeting Shopkeeper Wu in the morning. Earlier, she asked Lord Du to speak on her carriage to further assess him.

But Shopkeeper Wu’s arrival and the matters of the Lee family made her change her decision.

She thought of Ninth Master Lee, who, for the Lee family, though not toiling himself to death, certainly worked hard and sincerely.

However, with the sudden upheaval of the Lee family, the business at the Qingzhou Prefecture, clearly entrusted to him by the family head, has now become someone else’s possession in an instant.

Though it’s unknown if Ninth Master Lee was prepared, regardless, he must feel heartbroken, being treated this way by his own father. The previous goodness has all become fleeting and a joke.

Thinking of Song Chongjin, the personal soldiers provided by Song Hong were said to be entirely under Song Chongjin’s command, taking orders from him alone.

Yet, in such a major incident happening in the capital, given Song Hong’s information network, those personal soldiers likely knew long ago.

However, none reported it to them until Song Chongjin personally inquired about it.

If they truly respected Song Chongjin, making him their leader, would it be like this?

Could there be Song Hong’s influence behind this?

And these two fathers might even believe themselves to be acting in their children’s best interest with such decisions, right?

Aren’t some parents armed with a trump card: I’m doing this for your own good?

Thinking this way, Wang Yongzhu realized she might have been a bit overbearing before. No matter how things are, Lord Du is just a boy, suddenly leaving his parents and living with his grandparents for just a few days before being handed to an unfamiliar little teacher aunt to be taken to the countryside.

For a child raised in such pampered conditions, he might have long broken down, perhaps with loud complaints, cries, or even tantrums.

Yet Lord Du, even if he’s soft-hearted and timid, hasn’t voiced much grievance and never attempted to escape mid-journey.

Instead, he endured.

Even the piercing words from Song Hong’s personal soldiers, he bore them.

At least, he’s a child who knows how to adapt to the circumstances.

In this world, being able to adapt is already commendable.

Reflecting on her younger self, at that age, she felt she was already an adult, hoping that adults and elders would discuss matters with her equally rather than making autocratic decisions under the guise of it’s for your own good.

After some introspection, Wang Yongzhu decided to communicate everything clearly to Lord Du, allowing him to choose for himself.

Old Granny Zhang eased her worries, and upon hearing about potential issues in the tea business, quickly pressed for details.

Wang Yongzhu explained the situation concerning the Lee family and speculated on Ninth Master Lee’s current condition.

Old Granny Zhang still remembered Ninth Master Lee, as she had never encountered such a handsome young man in her life.

She couldn’t help but sigh, “Such a handsome child, yet unfortunately born with poor luck. It shows that whether man or woman, being too good-looking is a curse, and fate might be fragile! Luckily, he’s a boy; if he were a girl, so beautiful yet unloved by father and mother, it’s hard to imagine how tough life would be! It takes someone like our Zhuzhu, who looks blessed, to have a good life!”

Wang Yongzhu looked at Old Granny Zhang, both amused and helpless, as her mother’s inexplicable taste in aesthetics was irredeemable.

The two chatted casually while waiting for Song Chongjin to return.

By noon, Song Chongjin hadn’t returned yet, but someone sent a message saying that the town mayor had already gathered some respected elderly men and locally renowned scholars to welcome Song Chongjin with a feast.

On the women’s side, they even specially sent over a banquet, with town mayor Wu Changshou’s wife and several scholarly wives accompanying.

Wang Yongzhu had to welcome them in.

As soon as these ladies entered, they paid their respects to Wang Yongzhu with a grand salute.

Though it was custom, Wang Yongzhu felt uncomfortable seeing these women, old enough to be her mother, kneel and bow. She quickly had them supported to rise.

These women then paid their respects to Old Granny Zhang, calling her ‘Old Madam.’ Unlike the astute women from the capital, they lacked such sophistication.

Even when complimenting others, they did so with repetitive praise about Song Chongjin’s talents, how lucky Wang Yongzhu was to have such a good marriage, and how fortunate she was.

They also praised Old Granny Zhang for her good fortune and foresight in arranging such a good marriage for her daughter, and how she’d enjoy blessings in the future.

These genuine words hit home for Old Granny Zhang.

In the capital, whether praising or insulting, the noble women spoke eloquently, always with a smile. If one weren’t attentive, it was hard to distinguish whether they were being praised or insulted.

But in the countryside, things were straightforward—praise was praise, insult was insult!

So she conversed happily with the women, all in harmony.

※※※

On the mountain road, a swift horse galloped towards Qilidun.

Upon entering Qilidun Village, the rider pulled on the reins, stopping by a child on the roadside, “Little brother, may I ask, where does Lord Song live?”

The child looked confused, “In our village, we have Song Daniu and Song Dahu, but no Lord Song!”

The rider was momentarily speechless, taking a moment to recover, “I mean, the Scholar Lord Song, whose wife is surnamed Wang?”

And who was that child? It was none other than Jinguan.

Upon hearing it, Jinguan blinked, “Are you saying my uncle has become a Scholar?”

The rider was pleasantly surprised, discovering the child he questioned was actually a relative of Lord Song? Instantly, he beamed, “Young master of the Wang family, indeed, your uncle, Lord Song, has become a Second Class Imperial Graduate and has been appointed as County Magistrate by the Emperor—”

Before he could finish, Jinguan took off running upon hearing his uncle had achieved such a title. Though he didn’t understand the specifics of the classification or the position, he did grasp that being appointed as County Magistrate by the Emperor was a big deal.

His uncle had become the County Magistrate!

This was tremendous news. Since February, the family had been anxious, not knowing how his uncle had performed in the exams.

Originally, they planned to go to the county to inquire, but because of his uncle’s achievement, the family business improved significantly, keeping them tied up throughout the spring.

Moreover, they had been tending to the tea mountain left by the old aunt. After harvesting new tea from Yingzi Gully, they brought back a batch of new tea tree branches to plant. Only now had they finished.

A few days ago, his father even mentioned going to the county to find out.

Unexpectedly, the good news was delivered right to their door.

Jinguan dashed home, leaving the messenger mid-sentence, watching as Jinguan ran far away, anxiously calling out, “Young master, don’t run, wait for me—”

He shouted as he mounted the horse again and chased after him.