20demayo Chapter 72 Kang Wang Shi
Chapter 72 Kang Wang Shi
Shouzhou Wharf.
"Alright, it's getting late. You should go back now; we should get going too."
After boarding the boat, Old Mrs. Wang told Wang Min to go back.
The goods were transported and loaded onto the ship yesterday, and we can set sail as soon as everyone arrives and boards today.
"Mother, please take care of yourself. Your son will be able to reunite with you in Bianjing in a month at most."
"I understand. Don't rush. Finish things here. When you leave, make sure you visit people around you so as not to give anyone cause for gossip," Madam Wang instructed.
When her husband passed away, although he taught Wang Min by example, Wang Min's focus at that time was still on studying.
In terms of interpersonal skills and conduct, Wang Min was far from adequate.
"Son has remembered."
Wang Min bowed in agreement, then looked at Wang You and instructed, "Your older brother is going to Luoyang to study. Since I'm not here, you need to be sensible and help your mother with her responsibilities, understand?"
"I understand!" Wang You nodded solemnly.
Wang Min then bid farewell to his mother and disembarked.
After watching the ships sail away into the distance, he took a horse-drawn carriage back to the city.
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During their journey, the Wang brothers would often read books, discuss academic topics, occasionally play chess together for leisure, or play games with Mu Jie'er, leading a fulfilling life.
Madam Feng then discussed with Old Madam Wang the trivial matters of allocating the backyard in Bianjing and hiring servants.
The Wang family's old residence in Bianjing was acquired by Grand Tutor Wang in his early years, and it was not very large.
Later, when Grand Tutor Wang rose to the rank of Prime Minister, he lived in a residence bestowed upon him by the government.
When Madam Feng entered the family, Grand Tutor Wang was still alive.
After Grand Tutor Wang passed away, the court did not rush to reclaim the mansion that had been bestowed upon him. It was not until Wang Min's mourning period ended and he was granted official rank that Grand Tutor Wang instructed him to submit a petition to return the mansion.
Therefore, Feng never lived in the old house. Wang Zhuo was approaching marriageable age, and although Wang You was still young, he also needed to live in a separate courtyard.
These all need to be allocated in advance.
In addition, servants also needed to be re-employed. Apart from a few old servants and servants born into the family, the rest of the servants in the Wang family were all bought with money wherever they went.
If Wang Min were to transfer them, he would return the servants' contracts and let them go home.
Doing this will also earn them a good reputation; otherwise, if they were taken to Bianjing, they would likely never see their families again.
Of course, this wasn't entirely for the sake of fame.
When you arrive in a new place where you are unfamiliar with the people and the place, it is helpful to hire some servants locally to help your household servants better familiarize themselves with the local situation.
Of the maids in Wang Youyuan's courtyard, only Haitang and Chuntao remain now.
These decisions all require the input of Madam Feng, the matriarch of the family, and Old Madam Wang, the true head of the Wang family.
After more than half a month, the Bianjing Wharf came into view in the distance.
Seeing that she could finally disembark, Mu Jie jumped for joy.
"Behave yourself, where is your ladylike demeanor?" Madam Feng glared at her, annoyed.
"Mother, I've been on the ship for over half a month, and I'm getting restless. How much more so for Mu-jie'er?" Wang You said.
"Just spoil her."
Madam Feng rolled her eyes at Wang You, and didn't have time to pay attention to them. She arranged for the steward to take a small boat to the dock to hire a horse-drawn carriage.
The large ship was docking, and there was a queue. Fortunately, they were officials' spouses, and after revealing their identities, they had the privilege of cutting in line.
After waiting for about an incense stick's time, it was their turn to stop.
As soon as the ship stopped, the steward who had been sent out returned to report that several horse-drawn carriages and some oxcarts had been hired.
"Mother, let's take the carriage into the city first. The other boat will dock later, so Steward Zhou and his men can wait there," said Madam Feng.
Because it was a family relocation, they had a lot of belongings and hired two boats.
One ship was filled with all sorts of gifts, while the other was for living quarters.
The valuables are all in the trunk I carry with me, so there's nothing to worry about.
Although Mrs. Wang was still in relatively good health, she was exhausted after sitting on the boat for so long.
He nodded somewhat listlessly: "Mm."
Seeing that Old Madam Wang agreed, Madam Feng immediately made the arrangements.
After the servants unloaded their personal belongings from the boat and loaded them onto a carriage, the family boarded the carriage with their personal servants and headed towards Bianjing City.
Madam Feng and Madam Wang rode in one carriage, while Wang You and his sister rode in another.
Without her mother by her side, the little girl was very lively. She lifted the curtain, looked around, and chattered, "Second brother, is this Bianjing? It's so lively!"
"We haven't even entered the city yet."
Wang You patted his sister's head and said with a smile, "The city is even more lively, and there are lots of delicious foods. I'll take you to try them later."
"Mmm-hmm-hmm."
The little girl felt like she couldn't see enough of the lively scene outside, and nodded her little head.
"Second brother, can I go play with Sister Minglan now?" Mu Jie'er asked.
"Not yet, my second aunt's husband's family hasn't arrived in Bianjing yet," Wang You said.
"Oh." The little girl was a little disappointed upon hearing this.
"Don't worry, it won't be long before your second aunt's husband and the others arrive in Bianjing," Wang You comforted her.
He later figured out why the little girl liked playing with Minglan.
Although Rulan was willing to play with the little girl, there was a several-year age gap between them. She could enjoy some games with the little girl, but she would just give a perfunctory answer to some particularly childish ones.
This is a very normal phenomenon. Rulan is not that cunning and does not control her emotions.
Although Mu Jie'er is young, she can sense it.
On the contrary, Minglan was restrained by Wei Xiaoniang since childhood, and even her two older sisters of similar age rarely had contact with her and lacked playmates.
She's good at pitch-pot; talent is one thing, but isn't it also because she has nothing else to do?
Therefore, when playing with Mu Jie'er, no matter how childish the game was, she could play it with great interest.
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Upon arriving at the old house, Madam Feng first escorted Old Madam Wang to the east courtyard in the backyard, and then began to busy herself with other tasks.
Wang You was assigned to live in the right wing of the central courtyard, while the left wing opposite was reserved for Wang Zhuo.
"I need to make some money to buy a house," Wang You murmured.
Although his older brother was not there, the two brothers lived in the side rooms of the central courtyard. Even though the central courtyard was very large, Wang You still felt it was not very convenient.
He most enjoys lying in a rocking chair and basking in the sun during the cool spring and autumn seasons.
If Wang Zhuo gets married in the future, what would it look like if his younger brother-in-law lay in the yard every day?
Land in Bianjing was incredibly valuable, and although the Wang family had some wealth, they couldn't afford a larger mansion.
As for buying a small house and moving out, that's even more unrealistic.
The Song Dynasty had laws stipulating that parents could live separately from their own family in another household.
Besides, he's only ten years old, and his parents would never let him move out.
Making money wasn't difficult for Wang You; the difficulty lay in the fact that, given the Wang family's social standing, they disdained engaging in commercial activities.
Wang You lay on the rocking chair, lost in thought, while the maidservant arranged the room.
"Second Young Master!"
Just then, a maidservant rushed over, bowed, and said, "The eldest young lady has arrived. Madam wants the second young master to go to the Jingxin Hall quickly."
"understood."
When Wang You heard that Madam Kang had arrived, he pursed his lips.