Chapter 140: Chapter 138: Jealousy (5 Updates)
Granny Song was so angry her eyes flipped, and she slammed the door as she went inside.
When Old Song came back, she glared at him, "Heās gone?"
Old Song coughed and said, "Itās not easy for Brother Lu to come all the way here, let him stay for two days, okay?"
Seeing Old Song take the keys to open the west room, Granny Song quickly called him, "Where are you going?"
"Isnāt there an empty room next to Third Sonās place in the west room? Iāll tidy it up and let Brother Lu stay there temporarily."
Seeing Granny Song still looking annoyed, Old Song persuaded her, "Donāt keep that angry face. After all, heās Third Sonās teacher. If we mistreat him, when Third Son finds out, wonāt he hate us as his parents?"
Granny Song said, "Iām not not letting him stay, Iām just afraid heāll sneak into the study when Iām not looking and take Third Sonās treasures. Didnāt you hear him say? He came especially for the treasures. Third Son spoke clearly before he left, and I agreed. If I canāt even keep an eye on the study, when he finds out, heāll really hate me as his mother!"
"That wonāt happen." Old Song assured, "I asked, he wonāt take anything on his own, heās just waiting for you to give it to him!"
"Can I give it to him?" Granny Song rolled her eyes, "Unless Third Son says so, he shouldnāt expect anything."
Old Song said no more and went out of the main room to tidy up a room for Old Man Lu.
Old Man Lu indeed didnāt stand on ceremony, directly moved in, had a restful afternoon nap, and got up just in time for dinner.
At the dinner table, Old Man Lu grumbled, "That rascal Song Wei, went to the Capital without informing his teacher, does he take me as a thief and guard against me?"
Granny Song asked him, "What exactly did you come here for, what treasure?"
Old Man Lu said, "A painting. If young lady, you can decide to give it to me, Iāll pack up and leave immediately."
"Thatās impossible." Granny Song refused flat-out, "Third Son said before he left, no one gets it."
"Then Iāll pay for it."
"Not for sale at any price!"
"Hey! Is your family against money?" Initially thought Song Wei was a stubborn donkey, didnāt expect his mother was even more stubborn, this whole family, itās hereditary?
"Third Son already said itās not for sale. If you insist, then youāre against me, the old woman."
Old Man Lu sipped his wine contentedly, squinting his eyes in enjoyment, "I say, for that rascal to present me with a painting among so many treasures heās got isnāt too much, right?"
"Not too much." Granny Song nodded, "If you can find a way to get him to speak, not to mention a painting, even if you move the whole study, Iāll have nothing to say."
Old Man Lu snorted lightly, Song Weiās mouth was like stone. If it could be pried open, heād have already gotten the painting, wouldnāt have to linger here. "Since the young lady wonāt agree, weāll just keep dragging it out!"
Granny Song looked defiant, "With the New Year coming in a few months, I refuse to believe you wonāt return home."
"You guessed it right." Old Man Lu raised his eyebrows, downed some wine, "If I donāt get the painting, Iāll just spend the New Year with you guys."
Granny Song: "..."
āā
Ever since Old Man Lu moved into the Song family home, he and Old Song hit it off instantly, sitting together for a drink and chat every few days.
Over time, it spread around the village.
Whenever Granny Song went out, people would ask her who that old man staying at their house was.
Granny Song didnāt say he was Third Sonās teacher, she just called him a relative.
She knew the villagersā nature. If she said he was a teacher, theyād definitely pry until the end. If the secret about Third Sonās treasures in the study got out, how many thieves would eye it then?
Last time, because of Third Sonās wifeās dowry, the whole Zhou family was on alert, and who knows how many eyes would gather this time!
The villagers also asked when Third Son would return.
Granny Song didnāt hide it, stating next year, for the township exam in September, probably arriving at the end of August.
Ever since Song Wei went to Beijing, villagers stretched their necks in anticipation, waiting for Song Wei to come back and rank as a scholar, bring pride to the village. Hearing Granny Songās words, they felt relieved, their expressions just like seeing a money tree.
Granny Song knew the villagers had sweet mouths, but she didnāt know what they were really plotting. She enjoyed being flattered, even if it was just flattery. It felt nice to hear, after all, she had a successful son!
Others might want to have one too, but not everyone has the capability!
āā
Granny Song didnāt relent, and Old Man Lu didnāt forcibly take anything. Instead, he stayed comfortably at the Song family house, getting good treatment from Granny Song.
The Second Langās wife privately mocked her mother-in-law, saying she wasnāt willing to help out in the fields for a day, but now sheās brought a "Bodhisattva" home to serve with good food and drink every day, even more energetically than caring for her father-in-law.
Granny Song was also at a loss, sheād never seen such a person who wouldnāt leave for a broken painting, living at someone elseās house counting the months. Despite his age, he wasnāt embarrassed at all. If it werenāt for the fact that he was Third Sonās teacher, Granny Song would have rolled up her sleeves and kicked him out long ago.
The year-end was approaching, but Old Man Lu still showed no intention of leaving.
The town school was on vacation, and after Song Yuanbao came back, he used the study more often.
One day, Old Song took a job and went out to work. Granny Song was digging radishes in the vegetable garden. When she came back and saw the study door open, Song Yuanbao was still inside reading, not having changed his posture at all.
Granny Song put the radishes in the kitchen, quickly went to the main room to check, and found that Old Man Lu, who was sitting there earlier, was gone. She hurried out to the west room to take a look, but there was still no one.
Granny Song thought something was wrong, turned around, and went to the study. Standing at the door, she asked Song Yuanbao, "Yuanbao, did you see Old Man Lu?"
Song Yuanbao responded with an "oh" and said, "Grandpa Lu left."
"Left?" Granny Songās voice elevated, "Where did he go?"
Song Yuanbao truthfully said, "Grandpa Lu came to the study earlier, and a painting fell from the wall. When he picked it up, he said heād borrow it to copy and would return it later."
Granny Song was extremely anxious, "You... you agreed?"
"Yes." Song Yuanbao nodded, "Grandpa Lu is dadās teacher, so heās my grand teacher, I couldnāt refuse him!"
"Oh, my silly grandson, youāve ruined your dadās important matter this time."
Song Yuanbao pursed his lips. He deliberately gave the painting to Old Man Lu. Who told his dad to be away for so long without writing home? Now that the painting is gone, letās see if he panics!
That night, when Old Song returned, Granny Song narrated the incident to get his opinion.
Old Song took a puff of dry tobacco, "I say, letās pretend it never happened. Donāt make it public for now. When Third Son returns next year, weāll let him know. By then, heāll handle it himself and find his teacher. Now that the person is gone, where do we go looking?
As for writing a letter to Beijing to tell Third Son, thatās not very appropriate. Third Son is studying hard for the exams. As his parents, we canāt help much and shouldnāt be holding him back, right? Sending a letter would only distract him. Without focus, how would he take the scholar exam next year?"
Granny Song got a headache from his words, "Alright, shut up! I came to you for advice, and all you did was babble uselessly. Since you also said not to tell Third Son, Iāll just pretend nothing happened. You donāt make it public, and letās continue as usual."
ā
A letter came from the Capital, during the busy end-of-year period, and if delivered through the usual channels, it wouldnāt return within a month.
Fortunately, Xu Shu was kind-hearted, knowing Song Wei wanted to send a letter home, he specifically found someone to deliver it. In seven or eight days, it came into Granny Songās hands.
The elderly couple couldnāt read, so they immediately asked Song Yuanbao to read it to them.
Song Yuanbao stared at the envelope for a long while before slowly opening it, reading it aloud in the main room.
Song Wei was sullen and not talkative at home, but his first letter back home was thorough. He wrote several pages, first greeting his parents and Yuanbao, then assuring the family of his safety. He mentioned they bought a small courtyard in a hutong shortly after arriving in the Capital. Though not as spacious as home, it offered shelter, and in a place as valuable as the Capital, they had temporarily settled.
Regarding hiring a doctor for Wen Wanās throat treatment, Song Wei didnāt mention it in the letter, probably due to the uncertainty of the cure, fearing to cause false hope.
At the end of the letter, he urged Song Yuanbao to study hard at the town school. The Imperial Collegeās learning environment and faculty were unmatched, and attending there for a year or two made the scholar exam a sure thing.
Seeing how much his father cared in the letter, Song Yuanbaoās months of pent-up resentment slowly faded, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
Song Wei also wrote a similar consolatory letter to the Ningzhou Prefecture School.
Hao Yun was studying there.
Song Wei said little else, opening with a simple greeting followed immediately by the main topic. The letter was several pages long, thicker than the family letter, describing the Imperial Collegeās environment, courses, and leave policy for Hao Yun.
There wasnāt a single boastful word about himself, nor did he tell Hao Yun that his outstanding entrance exam results allowed him to skip a grade and enter the second-year inner class directly.
Moreover, Song Wei even sent a few useful books to Hao Yun.
True to his usual steady gentlemanly style.
But to Hao Yun, not bragging was the biggest boast for Song Wei, acting all modest having gained an advantage, as hypocritical as could be.
Halfway through, Hao Yunās eyes were red with hatred, tearing the letter into pieces, gritting from his teeth, "Song Wei!"
It was just a few months of study at the Imperial College, whatās there to be proud of?
Diligence can compensate for clumsiness; if Song Wei studies for a few hours a day, he will double it. Next yearās provincial exams, heāll surpass Song Wei and see how long this favored Imperial Collegeās scholarship student can stay proud!