newbobooks Chapter 99 A Chance Encounter in Nanzhou Prefecture
Chapter 99 A Chance Encounter in Nanzhou Prefecture
Before leaving, Wen Yuxia instructed the village chiefs of Xinghua Village and Nanping Village to cultivate the land on the hillside. She promised to provide fruit trees free of charge and send people to teach the villagers how to manage them.
The village chiefs of Xinghua Village and Nanping Village led the villagers to clear a large area of land on the hillside, turning it into public land for the village.
After receiving news that Xinghua Village and Nanping Village had already reclaimed the mountain land, Steward Li and Steward Tang each led a team to Xinghua Village and Nanping Village respectively to deliver fruit trees.
Wen Yuxia donated 300 fruit trees to Xinghua Village. These trees will bear fruit next year, producing apples and pears, as well as pears and apples – two types of fruit that can only be grown on Wen Yuxia's farm.
Thanks to the warmth of the mountains, Xinghua Village will be able to sell its apples and pears, as well as pears and apples, in the county town next year. Most importantly, the orchard is jointly owned by all the villagers; it is the village's first public property.
As the village chief, Wang Guiyuan was very excited. Looking at the fruit trees in the orchard, whose branches and leaves had been pruned down to just tender buds, Wang Guiyuan said with gratitude, "Old Wen, you have raised a good granddaughter!"
The Wen family separated when Wen Yuxia was four years old. Wen Dashan and Wen Linshi only took care of Wen Yuxia and her brother for three years. When Wen Yuxia was seven years old...
Wen Dashan and Wen Linshi returned to their eldest son's house. Although the whole family still lived in the same courtyard, Wen Yuxia and her brother were now living independently.
Next, during their escape from famine, Wen Yuxia and her brother were separated from them when they reached Zhujiang County. Although he kept thinking about the two siblings the whole way, and although Wen Zibai and the others also began to care about Wen Yuxia and her brother...
However, the person was waited for in Mengzhong County. Next, Wen Yuxia asked the Li family of Nanzhou Prefecture for help with settling down, and Wen Yuxia also paid for the money to build the house for the Wen family.
Wen Yuxia sent the Wen family's grandchildren to private schools for their early education. Wen Yunhai and Wen Yunqing are still studying in the county town, and Wen Yuxia pays for their tuition and daily expenses.
Wen Yuxia even bought him a shop so he could collect rent for his retirement. The Yang sisters-in-law also relied on the snack recipes provided by Wen Yuxia to support their snack shop.
And then there was the charcoal burning; every single thing, every single thing, was done by Wen Yuxia for them. Thinking of this, Wen Dashan smiled somewhat awkwardly:
“Da Ya has been sensible since she was little. Her parents passed away early, and I'm not very capable, so I didn't take good care of her and her siblings. On the contrary, she helped the family a lot.”
Village Chief Wang was a smart man; he had long noticed that Wen Yuxia's relationship with the Wen family wasn't close. However, he chose not to reveal the reason behind it.
He chuckled and said, "No matter what, Princess Muhua only gave our village fruit trees because of you. Old Wen, if you need any help, don't hesitate to say a word, and I'll bring the whole village with me."
Days passed, and Wen Yuxia was finally able to move into her new house in Mengzhong County. Bei Yi led the group to dismantle the tent they had lived in for more than half a month and move all their belongings into the new home.
Wen Yuxia stood quietly at the gate, a slight smile playing on her lips as she looked at the plaque above the gate: "Wen Residence."
She's been in the Great Xia Dynasty for almost six years now. She's grown from a seven-year-old girl into a thirteen-year-old young woman. From nothing to something, she's slowly but surely developed into a wealthy woman with modest assets.
In a few years, after Wen Yunhong passes the imperial examination, she can finally relax and live a life of leisure, which is what she looked forward to most in her previous life. She must make up for what she didn't do in her previous life in this one.
Wen Yunhong, who was attending an academic exchange conference in Nanzhou Prefecture, was unaware that his older sister had set her sights on him, and even less aware that he would have to spend the rest of his life managing her business.
At this moment, Wen Yunhong is engaged in a verbal debate with a scholar.
"...The mind is like a clear mirror; one must constantly polish it..."
"...Bodhi has no tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand..."
The two exchanged views, one supporting Master Huineng's perspective and the other agreeing with Master Shenxiu's. The students listening to their debate were also divided into two camps.
Xia Yichen sat by the window, listening to the debate between the two groups downstairs, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Who taught these two siblings? The sister is eloquent, and the brother is a master of debate."
Huineng and Shenxiu were both considered to have reached the highest levels of Buddhist practice, but their levels differed, and later generations often used their verses to debate this.
Xia Yichen felt that Wen Yunhong, despite his young age, was capable of confidently standing up and debating with others, and that he was destined for great things.
Li Jiating couldn't understand what Xia Yichen was saying, and asked in confusion, "Sister, brother? Yichen, you've recognized a sister and a brother again?"
Xia Yichen's principal wife, Xie Qianlian, covered her mouth and chuckled: "My husband has only recognized one younger sister. If I'm not mistaken, the little boy arguing with someone below is Yuxia's younger brother."
Xia Yichen smiled and said, "Ai, Lian'er is right." But as soon as he uttered the word "Ai," he realized they were in a teahouse, not in his residence, and immediately took back the word "concubine," addressing her as Lian'er instead.
The Emperor sent him to find Wen Yuxia to discuss the production of prepared medicines. The Emperor also gave a hint regarding the profit sharing of the pharmacy: the maximum split could only be 30/70, with Wen Yuxia receiving 30% and the Emperor receiving 70%.
He hinted to Xia Yichen that if he could reduce Wen Yuxia's share, the extra portion would be his. Xia Yichen, not skilled in business negotiations, brought Li Jiating with him to Nanzhou Prefecture.
Xie Qianlian often heard Xia Yichen mention Wen Yuxia, which made her feel threatened. She insisted on coming to Nanzhou Prefecture to meet her in person. Xia Yichen had no ulterior motives towards Wen Yuxia, so he agreed to Xie Qianlian's request to accompany him.
Unexpectedly, Li Jiating saw Wen Yunhong while resting at a teahouse. Pointing to Wen Yunhong downstairs, he asked, "Yichen, is that boy really Yuxia's younger brother?"
Standing tall and proud among students a head taller than himself, dressed in his academic robes, Wen Yunhong calmly and confidently began debating when he heard a man in the nearby teahouse mention his sister's given name. He abruptly turned his head to look.
The Crown Prince, why is the Crown Prince here in Nanzhou Prefecture again? In less than a year, the Crown Prince has come to Nanzhou Prefecture three times. The first two times were related to his elder sister. Is this time also for his sister?
Seeing Xia Yichen's smiling face and the finger he was beckoning to him, Wen Yunhong didn't bother arguing with him anymore. He led his pageboy Xiao Tang, along with Nan Yi and Nan Er, towards the teahouse.
Knowing that Wen Yunhong would be going upstairs, Xia Yichen had the guards open the door to the private room in advance. Wen Yunhong clasped his hands in greeting and said in a low voice, "Greetings, Crown Prince."
Xia Yichen smiled and said, "Hong'er, come and sit down." He then introduced Xie Qianlian and Li Jiating to Wen Yunhong, who rose to greet them.
"Hong'er, is your sister sure you're comfortable going out alone?" Xia Yichen knew that Wen Yuxia cared a lot about this younger brother, so much so that when she bought a property, she made sure to include a share for Wen Yunhong.
Wen Yunhong obediently replied, "Hong'er came with the teacher, and my sister sent Nan Yi, Nan Er, Nan San, and Nan Si to accompany us..."
Wen Yuxia had personally trained eleven guards, and the fact that she dispatched four of them to protect Wen Yunhong at one time demonstrates how much she valued him.
Xia Yichen laughed and said, "I'm going to find your sister. Do you want to come back with me?"
“My sister isn’t in Xinchuan County; she went to Mengzhong County,” Wen Yunhong said. He had been away from home for twenty days, and he didn’t know whether Wen Yuxia had returned to Xinchuan County.