Chapter 307: There Must Always Be Sacrifices
Wen Xiuyi’s decision to go to Jiangnan had been made entirely on the spur of the moment. Never mind the rest of the Wen family—even Wen Yao was completely unaware of it.
“Dad, what are you going for?” Wen Yao asked, suddenly feeling somewhat wronged.
Wen Xiuyi naturally noticed his daughter’s emotion and pulled her to the side. Seeing this, the others said nothing, merely watching from a distance as Wen Yao sat with a pouted mouth and a face full of displeasure.
Wen Xiuyi hurriedly coaxed her: “Daughter, I just thought of it suddenly moments ago. Jiangnan is a water town, so I just want to go take a look and see if I can find better rice seeds.”
No matter how lighthearted Wen Yao usually was, she felt a wave of sadness at this moment. Her eldest brother had left so suddenly, and now her father was leaving too, leaving only her behind here. Yet whether in her previous life or this one, she knew what Wen Xiuyi was doing; moreover, the things he did were good deeds for the benefit of the common people. She was not an unreasonable child.
Yet being sensible did not mean she wouldn’t feel sad or wronged.
“I’ll be the only one left at home,” Wen Yao said. Hearing these words, Wen Xiuyi instantly regretted his decision, hurriedly saying, “Don’t cry, don’t be sad. Dad won’t go, I won’t go! Dad will stay at home to keep you company.”
This immediate admission of error brought a smile to Wen Yao’s face. Wiping the tears falling uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes, she shot Wen Xiuyi a glare: “Why shouldn’t you go? In the past, how many places did Grandpa Yuan run to just to find good rice seeds? How much have you even done compared to him? Have you forgotten his old instructions?”
Heartached, Wen Xiuyi patted his daughter’s head, saying, “Dad knows. You’ve been wronged over these years.”
This “Dad” was for both her former life and her present one.
“Alright, go with peace of mind. But once you reach your destination, remember to send me news! I don’t care what method you use—in short, you must let me know where you are and what you’re doing,” Wen Yao said, putting on a fierce front.
Wen Xiuyi nodded with deep affection: “That’s a given! But will you be alright on your own at home?”
Wen Yao stole a glance over toward the rest of the family and said, “If my grandma hears those words, she’ll definitely make you eat the sole of her shoe.”
Wen Xiuyi let out two embarrassed coughs: “Aiya, that’s completely different! Take good care of yourself. If anything comes up, go find Magistrate Chen. Although he’s unreliable at times, protecting you here in Yunwu Town is definitely no difficult task for him, understand?”
Bringing up Magistrate Chen, Wen Yao burst into laughter all at once: “Do you think Lord Chen will go mad if he finds out you’re leaving? You ought to know—there’s no telling when you’ll be able to return from this trip! Good rice seeds aren’t easy to find, and Jiangnan is so vast.”
“Ah… well… probably not, right?” Thinking of the scene where Magistrate Chen blew his top, Wen Xiuyi hurriedly shook his head: “Speaking of which, I don’t know when I’ll be back either. You must help Dad keep an eye on the matter regarding the new high-yield crops. I’ll tell Old Chen to come find you if there’s anything he can’t decide on. You must keep a close watch—don’t let anything go wrong! This is a major matter concerning the life, death, honor, and disgrace of our entire family.”
Wen Yao patted her chest: “Rest assured!”
She had originally thought that once Wen Xiuyi departed, he would be able to return soon. Yet his departure lasted for over a month. During this period, Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong finished renovating the shop at the docks as well. Before leaving, Eldest Brother Qiu had taken on his sister’s request; the moment he returned, he set about dispatching a boatload of goods over to the two girls—items from every corner of the world, containing a bit of everything.
Li Yi sent news to the two girls half a month after returning to the capital as well: the Capital Yunwu Roast Duck and Yunwu Milk Tea Shop had officially opened for business! The moment they opened, they sparked a massive craze in the capital. Nowadays, business was so roaring that queues formed every single day—if one didn’t wake up early to line up, there was simply no chance of grabbing anything.
Li Yi told Wen Yao as well that with Doctor Jin and Wen Jun present, the Empress Dowager’s health was improving day by day. Moreover, Wen Jun had received commendations from both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Because of his medicinal diet recipes, the Empress Dowager’s health had not only recovered, but her appetite was great now as well—even the Emperor had begun eating the medicinal meals he prescribed.
Nowadays, numerous households in the capital were eager to invite Wen Jun over to treat their illnesses, his reputation nearly matching that of Doctor Jin.
Holding the letter, Wen Yao read every single word aloud to Old Madam Luo, Old Man Wen, and the others.
“Grandma, my brother and my dad are both doing great, so don’t worry anymore,” Wen Yao said after finishing the letter.
Old Madam Luo’s eyes were rimmed with red. Continuously wiping the tears falling from her eyes with her hands, she choked out, nodding: “Good, good, good! Little Jun has finally made something of himself! When we see our ancestors in the future, we’ll finally have something to boast about.”
Seeing his old wife crying harder and harder, Old Man Wen felt distressed and hurriedly said, “This is a good thing—what are you crying for?!”
This punchable tone successfully shifted Old Madam Luo’s attention. Whipping off the sole of her shoe, she smacked it straight onto Old Man Wen’s shoulder, roaring in rage: “Who asked you to meddle!”
Muttering and grumbling, Old Man Wen shifted to the side with a face full of defiance. Old Madam Luo glared at him, though she did not cry any further.
Breathing a subtle sigh of relief, Old Man Wen asked Wen Yao, “What about your dad? Did your dad say when he’s coming back?”
Wen Yao shook her head: “I don’t know. But the letter sent back a few days ago said he needs to visit one last place, and once he finishes there, he should be coming back soon. There are still two months until the New Year—he should return before the New Year anyway.”
The several people in the room looked at one another. Indeed, another year had slipped by in the blink of an eye, and the New Year was approaching once more.
Knocking his pipe against his hand, Old Man Wen said, “In another half a month, it’ll be time to harvest the soybeans, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes in the fields. Once the weather turns cold, the ground will start to freeze. We need to compost early this year. Second Son, Third Son, whenever you two have time, go inform every household—no family falls behind this year!”
“Understood, Dad!” The two brothers complied in unison.
Old Man Wen looked toward Wen Yao again, asking, “Those fruit trees on the mountain—do they need any winter care? We shouldn’t let them freeze.”
Wen Yao: “…” This question is beyond the scope of my knowledge—Professor Wen isn’t at home, after all.
At this thought, Wen Yao asked, “What does Uncle Zhao say?” Uncle Zhao was the fruit farmer Li Yi had sent along with the fruit trees back then.
Old Man Wen replied, “I asked him. He said the climate here is somewhat different from the capital, but judging by the current weather, winter shouldn’t be as cold here as in the capital. There’s no need to make special preparations, though back where they came from, they used to wrap up the fruit trees once winter arrived for fear of frost damage.”
Wen Yao nodded: “My dad isn’t home, so I can’t say for sure either. Let’s listen to Uncle Zhao. He has experience after all. Let’s monitor the situation, and discuss it further when the weather turns colder later on. Still, we need to prepare in advance so we don’t end up flustered when the time comes.”
Old Man Wen nodded in deep agreement: “Right, I’ll go discuss it with him tomorrow. Oh right, Yao Yao, didn’t you mention earlier what you wanted to do once the soybeans were harvested?”
“Soybeans? Do what?” Wen Yao froze for a second before slapping her thigh as she recalled a matter she had completely forgotten: “Aiya! How could I have forgotten about this!”
