Chapter 58: A Return Gift
Doctor Jin didn’t stop him and let Jin Xiuyi go to the storeroom on his own. Once he was gone, Doctor Jin frowned slightly and asked Shopkeeper Qiu, “Did you notice anything?”
Shopkeeper Qiu also wore a furrowed brow. “That tea cup, and those glass marbles given to Yi’er—they’re all extremely valuable. But from what I know, the Wen family’s circumstances aren’t that good. When I first met the siblings, their clothes were patched.”
Doctor Jin looked at him and asked, “You think these things might not have come from a clean source?”
Shopkeeper Qiu shook his head. “That’s not what I’m worried about. If they weren’t clean, they wouldn’t have given them away so openly. I’m just thinking… could it be that the Wen family descends from some hidden reclusive masters? Look at Brother Wen’s manner of speech and conduct, and the same goes for Wen Jun and Wen Yao—even little Datuo has a certain calm aura about him. When have you seen that kind of presence in a farmer’s family?”
“Even the impoverished scholars who manage to make a name for themselves in the capital carry traces of their humble origins. But this family doesn’t—not even a hint of timidity. It’s as if they were born with it.”
“I thought it strange before. That little girl, when she heard you were an imperial physician who had treated nobles in the palace, was completely unfazed. When you offered to introduce her to the imperial kitchen as a chef, her first reaction wasn’t excitement but refusal. Looking back, I don’t think it’s because she doubts her cooking skills, but rather that she thought the palace was too full of trouble.”
To be fair, Shopkeeper Qiu had hit the nail on the head. Wen Yao did indeed find that place too troublesome—one careless move and she might lose her life.
Doctor Jin gently picked up one of the cups to examine it closely, pondering silently. Just what kind of background does the Wen family really have?
Shopkeeper Qiu picked up the other one, chuckling, “Well, it’s ours now. Let’s try them out.”
Doctor Jin snapped back to attention and scolded, “Be careful! Don’t break it.”
Shopkeeper Qiu’s eyes stayed glued to the cup as he laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m being very careful.”
Doctor Jin played with it for a bit, then carefully set it down and said, “No matter where they come from, now that I’ve taken Wen Jun as my disciple, he’s one of us. Whether or not they have some other identity, as long as they don’t mean us harm, there’s no need to pry. Everyone has their own privacy—it’s not right to ask too much.”
Shopkeeper Qiu smiled. “I’m not that foolish. But what about that ‘scholar’s gift set’ your grandson picked to return the favor? Isn’t that a bit light in comparison?”
Doctor Jin thought about it—it really didn’t match the value of those two glass marbles. But…
“I don’t think the Wen family cares much about material value. Otherwise, they wouldn’t give such expensive glass marbles to a child as a toy. Since they don’t want to make things too obvious, we shouldn’t be too blunt either. Let’s just treat it casually.”
“As for the kids and their little exchanges—let them handle it themselves.”
Shopkeeper Qiu nodded.
Of course, Doctor Jin said that, but didn’t quite do it. In addition to the scholar’s set Jin Xiuyi had picked, Doctor Jin also selected a hundred-year-old ginseng root and several other supplements from his storeroom. Being a physician, he had quite a few rare items stocked up.
After choosing those, he went to a cloth shop to buy a few bolts of fabric. Originally, he planned to buy the finest quality, but thinking of the Wen family’s current situation and their desire to stay low-key, he instead chose ordinary cloth with tasteful patterns.
After gathering everything, he had Awang drive the carriage and personally deliver the items to the Wen family before sundown.
When Wen Xiuyi and the others returned home, they first went to the old house to “report” on the day’s ceremony, and to discuss going to the Jiao family’s place tomorrow. The wedding was the day after, and Wen Yao would need to go early to help prepare, and they naturally had to go along.
Before long, someone knocked loudly on the outer gate.
Madam Luo told Li Shi to open the door. Li Shi was in the middle of an exciting part of the conversation, and being interrupted put her in a foul mood.
“Who is it?”
The person outside kept knocking and shouting, “Auntie Wen, there’s a carriage in the village asking for your family. Hurry and open up!”
Hearing the word “carriage,” Li Shi picked up her pace. She opened the door and blurted out, “What carriage? Who’s asking for us?”
The village aunt quickly pointed toward the village entrance. “Right over there. Some young lad driving it—came into the village and asked where the Wen scholar’s family lives. Isn’t your family the only one with a scholar?”
Li Shi let out a yelp and dashed off. “Thanks! I’m going to tell my mother-in-law!”
“Mother, mother—” she yelled as she ran. She burst into the house only to be glared at by Madam Luo.
“Are you being chased by a ghost? What are you yelling for?”
Li Shi gave a sheepish grin and quickly said, “Someone said there’s a carriage headed toward our house!”
“What?” Madam Luo shot up, shoved on her shoes, and went straight for the door.
The rest of the family was baffled and hurried to follow—what wealthy relative did the Wen family have?
By the time they reached the door, the carriage was already rolling toward them from a distance, followed by a bunch of children eager to see the commotion.
Awang, worried he had the wrong house, only relaxed when he spotted Wen Xiuyi peeking from the back of the crowd.
“Master Wen! Young Master Wen Jun! Miss Wen Yao!” Awang called out and waved while driving the carriage.
The entire Wen family turned their heads in unison to look at the family of four.
Wen Xiuyi took the opportunity to step forward and got a good look at Awang.
“Mother, it’s Awang from Doctor Jin’s household,” he quickly explained to Madam Luo, afraid her glare might kill him if he hesitated even a second.
Upon hearing it was someone from the Jin family, Madam Luo relaxed. She turned and instructed her daughters-in-law, “You two, go boil water and make tea for our guest!”
Li Shi still wanted to watch the excitement, but one glance from her mother-in-law and she caved immediately. She and Cai Shi scurried off to the kitchen.
Awang stopped the carriage at the Wen family gate and quickly jumped down, bowing to Wen Xiuyi. “Master Wen, my old master asked me to deliver some items.”
Wen Xiuyi was confused. “Doctor Jin? Deliver what?”
Awang looked at the growing crowd and scratched his head. “Shall we talk inside?”
Wen Xiuyi smacked his own forehead. “Right, right, what am I thinking—Awang, come on in. Second, third! Watch the carriage for him!”
Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing hurried forward to take the reins from Awang, curiously inspecting the carriage—this was their first time seeing one up close.
“Wait a second,” Awang quickly returned to the cart and began unloading things.
A bunch of people stood watching, a crowd of onlookers gawking. The two “silly sons” could only stare at the horse, and Awang, simpleminded as he was, didn’t even think to ask for help.
Madam Luo couldn’t bear it any longer. She barked, “Wen Jun! Wen Nong! Hurry up and help him!”
Honestly, if I weren’t here, this family would fall apart sooner or later.
