Chapter 59: Only by Living Long Can One Enjoy Blessings
Wen Nong and Wen Jun quickly stepped forward to help Awang. The three of them each carried their arms full of items. Seeing this, Madam Luo couldn’t sit still—murmurs of astonishment had already rippled through the watching crowd. Pretending to stay calm, she ordered, “Get inside first, we’ll talk later.”
Only then did the group carry everything into the house. Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing stayed behind to tend to the carriage, while the others entered. Madam Luo didn’t hesitate; with a bang, she shut the door firmly, cutting off the peeking eyes and craning necks outside.
Inside the sitting room, the table was now piled high with gifts, leaving Madam Luo staring in confusion.
Wen Xiuyi quickly made introductions, “Awang, this is my mother and father.”
Awang immediately bowed respectfully. “Old Master, Old Madam.”
When had Old Master Wen and Madam Luo ever seen such a formal scene? Old Master Wen was a little at a loss, but Madam Luo managed to keep her composure for the sake of her eldest son, forcing herself to stay calm as she asked, “No need for all this, young man. We’re not particular about such formality. But tell me, why did Doctor Jin send you?”
Awang replied, “My old master said, since he has taken Young Master Wen Jun as his disciple, you’re all one family now. At lunch, Master Wen and the others left in a hurry and didn’t prepare a proper gift, so my master instructed me to deliver these right away. This set of scholar’s tools was specifically requested by Young Master Jin Xiuyi as a gift for Young Master Wen Zhao.”
As soon as Datuo heard that the gift was from Jin Xiuyi, he immediately ran over to take a look. When he opened the box and saw the set of writing instruments inside, his eyes lit up.
Wen Yao took one look and thought, Goodness, this set looked even better than the most expensive one she’d seen at the stationery shop.
Aside from that, there was a ginseng root, several premium tonics, and bolts of cloth—none of it cheap.
The entire Wen family was dumbfounded.
Awang, having completed his task, made ready to leave. “Master Wen, I’ll take my leave now and go report back.”
Wen Xiuyi was stunned. So many expensive gifts… he wasn’t sure if they should accept them.
“These are too valuable. Please take them back. Wen Jun is the younger one—it should be us honoring Doctor Jin, not the other way around…” Madam Luo’s composure was fraying.
Awang responded, “Old Madam, I’m just following orders. I wouldn’t know how to explain it if I brought them back. Please don’t make things difficult for me. I’ll be off now.”
Before anyone could say another word, Awang turned and left in a flash, giving them no chance to return the gifts.
When Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing came back and saw the mountain of gifts on the table, they too were shocked.
The Wen family stood around the table, staring wide-eyed at the offerings. Only Datuo, clinging to the scholar’s set, looked completely delighted. The rest wore complex expressions.
Wen Xiuyi sighed, already guessing why Doctor Jin had sent so much—it had to be because of the two glass cups. From their conversation earlier, it was clear: things that seemed common to them were priceless in the eyes of these people. No wonder Doctor Jin returned such lavish gifts.
“Well, it’s done. We’ll just have to make sure Xiao Jun shows proper respect and devotion to his master in return,” Wen Xiuyi said. Worst-case scenario, they’d just give Doctor Jin some more curious things down the line to even it out.
Sorting through the gifts, he pulled out the ginseng and tonics and handed them to Madam Luo. “Mother, keep this ginseng safe. It could save a life in a critical moment. And these tonics won’t keep forever—please make sure you and Father take them.”
Then he sifted through the cloth, picking out two darker bolts and passing them to her. “These colors suit you and Father. Keep them.”
There were two patterned ones more suitable for young girls—he handed them to Wen Yao. “Wen Yao, you three sisters divide these among yourselves.”
Two bolts remained. Wen Xiuyi looked around at the rest of the men and boys.
“….”
Only now did he realize—the yin is weak, and the yang is strong in this house.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Madam Luo beat him to it. “What’s there to divide? Put everything away for now. Eldest, you stay. The rest of you—out.”
“Mother? What’s wrong?” Wen Xiuyi blinked, confused. Was she about to scold him again?
Madam Luo said, “Find a chance to return these things to Doctor Jin. I just can’t rest easy having accepted so many expensive gifts.”
He hadn’t even started learning yet, and they were already receiving such gifts from the master—how would it look to others?
Wen Xiuyi: “…” How was he going to explain that these were the return gifts?
“Mother, he already sent them. Wouldn’t returning them be a little… rude?” he said weakly.
Madam Luo’s glare sharpened. “What’s rude about it? If word got out that we accepted such pricey things right after taking him as a master, people would talk behind his back!”
Wen Xiuyi scratched his head, feeling the headache settle in.
He had no choice but to say, “Mother, leave it be. We gave Doctor Jin gifts too—he won’t be at a loss, and no one will be whispering about Xiao Jun. Don’t worry.”
Madam Luo, curious, asked, “What did you give him that he’d return such extravagant gifts?”
“I… it’s not really appropriate to say. Just take them and don’t overthink it. Come on, Mother, you and Father have toiled half your lives. Your son just wants to spoil you a little now. Can’t you let me?”
As he said this, he grinned, trying to look extra filial and pitiful.
Madam Luo touched the fabric, eyes filled with hesitation. On one hand, she worried it would cause trouble for Wen Jun. On the other, she couldn’t deny that it had been a long time since anyone in the family had gotten something new.
Seeing her struggling, Wen Xiuyi quickly added, “Come on, just accept it. Didn’t you see how happy the younger ones looked earlier? Would you really want to ruin that for them?”
Madam Luo let out a deep sigh.
“Fine, but you can’t be this extravagant all the time. These two bolts do suit young girls, so let Wen Yao and her two sisters have them. And these two, save them for Xiao Jun. He’s learning medicine now—he’ll need some presentable clothes.”
The remaining cloth could be split among her, the old man, and the younger ones—each could get one garment. As for the middle-aged lot, they’d have to make do. If there were extra, she’d give them something later.
Wen Xiuyi had no objections. He cooked for a living—his old clothes were good enough. He just felt a bit sorry for his two younger brothers. Time to step up and make more money to treat them and their wives better.
“Mother, we’ll head home now. Keep the things safe. And please, eat the tonics when you should. Leaving them to rot would be a terrible waste, alright?” he reminded her firmly. He was genuinely worried that, after a lifetime of thrift, they might feel too guilty to eat them and just let them spoil.
Madam Luo shot him a glare—he’d hit the nail on the head. She really had been planning to save them.
Wen Xiuyi laughed sheepishly. “Mother, you and Father need to take good care of yourselves. Live long so I can properly show you my gratitude. The good days are still ahead.”
For some reason, that line made Madam Luo’s nose sting with emotion. She quickly turned away, pretending to put things away as she shooed him off. “Enjoy blessings, huh? Try not to piss me and your father to an early grave. Now get going. And tell the others on your way out so they don’t think I’m picking on them.”
