Free Web NovelChapter 419: Chapter 162: Everything Is Ready
"I said I wanted to stay and watch the house, but Jing wouldn’t feel at ease leaving us here."
"Xiang’er is a grown woman now. Jing said he has a few like-minded friends in the Prefecture, and their families have young men around Xiang’er’s age. He wants us to go over and take a look."
"I won’t be staying permanently. Once the children are settled, I’ll come back."
"A golden house or a silver one is no match for our own little home. I’m more comfortable living in the village."
People came and went, and by evening, the news that Zhao Jing was taking his whole family to the Prefecture had spread throughout the entire village.
Mr. Zhao and several other elders personally came to their door to ask Zhao Jing if the rumor was true.
Zhao Jing naturally nodded and went on to explain the imperial envoy’s hint.
He emphasized, "The foundation of the county school is a bit weak, the Imperial College is too far away, and the expenses are too high. All things considered, the prefectural academy offers the best value."
"Even so, there’s no need to drag the whole family over there. It’s too much of a hassle."
Zhao Jing then lowered his voice and told them about the peddler.
The peddler, instigated by Chen Wanyue, had deliberately schemed against Xiang’er. Zhao Jing hadn’t told anyone about this before, afraid that unsavory rumors might spread and ruin Xiang’er’s reputation. But now, he had no choice but to reveal it.
When Mr. Zhao and the others heard that the peddler—the same one who’d had an affair with Chen Wanyue—had harbored such a malicious plot, they were all dumbfounded for a moment before slamming their hands on the table in a furious rage.
"Outrageous!"
"Absolutely despicable!"
"It’s a good thing he’s dead!"
"It’s not that I don’t trust you, my uncles. It’s just that... after what happened, I’m truly afraid. Before my father passed away, he entrusted Mother and Xiang’er to my care. If Xiang’er were to fall into the hands of someone like that while she’s supposed to be under my protection, how could I ever face my father in the afterlife?"
The room fell silent, and Mr. Zhao and the other elders let out a series of sighs.
Everything Zhao Jing said made sense; they had no grounds to object.
But the thought of Jing’s entire family moving to the Prefecture left them feeling uneasy. They feared he would settle down there permanently and never return.
Zhao Jing was incredibly perceptive; he saw right through the elders’ worries at a glance.
He subtly set their minds at ease.
"While I’m away in the Prefecture, I’ll have to trouble you, my elders, to look after things at home. I won’t return to the village unless absolutely necessary. I’ll wait until I’ve passed the examination and become a scholar, and then I will return home in glory."
"Of course."
"You mustn’t neglect your studies."
"Traveling back and forth is a waste of time and money. It’s more important to save your silver for brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones."
And just like that, Zhao Jing easily persuaded the elders, getting them to accept his plan to take his family to the Prefecture to continue his studies after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Li’an and Chunyue’s wedding day was the first of the eighth month.
Once the eighth month began, time seemed to fly by.
During this time, Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing went into the county town several times, specifically to hire carriages and people.
They planned to take all twenty of the workers they’d purchased, along with their incense-making tools. This would require at least five oxcarts. But there was no rush. Once they were settled in the Prefecture, they would ask Xu Suying for help sending the workers over.
The carriages they needed to hire now were for the family. All things considered, three would be ideal, though two could also work.
Furthermore, traveling by land to the Prefecture was still dangerous. Since they weren’t short on silver now, they decided to hire escorts from an escort agency to protect them on their journey.
Adding in the time needed to buy food and supplies for the road, they were delayed for a good two days.
Then, of course, they had to say their goodbyes to friends and relatives, which took up several more days.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, just as they were about to set off, Mrs. Zhao fell ill on the eve of their departure. It was unclear whether it was from anxiety or from catching a chill after kicking off her blankets during the night.
With no other choice, they had to postpone their departure.
When Mrs. Zhao heard, she grew even more anxious. "We missed the auspicious time, isn’t that a bad omen? I’ve heard people say that if everything goes smoothly before a long journey, it means you’ll be successful. But if things go wrong from the very start, it means the road ahead will be full of hardships..."
Her unspoken question was obvious: could she perhaps not go to the Prefecture?
Zhao Jing went to handle the friends and relatives who had come to visit, while Chen Wanqing stayed in the room to comfort Mrs. Zhao.
"’The road to success is paved with setbacks.’ You’ve heard that saying, haven’t you? Encountering a little trouble before we even set off is actually a good thing. It means that once our family arrives in the Prefecture, our lives are sure to become more and more prosperous."
Still not convinced, Mrs. Zhao said, "My getting sick has caused such a delay. I’m afraid we won’t reach the Prefecture on schedule."
"It’s fine as long as we reach the Prefecture before the tenth month, so there’s no hurry. The main reason we planned to leave so early was out of concern that you and Xiang’er might not travel well and would need time to rest. You see, the results of the Provincial Examination aren’t even announced until the tenth of the ninth month. The earliest any of the new scholars will be leaving Xinghuai Prefecture is the fifteenth of that month. Jing and I want to buy property while the prices are low, so arriving too early isn’t actually ideal for us anyway."
