The carriage arrived at the hutong courtyard.
From afar, one could hear laughter coming from inside.
The three people got off the carriage, and the courtyard door was ajar.
Song Wei reached out and forcefully pushed it open, the voices in the main room beca clearer, faintly mixed with the sound of a baby crying.
Song Wei slowed his pace slightly, as if confirming whether he had misheard.
Wen Wan, beside him, laughed and said, "I’ve been out so long, the little guy must be hungry."
It was only then that Song Wei rembered to ask, "Is it a son?"
Wen Wan nodded with a smile, looking at Song Wei with so expectation, "Do you like him?"
Song Wei looked back at her, eyes tender, "As long as Wanwan gave birth to him, I like him."
These words ward Wen Wan’s heart.
Afraid that the little guy couldn’t wait, Wen Wan didn’t linger outside and headed towards the main room in big strides.
Just then Song Yuanbao ca out, and seeing the three, he happily shouted, "Dad, Mom, Uncle, you’re back?"
Song Wei softly responded, and after carefully looking at his son, he asked, "Was the journey back smooth?"
Song Yuanbao giggled, "With Uncle Xu’s people protecting us, there wasn’t the slightest mishap."
Song Wei was relieved, "That’s good."
Song Yuanbao rembered sothing and looked between Song Wei and Xie Zheng, asking quietly, "Dad, did you hear my mom speak?"
"Heard it."
Heard it and that’s the reaction?
Song Yuanbao scrutinized his dad’s face, confird there was no sign of "surprise" written on it, and couldn’t help but pout, "When I heard it, I was so shocked I froze at the door, how co you both act like nothing happened?"
Xie Zheng laughed and said, "Tell about it. When she called out to outside the Hanlin Academy earlier, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning."
"Exactly, it felt like being struck by lightning." Finally finding a like-minded ally, Song Yuanbao grinned, showing a row of little white teeth.
Song Wei moved aside to give the two so space to share their struck-by-lightning experiences and stepped into the house himself.
The main room was packed full of people.
Old Song, Granny Song, Uncle Xie, Aunt Xie, Yang, Xie Tao, Xie Tao’s wife, and several children from both families.
Wen Wan was in the next bedroom nursing Jinbao and hadn’t returned yet.
The hutong courtyard had been purchased for more than a year, and it was the first ti it was this lively.
Upon seeing Song Wei, Yang and Xie Tao’s wife quickly asked the children to call out.
The children all shouted in unison, "Third Uncle."
Song Wei’s face was gentle with a smile, and after greeting the children, he turned to greet the elders, calling each one – from Old Song, Granny Song to Uncle Xie and Aunt Xie.
Aunt Xie looked at Song Wei carefully, tutting in admiration, "As expected, he’s Pingjiang County’s great talent. This ti becoming the third-place scholar certainly brings glory to your parents, and honors our Song family ancestors."
Old Song said, "That guy Xie Zheng isn’t bad either. The silver invested in him over the years by the family wasn’t wasted."
Speaking of Xie Zheng, not seeing him co in, Old Song couldn’t help but ask, "Where is that guy? Didn’t they say he also holds a post at the Hanlin Academy like you?"
Before Song Wei could speak, Song Yuanbao and Xie Zheng already parted the curtain and ca in.
Like Song Wei, Xie Zheng stood in the middle of the main room and first greeted the elders.
That tall, graceful stance made Yang’s heart warm.
"You guys, it took so long on the road this ti, didn’t it?" Xie Zheng looked at the elders and asked.
Aunt Xie nodded, "Jinbao’s only a few months old and couldn’t take constant bumps on the road, so we basically found a place to stay as soon as it got dark and didn’t travel at night."
Xie Zheng was stunned for a mont, "Jinbao?"
Was he talking about Song Wei’s youngest son?
Song Wei also looked puzzled.
Granny Song openly admitted, "The little brat from Third Son’s family, I nad him."
Xie Zheng couldn’t help himself and looked at Song Wei, "Well, your family is complete now, isn’t it? A Yuanbao is already wealth, and with a Jinbao, bringing you riches every day, how could you ever worry about not being rich and prosperous?"
Song Wei heard the teasing in his words, just smiled, then looked at Granny Song, "Mom, let Jinbao be his nickna, and we’ll give him a formal na."
Granny Song said, "When the child was born, I discussed it with your wife. She also said that Jinbao isn’t suitable as a formal na and ntioned that once you’re in the capital, you should personally na him."
After saying this, she worried that Song Wei might not choose well and reminded him, "Third Son, think carefully of a proper na that as soon as soone hears it, they’ll know my grandson has a promising future."
Aunt Xie and Uncle Xie couldn’t help but laugh.
Aunt Xie said, "Your family has such accomplished sons; could the grandson be any different?"
"All the more reason to give him a good na," Granny Song was insistent about the na for her little grandson.
Song Wei didn’t want to go against the elder’s wishes, "How about using a homophone of Jinbao and directly calling him Song Jin, Jin for promotion."
Granny Song didn’t quite understand and asked Song Wei to explain.
Xie Zheng chid in, "Aunt, just rember it ans rising step by step."
Rising step by step?
Granny Song’s eyes lit up, "That’s good."
"What about ? What about ?" Yuanbao looked eagerly at his father.
He was used to being called "Yuanbao" since childhood, and it wasn’t until his brother’s naming that he realized there could be a difference between a nickna and a formal na.
Comparing with his brother’s rising step by step, Yuanbao suddenly felt his own na seed a bit vulgar and was eager for a formal na.
Song Wei thought for a while, then said, "The Book of Songs says, the moon rises bright, you’ll take the word Hao from it for your na."
Granny Song asked again, "What does it an?"
Xie Zheng smiled and helped explain, "Aunt, don’t you want a brighter na? Hao ans bright."
"Bright is bright, but why do I feel it doesn’t sound as promising as Jinbao’s na?"
Hearing his mother’s words, Song Wei was considering whether to change it when Yuanbao actively said, "Song Hao, I like this na."
Song Wei asked him, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I want this one," Yuanbao nodded his head genuinely.
When Wen Wan finished feeding Jinbao and ca back, she heard that her husband had already nad the little guy. She held Jinbao on her lap, one hand around his back, the other waving his little chubby paw at his father, "Dad has given you a na, Jinbao, thank daddy."
The little guy waved his little chubby paw and made so sounds, speaking words that only he understood.
It had been a while since Song Wei ca ho after returning from the Lower Court, and it was his first ti seeing his son. The plump, white look was just like the dream he had during the examination when he fainted in the ergency room.
While Song Wei was observing the little guy, the little guy was also scrutinizing him. His dark, shiny eyes twirled around as if realizing this wasn’t a familiar person, and he quickly tilted his head into his mother’s arms, his short legs kicking twice, chubby paws clutching onto Wen Wan’s clothes tightly.
Wen Wan glanced at Song Wei and joked, "He’s never seen you before; he doesn’t recognize you as his real dad."
Being mistaken for a stranger the first ti eting his son didn’t discourage Song Wei. He took slow steps forward and gently took his son from Wen Wan’s arms.
The little guy initially whimpered, unwilling to be held, but after his dad took him for a stroll outside and ca back, he beca obedient, lying on Song Wei’s shoulder with his bottom facing Wen Wan, making "yiyi ya ya" sounds.
At five months old, Jinbao loved being lifted high by his dad. When Wen Wan took him back, intending to carry him to the room to coax him to sleep, the little guy wasn’t happy, his eyes constantly looking at Song Wei, sitting on his mother’s lap with a face full of grievance, staring at his dad.
Aunt Xie laughed at him, "Third Son knows how to take care of kids. Our Jinbao prefers dad over mom."
Wen Wan looked down at the restless Jinbao in her arms, feeling a bit helpless, thinking how his ability to "forget the old for the new" was quite refined. After just one eting with his real dad, he was already casting aside his real mom.
Handing the little guy back to Song Wei, Wen Wan noticed the different gentle smile on his face.
Whether it was the satisfaction from holding up his son or the soft voice when calming him, it made one yearn to be the little one held in his hands, wanting to be treated with such tenderness.
——
After drinking enough tea and taking enough rest in the small courtyard, Xie Zheng proposed leaving, saying he had a courtyard near the Hanlin Academy and that the cart with goods was still waiting outside the alley and shouldn’t be parked for long, ideally moving there while it was still bright.
Aunt Xie asked if the courtyard was bought or rented, and Xie Zheng said it was exchanged, then asked if they cleaned and brought the kimchi jars from ho.
Aunt Xie felt bewildered, "You repeatedly ntioned in the letter to bring the kimchi jars, and now you’ve exchanged them for a courtyard?"
Xie Zheng raised his eyebrows, "Exactly."
"Dear mother, could our old things really exchange for a house?"
Song Wei laughed, "Aunt, just give the jar, you all can settle in with peace of mind, and in a few days, our family will move in and be neighbors with you."
Aunt Xie instructed her eldest daughter-in-law Yang to go outside and bring the carefully wrapped jar into the small courtyard, then took her entire family, following Xie Zheng to the quadrangle near the Hanlin Academy.
Song Wei unsealed the jar, Wen Wan holding Jinbao went to have a look. She didn’t understand much about these things, thinking it was just an ordinary kimchi jar, nothing special, but Yuanbao said, "It takes a well-read person to recognize such old items at a glance, especially those collected by dad, as each has a story behind it."
Wen Wan acknowledged this, as her husband’s reading surpassed the rice she had eaten, which is why he could often spot good things at flea markets that even the sellers didn’t know, capable of identifying authenticity, recognizing the era, explaining the story, and estimating the value.
In this respect, her husband was indeed an expert. However, it was uncertain how he compared to his master.
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