Song Wei had to go to the court, and Wen Wan needed to head to the Hongwen Academy. Both of them were very busy people, so Granny Song got up early to prepare breakfast for the young couple.
When Wen Wan got up, Jinbao was still sleeping soundly.
The little one was quietly cute, without a hint of mischief, and Wen Wan leaned over to give him a gentle kiss on his cheek.
After breakfast, Song Wei walked to the Hanlin Academy, while Wen Wan took a carriage to the Hongwen Academy.
Today, without her husband accompanying her, Wen Wan seed quite relaxed as she didn’t have to worry about being noticed.
When she got off the carriage, she happened to see Lin Xiaoyue getting off the carriage on the opposite side.
The breeze lifted a corner of the curtain inside the carriage, and Wen Wan caught a glimpse of a man’s stern profile, but it was quickly covered again.
Lin Xiaoyue also saw Wen Wan and noticed her surprised look. Feeling a bit annoyed, she turned to the person inside the carriage and said, "From now on, you are not allowed to co again!"
The man’s indifferent voice ca out, "Wasn’t it you who asked to pick you up and drop you off every day?"
Lin Xiaoyue blushed with embarrassnt and said against her will, "I was just in a montary whim, it’s not needed in the future."
The man’s tone remained unchanged, "Are you sure what you’re saying now isn’t a whim?"
Lin Xiaoyue was extrely flustered and stomped her foot, "Su Qing, are you agreeing or not?"
The man inside the carriage, known as Su Qing, rubbed his temples in a gesture of feigned headache. After a while, he replied, "Study well, I’ll send soone to pick you up in the evening."
Feeling satisfied after getting her way, Lin Xiaoyue bid a simple farewell and quickly walked toward Wen Wan on the opposite side.
Wen Wan greeted her with a polite smile.
Lin Xiaoyue glanced at the carriage Wen Wan had arrived in and asked, "Did you co by yourself today?"
Wen Wan replied, "The chauffeur brought ."
"What about the one who picked you up yesterday?"
From Lin Xiaoyue’s tone, it seed that if Song Wei didn’t co, she felt Wen Wan was losing sothing significant by comparison.
She was indeed a competitive young lady.
Wen Wan couldn’t help but smile. After pondering overnight, she learned to remain composed and replied calmly, "The adults have their own work to do. As soone staying with relatives, I’m just fortunate to have a spot, so how could I trouble anyone to pick and drop every day?"
Finishing her words, she thought to herself that since everyone called her husband "Mr. Song," it wasn’t inappropriate for her to do the sa—it was just a convenient way to muddy the waters.
Lin Xiaoyue wasn’t entirely convinced and stared at Wen Wan’s carriage several tis, during which the curtain was also lifted by the wind.
Confirming that there was indeed no one inside, Lin Xiaoyue was sowhat crestfallen. If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have let that person co.
"The hour is approaching, let’s go in!" Wen Wan suggested.
Lin Xiaoyue snapped back to reality and responded absentmindedly, "Hmm," and the two of them proceeded together toward the lecture hall.
Before entering, Lin Xiaoyue stopped her again and frowned, "Did you really co to Beijing to stay with relatives and got lucky in entering Hongwen Academy?"
Wen Wan didn’t answer directly, instead asking, "Is there a problem?"
Lin Xiaoyue bit her lip corner inconspicuously and suddenly shook her head, "Nothing, just asking."
Seeing that the hour was late, Wen Wan entered the lecture hall first.
Lin Xiaoyue watched Wen Wan’s back for a mont, then stepped forward to follow.
Today, there were four classes: literature, guqin, tea art, and floral arrangent.
Wen Wan had never encountered these before and learned a bit slowly.
Lin Xiaoyue had a little experience, but not much.
She had thought she was already quite clumsy, but unexpectedly, there was soone clumsier, which imdiately boosted her confidence. While the teacher was guiding other students, Lin Xiaoyue glanced at Wen Wan beside her and asked in a low voice, "When you were with your relatives, did you never do these things?"
Wen Wan smiled awkwardly. She grew up in the countryside and was restricted by her stepmother before marriage. It was already fortunate to barely have enough to eat, let alone learn these elegant things.
Last year when they arrived in Beijing, her husband’s career was just beginning, and his official rank was too low. Their family couldn’t even secure a spot in Hongwen Academy, not to ntion they didn’t have any servants at ho. As the wife, besides taking care of Jinbao, her daily responsibility was to honor her in-laws. Where would she have the opportunity to learn?
Seeing her reaction, Lin Xiaoyue guessed the answer, "I’m sowhat curious. Exactly which family did you co from as an outsider?"
Wen Wan asked back calmly, "I’m also curious, why does it seem like your family mbers have ti to send you to Hongwen Academy every day, and they seem quite young?"
Lin Xiaoyue: "... You’re sothing else!"
Wen Wan smiled at her, "Isn’t there a saying, ’Courtesy demands reciprocity’? If you want to know about , shouldn’t you trade it for your own?"
Seeing the clever woman in front of her, Lin Xiaoyue gave up, "Fine, I won’t ask you anymore, and you don’t have to ask . Let’s just continue on as we are."
Wen Wan smiled with her eyes almost crescents and pointed at the tea set on the table, indicating that she should continue the tea ceremony.
——
After school in the evening, Song Wei didn’t co to pick her up, so Wen Wan got on the carriage with peace of mind.
On the other hand, Su Qing didn’t show up either. Lin Xiaoyue, after confirming that no one ca, looked back at Wen Wan’s carriage, took a deep breath, lifted her skirt hem, and boarded her carriage before instructing the chauffeur to head back to the mansion.
The chauffeur asked her, "Why didn’t you let Mr. Qi co to pick you up, Granny Qi?"
Lin Xiaoyue replied, "Isn’t it that the Hongwen Academy doesn’t allow n to co in?"
The coachman smiled, "Mr. Qi won’t go inside again."
"That’s still not okay." Lin Xiaoyue insisted, "If he cos often, my identity is easy to be exposed."
The coachman shook his head helplessly. It was this Granny who wanted soone to pick her up in the first place, and it was also this Granny who kicked them away. This little temper is all spoiled by Mr. Qi...
——
Wen Wan returned ho and found Jinbao sitting on a bench by the front door, his little legs dangling, craning his neck to look outside.
All of a sudden, his mother appeared in his line of sight, and Jinbao quickly turned aside, pretending not to see her.
Wen Wan called out, "Jinbao, I see you!"
The little guy remained unmoved and even raised his hand to cover his eyes.
This nonsensical action made Wen Wan chuckle. She took a few steps to his side, crouched down, and gently said, "You can’t see , but I can see you!"
Jinbao arrogantly looked elsewhere, just refusing to look at her.
Wen Wan seized the opportunity to pinch his little face, "You were waiting for , and yet you won’t admit it. Fine, I’m leaving then!"
Jinbao didn’t quite understand, but he saw his father approaching through his chubby little fingers and imdiately opened his small arms for a hug.
Song Wei’s ti to leave Lower Court coincided with Wen Wan’s ti to finish school, but since the Song Mansion was closer to the Hanlin Academy, Song Wei just needed a few steps to get back.
Thus, he returned ho before Wen Wan.
Seeing his little wife, a smile appeared in Song Wei’s eyes as he asked her, "It’s your first day officially learning things. Are you tired?"
"Not really." In front of her husband, she imdiately beca proper.
After a while, she looked at Song Wei, "Why did you let Jinbao sit at the door?"
This little troublemaker could climb out onto the street if you’re not careful.
Song Wei said, "Earlier, Grandpa sat with him here for a while. He probably realized you would co back through the main door, so he didn’t want to leave."
"Then why didn’t you leave anyone to watch him?"
Song Wei explained gently, "I didn’t go far, just afraid Jinbao would catch a cold breeze, so I asked Yuanbao to find so clothes."
Wen Wan felt at ease, and upon seeing the little guy’s chubby, cute look, her heart instantly softened. She bent down to hold her son before Song Wei could.
The little guy was still sulking; after kicking his legs a couple of tis, he slled the familiar scent of his mother and imdiately forgot his "deep-seated grudge," and snuggled into her arms.
——
Yang heard that Wen Wan had officially entered the Hongwen Academy and ca over after dinner to have a chat, asking what was being taught there.
Wen Wan truthfully said she learned literature, the guqin, tea preparation, and flower arranging today.
Yang was envious and asked if it was difficult.
Wen Wan replied, "I’ve never been exposed to these before, so I have to start from the basics. It’s quite challenging."
Yang sighed, "I won’t have a chance to enter such a place, just waiting for you, my cousin-in-law, to master it and show off a bit for us."
Wen Wan said, embarrassed, "I’m clumsy; it’ll take at least two or three years to learn it well."
"No worries," Yang said. "After all, there’s soone looking after Jinbao, so you can focus on studying. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll truly be an official’s wife proficient in everything, and you can give us so pointers."
After a pause, Yang continued, "I asked my husband, and he said getting into the Hongwen Academy is the most cost-effective. Everything that aristocratic ladies learn is taught there. If you hire tutors yourself, you’d need several, and the outside tutors charge different rates. All in all, the cost is too high, and most families can’t afford it."
Wen Wan nodded, "Hongwen Academy is an official school. The teachers there receive governnt stipends and als. The students only pay a nominal fee, so it’s quite economical. If you and Xie Zheng work a bit harder and have a little girl, then when Xie Zheng becos a fifth-rank officer, you’ll get a spot."
Yang blushed at her words, "How can you be sure it will be a girl? What if it’s another boy? I would be worried sick."
They already had two sons, and Yang had always longed for a daughter but was hesitant to try because she was afraid it would be another son.
——
During an incense-making class that day, Lin Xiaoyue suddenly felt unwell and looked pale.
Wen Wan asked her what was wrong, but she couldn’t speak, as if she was trying hard to endure sothing.
Seeing sothing was wrong, Wen Wan inford the teacher and supported Lin Xiaoyue out of the classroom, intending to take her to the dicine room to see a dical Officer.
When they reached the flower bed, Lin Xiaoyue pushed her away, squatted down, and began to vomit heedlessly.
Wen Wan quickly reached out to pat her back, not asking anything.
After vomiting for a while, Lin Xiaoyue went to the water room to rinse her mouth. Seeing Wen Wan still waiting outside the door, she forced a smile and said, "I’m fine, maybe I ate sothing bad, my spleen and stomach feel uncomfortable."
Wen Wan offered, "How about I take you to the dicine room to get checked?"
Lin Xiaoyue quickly replied, "No, no, I just need to rest for a bit."
"Are you really okay?" Wen Wan, having been through this herself, had a vague suspicion in her heart but felt inappropriate to voice it.
"Do I look like soone who has a problem?" Lin Xiaoyue spun around and began to chase her off, "Your hands are clumsy, you learn slowly, so don’t worry about . Hurry back, or you’ll miss the class."
Wen Wan still wanted to say sothing, but Lin Xiaoyue had already pushed her a few steps, and she heard her urging, "If you don’t go now, not only will I be unhappy, but the teacher will also be displeased."
Wen Wan reluctantly agreed, "Then find a place to rest yourself. I’ll head back to class first."
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