Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Fortunate Opportunity Descending from the Heavens

Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Fortunate Opportunity Descends from the Heavens

Wang Rouhua and Tie Xinyuan were not indifferent to money; rather, they were unwilling to spend all the wealth meant for future generations solely on themselves. In this regard, both mother and son held a clear and sober understanding.

Her husband had passed away when she was still young, so Wang Rouhua longed for the day she would become the matriarch of the family. Only when surrounded by her children and grandchildren could she truly feel the pride of a successful woman.

Tie Xinyuan cared even less. To this day, he still regarded the copper coins, silver ingots, and gold bars from the Song Dynasty as antiques.

For him, making money was simply a process of collecting antiques.

Having Seventh Brother’s Tang Bing shop was more than enough; the income from this store alone allowed mother and son to live comfortably in Tokyo. Extra money held little significance for them.

Under Wang Rouhua’s instructions, Tie Xinyuan carried a large bag of sausages to Polu Alley. These sausages were a token of gratitude for Shuizhu’er, a child who loved attending school.

Su Mei was actually a very good teacher, far better than most, but Shuizhu’er firmly believed that only bearded old male teachers could impart true knowledge. So the child went to Wang Rouhua in tears, pleading to be allowed to attend primary school when the new term began.

Anyone who loves to learn is likable, and Wang Rouhua was no exception. She scolded Xiaoqiao harshly, saying he was hindering a child’s ambition. If there was no money, he could come to the shop and take from there. How could he casually let an unmarried young woman teach those clever children?

There was no convincing Wang Rouhua on the matter of education. Although she came from a prestigious family, her understanding of scholarship was about the same as Shuizhu’er’s.

None of the Wang daughters had ever excelled in academics. Thus, she scoffed at the idea that Su Mei was a great scholar.

Tie Xinyuan never went against his mother’s wishes. Even if she was wrong, he would steadfastly stand by her side, shamelessly insulting Xiaoqiao with blatant lies.

“I just want to know if you’re going to obey Auntie in everything from now on?” Xiaoqiao, sweeping the floor, asked as soon as Tie Xinyuan came in, wanting to know if they would soon have an unreasonable new ‘mother’ bossing them around.

“Of course I will! There are so many people in the world, but I only have one mother. If I make her angry, who else can I turn to for justice?

“Of course, a mother’s words must be obeyed, but how to act still leaves room for discussion. Xiaoqiao, I tell you, walking backward is still walking. As long as the direction is right, who says going backwards isn’t moving forward?”

“You mean pretending to comply but doing otherwise?”

“Nonsense. How could I treat my mother that way? To understand someone, you must thoroughly digest their words, grasp their thoughts, and consider their words in context. Then make a decision that satisfies everyone.”

“That’s even worse — twisting Auntie’s words. Never mind all that, just fix Shuizhu’er’s situation. He’s been crying all day. Good heavens, how can a boy shed so many tears?” Xiaoqiao wailed at the sky twice before retreating to his woodworking room. The crossbow he ordered was not yet finished and needed to be completed soon.

Su Mei’s large eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Shuizhu’er’s chubby face. The child shrank back in fear as Su Mei pressed forward, cornering him until he had nowhere to hide and burst into tears.

“I want to go find Auntie…”

“Finding Auntie won’t help.”

“Auntie said I should enter school and not learn nonsense with you. She said you’d ruin me, a prodigy…”

“Which prodigy can’t recite the Thousand Character Classic? Which prodigy cries all day? Which prodigy looks like he’s permanently got a runny nose?”

“Auntie says I’m a prodigy, and Mr. Guo said I’m teachable… but you keep forcing me to memorize. I want to study at primary school, not memorize!”

Su Mei laughed heartily. “Who told you prodigies don’t memorize?”

After saying that, she tilted her ear to listen. Hearing Tie Xinyuan standing in the yard, she immediately pushed the door open and went out, returning shortly with Tie Xinyuan by the collar.

She shoved Tie Xinyuan in front of Shuizhu’er and said, “Tell him whether a prodigy needs to memorize. Tell him if the primary school teacher requires memorization.”

Tie Xinyuan sighed and pried Su Mei’s hand away. “Shuizhu’er, Sister Su Mei is right. Whether you’re a prodigy or not, you need to memorize well.

“You know that chubby kid at school? The one who always buys you meat pies? Just look at his hands — his swollen hands aren’t from fat, but from being beaten by the teacher. Sister Su Mei has only scolded and lectured you so far, she hasn’t hit you yet. Every primary school teacher has a bamboo board. If you don’t memorize well, they’ll use it to hit you — it’s awful…”

Su Mei shoved Tie Xinyuan aside angrily. “I want you to reason with him, not scare him. When he starts crying, he won’t stop, you know that?”

Tie Xinyuan shrugged helplessly. “No way. He’s a boy; he has to swallow his bitter drink and finish it with tears. I brought the tuition fee already — tomorrow Xiaoqiao will take him to Mr. Guo to become his disciple. That’s final.”

Su Mei frowned. “You don’t trust me?”

Tie Xinyuan pointed to himself and then toward Xiaoqiao’s room. “We both trust you wholeheartedly. The problem is, Shuizhu’er always yearns for the formal school. It’s less about learning and more about obsession. Even if Mr. Guo’s teaching isn’t as good as yours, he wants to go there.

“Because what attracts him is the word ‘school,’ not the knowledge.”

Su Mei snorted. “People are always fooled by appearances. Even rotten fruit wrapped in gold and jade finds buyers. What else can I say?”

Tie Xinyuan glanced at Su Mei, then hugged a now tearless Shuizhu’er with a smile. “You’re lucky — you didn’t have a blind marriage. Yang Huaiyu may not meet your highest standards, but in terms of manly spirit, he’s top-notch.

“Women in this world suffer far more than men. Growing up in a relatively closed space, and when finally grown, they face a new set of choices.

“If the choice is right, they live happily ever after. If not, whether mediocre or miserable, suffering is unavoidable.”

Su Mei was stunned. She hadn’t expected Tie Xinyuan to speak to her so openly about daughters. Folding her arms over her belly, she sat down, seeming to lose interest in the conversation.

After a long pause, she said lightly, “How many people have you seen? How can you be so presumptuous? And how do you know I still carry regrets?”

“That day, that terrible poem unsettled you. It shows your heart is still unsettled. You still dare say there’s no other longing in your heart?”

Su Mei sighed. “Why are you saying these things?”

Tie Xinyuan smiled. “I shouldn’t be saying things beyond my years. But I want to ask you to be patient with Yang Huaiyu, at least until he participates in the martial examination. I believe the Yang Huaiyu on the battlefield will give you a satisfactory answer.

“The world’s wonders are not just poetry but also peerless martial skill. Both are merely skills, no more noble than those of carpenters or blacksmiths.”

“The Lantern Festival will soon pass, and then it will be time for the government to issue official seals. Why do you think I wouldn’t even give Dàláng that little time? Su Mei is neither fickle nor frivolous.”

“You’re certainly not. The problem is, a certain despicable fellow sent you an invitation to a banquet at his home.”

As he spoke, Tie Xinyuan pulled a small, gold-sprinkled note from his bosom and handed it to Su Mei.

Su Mei sneered, casually tossing the unsealed invitation onto the table. “I’ve received plenty of invitations like this. Who has time to attend every single one?”

Tie Xinyuan handed the invitation back. “You’ll go. The person inviting you holds a high position and likely won’t allow refusal.”

Su Mei smiled. “No matter who, I don’t want to go. Does he plan to drag me there by force?”

Tie Xinyuan shook his head. “He has no such plan. He only forced Liu Sanbian to attend, ordering him to compose three poems. Are you sure you won’t go?”

Su Mei snatched the invitation and examined it carefully without blinking.

“No wonder my mother always warned me not to trust women. I just said I wouldn’t go, and now I suddenly changed my mind. Unreliable indeed.”

After reading, Su Mei smiled. “Not bad, not bad. The second son of the King of Runan’s coming-of-age ceremony naturally calls for a grand banquet for the noble ladies of Tokyo. They invite us to choose a bride from among us. Who would want him? But I still want to go.”

Then, looking at Tie Xinyuan’s eager face, she said, “Now you know why you said those strange things earlier and dragged Dàláng into it, right? It’s because you also want to go.

“All right, I’ll take you. Let you see the winter lotus blooming at the Clan Justice Office, so you won’t run around like a bumpkin spreading rumors. It’ll be good for you to witness Liu Sanbian’s skills firsthand and shut that foul mouth of yours that always says poetry is useless!”

Tie Xinyuan immediately turned obsequious, helping Su Mei into a chair. “Talking to you is a pleasure. Who cares if Yang Dàláng has a wife? As long as you take me along, even if you two have some secret romance, I’ll pretend not to see it.”

As he spoke, he dodged a flying tea canister and dashed away like smoke, vanishing from sight.

(To be continued.)