The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 668 - 667: Pointing at the Mulberry Tree while Cursing the Locust Tree

Chapter 668: Chapter 667: Pointing at the Mulberry Tree while Cursing the Locust Tree

Old Granny Zhang didn’t lower her voice when she said this, her voice naturally loud; the two personal soldiers heard every word clearly.

They couldn’t help but exchange a glance, listening to the tone, did the Wang Family know? And do they seem quite wary of their own lord?

What exactly is this family of immortals? Could it be they are too foolish from living in the mountains, unaware of their lord’s prestige?

To be honest, their lord, as well as their Duke’s Mansion, are first-class powerhouses of the Capital City, as the elders say, "Prime Minister’s Disciples, Seventh Rank Officials."

Not to mention their mansion, even being a mere servant there would make one the object of flattery outside the Capital City.

Is this young master really foolish? If he goes back with their lord, with his lord’s capabilities, he is certain to arrange everything perfectly.

Even as an illegitimate child, with the lord’s support, one could swagger through the Capital City.

Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu nodded in agreement, "Mom, rest assured, we’ll just sit for a visit and come back soon! We’ll bring you some osmanthus cake!"

Song Chongjin looked at Old Granny Zhang, his eyes and tone extremely gentle, filled with indescribable respect and filial piety.

Compared with the cold face he had when with Song Hong a few days ago, it made the two personal soldiers’ jaws ache.

If their lord saw this, seeing his own son so filial and gentle to a country old lady, he would probably be furious.

The two exchanged a tacit glance and looked outside, pretending not to have seen anything.

Wang Yongzhu was dressed in her usual home clothes, her hair casually done up with two silver hairpins, no other jewelry adorning her.

She was already in mourning, and besides, she knew that no matter how grand she dressed, it wouldn’t catch Song Hong’s eye, so why bother?

The two boarded the carriage one after another, and the two personal soldiers drove the carriage with a steady trot towards the inn.

Song Chongjin held Wang Yongzhu’s hand as they sat in silence until they reached the inn.

One of the personal soldiers had gone ahead to announce their arrival while Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin followed the remaining soldier, walking slowly.

The yard door was open, personal soldiers standing on both sides, swords hanging from their waists, glaring fiercely at Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin.

If one had a weaker constitution, they might have been frightened by this display.

Yet Wang Yongzhu remained very calm, as if no one else was there, holding Song Chongjin’s hand and walking past.

On the other hand, Song Chongjin’s expression was very dark. Last time he came, it had not been like this; perhaps they heard about Wang Yongzhu coming and wanted to give Yongzhu a show of force?

The main room’s door was open, and after Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu entered, the personal soldiers outside closed the door, enveloping the two with a warm atmosphere.

Scanning the main room, seeing no one there, then listening carefully, they could hear faint movement from the room next door.

"You both sit first, I’ll be ready in a moment," Song Hong’s voice came from inside.

Wang Yongzhu unceremoniously pulled Song Chongjin to sit on the chairs to the side.

On the table were arranged snacks, dried fruits, and hot tea.

Wang Yongzhu did not feel restrained at all. She reached out, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and began to slowly shell them, placing the seeds into a clean teacup.

Seeing her unhurried demeanor, Song Chongjin also showed a hint of a smile and reached out to help shell the melon seeds.

Before long, Song Hong came out of the inner compartment, saw their actions, the pile of melon seed shells on the table, and the half cup of seeds, and could not help but twitch his face.

Nevertheless, he still had some tact and pretended not to see it. He took a seat at the head of the table, picked up a teacup, took a sip, and said, "Have you given any thought to what I mentioned last time? I’m returning to the Capital City tomorrow."

Song Chongjin seemed to have all her attention on shelling melon seeds. When she heard Song Hong’s words, she replied casually, "Then I wish Lord Duke a smooth journey—"

Song Hong tightened his grip on the teacup, nearly throwing it.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Wang Yongzhu. He had recognized her the last time he saw her: this young girl was his son’s fiancée.

But he had not taken it to heart, just a country maid. Even if she had some cunning and tricks up her sleeve, what of it?

Yet he had not expected that his son would indeed be so affectionate, his whole heart given to this girl. For such a maid, his son was willing to neither recognize his father nor desire wealth and rank!

After thinking it over, Song Hong adjusted his estimation of Wang Yongzhu in his mind. Since his son was so fond of this girl, perhaps persuading her could make his son agree to return to the Capital City with him?

Song Hong felt he could manage this, after all, she was nothing but a country lass. Even if she had made some money, even if her dyed cloth had won the favor of ladies in the palace, she was still just a naive girl who hadn’t seen the world.

Should he promise her some sweet deals to show her the larger world in the Capital City, it should be easy, right?

Once in the Capital City, on his own turf, wouldn’t everything be up to him?

With this in mind, Song Hong reluctantly adopted a more amiable tone: "You must be Chongjin’s wife. I am his father. He will tell you about my matters, won’t he?"

Seeing that Song Hong had stopped talking to Song Chongjin and turned to her, Wang Yongzhu immediately knew that this was where the drama lay.

She nodded with a smile: "I know, Brother Song told me all about it when he came back! He said it scared him half to death when someone suddenly popped up claiming to be his father! I even teased Brother Song, saying that if someone really just jumped out like that wanting to be a cheap father, why bother with words? Just bag them up and beat them first. Don’t you think?"

Song Hong’s face stiffened. Was this girl taking a dig at him?

Pursing his lips, Song Hong decided not to take her words to heart.

He changed the subject: "Indeed, I am Chongjin’s biological father. Being able to meet him this time is also the fate of father and son. Mistress Chongjin, please reason with me! I am his birth father, and of course, I only wish for his well-being. Now that there is an opportunity, I cannot bear to ignore him, right?"

"Therefore, I thought of taking him back to the Capital City, finding him a good master, or enrolling him in a prestigious Academy. If he passes the Graduate examination later this year, wouldn’t that be his fortune? Once he becomes a Graduate, we can bring you both to the Capital City, and he’ll participate in the Scholar exam. With his abilities, becoming a Scholar should not be difficult. Then, we’ll see whether to assign him a post outside or keep him in the Capital City. Is my planning not correct?"

Wang Yongzhu stayed silent for a moment, then obediently nodded: "What you said is very true!"

At these words, Song Chongjin looked up at her in surprise, then silently lowered his head to continue shelling seeds.

Song Hong’s eyes brightened, knowing that what insight could a country girl possess? Thus, he became even more talkative: "Girl, you convince Chongjin for me, tell him to stop being angry with me. You know, it’s not easy for me to make a trip from the Capital City. If he doesn’t follow me this time, I won’t have time for him anytime soon. After father and son have recognized each other, are we to live apart indefinitely?"