Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

"Mother, I understand. I'll study at the county academy then. In a few days, I'll go to the county town to buy some people. I'll also see if there's a suitable courtyard. I'm going back to the courtyard to get to work now!"

After Wang Qing'er finished speaking, she got up and prepared to go back to the courtyard to make skin-smoothing cream and scented soap. Before leaving, she glared fiercely at Mu Nan.

Mu Nan immediately sensed that the woman beside him was in a low mood. After greeting Zhou Shi, he followed his daughter-in-law back to his own courtyard.

Wang Qing'er returned to the courtyard and began making scented soap, with Mu Nan helping her beside her, neither of them speaking.

Mu Nan tried several times to talk to his wife, but before he could speak, Wang Qing'er would walk away.

"Wife, are you angry?" Mu Nan finally couldn't hold back and hugged her tightly from behind when she wasn't expecting it.

"Who's your wife? Let me go, I have so much work to do." Wang Qing'er didn't want to pay attention to this man right now. She struggled a few times but couldn't break free from his embrace.

Mu Nan hugged his wife tightly and said, "I won't let go!"

"Brother Mu Nan, why don't you admit to Grandma, Father and Mother that you know Mr. Li from Lishan Academy in the capital?" Wang Qing'er angrily questioned her husband.

"How do you know Mr. Li? Did Mu Zhicheng tell you?" Mu Nan asked in surprise, thinking it was her junior brother who told her.

"No."

"That's Qin..."

"Never mind who told me. The question is why you won't admit to knowing him. Mr. Li is clearly your teacher. He's a great Confucian scholar of our time, so renowned. Countless students would kill to become his student, and you..."

Wang Qing'er interrupted her husband's guess, but as she spoke, she became a little angry and didn't want to say anything more.

Mu Nan said, "It seems that Qin Miaomiao and the others have told you quite a lot, Mr. Li, you know it all."

"Don't forget that my cousins ​​are also scholars. How could I not know Mr. Li?"

"Qing'er, that's all in the past. Now I just want to stay at home and protect this family and you. That's enough."

“Husband, I know you don’t want to go to school because you’re worried about the family, but things are different now. After selling the soap, we’re quite wealthy. You can take Mulin and Zihao to the capital to study. With you with them, the family will feel at ease.” Wang Qing’er tried to persuade her husband.

“But I can’t bear to leave you and go to the capital alone. If you come with me, I can consider it,” Mu Nan said seriously, cupping his wife’s face in his hands.

"Brother Mu Nan, you know I can't go with you, yet you still say that. At least not now. I want to save up more money. Why don't you go first, and I'll come to the capital to see you when I don't have to make scented soap anymore? Okay?"

Wang Qing'er continued to coax and persuade her gently.

"No, I don't want to leave you for even a day." Mu Nan insisted on his own idea, holding his wife tightly in his arms.

"Mu Nan, why are you so stubborn? I'm really angry! Let go of me!"

When Wang Qing'er saw that her husband was unyielding, she became genuinely angry.

How annoying! This man is so irrational, like a child.

"I won't let go unless you stop being angry."

"I will remain angry unless you agree to go to the capital."

"Qing'er, can you give me some time to think it over? Even if I go to the capital, it won't be until next spring. Mu Lin still has to take the imperial examination this year."

After a few rounds, Mu Nan realized that his wife was really angry, so he immediately gave in and started to talk to her, his tone no longer as assertive as before.

"Alright then! Anyway, there are still a few months until next spring, but you can't just brush me off. You have to think it over carefully, or I'll really get angry." Wang Qing'er softened her tone as well.

"Okay, I wouldn't just brush you off. I'll definitely think it over carefully." Mu Nan agreed immediately, wanting to end the conversation quickly.

“Then we’ll go to the county town in a few days and buy some people. That way, there will be people to do the work at home, and we can start preparing for our trip to the capital.”

"Also, I've already asked Miaomiao and the others. Courtyards in the capital are too expensive. We won't buy a courtyard yet; we can rent one. But we can buy a farm in the suburbs first."

"Alright, whatever you say! Qing'er, do you really want to go to the capital?"

Mu Nan asked his wife very seriously. Since she wanted to buy a farm in the capital, she must really want to go there. Since she wanted to go, he had to seriously consider it.

He had just given in to appease her so as to end the day's dispute as soon as possible. He didn't want to see his wife angry at all; he just wanted her to be happy every day.

“This place is very good, I like it very much. If we want to do business, we definitely have to go to the capital. Also, I insisted that you continue to take the imperial examination and pursue an official career.”

"I also want to have someone to protect me when I do business in the future. The only way is to become an official in the imperial court. I can't always rely on your fellow disciples."

Wang Qing'er leaned against her husband's chest, analyzing the situation in a soft, gentle voice.

"Qing'er, you've gone to so much trouble to think so far ahead for this family." Mu Nan cupped his wife's face in his hands and gently kissed her forehead.

"Husband, if you really think I'm working too hard, then you should take the imperial examination and let me be an official's wife for once. How about you earn me a title of Lady of the Imperial Decree in the future?"

Wang Qing'er hugged her husband back and said coquettishly that although things were good now, she really wanted to experience that kind of life and go to the capital to make her way in the world.

"Okay, if you want it, I'll go get it." Mu Nan said softly, holding his wife, not as a perfunctory remark, but as a solemn promise.

He didn't know his wife had this idea before, but now that he does, he's going to work hard to make it happen.

After arranging things at home, Wang Qing'er took Zhou Shi, Mu Yan, and the others to the county town.

Muqin and Zitong weren't brought this time; they were at home helping make mosquito coils.

"Grandma, this is our shop. We'll go in from the back, and there's a small courtyard there."

As the carriage passed the entrance of Qingxia Pavilion, Wang Qing'er lifted the curtain of the carriage and introduced it to Zhou Shi.

"This street looks very lively, not bad at all. It's a good thing we have Muxia, otherwise where would we find such a good shop?" Zhou looked out the window and saw a large crowd of pedestrians going in and out of various shops, which was very lively.

"Yes, Grandma, we've arrived." As they spoke, the carriage turned into the alley.

Mu Nan helped his wife down from the carriage, and then helped Zhou Shi down as well.

Mu Yan also got off from another carriage, while the two little girls, Mu Yao and Zi Yuan, were still asleep inside.

Zihao carried them off the carriage, one in each arm, and Mu Nan quickly took her daughter and held her in her arms as they walked into the courtyard.

Mu Nan settled her daughter in the room she used to live in, and Zi Hao also settled his younger sister in.