Chapter 185: Chapter 173: I Still Prefer the Good-Looking Ones
The tavern Xu Shu booked was not far from the hutong courtyard. While they were ordering, Song Wei decided to take Song Yuanbao home with the things first.
Standing in the square courtyard, looking up, one could only see a palm-sized sky. Song Yuanbao was stunned for a while before asking Song Wei, "Dad, is this house you bought yourself?"
Song Wei was moving things into the study. Upon hearing the question, he looked at his son, "What’s the matter?"
"This must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Whether in the previous letters to his parents or during the half-year return for the provincial exam, Song Wei never mentioned the money for buying a house.
However, Song Yuanbao had heard that real estate prices in the Capital were outrageously high. His father’s courtyard was close to the Imperial College, and without asking, he knew it was in a prime location, so it wouldn’t be cheap.
After moving things, Song Wei fetched a bucket of water from the well to wash his hands.
In this season, the freshly drawn well water wasn’t too cold. Without fire in the kitchen, he washed directly, and after wiping his hands dry with a towel inside, he came out and said to his son, "Let’s go, your uncle and they must be getting impatient."
Song Yuanbao said, "Dad, you still haven’t told me how much you bought this courtyard for!"
Song Wei smiled, "Why are you so eager to know?"
Song Yuanbao chuckled, "I want to weigh if I can afford it myself in the future."
Song Wei grinned, "Three hundred taels, go weigh it yourself!"
Pulling his wide-eyed, speechless son, Song Wei locked the small courtyard’s gate and headed straight for the tavern with him.
Xu Shu had already ordered the dishes, worried that Xie Zheng, just arriving in the Capital, might not be used to the food. So, most dishes were ordered by Xie Zheng.
The four of them ordered eight dishes, a soup, and dessert for after the meal.
Xie Zheng and Xu Shu weren’t familiar, making it awkward to initiate a conversation. It wasn’t until he saw Song Wei and Yuanbao entering from the door that his tense face finally relaxed a bit.
Xu Shu asked Song Wei, "Did you put all the things back?"
Song Wei nodded, reaching out to pull out a chair for Song Yuanbao.
Xu Shu complained, "I told you I could send someone. You insisted on running this errand yourself; didn’t the road exhaust you enough?"
Xie Zheng heard this and specifically glanced at Song Wei.
On this journey, his third cousin didn’t face any major misfortune, but small troubles persisted, indeed testing Yuanbao’s endurance.
Song Wei’s actions of serving soup to his son were as calm as his voice, "How were your year-end exam results?"
Right after asking, Xu Shu let out a wail, "No way, meeting someone and immediately asking about exam results, aren’t you going to let us eat properly?"
Song Wei didn’t react, just pushed the bowl of pigeon soup in front of Song Yuanbao.
Xie Zheng, seeing Xu Shu’s big reaction, was pretty sure Song Wei was deliberately putting Young Master Xu on the spot.
After eating, Xu Shu sent Xie Zheng and Song Yuanbao back to the carriage first, leaving Song Wei alone outside to talk.
"Hey! You still haven’t said, what’s the deal?"
Xu Shu still didn’t know the secret of his natural bad luck, and Song Wei had no intention of discussing it in depth, speaking concisely, "My brother and sister-in-law passed early, and the child was raised by me."
Xu Shu, not being foolish, understood immediately and secretly let out a sigh of relief, "As long as it’s not some romantic debt you entangled outside."
Song Wei asked one more question, "Do I look like that kind of person?"
Xu Shu laughed cunningly, "Who knows? These days, beasts in human clothing are everywhere. Maybe you’ve indeed left such a hand... But come to think of it, based on what I know about you, even if something like that happened, you’d surely be the one at a disadvantage."
Then, he shared what he had seen and heard, "A while ago, a recognition drama unfolded at the Su Family in the Prime Minister Mansion. Back when the Prime Minister was young, he was a charming and handsome man, attracting a crowd of admirers. One time, he got drunk and was taken advantage of, left stripped clean. After so many years, that woman came back with a daughter in tow, claiming to be the Prime Minister’s direct daughter. Now, the Prime Minister Mansion is in chaos."
While Xu Shu was speaking, he turned his head to see Song Wei’s reaction, only to find no one beside him. Song Wei had already gotten onto the carriage, "..."
Xu Shu lifted the curtain and followed, sitting next to Song Wei, asking him, "Aren’t you even a bit curious about the aftermath?"
Song Wei calmly replied, "The Prime Minister Mansion is the Empress’s family. You gossiping about the Imperial Uncle outside, be careful of inviting trouble."
Xu Shu pouted but didn’t continue the topic.
Returning to the hutong courtyard, Song Wei opened the doors of two side rooms, intending them for Song Yuanbao and Xie Zheng to sleep in.
However, apart from an old bed and a few peeling-paint stools, there was nothing else in the room.
Initially not expecting so many people to move in, they didn’t buy extra quilts and bedding. Wen Wan and Song Fang only cleaned the room simply.
Xu Shu took a glance and suggested, "You can’t do without a woman at home. Shall I have Song come back to help you guys set things up?"
Song Yuanbao looked up, "Isn’t Aunt at Hongwen Academy attending school?"
Xu Shu ruffled his head, "Good boy, just take a leave."
Song Wei also thought the same. He could tidy up the room, but to furnish it with bits and pieces, he indeed felt at a loss.
Mentioning Song Fang, Xie Zheng asked, "Doesn’t cousin sister live here?"
Song Wei nodded, "She lives at Hongwen Academy."
Xu Shu teased with a couple of hollow laughs, "Yes, it’s quiet at Hongwen Academy, saving her from running back and forth twice daily."
Xie Zheng could not discern the hidden meaning in the words of these two people, so he said no more.
Song Wei invited Xie Zheng into the living room, then went to the kitchen to start a fire and prepare to brew a pot of tea.
Yuanbao followed along, eagerly helping his father, and soon had the fire in the stove blazing brightly.
——
Xu Shu left the alley courtyard, got into a carriage, and instructed the driver to head directly to Hongwen Academy.
He stood outside, spoke to the gatekeeper, and asked for Song Fang to come out.
Song Fang was in the middle of a flower arrangement class. When she heard someone was looking for her, she guessed it was Xu Shu. She didn’t want to go out, but couldn’t resist the curious stares of her classmates. She forced a smile, informed the teacher, and quickly ran to the main gate.
As soon as she saw Xu Shu leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, Song Fang stopped and asked directly, "What do you want with me?"
Xu Shu asked her, "Did you take leave from the teacher?"
"Just for a short while, I need to go back to class."
Xu Shu teased, "Go back and take official leave first. Only if it’s approved will I tell you what’s up."
"Forget it then," Song Fang turned to leave.
"How boring!" Xu Shu snorted lightly and said before Song Fang went back inside the gate, "Song Wei has arrived in the capital, and seemingly with a cousin of yours, bringing along Little Yuanbao. The rooms in the alley courtyard aren’t ready yet. I came to ask you to go and help tidy them up."
Upon hearing that her third brother had returned, Song Fang felt delighted, yet she still gave Xu Shu no pleasant expression. She didn’t even greet him before stepping into the gate. Fifteen minutes later, she came out from inside, bypassing Xu Shu, and directly lifted the curtain to climb into the carriage.
Xu Shu followed, sat across from her, and reminded, "Earlier, your cousin Xie Zheng asked about you. I told him you were staying at Hongwen Academy and would be home later. Don’t let it slip when you’re home."
Song Fang gave a light nod, then suddenly looked at Xu Shu as if she remembered something, "How come you didn’t mention my sister-in-law?"
Xu Shu had meant to ask earlier but forgot amid hurrying to Hongwen Academy, "She didn’t come. Perhaps your third brother thought it’s not suitable for her to travel because of her pregnancy, so he let her stay home."
Song Fang frowned, thinking it possible, but in her impression, her third brother had always been inseparable from his wife; he even took her along for exams.
Upon arriving at the alley courtyard, Song Wei and Xie Zheng were in the living room having tea, occasionally speaking.
Yuanbao sat by the eaves with his chin in his hands. Seeing Song Fang, his little eyes lit up, and he jumped up, running into her arms.
"Little Auntie～"
Song Fang hugged the little guy back, unable to hide her smile, "It’s been over half a year, and our Yuanbao is sturdier now."
Yuanbao let go of his little aunt and looked up at her.
Song Fang was dressed in the uniform of Hongwen Academy, a faint blueish-white gown, tightly cinched, with a simple and neat makeup and hairstyle, giving an impression of indescribable cleanliness.
Yuanbao looked at her for a while and said, "Little Auntie looks prettier than before."
This amused Song Fang, and she asked him, "What’s prettier?"
"Your face."
Song Fang pinched his small cheek and teased, "Another one who judges by looks, don’t grow up to be a bad egg at such a young age."
Yuanbao puffed up his chest and said, "I learned it from Dad."
Song Fang was speechless, "Your dad taught you that?"
Yuanbao nodded seriously, "When I was at home, I once asked Dad why he married my current stepmother out of so many good girls, and Dad said because she’s pretty."
Song Fang: "..."
Xu Shu to the side: "..."
"That’s not a right way to think." Song Fang felt it was necessary to correct her nephew’s growing misconceptions.
Yuanbao shook his head, "I’ve got it all figured out. In the future, if they’re not pretty, I won’t bother. I’ll only look for a pretty one to marry."
Song Fang gently advised, "A pretty girl may not necessarily be kind-hearted. You need to understand her character first."
Yuanbao said, "If she’s not pretty, would I even want to understand whether she’s kind or not?"
Song Fang once again found herself at a loss for words.
Song Wei hadn’t expected his casual explanation from before to become his son’s standard for choosing a wife.
Just as he came out, he heard Yuanbao’s last statement and couldn’t help showing a complex expression.
Then he walked over, standing next to Yuanbao, laughingly asked, "What are you thinking about at such a young age?"
Seeing his father, Yuanbao no longer had the confidence he did while talking to his aunt, and he rubbed against Song Wei’s arm, "Dad, I’m sleepy, I want to take a nap."
Song Wei could only open the door to the main house, letting him in to lie down.
Yuanbao took off his shoes and climbed into bed. Song Wei didn’t leave but sat down beside him, saying, "You can’t judge people just by appearance."
The little guy closed his eyes and hummed through his nose, "I know, but I still prefer pretty ones."
Song Wei: "..."