Chapter 201: Chapter 187: Reunion After a Long Separation, Xie Zheng’s Shock (Part 1)
Across the more than three feet wide street, that voice seemed particularly soft and gentle, yet it truly reached Song Wei’s ears.
Wen Wan could clearly see him pause for a moment, then stride long steps, walking straight toward her.
The usually calm and steady footsteps were unprecedentedly quick and eager.
In her impression, he rarely lost composure, even occasionally, it was only for a moment, quickly disappearing without a trace.
Seeing the man rushing at this moment indicated that his emotions were not as calm as he seemed.
Wen Wan’s smile deepened at the corners of her lips.
Tall people walk effortlessly, and he soon stood in front of her.
Wen Wan looked up to meet the man’s gaze, seeing his deep black eyes ripple with emotions.
Very shallow, yet it betrayed his turbulent heart.
"Why didn’t you write ahead to tell me you were arriving today?"
Song Wei said, naturally reaching up to gently tuck the strand of hair sticking to her cheek behind her ear.
The immaculately worn scarlet seventh-rank civil servant’s robe lent this action a sense of indulgence.
Wen Wan’s cheeks felt slightly warm, the bit of tension in her heart disappeared, she smiled at him, her tone seemingly casual and relaxed, "Wanted to surprise you."
Song Wei chuckled, joy touching his eyes, as if acknowledging her words.
Involuntarily, he recalled a year ago, when he took the time each day, amidst his studies, to personally prepare her medicine, hoping for her early recovery.
Later, she was suddenly found to be pregnant, falling into a dilemma.
He resolutely decided to save her over the child, not that he didn’t care for the child.
In his heart, the child and she were equally important.
However, when it came down to a forced choice, after weighing the two, he deemed saving her to be more secure.
If the child was lost, perhaps there would be another chance in the future.
But if she stopped treatment, she would lose the only potential chance.
A man of his age no longer focuses solely on passion, but places more importance on the completeness of home.
The premise of the completeness of their little home was that she too was complete.
Although her final decision was contrary to his initial desires, in retrospect, it was understandable.
As a mother, her wanting to sacrifice herself for the child was beyond reproach.
And as a man, as a husband, rather than imposing his will on her, he should give her enough respect and understanding.
So, a year ago, he first compromised.
Though there was regret, there was more of relief.
Relief that he did not lose both the child and her due to insisting on his own opinion.
At present, her sudden openness indeed surprised him with joy.
——
The little courtyard in the alley was some distance from the Hanlin Academy, and Wen Wan took the opportunity before the Xu Family’s carriage returned to have someone bring her over.
As she got into the carriage, Wen Wan turned back and asked Song Wei if Xie Zheng was also at the Hanlin Academy, and whether they should wait for him.
Song Wei nodded slightly, "It’s cold outside, wait in the carriage."
Speaking, he personally opened the curtain for her.
Wen Wan had hardly sat down when her shoulder was wrapped by a long slender arm.
The man’s warm embrace came unexpectedly.
Wen Wan looked up, seeing that he had somehow removed his official hat and set it aside.
Under the hat was a meticulously arranged square bun, adding an invisible sternness.
Wen Wan felt a stir in her heart.
In three years of marriage, she had never spoken a word, never called him "husband."
The sudden voice across the street before must have given him quite a shock.
From now on, their communication would no longer be limited to sign language and writing, nor would they need to use sign language and writing; what she wanted to say, what she wanted him to know, she could directly convey with her own voice.
Outside, the sound of Xie Zheng and the coachman, Uncle Lin, talking, could be heard.
Wen Wan laughed softly, gently pushing Song Wei away, then simply tidied herself up a bit.
Xie Zheng, probably having heard from the coachman that Wen Wan had returned, and seeing the carriage curtains tightly closed, inevitably guessed in a certain direction, so he did not approach, moving aside to wait.
Afraid of misunderstanding, Wen Wan lifted the curtain and called out to Xie Zheng’s back, "Aren’t you getting on? It’s going to be dark soon."
Xie Zheng: "???"
His back stiffened for a moment, and he turned suddenly, directly facing Wen Wan’s smiling face.
The shock in his chest was indescribable. Xie Zheng seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move.
In contrast to Song Wei’s composed demeanor, Xie Zheng’s reaction was undoubtedly too intense.
Before the others arrived, Song Wei lifted the curtain and stepped out, standing beside him, speaking calmly, "Aunt and the others also came along."
The Xie Family coming to the Capital was a matter of time. Although arriving simultaneously with the Song family surprised Xie Zheng, it seemed trivial compared to hearing Wen Wan’s voice.
"First, tell me what’s going on?" Xie Zheng gestured with his chin toward the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Wen Wan had already lowered the curtain but could still feel Xie Zheng’s probing, curious, and undisguised shock.
"I haven’t had time to ask in detail."
Song Wei’s answer nearly drove Xie Zheng crazy.
Such a significant matter, and he hadn’t asked for details immediately. What was he doing all that time?
Never mind, compared to the sweetness of a brief reunion, even the biggest matters seem insignificant.
As a fellow man, Xie Zheng suddenly understood Song Wei.
Once he calmed down, they both got into the carriage one after the other.
To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Wen Wan took the initiative to explain, "On the day of delivery, I started to speak. Just right after giving birth, I wasn’t in good condition. According to the doctor’s advice, I drank honey water for a month. After confinement, we invited the doctor again, who said I recovered well and didn’t need further medication."
Xie Zheng looked at her, a complicated expression on his face.
His sister-in-law was still the delicate and beautiful sister-in-law, but today she seemed inexplicably awkward.
Wen Wan somewhat guessed Xie Zheng’s discomfort and stopped speaking after a smile.
After quite a while, Xie Zheng turned to Song Wei, "So what do you call this? Heaven’s favor?"
He then asked Wen Wan, "When was the child born?"
Wen Wan thought for a moment and replied, "April 26th."
Upon hearing this, Xie Zheng was stunned.
April 26th was the date of their palace examination.
Song Wei was also a little surprised.
He remembered that day he seemed to have a brief memory lapse initially. After hearing the exam questions, his mind went blank and he couldn’t think of anything. Then suddenly, he was flooded with inspiration and finished the paper early.
At that time, he even calculated Wanwan’s due date, but he never imagined it would coincide with the day of the palace examination.
"This is interesting," Xie Zheng suddenly laughed, "No wonder Third Cousin could rank third in the imperial exam. It seems this child’s fortune and luck helped you."
Song Wei neither confirmed nor denied it, but his gaze toward Wen Wan became more tender.
He wouldn’t have believed in such things before, but since learning Wanwan’s little secret, Song Wei suddenly felt that "Heaven" existed. The saying "I control my fate, not heaven" might apply to others, but for him, fate was fate. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape bad luck everywhere. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been struggling for thirty years without shedding his constant misfortune.
But thinking about it in another way, perhaps this was Heaven’s way of bringing him and Wanwan together.
One plagued by bad luck, the other unable to speak.
One a defect of heaven, the other a flaw of earth.
In the vast field of snow, they were the last two pieces of charcoal that could warm each other.
...
Wen Wan knew the situation of the small courtyard in the alley; it couldn’t accommodate so many people from the Xie family. Wen Wan asked Xie Zheng how he planned to settle his parents and brothers.
Xie Zheng glanced at Song Wei and said nothing.
Wen Wan was a little puzzled and also looked at Song Wei.
In a slow voice, Song Wei said, "I’ve acquired two courtyards, right near the Hanlin Academy. Aunt and the others can move in right away."
"Two courtyards?"
Wen Wan had a rough idea about the housing prices in the Capital from the year they arrived; the closer to these important government offices, the more exorbitant the prices were.
Song Wei nodded, "Thanks to the timely delivery of your goods by the escort agency, the Dean of the Hanlin Academy, who heard about my love for antique collection, after seeing them in person, exchanged two courtyards for two pieces."
The Dean is the highest official of the Hanlin Academy, also Song Wei’s superior.
Wen Wan always knew her husband’s collection was valuable, but she didn’t expect it to be so valuable.
Exchanging two pieces for two courtyards—how wealthy or fond of antiques must the Dean be?
Song Wei said, "One of those courtyards is prepared for us, and the other for the Xie family."
Wen Wan thought that given Song Wei and Xie Zheng’s relationship, gifting him one was normal.
To her surprise, Song Wei added, "The Xie family has a jar used for pickling, which I had my eye on many years ago but never mentioned."
Wen Wan listened and understood. Then the Dean exchanged two courtyards for his valuables, and he used one of them to exchange for the Xie family’s pickling jar.
Just a pickling jar, exchanged for a courtyard? Not understanding the value of antiques, Wen Wan couldn’t quite grasp it.