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Chapter 98: Going to Sea

Hearing his mother ask, Wen Liang finally spoke: “Mr. Song has spoken to me a few times in the past two days. He originally went to sea for business, and in the past two years, his life has gotten better, so he has started doing other work in the county. Mr. Song wants to go to sea again this year, and I have discussed it with him these days. He said he would take me along.”

“Foreign countries in the South love silk. It doesn’t need to be made by the best embroiderers, and once sold, the profit is hundreds of times more. Luckily, I still have some capital at home, and I want to try it.”

Mrs. Liang still felt it wasn’t reliable. With a furrowed brow, she worried, “Since his family already has a business, why does he need to go to sea again? What if the ship encounters a storm and sinks, and you are lost with it?”

Wen Liang replied, “He told me things haven’t been very stable these past two years. Mr. Song discussed with his wife that once the elderly matriarch’s funeral is done, they will set sail. After earning money, he plans to go north with his wife. The prices in the capital are high, and he also wants to buy land and start a business there to make more money.”

“I thought, even if I don’t make money on this sea trip, if we become friends, the travel expenses, food, and lodging wouldn’t be on our family. Mr. Song can just take us along when he goes north.”

Wen Liang had made his plans clear, but Mrs. Liang was not very happy about it.

She said, “But you’re my only son. If you go, what will your mother do? It’s better not to take the risk and just stay at home. I don’t expect you to achieve much in the future, but if you have the luck to become famous, and can return with some recognition, like your grandfather and father, having a respectable position would be good. If you’re not that lucky, I’ll ask your aunt to find you a job. You won’t starve, so why take the risk?”

Wen Liang couldn’t persuade his mother, so he sighed and decided not to bring it up for now.

Although he didn’t immediately plan to go overseas, he also had no immediate intention of heading to the capital. After all, the sea was dangerous, and the road to the capital wasn’t necessarily safe either.

Just as his aunt had written in a letter, they had encountered bandits, but they were lucky and didn’t meet strong ones. With proper preparation, they didn’t end up in danger.

Wen Liang thought, perhaps it would be better to take a chance.

At such a young age, how could he settle for such a routine life?

Unable to reach a conclusion with his mother, after lunch with no particular task at hand, Wen Liang walked out the door and wandered around the street.

As he walked, he encountered a fortune teller who was giving readings.

He went over to watch, and hearing that the fortune teller was accurate, he decided to get a reading for himself to inquire about the sea voyage.

Hearing the fortune teller say everything would go smoothly, Wen Liang made up his mind and happily returned to Osmanthus Lane.

Without consulting his mother, he went directly to the Song family.

Mr. Song, who was already planning to go to sea, was happy to hear that a brother was willing to join him. After all, life at sea could be lonely, and it would be great to have someone to chat with.

Not only was the ship fare not his responsibility, but he also covered all the expenses for food and lodging.

Mr. Song stroked his beard and said, “In a couple of days, I’ll ask a medium to check if this trip will be favorable. Once we set the date, we’ll set sail. But will your mother really be willing to let you go?”

Wen Liang vaguely replied, “The family’s livelihood depends on me alone, so whether she’s willing or not, it can’t be helped.”

Mr. Song curiously asked, “If you go to the capital to pursue an official career, your aunt should support you, right? Why do you want to go into business instead?”

Although their ages differed by ten or more years, their social standing was the same, so they referred to each other as brothers.

Wen Liang smiled and said, “I hope you don’t laugh, but although I studied hard when I was young, my memory was really bad. I can name all 108 heroes from Water Margin, but I can’t even tell one Confucian sage from another. Simply put, I’m not cut out for studying. If I rely on this to make a fortune, I can’t count on it.”

Mr. Song laughed and said, “There are indeed people like that in this world. Since your heart isn’t set on studying, just go into business.”

Mr. Song was quite willing to let someone else’s only son go into business, but he couldn’t accept his own brother not studying.

They talked about how Wen Liang was like Mr. Song’s younger brother, who didn’t have much talent for studying but had spent many years studying.

Seeing that Wen Liang was about the same age as his useless brother, Mr. Song had a bit of affection for him, as the situation reminded him of his own brother.

Moreover, Wen Liang was young and handsome, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and being a scholar, his fair and thin appearance evoked more sympathy.

This made Mr. Song think of his own brother, Song Lin, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

Wen Liang, seeing his sigh, asked, “Brother, why the sigh?”

Mr. Song, having been holding it in for a long time, was emotionally distant from his wife, and the rest of his family just kept asking him for money. There was no one left to talk to.

Now he regretted the things he had done in the past that had caused his wife’s heart to grow cold. He also thought about trying to make amends, but it was already too late, and he and his wife could no longer be as close as before.

Wen Liang’s question caused Mr. Song to unconsciously tell Wen Liang about his younger brother.

Wen Liang had heard of the discord between Mr. Song and his third younger brother, but he had never known the details. Now hearing Mr. Song’s story, Wen Liang couldn’t help but sigh as well.

It seemed that both of them had faced family changes, and in this way, they had become close, with no secrets between them.

They comforted each other, and after a few words, they had become true brothers.

“To think that your younger brother was also involved in the Tianli Sect incident? Is your brother in prison now? Have you visited him?” Wen Liang asked as he sat across from Mr. Song.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Song sighed again, “When the incident broke, and considering his previous crimes, the verdict will undoubtedly be a death sentence. I’ve been thinking, as we were born from the same womb, and now that he’s in this situation, I should at least make sure he has a proper send-off. I’ve already asked someone to find out where he is being held.”

Wen Liang nodded and said, “Brother, you are righteous.”

Mr. Song sighed and shook his head, “Ah! Forget it. Who would have thought that the bastard would have disappeared from the prison? I don’t know where he’s gone.”

“When my mother was still alive and bedridden, she kept muttering about that unfilial bastard. He was the youngest in our family, and although he had a fair and lovely appearance, my parents always pampered him.”

“As he grew older, even though he didn’t pass the scholar exams, my family never scolded him. We even found him a good wife, but he rejected her to associate with those petty officials. He’s a beast that deserves to die!”

As he spoke, he realized Wen Liang was still present. He quickly apologized to Wen Liang for his outburst.

Wen Liang wasn’t bothered. He understood that Mr. Song was just overwhelmed with emotions.

After settling the details about going to sea, Wen Liang returned home.

His mother, realizing everything was already decided, naturally did not agree, but she couldn’t do anything to stop him, so she cried for an entire day.

In the end, she couldn’t stop him and had to let him go.

Wen Liang, of course, had to make provisions for his mother.

He brought 80 taels of silver from home and left 30 taels for his mother.

Taking 50 taels of silver, he went straight to the family shop to buy silk and engage in business, spending all of it.

His aunt’s shop sold to him at cost.

The promised 100-fold profit from the sea was just a rumor to Wen Liang. He figured that even if he made a profit of four or five times, the trip would still be worthwhile.

As for food and drink, Mr. Song took care of it, so Wen Liang didn’t leave himself much money.

After returning home, he wrote a letter to his aunt, informing her of his plans to go to sea. He asked her to look after his mother in case anything unexpected happened.

Wen Liang was still unmarried, and his family had originally planned for him to pass the scholar exams before marrying.

But since he hadn’t even attained the scholar’s title, and with the family facing difficulties, he hadn’t been able to find a fiancée.

His mother regretted not securing a marriage for him earlier. Had she done so, Wen Liang could now have children of his own.

But now he was still unmarried and had no heirs.

If something were to happen to him at sea, his mother would have no choice but to find a way to end her life.

With everything arranged, Wen Liang packed his things and prepared for the sea voyage.

Mother and son had to embrace and say their goodbyes, which goes without saying.

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