Chapter 22: The Letter

After leaving Lu Family Village and returning to the Lu household, Wen Ruyu received a letter from the capital.

The letter was from a man named Qin Shan, who wrote that his daughter would soon be marrying into Qinghe County and requested Wen Ruyu’s help in looking after her.

Qin Shan was actually a former classmate of Wen Ruyu’s late husband. In their early years, the two studied together, passed the imperial examination together, and were appointed as local officials at the same time.

A couple of years ago, Wen Ruyu’s husband passed away. After returning to the capital for a debrief, Qin Shan was assigned to work in the Ministry of Rites, making him a government official in the capital.

The Lu and Qin families had always been close. When Wen Ruyu’s husband was alive, he received dozens of letters from Qin Shan every year.

Even though they were far apart, the two maintained correspondence, proving the depth of their friendship.

When Wen Ruyu’s husband passed away, she had to transport his body back to their hometown while taking their child to Qinghe County. At that time, Qin Shan provided both financial and logistical support.

Concerned for their safety, Qin Shan even arranged for a local friend to escort Wen Ruyu and her son back to Qinghe County.

It is often said that true friendship is tested in times of hardship. Although the Lu family patriarch had passed away, Wen Ruyu could not forget Qin Shan’s kindness.

The two families had been friends for generations, and their bond had been forged through shared struggles.

During their early years of study, life was difficult. Both the Lu and Qin families had limited resources and had to travel long distances for exams. Even a minor illness on the journey could be life-threatening. The two men supported each other through those hardships—how could they not be considered life-and-death friends?

Given this history, Wen Ruyu naturally agreed to Qin Shan’s request.

In fact, based on the close relationship between the two families, the Qin family’s daughter was originally meant to marry into the Lu family.

However, Lu’s patriarch did not arrange the betrothal early enough. By the time he considered proposing a child marriage, the Qin family’s daughter was already promised to someone else. Thus, the two families missed out on becoming in-laws.

Speaking of the Qin daughter’s marriage, it was quite an ironic turn of events.

The Xu family, whom she was marrying into, was originally a gentry family in Qinghe County. The Xu patriarch had taken the imperial exam at the same time as the Lu and Qin patriarchs, and they became acquainted through their shared ambitions.

However, while the Xu patriarch only passed the provincial-level exam (Juren) and repeatedly failed subsequent attempts, his fourteen-year-old son, Xu Rui, passed the county-level exam (Xiucai).

After that, the Xu patriarch gave up on taking the exams himself and focused entirely on cultivating his son’s future. Because of this, the Qin and Xu families arranged a marriage between their children.

At fourteen, Xu Rui was considered a prodigy for passing the Xiucai exam. Everyone believed he had a bright future ahead.

But unexpectedly, he repeatedly failed the provincial exams. Now, at twenty-four, he still held only a Xiucai title.

For an average person, this would still be an impressive achievement. But for someone once considered a genius, it was disappointing.

Xu Rui had reached the age of marriage, and since he was already engaged, the Qin family could not delay the wedding any longer.

Their ancestral home was in Qinghe County, but their family was small and did not have as many relatives as the Lu family.

Lacking close kin to rely on, they wrote to Wen Ruyu, asking her to provide some support.

Upon receiving the letter, Wen Ruyu did not hesitate to respond. She immediately instructed someone to prepare ink and wrote back, promising that she would help if the Qin family’s daughter married into Qinghe County.

After sealing the letter, she called for Qingxue and had a servant quickly deliver it.

Just as she finished handling these matters, Zhao Shu arrived carrying a child.

Her grandson, Lu Qing, had just woken up from his nap. His sleepy expression made him look adorable, like a little jade doll.

Feeling playful, Wen Ruyu took the child from her daughter-in-law’s arms and sat with him on the couch.

A baby is delightful when quiet, and Wen Ruyu only disliked children when they cried or fussed. Otherwise, she did not mind interacting with them.

Lu Qing was already two years old. He had just learned to walk and was still unsteady, often stumbling. His speech was also still unclear.

He had inherited his parents’ good looks, with large, bright eyes. His smile was especially charming.

While playing with her grandson, Zhao Shu casually chatted with Wen Ruyu. Seeing her mother-in-law in a good mood, she brought up Lu Bainian’s situation.

“It’s winter, and Bainian and Liu Suqing are still young. They don’t know how to manage a household. Why don’t I send two maids over to help them? Once they’ve learned some basic cooking and housekeeping skills in a couple of months, I’ll call the maids back.”

Zhao Shu’s concern for Lu Bainian was simple: he was Wen Ruyu’s son and Lu Songnian’s younger brother.

If anything happened to Lu Bainian, the most worried people would be Wen Ruyu and Lu Songnian.

Zhao Shu herself was not particularly attached to Lu Bainian. But because the people she cared about were concerned about him, she felt it was her duty as the family’s daughter-in-law to ensure the household ran smoothly.

Even though Wen Ruyu had sent Lu Bainian to Lu Family Village, and Lu Songnian had advised Zhao Shu to let him be, she still found it hard to stop worrying.

Simply put, she had the “responsible manager” mentality—always fearing unexpected problems.

Wen Ruyu, still playing with Lu Qing, said nonchalantly, “Leave him be. I gave him two taels of silver, and his winter clothes are valuable. Besides, doesn’t he have plenty of friends? If each one helps him for a month, he won’t starve. You are not to secretly help him or send people to support him. If you do, all my efforts will be wasted.”

She expected Lu Bainian to struggle and was not the least bit sympathetic.

After all, he didn’t even share her surname.

Seeing her mother-in-law’s firm stance, Zhao Shu had no choice but to comply.

Changing the subject, Wen Ruyu mentioned the upcoming arrival of the Qin family’s daughter.

Meanwhile, after lunch, Concubine Qian was speaking with her son, Lu Ke.

She cracked a melon seed and laughed, “I have to hand it to the old lady. She really sent her own son to the countryside just like that. That’s her own flesh and blood!”

“Second Brother went too far, and now Grandmother won’t indulge him anymore,” Lu Ke replied. “Ever since she fell ill last time, she seems to have changed. She probably thinks she’s doing this for his own good.”

“Even so, it’s shocking. When she was sick, Bainian didn’t even stay home to take care of her. Her own son doesn’t care about her—no wonder she was furious.”

Concubine Qian recalled how she was punished with Buddhist scripture copying back then, likely because of the old lady’s bad mood.

“But at least she’s still reasonable,” she continued. “If that Liu woman had married into the family, it might have affected your marriage prospects.”

“And Mingzhu’s too,” Lu Ke added.

Concubine Qian paused, then asked, “How long do you think Bainian will last in the village?”

Lu Ke thought for a moment. “That depends on Grandmother’s resolve and whether anyone helps him. But since he’s determined to be independent, he’ll probably hold out for three to five months.”

“Three to five months is good. The house will be peaceful for a while.”

For now, she just wanted her son to pass the upcoming provincial exam and secure his future.

After all, once he earned the title of Juren, he would be eligible for official positions, and her own status would rise accordingly.