Every year when the Wen family gave gifts to Wen Yingniang, they would bring a batch of pigeons from Minnan to Fucheng. These pigeons were kept in Fucheng, so if there were any news about Wen Yingniang, they could immediately release a pigeon to send her family the information.

This time ,Wen Yingniang got divorced; for such a big event, they immediately released ten pigeons to send back the news.

When Wen Ming got the news, he immediately came to Fucheng without any delay.

When he arrived at Fucheng, he looked for Wen Yingniang but couldn’t find her. He asked around and learned that Wen Yingniang had come here, so he hurriedly prepared a gift and also came.

Wen Yingniang didn’t know that her family kept pigeons in Fucheng, so she couldn’t tell what she felt in her heart for a moment. “Father and Mother…they don’t blame me?”

“Master and Madam are angry, but they don’t blame Miss.” Wen Ming said, “They only said that they will definitely not spare that Liao Qinghe, and they wanted to assure the young lady that they will definitely find a better person for her.”

Wen Yingniang’s eyes became misty and she almost burst into tears but held back in the end.

Wen Ming was brought inside and Jiang Zhen chatted with him, only to learn that he was the son of the Wen family steward, and currently worked as a steward for the Wen family.

“How much do you sell the Wen family’s sea-worthy ships for?” Jiang Zhen directly asked. He helped Wen Yingniang for this reason, so he didn’t hide this point. He also didn’t think that he had anything to hide.

“The Wen family has many kinds of ships. Depending on the size of the wood, the price differs. Master Jiang had better go and see for himself. If Master Jiang wants to buy, I can help you make a decision and offer a 10% discount,” Wen Ming said with a smile.

The price of the big ships was not cheap, so a 10% discount was definitely a large sum of money. Wen Ming being able to decide such a matter surprised Jiang Zhen a little.

Of course, this was also good for him, so he just said, “Then thanks a lot.”

Zhao Mingzhu’s first birthday banquet was a complete success.

Because there were many things going on in Fucheng, the next day, Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge went back to Fucheng along with Wen Ming and Wen Yingniang.

It was a day’s journey from Hexi Village to Fucheng, so on that day, Jiang Zhen and Wen Ming had a good chat, letting Jiang Zhen admire Wen Ming a little.

This Wen Ming looked ordinary and even a little weak, but he had been to sea many times. Whether it was east or west, he found new traveling routes for the Wen family and negotiated a long-term porcelain business.

It was precisely because of this that he had such a high status in the Wen family, and currently, he had an even higher position than his father who was steward for the Wen family. Had it not been for this, he wouldn’t be able to promise selling Wen family ships to Jiang Zhen with a 10% discount.

Jiang Zhen was impressed while Wen Ming was a bit shocked by Jiang Zhen. Jiang Zhen unexpectedly knew some Western and Oriental languages and also knew a lot about their products!

From where he had learned these things was not very clear, but if he said that he just overheard it, Wen Ming would suspect that he was a demon.

Jiang Zhen was not very clear about the specific situation in the east or west, so he inquired about it to Wen Ming. As for the things he knew, he said he learned it from a person he had done business with at sea.

Wen Ming didn’t doubt it and answered Jiang Zhen’s questions patiently.

“Boss Wen, many thanks.” Jiang Zhen sincerely thanked Wen Ming. What he had learned from Wen Ming was very precious to him.

“It’s me who should thank Master Jiang,” Wen Ming said.

“I don’t seem to have done anything.” Jiang Zhen looked at Wen Ming in confusion.

“Master Jiang helped my young lady. If it hadn’t been for Master Jiang, I don’t know what would have happened to my young lady,” Wen Ming said. 

According to what he learned, if it hadn’t been for Jiang Zhen, Wen Yingniang probably wouldn’t have left the Liao family, and if she hadn’t left…

The Wen family’s father and mother were really concerned about Wen Yingniang. At first, they were unwilling to see their daughter get divorced. But if Wen Yingniang did not leave the Liao family, they wouldn’t have known about Liao Qinghe taking a concubine and having a child. By the time they would have known of it, there would be nothing they could do.

Then how could Wen Yingniang live in the future?

“You like Wen Yingniang?” Jiang Zhen suddenly asked. Wen Ming seemed a little overly concerned about Wen Yingniang and was probably interested in her.

“Master Jiang, be careful of what you say!” Wen Ming was surprised and immediately said that he was only a servant of the Wen family and wouldn’t even dare to think about Wen Yingniang. If those words were heard by others, they would be harmful to Wen Yingniang’s reputation.

“Are you married yet?” Jiang Zhen asked.

“I am at the sea all the time, so I haven’t gotten married yet.” Wen Ming answered. According to his status, he could have married one of the Wen family maids early, but he spent more time at sea every year than on land. When he did make it to land, he did not always end up in Minnan, so he never got married.

Even so, there were many who wanted to marry him.

“When you meet someone you like, be bold and chase them so you won’t regret it later,” Jiang Zhen said.

“Master Jiang, you are thinking too much,” Wen Ming said with a smile.

It wasn’t long before Jiang Zhen and his group came to Fucheng. As soon as they arrived, they heard the news.

Liao Qinghe had already gotten betrothed to the daughter of a scholar and was about to get married.

Less than ten days after divorcing his wife, Liao Qinghe was getting married again?

When Wen Yingniang decided to divorce, she had already intended to make a clean break with Liao Qinghe and did not feel it was a pity. However, since learning that Liao Qinghe was going to get married, she felt a little uncomfortable.

She and Liao Qinghe had been husband and wife for ten years; even if their feelings for each other had worn off with time, she still cared about him. And yet, only a few days after their divorce, Liao Qinghe was getting married to someone else.

Wen Yingniang was glad that she had chosen to leave, but she still felt some loss.

However, she felt so for only for a short period of time.

“Scholar Liao should have divorced Lady Wen and married someone else a long time ago. It would be better than being married to a lioness.”

“Do you think that Lady Wen is feeling very regretful now?”

“She definitely regrets it. She is such an old woman and can’t even give birth, so even if she was given to others as a concubine, no one would want her.”

 

. . .

 

On the docks, someone was talking about Liao Qinghe and Wen Yingniang.

Wen Yingniang, who had a short rest in the tea house near the dock, heard all kinds of gossip from those people, so her face was as black as the bottom of the pot.

What did she have to regret? She didn’t have to support that Liao family anymore; she was happy!

The sourness and resentment at the beginning turned into anger almost instantly.

Wen Yingniang was even angrier when someone recognized her. “Isn’t this Madam Liao? No, no, you’ve been divorced. You can’t be called Madam Liao anymore.”

“Madam Liao?”

“Wen?”

People looked at Wen Yingniang, some in sympathy while others with irony.

Wen Yingniang only felt that she was filled with anger, so she just sneered. “I really didn’t expect that there would be a woman so stupid as to marry Liao Qinghe. To become a mother before she even got married and then to use her own dowry to fill that hole that is the Liao family after she got married…. Tsk, I even feel a bit sorry for her.

“As for Liao Qinghe, he is just something I left behind and no longer want. Whoever likes him can pick him up.”

Wen Yingniang turned around and left and immediately gave an order to one of her servants. “You go and find out what’s going on.”

What’s going on? Wasn’t it already clear?

Liao Qinghe wrote a lot of poems, so there were still many people who appreciated and loved him. After he divorced his wife, naturally, some people were willing to marry him, and even more people were willing to marry their daughters and granddaughters to him.

As for why he was in such a hurry to marry . . .

Without Wen Ying, the Liao family was in a mess and had no money, so they naturally wanted to find a woman to marry in and take over the Liao family’s mess.

It was said that Liao Qinghe, at first, wanted to marry Lu Luan, but Father and Mother Liao did not agree.

Lu Luan was not a daughter from a good family. Although she was perfect for Liao Qinghe,  Father and Mother Liao did not like her. In the situation before, they protected the baby in her belly rather than her.

Liao Qinghe’s divorce made Wen Yingniang’s reputation even worse, but at the same time, the Liao family’s reputation also got a lot worse.

Because of this, the Liao family couldn’t wait to have some happy event like a marriage to make people forget the past. Liao Qinghe even wrote a poem for his new wife who had yet to pass the door that praised her to the heavens.

For a while, everyone was talking about the Liao family, and everyone was sympathizing with Wen Yingniang.

Wen Yingniang, who was handling the things taken away from the Liao family, once again felt the sympathetic gaze of the people around her and suddenly looked at Wen Ming. “You said before that my parents can find me a better one?”

“Miss?” Wen Ming was startled.

“There is no need to find a better one. Who knows if in the end I will step into another mud pit?” Wen Yingniang scoffed. “But…can you help me find a handsome man? I want a man who will marry in!”

 

Edited by: Faro

Proofreader: Antiope1

 

Support translation: