Chapter 348 Land Reclamation

Chapter 348: Reclaiming Wasteland

Fresh vegetables don't keep well in summer, so Meng Wan had only bought enough for the day. With Song Tingzhou's arrival, he sent Zhifan and Chi Yu out to buy more.

By the time Song Tingzhou finished his bath, several stoves in the kitchen were already burning, with the little bald-headed boys helping tend the fires and pass bowls. Meng Wan personally took up the ladle, putting the two newly acquired iron woks to use as well.

He was drenched in sweat, but the corners of his mouth were curled up and his brows curved with joy. Seeing Song Tingzhou approach, he quickly stopped him. "The kitchen is sweltering, and you just bathed—don't come in here or you'll have washed for nothing. If you have time, go look over the primers I bought for their lessons."

They were all introductory primers Meng Wan had bought from the bookstore—the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and other assorted texts. He wasn't sure if they were suitable.

Hearing this, Song Tingzhou turned aside and went to sort the books.

For the evening meal, they gathered around the large octagonal table. Meng Wan had the little beggar Su Yi called over as well. A mix of meat and cold dishes—roast chicken and duck from the restaurant, Meng Wan's signature braised fish, several seasonal vegetables. The table was laden with food; even an ordinary family's New Year celebration wouldn't be this lavish.

"Chi Yu, has the fruit wine chilling in the well cooled yet? Pour me a cup quick—I'm sweltering." Meng Wan emerged from the kitchen feeling like he'd stepped out of a steamer. He splashed several handfuls of cold water on his face to cool his flushed cheeks.

Song Tingzhou handed him a cloth to dry his face, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Meng Wan's rosy face.

Meng Wan wasn't blind—he caught the look. "Let's eat. Have you been eating properly since Mother and I left? You've lost weight."

As Meng Wan pulled him to the table, Song Tingzhou sighed. "Wan'er, it's you who's thinner."

His chin had become more pointed, and his face had thinned noticeably.

Meng Wan smiled at him and downed the fruit wine Chi Yu had poured—ice-cold, sending a chill through his entire body.

The children drank sour plum juice; the adults drank fruit wine.

These kids were naturally well-behaved, and with Song Tingzhou present today, they were even more reserved and cautious. With a table full of meat and fish, they only dared to reach for what was right in front of them. Even Su Yi, who usually spoke up boldly, was behaving himself.

After the meal, cleaning up the dishes wasn't Meng Wan's job anymore. He returned to his room to bathe, and Song Tingzhou dutifully carried a bucket of hot water to mix with cold for him.

"Your letter didn't say explicitly—after the Crown Prince took the throne, did everything go smoothly?" Meng Wan leaned over the edge of the bath tub to ask Song Tingzhou. He hadn't washed his hair yet; after brushing his teeth with Song Tingzhou at the door, he'd settled into the tub and was too comfortable to move.

Song Tingzhou pulled up a stool to sit beside him, using a small gourd ladle to trickle water over his hair. "Wan'er, we can't call him Crown Prince anymore. You need to call him Your Majesty now."

Meng Wan shot up from the tub. "He's on the throne? That fast?"

He stood before Song Tingzhou completely exposed—his skin pale enough to dazzle, black hair cascading down, a few strands clinging to his chest. His movements had been so sudden that water droplets clung to his face, running down his finely arched brows, straight nose, and crimson lips...

Song Tingzhou's Adam's apple bobbed. His lower body tightened, though he had much more self-control than the hot-headed youth he'd once been. He coaxed Meng Wan back into the tub, quickly washed his hair, and said distractedly, "His Majesty had been preparing for years. It was only his wariness of Nie Chuan that kept him from acting. The late emperor didn't hold on long before passing away, and since His Majesty was already Crown Prince, he ascended the throne as a matter of course."

He made it sound simple, but in reality, Shengjing had been in chaos—outside the palace and even worse inside. Various factions had lost their leaders and shown their true colors. The late emperor had even struggled in his final moments.

Wen Zhao was nothing like his weak-willed father. He was decisive and ruthless. After eliminating his greatest threat, Nie Chuan, he gave no one a moment to react before raiding the homes of over twenty officials of various ranks. His other brothers were kept under close watch, likely unable to leave the capital for the rest of their lives.

Magistrate Ding was just one of the first officials to be demoted. Fortunately, although he had once targeted Song Tingzhou, he'd had no ties to Tingxiang Pavilion. Censor Zhao, who had also crossed Song Tingzhou, wasn't so lucky—his head had already rolled.

Meng Wan climbed out of the tub, wrapped himself in a cloth, and let Song Tingzhou wring out his hair. "I imagine His Majesty had barely ascended the throne when you asked to return home?"

"Correct. I waited until the situation stabilized before coming back. Yue Zhengqi left for Lingnan three days after you left." Song Tingzhou wrapped his arms around him from behind, kissed his cheek, then grabbed a fresh cloth to keep drying his hair.

Meng Wan could feel the heat radiating from Song Tingzhou behind him, and it made his own mouth go dry. He downed a cup of water. "Then these next two days, the prefectural government should be issuing orders—mmph..."

His words were swallowed by Song Tingzhou's kiss. The man's nimble tongue explored his mouth, teasing and sucking every which way. Meng Wan clutched at Song Tingzhou's shoulders, trying to keep up before starting to falter.

"...Ow... gently." Meng Wan winced in pain. The corners of his mouth were already sore and swollen from Song Tingzhou's rough kissing—even in the past, he'd rarely been this urgent.

"Wan'er, Wan'er... do you miss your husband?" There was a newly built wooden bed in the room. Song Tingzhou finished speaking between sighs and gasps, then eagerly pressed him down onto it. After devouring his lips, he moved to the tender skin of Meng Wan's neck.

Meng Wan managed to say, "Yes..." His neck arched beautifully as his hands found the back of Song Tingzhou's head and pulled out his jade hairpin.

Song Tingzhou sat up briefly to strip off his clothes, sweat dripping onto Meng Wan, drawing a fine sheen of perspiration from him in turn.

The mosquito netting by the bed was yanked open roughly by Song Tingzhou, half of it trailing over Meng Wan's leg. The exposed length of shapely calf dangled over Song Tingzhou's arm, swaying back and forth...

For the next two days, Song Tingzhou stayed with Meng Wan at the charity school. Soon they would return to their hometown to find Chang Jinhua—even if Song Tingzhou hadn't come, Meng Wan couldn't remain in Guyang County indefinitely.

"Finding a manager is truly difficult. I've searched for ages without finding the right person. If Su Yi were a bit older, he could handle it, but he's too young now." Meng Wan said to Song Tingzhou with a worried frown.

Song Tingzhou was reading official documents that Tao Ba had retrieved from the courier station. Hearing Meng Wan's words, he suddenly said, "There are members of the Song clan in Guyang County."

Meng Wan was startled. "Huh? Who?"

Song Tingzhou wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose. "There's a scholar at the county school. His parents run a small stall there to support his studies."

Meng Wan hadn't thought of that. His eyes lit up. "That's perfect. Let him take the position for now—he doesn't need to come every day. Just stop by when he has free time to teach the children a lesson. For minor matters, have Su Yi keep an eye on things. A few years of experience and the boy will be ready to take over."

It wasn't a permanent arrangement, but if Meng Wan was leaving, this was the best temporary solution. Scholars held high social status, and after the previous incident with Manager Zhang, no one would dare cause trouble at the charity school lightly.

Two days later, the scholar named Song Tingyue took up his post, and Meng Wan's party set off for home. The charity school children were half reluctant to see them go, half anxious and fearful—afraid of encountering another Manager Zhang.

"Your circumstances are poor—you didn't get good parents—but you're also lucky: you're alive with all your limbs intact. To live for yourselves, you can't rely on others' charity. If one day the school closes, or another Manager Zhang appears, you'll have the skills to support yourselves even away from here."

Meng Wan stood at the school's entrance, speaking to the still-innocent children. "Study hard. Grow up well."

He climbed into the carriage, and from outside Su Yi shouted, "Meng Fulang, I'll take good care of them!"

Meng Wan smiled at Song Tingzhou. "That boy's not bad."

"Every word Wan'er said struck home." Song Tingzhou calmly praised his own husband, his hands kneading the small of his back.

"Lord Song, why don't you go ride outside? I want to talk with Wan Geer!" Fang Jinrong shouted from the carriage behind.

Meng Wan leaned out the window to say, "It's so sunny out there—wouldn't you be miserable riding in the heat? You'll be in the capital from now on; we'll have plenty of chances to talk. No need to rush."

Old Ge, driving the rear carriage, cracked his whip. "Wan Geer's not wrong."

In summer, the carriage windows were covered with thin gauze curtains. Meng Wan had just lowered his when he thought of something and said to Old Ge, "Master Ge, A Yan is staying with the Fang family too. When you get back, why not teach him a few moves as well?"

Old Ge raised his wine flask and took a sip. "That I can do—just depends on whether you can bear to part with him."

Remembering how little Tong'er had soaked in cold rainwater years ago, Meng Wan's eye twitched. "Well... no need to be too harsh. Just teach him enough to defend himself."

Ge Quan could see his worry and spoke from horseback, "Don't worry. I'll train them personally."

Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan both thanked him.

Ge Quan laughed freely. "Tong'er has been apart from us for so many years. You've taken good care of him—why stand on ceremony?"

The two families had been through much together; there was truly no need for excessive pleasantries.

Meng Wan just couldn't stand seeing A Yan cling to dolls all day. He himself had loved toy cars and guns as a child—he didn't know how A Yan had turned out so differently.

When the carriage procession reached the county gate, the slow-witted Scholar Han, who had only just realized what was happening, waited with Yang Bao'er in a secluded spot outside the city walls. Seeing the Song family carriages emerge, he dragged Yang Bao'er forward. "Lord Song, this student was reckless and truly didn't mean to offend Meng Fulang. Please be lenient and give this student a chance to redeem himself!"

Tao Shi led the way on horseback. He raised his whip and barked sharply, "Out of the way!"

Before leaving the capital, countless officials of all ranks had tried to block Song Tingzhou's carriage. If they'd known this would happen, why had they acted as they did? He had no respect for such people, and his tone was harsh.

He cracked his whip, and Scholar Han flinched at the sound, but driven by his ambition for office, he pressed forward. Seeing few people passing through the city gate, he gritted his teeth and called out to the carriage, "I know you and my husband have some history. Why not take him back to your hometown to reminisce?"

A married xiaoge returning to his hometown with his former fiancé—this was clearly an offer to gift Yang Bao'er to Song Tingzhou as a favor. Yang Bao'er stared at his back in disbelief, unable to believe what he had just heard.

The carriage didn't stop, sweeping past the two of them, and a peach was tossed out from inside, striking Scholar Han squarely on the head.

Leaving them behind, Meng Wan was still fuming. "What a beastly, worthless piece of trash."

Song Tingzhou handed him another washed peach, breaking it in half with a firm twist. "No need to get angry over trash like that. He'll never get another post in this lifetime. If he doesn't work for a living, he won't even last long in the county seat."

Meng Wan took a bite of the peach. "True enough. Doesn't seem like the family-man type either."

With Song Tingzhou by his side, Meng Wan had nothing to worry about. They traveled peacefully for two days, parting ways with Ge Quan's family in town, and without even stopping by to see A Yan, headed straight back to Sanquan Village.

The courtyard gate stood wide open, and Chang Jinhua was cooling off in the doorway. Seeing Tao Shi and Tao Ten at the front, she knew Song Tingzhou was back too and was over the moon.

"Mother, I'm home." Song Tingzhou caught Meng Wan as he jumped down from the carriage, then stepped forward to greet Chang Jinhua.

Meng Wan asked Chang Jinhua, "Mother, has anything happened at home while I was away?"

Chang Jinhua smiled warmly, answering each question in turn. "Glad you're back. I'm doing great. Your Sixth Aunt doesn't go to town anymore—she stays home and chats with me every day, and your Second Aunt's mother-in-law even took me up the mountain to gather mushrooms."

Meng Wan stepped into the yard and saw four big bamboo trays of mushrooms drying in the sun, some nearly crisp, others just slightly wilted. "Mother, how many did you pick?!"

The servants came out to greet him, and Yunque said, "Sir, we all went with the old lady. She said we'd dry them and use them for baozi when winter comes."

Zhifan and Zhimao huddled together, whispering and sharing funny stories from the county town, while Huang Ye bustled about organizing Meng Wan's luggage.

Their bedding was brought out to air, ready for the night.

Chang Jinhua came out with a string of cash. "You two rest up. I'll head to the neighboring village to see if the butcher has any meat left. If not, I'll go to town. Tonight, I'll make you mushroom and pork dumplings."

She took Wei Ying and Yunque to buy meat, and Meng Wan hurried inside for a bath, washing off the summer heat before settling in the doorway with a slice of watermelon. "Ah! This is the life."

Coming home to a mother who cooks for you—nothing beats that.

Song Tingzhou pulled up a stool beside him. "How long do you want to stay in the countryside?"

Meng Wan handed him a piece of watermelon. "Depends on you, doesn't it? No matter how nice the countryside is, it's dull without you by my side."

Taking the watermelon, Song Tingzhou's gaze lingered on Meng Wan's face, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Wan'er..." He couldn't find words to express the love swelling in his chest—he was never as eloquent as Meng Wan.

Meng Wan had no idea a single sentence could stir Song Tingzhou so deeply. He ran to the well, washed his hands and face, and came back. "Alright, let's talk seriously. I want to hire some people in the village to reclaim a few acres of wasteland."

Having gone through the Lingnan affair, Meng Wan didn't want to take up too much land. If the family's fields weren't enough, they could rent from others. In modern times, every rural person had land that couldn't be easily bought or sold—it was the state's guarantee that everyone could survive.

Unfortunately, the Yu Kingdom had no such policy, and even the single-whip tax wasn't fully implemented nationwide. It would take time.

Song Tingzhou had always supported Meng Wan's endeavors and nodded at his words. "Then I'll ask the village head where suitable land might be."

Meng Wan watched him eat the melon. "Aren't you going to ask what I want to do with the wasteland?"

The melon was perfectly ripe, chilled in the well water. Song Tingzhou finished it and grabbed another piece. "For the charity school?"

Meng Wan's eyes curved into a smile. "You know me best. We'll plant cotton all around and help these kids earn a little money."