Chapter 14: A Small Celebration for Chen Ping'an

"Mother, everything is still unknown at the moment," Chen Ziheng said with an air of modesty, but his expression didn't give away any hint of humility.

"Unknown about what? Last year, you were just like this, but you aced the county exam. I'm sure Mother will believe in you this time as well," his elder brother's wife said, with a hint of smugness in her tone.

Chen Ping'an remained silent, and continued eating with his chopsticks, serving dishes to his father and mother, and of course, not forgetting the ginger beside him.

With so many people at the table, for the ginger to have a piece of meat was a sign of his mother-in-law's mercy. But because Chen Ping'an kept serving them, she also got to eat a few extra pieces, which was unprecedented.

Mrs. Wu was initially displeased by her daughter-in-law's outspokenness, but her son's actions slightly eased her heart.

It's too early to say anything now.

The meal went on in a relatively harmonious manner. After dinner, everyone dispersed. Ginger then began to clean up the dishes. However, when she finished, she found that Chen Ping'an had already gone to bed.

They had traveled all day, and Ping'an must have been tired. Ginger thought about letting him sleep, but then decided to come back with the basin.

She placed the basin on the ground and sat by the kang, softly calling out, "Ping'an."

No response.

She raised her voice a bit, "Ping'an."

Still, there was no answer.

Ginger took a deep breath and continued, "Ping'an, are you mad at me for wanting to learn?"

"..."

"Reading and writing is a wonderful thing, something everyone dreams of. I'm no exception, but you're about to take the provincial exam. If you have to take time to teach me, there won't be enough time."

Before Ginger could finish, Chen Ping'an suddenly sat up, "Ginger, are you serious?"

Ginger was startled and moved back, almost falling off the kang. Thankfully, Chen Ping'an reacted quickly and caught her.

Despite being young and having less strength, Chen Ping'an's effort to prevent her from falling was not entirely successful. However, Ginger managed to steady herself, though she was still quite shaken.

"Ginger, don't worry. If you want to study, that's fine. I'll take care of everything else," Chen Ping'an said, his eyes sparkling with happiness, like a child who had received a candy.

With such "childish behavior," even the two-lived Chen Ping'an couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, Ginger didn't notice anything unusual.

Ginger was pleased in her heart. Ping'an had been upset for a while today, and it turned out it was because of her. This added a bit of satisfaction to her heart.

However, she didn't show it. She squatted down to prepare to wash Ping'an's feet. "We've been on the road for a long time today. A good night's sleep depends on clean feet."

She attempted to remove Ping'an's socks, but he evaded her, "Ginger, I can do it myself."

Ginger didn't insist and continued to worry, "If I start studying, and Mother-in-law finds out..."

"Ginger, I won't tell my mother," Ping'an replied.

"If I have to write, it'll be a waste of your ink and paper, which your mother provided," Ginger continued to express her concern.

"Believe me, Ginger. If you're willing, I'll take care of everything else," Ping'an said firmly. He was no longer the former Chen Ping'an in this life. There are many other ways to earn money, and there's no shortage of paper and ink.

In Ginger's memory, Ping'an rarely insisted on anything. But now, for her sake, she kept quiet. She decided to take it one step at a time regarding her study. At the moment, it was important to keep Ping'an stable.

She thought Ping'an might have had a sudden impulse or a temporary desire. After Ping'an finished washing his feet, he went to bed. Ginger covered him with the quilt and said gently, "Rest now. We have to get up early tomorrow."

Due to attending the literary society, they had already delayed a lot of time. Every second was precious, and they couldn't afford to delay anymore, at least not in Ginger's eyes.

After Ping'an fell asleep, Ginger took the water and poured it out. She then checked the poultry in the yard, ensuring everything was okay before lying down.

Thinking about the past few days, she felt as if everything was a dream. Ping'an had become famous, and he also wanted to teach her how to read and write. It seemed that Mother-in-law was not as strict as before.

For Ginger, everything seemed to be getting better.

The weather was gradually warming up, and they were wearing less clothing. Ginger remembered the mushrooms she had gathered earlier and decided to mark the remaining ones and collect them, adding some variety to Ping'an's diet.

Unexpectedly, Ping'an wanted to go with her.

Ginger was truly shocked. It was impossible for Mother-in-law to agree, and it was also dangerous up the mountain. She couldn't bear the thought.

"It's okay, Sister Yar, Mother has already agreed," Chen Ping'an said with a smile.

This left Jiang Yar even more stunned. Mother-in-law actually agreed, she thought, as Mrs. Wu lifted the curtain and came out of the hall, "Yar, you must take good care of Ping'an during this time. He's been stifled too."

With the mother-in-law's orders, Jiang Yar could only nod and dare not resist. But when they reached the mountain, she didn't know how Ping'an managed to get his mother-in-law's approval.

Ping'an's mood along the way was quite good. Whenever he saw a nice view, he would recite a poem, saying that wisdom comes from life.

After hearing this, Jiang Yar walked ahead with a red face, but secretly thought, "Ping'an's poetry is really good."

"Yar, sister," Ping'an called out from behind. Jiang Yar turned around and saw Ping'an holding a tree branch and making marks on the ground.

Curiously, she leaned over, but Ping'an had already finished, "Yar, do you recognize these characters?"

There were three large characters on the ground, but Jiang Yar couldn't read them, and Ping'an looked at her with intense eyes, making her face even redder.