Wang Gang sat silently at the dining table, eating the delicious food in front of him carelessly.
Mrs. Sheng raised her head and glanced at her grandson doubtfully.
"Sanlang, these dishes are not to your liking?" Mrs. Sheng asked.
"Grandma, the food is delicious, but I have something on my mind, so I have no appetite." Wang Gang put down his chopsticks and said.
"This is rare." Old Mrs. Sheng said funnyly: "Do you still have no appetite?"
Wang Gang has always given Mrs. Sheng the impression that he is a big eater. He usually has a very good appetite, but the old lady has told him several times that he is so bold when he eats.
Later, Mrs. Sheng also gave up correcting Wang Gang's eating manners. Instead, she felt that Wang Gang's food was delicious and could stimulate her appetite.
"Yesterday my father and my mother had a quarrel over raising the sixth sister and the seventh brother." Wang Gang sighed.
The smile on Mrs. Sheng's face slowly faded.
"I've also heard that Mrs. Wang and your mother both want to raise Liu Yatou and Brother Dong, and it's hard for your father to do it if he's caught in the middle. What do you think about this?" Old Mrs. Sheng asked.
Wang Gang said honestly: "I just feel that it is very pitiful for the sixth sister and the seventh brother to lose their mother at such a young age."
Old Mrs. Sheng said: "You little naughty boy, what I'm asking is, do you want your mother to raise the six girls and their brothers?"
Wang Gang frowned, thought about it, and said, "I want to ask my grandmother to adopt the sixth sister and the seventh brother."
Mrs. Sheng was unmoved, picked up her job and asked, "Are you worried that your mother will share your favor if she adopts Liu Yatou?"
Wang Gang shook his head and said: "I think Sixth Sister and the others will not endure hardship only if they stay with Grandma."
Mrs. Sheng's eyes flashed and she stopped talking.
After a while, Mrs. Sheng asked, "Is it because of you that your mother's temperament has changed during this period?"
Wang Gang was stunned for a moment, thinking that he couldn't hide anything from the old lady.
"I didn't do anything. It was my mother who felt that what she had done before was too much, so she tried to change it."
Old Mrs. Sheng snorted coldly and said: "How can I not know your mother's virtues? She is a little smart, but it's a pity that she is not used on the right path."
Regarding Lin Sushuang, Mrs. Sheng never concealed her disdain in front of Wang Gang, and she didn't need to conceal it.
Wang Gang lowered his head and was silent for two seconds before saying, "I can't blame my mother entirely. She lives alone in Sheng Mansion and always resorts to some tricks. On the contrary, I think my father has more problems."
Mrs. Sheng's eyes were even more brilliant.
"I've always heard Lao Liao say that some of your opinions are strange, but I didn't expect them to be true. Don't you understand that a son never talks about his father's faults?"
Mrs. Sheng's tone gradually became deeper, as if she was angry.
Wang Gang stood up, clasped his fists and said to Mrs. Sheng: "Back to grandma, my grandson is not blaming his father. He just feels that the backyard is uneasy. In fact, it has little to do with women. The biggest problem is that men are lustful."
Mrs. Sheng's eyes widened and she was slightly surprised.
Wang Gang said: "There are constant disputes in the back house. The root cause is that men marry too many. If there is only one mistress, the disputes will naturally be much less."
Mrs. Sheng wondered: "It is common for a real man to have three wives and four concubines. Do you still want to marry just one?"
Wang Gang asked back: "Why not? Isn't it good to have two people for the rest of your life?"
Old Mrs. Sheng murmured a few words to herself, "Two people for life," and finally sighed: "Everyone in the world envies two people for life, but there are only a few people who can really achieve it."
Wang Gang said seriously: "Grandma, I want to try to do it."
Mrs. Sheng glanced at Wang Gang with a strange look, and then said: "You are still young. When you grow up and understand what it's like to be a woman, you won't think so."
Wang Gang did not argue, he knew that it would be useless no matter how beautifully he said such things.
"I will tell your father about Liu Yatou and Brother Dong, and they will be kept in my courtyard from now on!" Old Mrs. Sheng also lost her appetite, put down the dishes completely, and went back to her room to rest.
Wang Gang achieved his goal and stopped pestering him.
After Mrs. Sheng returned to her room, Fang's mother came over and asked, "Miss, do you want me to call a doctor?"
Old Mrs. Sheng shook her head and said, "No, I'll just take a nap."
Mother Fang covered Mrs. Sheng with a quilt and asked, "Did Miss think of the old man because of Sanlang's words?"
Mrs. Sheng asked back: "Do you think Sanlang's words are sincere?"
Fang's mother was silent for a while and then said: "I think Sanlang's words are more to please you, Miss."
Mrs. Sheng closed her eyes and said: "Sanlang's whole temperament has changed drastically since he was punished last time. I can't see through him."
Fang's mother said: "Could it be that Aunt Lin was behind the instructions?"
Mrs. Sheng snorted coldly: "Lin Sushuang doesn't have such a deep city."
Fang's mother asked: "Sanlang should not be so wealthy at such a young age."
Old Mrs. Sheng was tired and said to Fang's mother: "I'll take a rest."
Fang's mother knew that the old lady didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, so she was ready to leave.
"You go back and make preparations for Liu Yatou and Brother Dong to move into Shou'an Hall." Old Mrs. Sheng turned over and said no more.
…………
As soon as Wang returned to Lin Sushuang's place, he saw Sheng Minglan holding her younger brother in her arms and basking in the sun.
"Sixth sister, why are you holding the baby? Where is the wet nurse?" Wang Gang asked because he was worried that Lin Sushuang would bully Sheng Minglan.
"Nanny went to do other things, and I just wanted to hug my brother." When Sheng Minglan saw Wang Gang, she always spoke in a polite manner, not as casually as Sheng Molan.
This is easy to understand, after all, they are siblings.
"I have already mentioned to my grandmother that you will live in Shou'an Hall from now on." Wang Gang touched Sheng Minglan's little head and said with some distress.
Sheng Minglan was happy at first when she heard this, but she quickly controlled her emotions.
She remembered what Wei Xiaoniang had told her before she died, telling her to keep a low profile in the Sheng Mansion, not to stand out in anything, and it was best to stay away from Lin Sushuang.
"When you go to your grandmother's place, you must take good care of your brother." Wang Gang took out a jade pendant and stuffed it into Sheng Changdong's swaddling clothes.
"If anything happens in the future, let someone bring this jade pendant to me."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Sheng Minglan looked at Wang Gang in confusion, and finally asked: "Third brother, why are you so nice to me?"
Wang Gang touched Sheng Minglan's head again and said with a smile: "Do you still need to ask? You are my sister, shouldn't I be nice to you?"
Sheng Minglan still had doubts in her eyes, but she didn't ask Wang Gang again.
The next day, the old lady sent someone to pick up Sheng Minglan and Sheng Changdong.
Neither Mrs. Wang nor Lin Sushuang made any money.
Sheng Minglan moved to Shou'antang, and we could still see each other when Wang Gang went to practice martial arts.
Wang Gang spent breakfast and lunch at Shou'an Tang all day long. The chance of having dinner with Ming Lan at the same table was higher than that of his sister Mo Lan.
Unknowingly, a year passed and Wang Gang got used to the life in the Sheng Mansion. One day, Sheng Hong suddenly came to him and hoped that he and Sheng Changbai would take part in the childbirth examination together.
There were clear regulations on the imperial examination in the Northern Song Dynasty. Only scholars who passed the Tongsheng Examination could take part in the provincial examination and be admitted as scholars.
Tongsheng is equivalent to the admission ticket for the imperial examination.
Sheng Hong asked Sheng Changbai and Wang Gang to take the child examination, not that they were guaranteed to pass the examination, but more to let them experience the examination atmosphere and prepare for the formal scientific examination in the future.
Although the Tongsheng Examination is called Tongsheng, not only children take part in it, but even some scholars in their fifties and sixties take the exam together, which shows that it is still difficult.
Sheng Hong himself did not pass the exam in one attempt.
There are two childbirth examinations, one in the county and one in the government.
On the day of the county examination, Wang Gang was pulled up by Lin Sushuang early in the morning. Without the help of the maid, Lin Sushuang personally washed Wang Gang and served him meals, mumbling all the time.
"Feng'er, don't be nervous about the exam later. Your father said that this exam is just for you to try, not for ranking."
Lin Sushuang kept mumbling, which made Wang Gang a little annoyed.
"Mom, please calm down!"
Wang Gang took the test very lightly, but Lin Sushuang was always nervous and prepared breakfast for Wang Gang before dawn.
"If Mom is not nervous, why is Mom nervous?" Lin Sushuang said incoherently.
Wang Gang was speechless and could only comfort Lin Sushuang: "I'm fine, isn't it just a child test?"
Wang Gang's confidence gradually infected Lin Sushuang, and she calmed down.
However, after sending Wang Gang to the county government office, Lin Sushuang still became worried about the gain and loss when she saw Wang Gang walking in. She stood outside the county government office for a long time and refused to leave.
Wang Gang was confident. He walked into the examination room with Sheng Changbai and was placed in a corner.
Sheng Changbai was placed at the other end of the examination room. The seats were arranged in advance. I wonder if he was afraid that the brothers would cheat.
There was an invigilator in each of the four corners of the examination room, and the test papers were handed out quickly.
When Wang Gang unfolded it and took a look, he felt reassured.
