Chapter 46: The Issue of Offspring (Please add to favorites and keep reading)

“Let’s go to Cuiyun Pavilion for drinks first.” Wei Tu was the first to break the silence.

He glanced at Wei Fei and said, “I owe you a meal, Second Brother. I haven't found the time to make it up to you. Today is my day off, and I just received my stipend recently...”

Whether Fu Zhizhou would choose to abide by their alliance was something Wei Tu claimed not to care about, but that was a lie. Having an extra hand in the officialdom of Shannan Circuit was certainly better than fighting alone.

However, compared to Wei Fei, Wei Tu was confident that he could make a name for himself in the next provincial military examination and become a military graduate.

By then, even without Fu Zhizhou's help, he would be able to escape the suppression of Prefect He of Qingfeng Prefecture and rise to prominence.

Even without the help of his most promising "Fourth Brother," Fu Zhizhou, he still had his fellow townsman and friend, Wei Fei, to navigate the storms with.

“Alright, Third Brother.” Hearing Wei Tu's words, much of the disappointment in Wei Fei's heart dissipated.

He smiled, dressed in simple attire, and walked toward Cuiyun Pavilion alongside Wei Tu.

During their two months serving as officials in the Xiangjun Yamen, Wei Tu, as the Military Commissioner responsible for "rewards and punishments," had not interacted much with the rank-and-file soldiers, so their bond was not deep.

Wei Fei was different. As the "Chief Instructor" of the Xiangjun, he was responsible for martial drills and training. He spent his days mingling with the soldiers, and there were few people in the entirety of Qingshan County who did not know of him.

Upon arriving at Cuiyun Pavilion.

Wei Tu spared no expense, spending seven mace of silver to order a table of premium dishes to thank Wei Fei for his generosity in accompanying him to deliver gifts to the Jian family last time.

The table was laden with meat dishes: braised sea cucumber with scallions, soy-braised pork hock, Four Joy Meatballs, and stir-fried pig kidneys.

There were also seasonal cold appetizers and fresh fruits.

At the same time, Wei Tu spent an additional two mace to have the manager of Cuiyun Pavilion procure a jar of fine "Peach Blossom Brew."

Seeing Wei Tu's magnanimity, Wei Fei's estimation of him immediately rose a notch; he felt he had not chosen the wrong sworn brother.

After several rounds of wine and several courses of food.

Wei Fei's face turned flushed, and he said with a thick tongue, "Even if I, Wei, no longer recognize Eldest Brother Kou Liang and Fourth Brother Fu Zhizhou... I still recognize you, Third Brother..."

Having said his piece, he threw an arm around Wei Tu's shoulder and fell into a heavy sleep right on the dining table.

Hearing this, Wei Tu shook his head. After prying Wei Fei's arm off him, he, too, succumbed to the alcohol and fell asleep beside him.

He understood that Fu Zhizhou's rise to success had, ironically, strengthened the bond between him and Wei Fei. When two people face hardship together... it is easier to huddle together for warmth.

...

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye.

It was the twenty-fifth year of Qing'an.

On New Year's Day of this year, Wei Tu took Xinghua to visit Scholar-Official Dan's home to offer New Year greetings, rather than returning to the Wei Family Village in Changming Township.

During the half-year Wei Tu had been in office, the patriarch of the Wei Family Village had sent village youths multiple times to find him, hoping to persuade him to acknowledge his ancestry and return to Changming Township to worship the ancestors.

But Wei Tu had refused them all.

A few years ago, when leaving the Wei Family Village, Wei Tu had felt deeply aggrieved that he and Xinghua could not enter the ancestral hall. But as time went on, he had long since let go of those feelings.

However.

Letting go was one thing.

Wei Tu was no fool. He knew exactly why the patriarch wanted him to acknowledge his ancestry: it was nothing more than seeing his status as a military official and wanting the Wei clan to bask in his reflected glory.

Of course, regarding his biological father, Wei Bao, Wei Tu was not heartless. He had sent letters to Wei Bao, intending to have him move in with him to live out his twilight years in comfort.

The poor commoners of this era did not have many choices.

Wei Tu understood this.

He did not hold a grudge against Wei Bao for selling him to the Li family, nor for urging him to leave quickly when he had returned to the village to visit relatives...

The former was so that he might survive during the years of famine, and the latter was so that he would not suffer humiliation within the Wei Family Village.

Had it not been for the more than one tael of silver Wei Bao had secretly pressed into his hand during that visit, his redemption from servitude might have been delayed significantly.

And that... more than one tael, was almost Wei Bao's entire life savings.

What Wei Tu did not expect, however, was that his father, Wei Bao, would make a decision diametrically opposed to that of the Wei clan patriarch—

Not only did he not attempt to cling to his "powerful" son, but he actively drew a boundary between them.

Wei Bao sent word through a messenger, stating that he had other children to care for and that Wei Tu did not need to support him. He told Wei Tu to live a good life with Xinghua and merely send some seasonal gifts each year.

Seeing this.

Wei Tu had no choice but to accept.

He chose to respect Wei Bao's wishes, sending him seasonal gifts, clothing, and food every year.

—Since becoming a "Military Commissioner," although his finances were relatively comfortable, he still had to pay back Caixia... the combined cost of Xinghua's redemption and the purchase of their small courtyard was no small sum.

With his current wealth, supporting one Wei Bao was manageable, but supporting several more younger brothers would be a strain.

A growing boy can starve his father.

Therefore.

Since he could not return to the Wei Family Village to visit his kin, Wei Tu could only take Xinghua to Scholar-Official Dan's home for the New Year.

A teacher is like a father.

When he left Changming Township last year, Scholar-Official Dan had said the hundred-tael green-maned horse was a loan to Wei Tu, but there was little difference between a loan and a gift.

Even after Wei Tu completed his military examinations, Scholar-Official Dan had never asked for it back.

"The youngest daughter didn't come this time; she's likely still nursing a grudge from last year..."

Sitting in the living quarters, Lady Shan Min looked at Shan Yangong, Wei Tu, and Xinghua, and let out a quiet sigh.

Although she felt a slight distaste for Shan Fang's greed, she felt something was missing without Shan Fang's constant chirping and clamor in her ear.

Furthermore, since Shan Fang had not come, she naturally had not brought her and Scholar-Official Dan's only grandson—Shan Yiwu.

"Yangong, if it's not working, you should take a concubine. Your wife hasn't conceived yet, and that simply won't do..."

Lady Shan Min looked toward Shan Yangong, who stood with his hands clasped to his sides, and spoke with a frown.

When they were in the prefectural city, she had refrained from meddling out of respect for Shan Yangong's wife, but now that they were in Sanyuan Township, there was no need for such restraint.

"Mother, this matter..." Shan Yangong looked hesitant.

"Listen to your mother. In a few days, I will find a match for you here in Sanyuan Township and arrange a marriage," Lady Shan Min said decisively.

Hearing this, Shan Yangong sighed. He could not argue further and silently chose to accept.

Having no heir was the reason he could not hold his head high in front of Shan Fang.

"Brother Wei, we must have a son as well..." Seeing this, Xinghua felt a stir in her heart. She pinched the side of Wei Tu's neck and whispered.

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Let's wait a few more years. We'll talk about it then. There's no rush for us."

Over the past six months, he had discussed the matter of Xiantian Martial Masters with Scholar-Official Dan, hearing more about their miraculous abilities.

Beyond the secret mental methods used to interrogate spirits, a Xiantian Martial Master could also assist an unborn fetus in "cleansing the marrow and transforming the essence."

A fetus "conditioned" by a Xiantian Martial Master would be born with martial foundations far exceeding those of ordinary people, allowing their cultivation to progress by leaps and bounds.

If it were feasible, Wei Tu intended to consider the matter of offspring only after he reached the level of a Xiantian Martial Master.

—He could not bear to let the young pass away before the old.