After breakfast, Song Wei went to town to arrange for Song Yuanbao’s school transfer. The mother-in-law took her sister-in-law to buy piglets, leaving Wen Wan at home.
Wen Wan chopped pig feed and then went to the river to wash the family’s dirty clothes. Only after that did she go to Song Wei’s study, practicing calligraphy while pondering how to convince Song Wei to take the exam.
However, after pondering for a long time, she couldn’t come up with anything.
When Song Wei returned, he first went to the main hall and, seeing no one there, went to the bedroom, still finding no one. Only then did he go to the study, immediately spotting the little girl with her back to him, her right hand holding a brush, absentmindedly doodling on the calligraphy paper.
His gaze fixed on her reddened hand, his eyes slightly squinting as he stepped forward.
Wen Wan heard footsteps and was startled. She turned around and, seeing it was Song Wei, let out a sigh of relief.
Song Wei pulled a stool to sit beside her, placing his palm over her cold hand.
"Did you touch cold water?"
Wen Wan pointed to the clothes drying on the outside rack.
"If you don’t apply balm after washing, what if you get chilblains? Doesn’t it hurt?"
Song Wei looked over, his deep eyes filled with concern.
Wen Wan’s face showed embarrassment, indicating she had forgotten.
Earlier, when chopping pig feed and washing clothes, she was thinking about how to persuade her husband and forgot to apply balm.
Song Wei wasn’t surprised by her reaction, as if he was already used to her carelessness. He quickly got up and went to the bedroom to fetch the balm from the bedside table, opened it, and applied it to her.
His fingertips were warm, and as he rubbed circles on her hand, it felt like fire, making her feel warm all over, her heart beating fast.
After applying the balm and putting the lid back on, Song Wei looked up, his gaze warm, "Feel better?"
Wen Wan nodded, blushing.
"What were you thinking about just now, so lost in thought?"
Wen Wan hesitated for a moment, then turned sideways to pick up a brush, dipped it in ink, and awkwardly wrote on the rough paper: imperial exam.
Song Wei looked at those two words, his gaze becoming hazy.
Wen Wan’s heart was pounding, anxious and uneasy.
She knew the death of the Da Lang couple left a heavy shadow on Song Wei’s heart, but she and her mother-in-law both hoped Song Wei would walk out of it soon, let go of the past, and free himself.
"Does Wanwan hope I enter the civil service through the imperial exam?" he asked, his tone inquiring.
Wen Wan shook her head, actively holding his broad hand, then released it after a moment, using sign language to say: I hope you are happy.
The mother-in-law said, studying and taking the imperial exam has been my husband’s dream since he was a child.
Due to an accident, he withdrew, and even if he doesn’t say it, there must be regret in his heart.
Song Wei didn’t respond, and the study fell into silence. The two of them were close, with shallow breathing lingering between them.
After a while, he broke the silence first, "I started applying for the county exam when I was ten, and in ten years, I never once successfully entered the examination hall. When I was twenty, my elder brother and sister-in-law were killed because of me, completely destroying my passion for the imperial exam. I didn’t believe in fate before, but from that year on, I did. Maybe I’m destined to have no connection with the imperial exam, so even after seven or eight years, I don’t think I can suddenly have a change of luck."
Wen Wan asked him: If you don’t believe in luck, do you believe in me?
Song Wei looked at the little girl, her eyes bright as stars, like a guiding light at night, making it hard to say no.
Song Wei’s lips gently curved, and he pinched her cheek slightly indulgently, saying, "You’re still young, don’t think too much, it’ll tire you out."
So all this emotional persuasion was in vain?
Wen Wan turned her back in a huff.
She wanted to practice writing! She wanted to write by hand to show him that she was more effective than a celestial deity in bringing him good luck!