The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Chapter 144

The mother and son had only been in harmony for a brief moment before Zong Jincheng started making faces at her.

If it weren’t for the crowd around them, Xu Wan would have made a face back at him, fighting magic with magic. But there were too many people, and she had to maintain her image. Her smile became even more radiant, making her look more like a skincare ambassador than Baili Weihong.

The little troublemaker thought to himself, "She’s so fake."

After the meal, the elderly lady had two inkstones brought over, claiming they were rare Duan inkstones, one for Jincheng and one for Wenxiu.

Cui Zhi leaned in and whispered to Xu Wan, "That gold necklace earlier looked expensive, but the actual value of the gold was less than a hundred taels. However, these two inkstones are from Duanzhou, the most prestigious of the four famous inkstones in Great Chu. They were crafted by a master artisan, and each is worth at least several thousand taels, more expensive than the jade pendants the young masters wear."

Xu Wan’s eyes widened as if an 8.0-magnitude earthquake had just struck.

"Several thousand taels?"

Wait, those two black slabs for grinding ink? How could they possibly be worth several thousand taels? Were they inlaid with gold?

Oh, wait, gold was just mentioned as being worth less than a hundred taels.

Xu Wan sighed again, realizing how poverty had limited her imagination. There were so many things in this world more expensive than gold...

Cui Zhi nodded, lowering her voice even further, "The price of these inkstones is so high that the elderly lady deliberately didn’t mention it, fearing that Young Master Jincheng might sell them off one day."

Xu Wan gulped and thought to herself, "I’d sell them too. I could just use two ordinary inkstones to grind ink and write."

When Xu Wan looked over at the two children, her eyes were fixed on the priceless inkstones, baffled by their outrageous value. Meanwhile, the two oblivious boys had no idea what they were holding.

Especially when Zong Jincheng picked up one of the inkstones with one hand, casually flipping it over to look at the inscription on the back. The precious item wobbled dangerously, almost slipping from his grasp, and Xu Wan’s heart nearly stopped.

"Little ancestor, if that thing breaks, I won’t be able to sleep for days!" she thought in panic.

"Cui Liu, take the inkstones and store them in the study," Xu Wan couldn’t hold back any longer. "Let them see them again when it’s time to write."

"Yes," Cui Liu replied, holding one inkstone in each hand with steady composure as she carried them away.

Xu Wan finally relaxed, thinking that she would have to glue the inkstones to the table with fish glue later to prevent Zong Jincheng from accidentally kicking them off and sending several thousand taels to their doom.

With the dangerous items removed, Xu Wan calmed down and listened to the conversation. The elderly lady first spoke warmly to Wenxiu, her eyes filled with guilt and affection.

Wenxiu, understanding his grandmother’s feelings, reassured her that he was happy studying with his aunt and asked her not to worry.

The elderly lady was moved to tears, praising him for being so sensible.

When it came to Zong Jincheng, the elderly lady looked at him with a mix of admiration for his rapid growth over the past few months and a firm resolve not to spoil him. She spoke to him as if giving parting advice, "Jincheng, you must study hard, listen to your mother, and grow up to be an upright and responsible young man. Don’t stray from the right path..."

The little troublemaker, still thrilled with his new treasures, grinned and said, "Don’t worry, Grandmother. I’ll become a famous scholar in the Capital City, and you and Grandfather will be proud of me!"

As for listening to Xu Wan...

He pretended not to hear that part.

If they didn’t end up fighting, it would already be a miracle. Why would he listen to that mean woman?

"Good, good..."

After the birthday celebration, Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu went out to play.

Only the elders remained at home, and it was then that Xu Wan noticed the elderly couple had already packed their belongings. She asked in surprise, "Father, Mother, why are you leaving so soon? Won’t you stay a few more days?"

The elderly lady stepped forward and patted Xu Wan’s hand, saying, "Wan’er, I’m at ease knowing you’re watching over this household. Your father and I won’t stay any longer. Jincheng’s skill at wheedling has grown too strong, and we can’t resist him. If we stay any longer, we might hinder your efforts to discipline him."

Xu Wan chuckled, "You’re the most understanding mother-in-law I’ve ever met. It’s really fine if you stay a couple more days. I can always take back whatever I give him later."

After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d done something like that. She and Steward Liu were already on the little troublemaker’s blacklist.

The elderly lady shook her head with a smile, "No, we won’t trouble you any further. As long as you raise the child well, it’s fine if we only return once a year."

Xu Wan thought for a moment and said, "I’ll work on improving his character as soon as possible so that you can return home earlier."

The elderly lady’s eyes welled up with tears as she replied, "Good, good. We’ll leave it to you. We don’t necessarily want him to achieve great success; we just... we just don’t want him to go astray. He’s too clever. If he isn’t properly guided, he’ll... he’ll surely cause trouble."

Xu Wan nodded, "I understand. I truly do."

The elderly lady had set a goal for the child to rank in the top three in exams, but her true intention was to correct his character through education. The purpose of studying wasn’t just to pass tests but to cultivate proper behavior and habits.

The elderly lady wiped her tears and said, "Then we’ll be off. If you need anything, just send a letter. The carrier pigeons you sent us won’t get lost on the way."

Xu Wan burst into laughter.

The elderly lady was even joking with her now.

After ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????seeing off the elderly couple, the red decorations in the courtyard were gradually taken down. Otherwise, Xu Wan would feel as if the little troublemaker were about to get married every time she looked up.

What an extravagant display.

With so many servants in the household, the cleanup was quick. Xu Wan reclined on a lounge chair, closing her eyes for a brief rest. Two maids fanned her to keep her cool, while incense burned on the table to ward off mosquitoes.

Xu Wan was on the verge of dozing off but habitually asked, "Where did they go to play? The streets? Did Steward Liu give Jincheng the ten taels of silver?"

Cui Zhi replied, "Yes, Young Master Jincheng has money now. He’s probably out buying all sorts of snacks and toys."

Spending money—who doesn’t love that?

"Mhm..." Xu Wan murmured, her voice fading as she drifted toward an afternoon nap.

But for some reason, a sudden thought flashed through her mind, too quick to grasp. She quickly opened her eyes, wide awake, and said, "Wait, Jincheng is hiding something from us."

Last night, after failing to get money from her, the little troublemaker had gone to ask the elderly lady for silver. Though he was unsuccessful, it was still unusual behavior.

He had been perfectly fine being broke. Why did he suddenly want a thousand taels of silver?