Chen Xuan's spiritual realm was suddenly elevated to the level of world trends. Although she had not yet figured out what the world trend was, Chen Xuan suddenly felt an indescribable sense of openness. For example, Wei Jin always liked to find fault with her, for example, Mrs. Wei was mean to her daughter-in-law, and for a moment, Chen Xuan felt that the Wei family's affairs were really not worth mentioning in front of the big topic of world trends.
Although Chen Xuan's understanding of the world trend was limited to knowing how to pronounce and write these four words, she had no idea about the connotation. Not only did she not know, Wei Nian also said that he did not know. Chen Xuan thought that something that even a smart person like Wei Nian did not know must be a great thing, and it might not be understood in a short time. For this reason, Chen Xuan studied harder, thinking that with her current wisdom, she might not be able to understand the world. But if she studied more, she might know it in the future.
So, apart from doing housework and needlework, Chen Xuan focused all her attention on studying.
Moreover, Chen Xuan discovered that studying can make people smart. She privately told Wei Nian, "When I first started learning to read, I could only learn ten words a day, which took up all my free time. But now, along with learning to read and memorize, I can learn thirty words a day and memorize a large section of a book, and I don't feel any difficulty at all. The same is true for foreign languages. The more I learn, the less difficult it is. Brother Anian, it turns out that studying can make people smarter. No wonder people who read a lot are smarter than those who don't read. It really makes sense."
Wei Nian found it very interesting to see Chen Xuan telling him seriously about how smart she had become. He also agreed with Chen Xuan's point of view, "That's right. Look at you. When you first came here, you didn't talk much, but now you talk in a very organized way. This is because you have studied."
Chen Xuan said seriously, "At that time, you had a stinky face all day long, so I didn't dare to talk to you."
Wei Nian felt a little embarrassed when he thought of his attitude when he just got married. He explained to Chen Xuan, "I didn't say that to you. You don't know that nowadays, men and women have to spend some time together. If they get along well, they can become husband and wife. In our family, we still follow the old rules. We have never met before. When we first met, we were like strangers. How can we become husband and wife? Nowadays, there are also such marriages. The parents and elders of the family arrange the marriage, but the man or the woman is unwilling. Some men are reluctant to be a couple. Some women run away from home with other men. Hey, who is right or wrong in these things? But I think, if... Because of the marriage arranged by my family, I was unwilling to do it, but I was forced to marry you. This is not fair to you. What's wrong with you? At that time, I didn't know how to treat you, and I was a little angry. Nowadays, although men and women are equal, women are not as good as men. If we stay together without caring about it, what will happen if I have someone I like in the future and you have someone you like? I am a man, no matter how bad the words are, they are nothing more than a sin of being promiscuous. How are you women the same? You entered the Wei family in a muddle-headed way. If I make you lose your virginity again, and you have someone else in the future, then what kind of person will I be, right?"
Chen Xuan didn't know Wei Nian had such thoughts before. Now that she has the world trend in her mind, she doesn't care much about Wei Nian's affairs. Chen Xuan smiled, "You still say that I talk in a set way, but you are different."
Taking out the foreign language book from the drawer, Chen Xuan called to Wei Nian, "Stop talking about these useless things. Come over and teach me some more foreign words."
Wei Nian thought to himself, when he asked for help before, he would always call him Brother Nian, but now he doesn't even call him Brother Nian anymore. Seeing that Wei Nian didn't say anything, Chen Xuan urged him, "Hurry up, what are you standing there for?"
"Okay." Wei Nian cheered up and went to teach Chen Xuan foreign language.
Chen Xuan is now more motivated in her studies than before.
A few days later, Wei Nian gave Chen Xuan two foreign books. Chen Xuan was a little surprised. She took the books and said, "Why are you buying foreign books for me out of the blue?" Although Wei Nian is smart, he is not a person who likes to buy books.
Wei Nian saw Chen Xuan carefully wipe the covers of the two books with a handkerchief first, and he knew that she liked them. He picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea. "I didn't buy them. Smith knew that you were learning foreign languages, so he gave them to you."
"Why did Smith give me books for no reason? I don't have any friendship with him." These were two foreign books with beautifully printed covers. Chen Xuan opened them and read a few lines. There were also some foreign words. Chen Xuan put the books on the small table and asked Wei Nian, "Did he ask you for something?"
Wei Nian smiled, "It's just that he liked what I had and wanted to please us."
Chen Xuan understood what Wei Nian meant. Wei Nian had been fiddling with several bottles and jars, but he hadn't sold any yet. Speaking of porcelain, Chen Xuan was puzzled. "That's strange. I saw that when we went to a western restaurant, the plates and bowls were all made of porcelain. It turns out that foreigners also use porcelain. Why do they like our porcelain so much?"
"How many years have they been using porcelain? Our ancestors were the experts in making porcelain." Although Wei Nian learned foreign languages, he didn't care about many things foreigners did. Chen Xuan nodded, not quite understanding. A few days later, Smith came to the Wei family again. Chen Xuan became more skilled in entertaining guests and could speak more foreign languages. Even Smith could understand a few words of the conversation between him and Wei Nian. This time, Smith took away a box directly, and his expression was also very happy.
After Smith left, Wei Nian handed Chen Xuan a roll of colorful banknotes and asked her to keep it. Chen Xuan saw that there were numbers and foreign words on the banknotes. After taking a closer look, Chen Xuan couldn't help but say, "This is American money."
"Yes, US dollars."
"I've never seen this kind of money before." Chen Xuan saw foreign money for the first time. She took out a piece and looked at it from both sides. She asked Wei Nian, "Can this foreign money be used here?"
"Of course it can be used. You can exchange the silver coins for cash." Wei Nian taught her.
Chen Xuan counted the money first and wrote it down in her notebook. She wanted to put it at the bottom of the box, but then she thought, should she save money for Wei Nian? Chen Xuan asked Wei Nian tentatively, "I have never saved so much money. How about letting the old lady help you save it?"
"This is a really good idea. Once it's in Mom's hands, will it still be mine?" Wei Nian whispered to Chen Xuan, "Just save it when I tell you to. Don't you want to grow more strawberries? You're relying on this money to rent the land. Don't let Mom know about this, okay?"
Chen Xuan understood what Wei Nian said, and nodded repeatedly, "I understand, it's a private property, right?" Chen Xuan also quietly asked Wei Nian, "Is the land lease confirmed?"
Wei Nian saw her face getting closer, revealing a honey color under the light, and her eyes were round and bright, revealing a hint of expectation. Wei Nian said to her, "If you want to rent two acres of land in the suburbs now, forget it. Although the land in the suburbs is cheap, it is not safe. I have found a few yards, but we have to wait and see. Take this money first, you may need it soon."
Chen Xuan quickly agreed.
Chen Xuan asked, "Isn't it expensive to rent this yard?"
"Rent a yard?" Wei Nian raised his thick eyebrows. "Right now, the housing prices and commodity prices in Beijing are rising. Instead of renting a yard, it's better to buy one if you have money. It won't go away if you leave it there. But the cash is getting worse every year."
Chen Xuan said, "I heard from my aunt before that in the early days, three silver dollars could buy a cow, but later, it became five silver dollars."
"Yes." Wei Nian said, "Although doing business makes money quickly, if you have some spare money, it would be good to invest in some property."
Chen Xuan said, "Don't you need to discuss this house purchase with the old lady and grandfather?"
Wei Nian quickly warned her, "You better keep your mouth shut. I'm only telling you that when we buy this yard, we'll put it in your name first, okay? If my parents knew, they wouldn't want to buy the yard. Besides, this is all my private property, and we haven't divided the family yet. Just say that the yard is rented."
Chen Xuan was horrified. Even in the countryside, dividing a family is a big deal. Without dividing the family, Wei Nian made money to save for himself. Chen Xuan's heart was pounding. Wei Nian was afraid that she was too timid to hide the truth, so he threatened Chen Xuan, "If you tell anyone, you won't be able to grow strawberries."
"I, I won't tell you!" Chen Xuan pointed to the many kinds of strawberries to pay back Wei Nian's money, and immediately acted as a guarantor.
The matter of buying the yard has not been completed yet, but another incident has occurred. Mr. Jiao, who had not been seen for a long time, came to find Wei Nian. I don’t know what the two of them talked about, but when Mr. Jiao left, his face was very unhappy. Wei Nian did not see him off. Chen Xuan saw that Mr. Jiao looked helpless and emotional. After all, he was a gentleman and a man of great learning. Chen Xuan didn’t want to see Mr. Jiao go like this, so she hurriedly saw him out. When Mr. Jiao arrived at the door, he wanted to leave like this, but he seemed unwilling to do so. He turned to Chen Xuan and said, "Second Madam, I have known the Second Young Master for a while, and I know that he is a very smart and resourceful person. If it is cheap, please persuade the Second Young Master of your house. Those porcelains are our national treasures. Although the country is in danger for the time being, as a member of the Chinese nation, it is our duty not to let the national treasures be lost. People like the Second Young Master actually resell national treasures to foreigners. I am sorry that I cannot agree with it."
Chen Xuan was startled and said, "Aren't those just some bottles and jars? I heard that they were unwanted by other people. How can they be national treasures?"
Mr. Jiao sighed, thinking about what Chen Xuan, an old-fashioned woman, could know, so he sighed again and bowed to say goodbye.
Chen Xuan returned to the room and saw that Wei Nian looked fine. She changed the water in the teacup and poured a new one for Wei Nian before telling him what Mr. Jiao said. Wei Nian curled his lips and raised his eyebrows, revealing a bit of sarcasm, "You listen to his nonsense, what national treasure? The national treasure that can fall into my hands is just some porcelain used by wealthy families in the past. The really good ones have been bought by others long ago, and those that are left are just some middle and lower-quality goods! These intellectuals are just good at talking big. If he had said he wanted it earlier, I would have sold it to him. I have already sold it, and he comes here to sigh and sigh, what's the meaning?!"
After listening to the whole story of Wei Nian, Chen Xuan sat down and advised Wei Nian, "Just talk to Mr. Jiao about your difficulties. I think Mr. Jiao is not an unreasonable person."
"You don't know what kind of people they are. I just sold a few items, and it's as if I did something to let down the heaven and earth. There are too many of these things. As long as the ancestors were officials and made a fortune, who doesn't have a few of them? The descendants are not motivated, they can't keep them, so they sell them out, and naturally someone will take over. I don't understand what they mean. Selling to foreigners is letting down the nation, and selling to them is living up to the nation? It's just a small item, but they make it as big as the sky, which is really funny. If they have this time, they can do more things that are beneficial to the family and the country, so that they won't waste their stomachs of poetry and articles." Wei Nian put the teacup in his hand on the table with a "pop" sound, "Don't I hope that the country will be good? If the country is good, I don't have to be hypocritical with these foreigners when doing business. But the country is like this, we must first live a good life, and then talk about other things."
Wei Nian complained once, but once it reached the national level, Chen Xuan couldn't understand it anymore. However, she didn't think there was anything wrong with Wei Nian, so she comforted Wei Nian again, "Mr. Jiao just didn't think it through for the time being. Once he thinks it through, everything will be fine."
"He's just a nerd, ignore him."
"Don't be like that. I think Mr. Jiao is a learned man. He has his strengths and weaknesses. You have been reading books with him for so long, brother Anian. If you can ease the tension, you should ease it. These are just misunderstandings."
Wei Nian crossed his legs and said, "I'm not going to say anything nice to him."
Chen Xuan's heart moved, "It's okay. In our countryside, if two families are unhappy, we can ask someone to ease the situation. How about asking someone who is familiar with Mr. Jiao to ease the situation?"
"No, I can't let too many people know about tinkering with things."
Chen Xuan was very willing to interact with learned people. Although Mr. Jiao was a man, Wei Nian said that men and women were the same now, and there was no ban on men and women interacting with each other. Chen Xuan boldly discussed with Wei Nian, "Brother Nian, how about this, I go over and talk to Mr. Jiao, what do you think?"
"you?"
Chen Xuan nodded. "I don't know your big principles, but you all have your own reasons. I'll go over and listen to what Mr. Jiao has to say. He'll feel better after he speaks out his principles, and I think everything will be fine. Besides, if we take the initiative to go over, he'll have to give us a way out. I'll tell Mr. Jiao about your difficulties."
Chen Xuan didn't know what the world trend was. But she knew that the world trend was not in the Wei family. If it was not in the Wei family, it must be outside. With Mrs. Wei at home, she had very few opportunities to go out. Chen Xuan thought that she could find opportunities to go out more often and take a look at the outside world.
The author has something to say: ps: First update.
Apology announcement:
Well, I did something that was very sorry to everyone. How should I put it? Previously on Weibo, a reader asked me if Wei Nian was the male lead. In my original outline design, Wei Nian was indeed not the male lead. So, I gave the readers an accurate answer, no. However, as I wrote, my feelings shifted, and I really wanted to write Wei Nian as the male lead more and more. Seeing many readers discussing the issue of the male lead in the comment section, I felt very sorry for everyone. Can you forgive me? I will add more chapters today.