deltrittennovels Chapter 136 The Desire to Win
Chapter 136 The Desire to Win
This was the first time Pei Rujing had ever experienced a cruise ship.
It feels very novel.
The two sat by the window playing Go, a gentle breeze blowing in from outside, refreshing and comfortable.
Lunch was also served on the painted boat.
Changdong's rental of this painted boat was very well arranged; not only were boatmen provided, but there was also a cook on board.
The ingredients were all fresh.
Before cooking, the steward of the pleasure boat made a special trip to ask Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing about their preferences.
Although the chef's skills couldn't compare to those of the cooks in the manor, they were still at the level of a head chef in a restaurant. Coincidentally, this person happened to be good at making mutton jelly, which suited Pei Rujing's taste.
Pei Rujing praised with satisfaction, "Your cooking skills are acceptable."
Wen Zongji nodded: "This pleasure boat is very good at business. As long as we pay the rent, they will arrange everything very well. We can just enjoy ourselves and don't need to worry about anything else."
Simply put, as long as you pay, the pleasure boat will provide all the services. Although it's a bit pricey, it's worth the money.
After lunch, Pei Rujing wanted to drag Wen Zongji fishing.
Wen Zongji stopped her, saying helplessly, "My lady, why don't you take a look outside first? It's so hot right now, even the fish in the water are probably too hot to move."
The afternoon is the hottest time of the day!
Pei Rujing then realized, "I almost forgot."
Wen Zongji pulled her into the inner room: "Take a nap first, it's not too late to go fishing when it's cooler."
Pei Rujing doesn't have the habit of taking a nap; she's fine with either taking one or not.
Wen Zongji had never taken a nap before, but since he started working, he has been busy with official duties every day and needs a nap to relieve the fatigue of working for several hours in a row.
Gradually, I developed the habit of taking a nap.
Pei Rujing was with him, and whenever Wen Zongji was around, the two of them would take a nap together.
After taking off their outer clothes, the two lay on the bed, and Pei Rujing habitually leaned into Wen Zongji's arms.
Pei Rujing closed her eyes, just about to go to sleep, when she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Husband, is that 'Recommended by Great Confucian Scholars' section you mentioned before meant to replace the current literature section?"
Wen Zongji embraced Pei Rujing and said with his eyes closed, "Exactly. Because excellent articles can't always be available, when there aren't any good articles to publish, we publish articles recommended by 'great scholars' along with their comments."
"So, the Beijing Daily's statement that it accepts submissions from everyone is just preparation for the 'Recommended by Great Confucian Scholars' section?"
"That's right. Would you like to submit your work, madam?"
Wen Zongji made a casual joke.
Pei Rujing shook her head: "I'm not interested in that at all. I just want to know when you're going to announce this news."
"Naturally, we need to find a great Confucian scholar or a renowned scholar who is willing to cooperate with the Beijing Gazette Bureau. One person is not enough; we need to find more people to take turns selecting articles. If only one person selects articles, it will inevitably lead to aesthetic fatigue among the public."
Pei Rujing said, "You haven't even convinced Mr. Lian Yuan yet, and you're already thinking about finding more people? You're thinking quite far ahead."
Wen Zongji smiled and said, "As the chief editor of the Beijing Gazette, I naturally have to think three steps ahead for every one step I take. It's not that we have to find a lot of scholars to collaborate with right now, it's just that we'll take it one step at a time for future plans."
Pei Rujing didn't say anything more.
She brought this up suddenly because she remembered that Wen Shuyu intended to submit an article to the Beijing Gazette, but the article was not yet finished, and she didn't know how well Wen Shuyu's article was written, or whether it was possible for the great scholar to select it for publication in the Beijing Gazette.
Thinking this through, Pei Rujing asked again, "When you're selecting the essays, will you deliberately eliminate those written by women?"
"A woman?" Wen Zongji was taken aback. "It seems the Beijing Gazette Bureau hasn't received any articles submitted by women."
The handwriting of men and women is very different; this is generally noticeable at a glance.
"What if you receive it?"
Wen Zongji replied without hesitation, "Of course, everyone will be treated equally... My wife has reminded me. Tomorrow, after I go to the Beijing Gazette Office, I will remind them that when selecting articles, they should only look at the writing style and not anything else."
Women in this era were stereotyped as being meant to stay in the inner quarters and manage the household; this was a stereotype that was almost ingrained in their very being.
To prevent the staff of the Beijing Gazette Bureau from bringing prejudice against women into the review process, Wen Zongji needed to establish rules for them.
Pei Rujing smiled and said, "I just happened to think of that."
Having promised Wen Shuyu not to tell Wen Zongji, she naturally wouldn't betray Wen Shuyu.
After saying what she wanted to say, Pei Rujing rubbed her cheek against Wen Zongji's chest and said affectionately, "Okay, go to sleep."
"Okay, time to sleep."
……
The two woke up after sleeping for less than half an hour.
To avoid not being able to sleep at night, the two of them usually don't nap for very long, even when they are sleeping together. If Wen Zongji were alone, his nap would be even shorter.
When I woke up, the sun was still shining brightly outside, making it unsuitable to go out.
The two sat by the window, chatting and enjoying the scenery along the way.
When it got cooler outside and wasn't so hot anymore, Pei Rujing enthusiastically dragged Wen Zongji out fishing.
Upon learning that they wanted to fish, the manager instructed the boatman to stop the pleasure boat and brought them two fishing rods.
"Young master, madam, would you like me to send someone to scatter some fish food to attract the fish?"
Wen Zongji waved his hand: "We can do it ourselves."
The steward responded and turned to leave.
Changdong and Anfeng had already opened two bags of fish food and scattered them all into the river, waiting for the fish to gather around.
The two sat on the deck, feeling the breeze blowing through their hair.
Wen Zongji opened his arms and inhaled the fresh, open air: "Indeed, the beauty of mountains and rivers is the most intoxicating."
Doing nothing, just being there, is a very comfortable thing.
Pei Rujing didn't notice his movements. She was leaning on the railing, watching through the clear river water as the fish were gradually attracted by the fish food.
"Husband, it's time to go fishing."
After a while, feeling that the baiting was almost done, Pei Rujing said softly.
I deliberately lowered my voice, afraid of scaring the fish away.
Wen Zongji was amused by her: "My lady, there's no need to be so careful. Fish probably don't have very good hearing."
Although he didn't know whether the fish's hearing was strong or weak.
Pei Rujing glared at him, annoyed that he was teasing her: "Let's see who catches more fish in a bit."
"My lady, have you forgotten that we had a competition before?"
You were lucky that time.
"Maybe I'll be lucky this time too."
"Absolutely impossible!"
The county magistrate's competitive spirit was immediately aroused.
His gaze toward Wen Zongji was full of provocation: "This time, I will definitely win."
Wen Zongji shrugged: "Then I'll wait and see."
He wasn't particularly competitive; he just wanted to keep Pei Rujing company and pass the time as long as she was happy.