Two days passed quickly, and it was time for Wang Qingchen to leave for the county seat. No matter how reluctant Mrs. Yang felt, she couldn't let her son give up his future prospects. So, all Mrs. Yang could do now was pack his belongings for him.

Wang Qingchen watched Mrs. Yang pack quite a few things for him, with the tendency to keep packing more, so he quickly stopped her, saying, "Mother, you don't need to bring all this padded clothing. I have some over at the county."

"Hey, how can that be? The weather is so cold now; what if you catch a chill? You should take more with you! Besides, Mother has made you so many pairs of padded shoes; remember to wear them!" Mrs. Yang instructed while packing.

Wang Qingchen looked at Mrs. Yang, who was constantly reminding him while packing his things, and felt a warmth spread through his heart. This feeling of being valued and cared for was truly wonderful.

A long time passed before Mrs. Yang finished packing everything.

Wang Youfu looked at the pile of things Mrs. Yang had prepared and nodded. "Also, pack some food for Qingchen. That way, if he gets hungry, he can eat something in the carriage."

Hearing Wang Youfu's words, Mrs. Yang slapped her forehead, "That's right! If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten that detail. How could we not pack food?"

Saying that, Mrs. Yang went out again to prepare the provisions.

Meanwhile, Wang Qingchen looked at the four large bundles already packed, his mouth twitching uncontrollably as he thought, "With this much luggage, how am I supposed to carry it all! And that's without counting the food that still needs to be packed—I truly won't be able to manage."

So, Wang Qingchen tried to decline, "Do we really need to bring so much stuff? It will be inconvenient for me to carry all this."

Wang Youfu simply waved his hand, "Don't worry about that. I'll take you to the town later, all the way to the carriage. Then the things can just be placed on the carriage, and when you reach the county, you can just have the carriage deliver them to where you are staying, can't you?"

Once Wang Youfu said that, it became difficult for Wang Qingchen to refuse. He could only force a dry laugh and say, "Father, there’s no need for you to go to all that trouble. You have so much work waiting for you at home."

"What are you talking about? No matter how busy I am, I can certainly spare the time to see you off to town," Wang Youfu said in a loud voice.

Now Wang Qingchen genuinely didn't know what to say to stop his family from insisting he take so many things.

Soon, Mrs. Yang had packed another bundle brimming with food for Wang Qingchen. Wang Qingchen reluctantly accepted the fifth bundle with a look of near despair, then bade farewell to his family and allowed Wang Youfu to escort him to town.

As he promised, Wang Youfu not only took Wang Qingchen to town but also helped his son load the bundles onto the carriage.

After everything was secured on the carriage, Wang Youfu gave Wang Qingchen a few more words of advice, all of which Wang Qingchen nodded in agreement to. Finally, Wang Youfu inquired if Wang Qingchen had enough money on hand. Wang Qingchen naturally affirmed that he did, remembering that while he was studying at the county school, he hadn't stopped earning money; he had maintained contact, or rather, a partnership, with Boss Xue and Steward Xu.

Hearing his son confirm he had funds, Wang Youfu was still somewhat uneasy. He pressed twenty taels of silver into his son's hand, saying, "Take this money. You don't need to be too frugal once you're in the county. If the money isn't enough, just write home, you understand? Also, you've seen things here at home—everything is fine. Once you reach the county, just focus wholeheartedly on your studies. You don't need to worry about matters at home; your mother and I can handle everything..."

Wang Qingchen kept nodding as he listened to Wang Youfu's instructions. These were words he had never heard Wang Youfu say before. Hearing such detailed admonishments now stirred an indescribable emotion within him. All along, Wang Youfu and Mrs. Yang had seemed different to Wang Qingchen. Mrs. Yang’s care for him could never be enough, but Wang Youfu was like every stern father—perhaps to maintain his fatherly dignity or for some other reason—he never showed his concern so openly. Yet now, Wang Youfu was articulating all this concern, reminding his son who was about to leave home. Wang Qingchen’s heart was filled with a deep sense of filial affection.

Before Wang Qingchen could say anything, Wang Youfu continued, "Once you get to the county, study hard. Next year's imperial examination depends on what you do now. And, you absolutely must not learn from that boy from the Zhang family, you hear me? If I find out you've taken after that Zhang boy, I will personally go there and drag you back to teach you a lesson."

Wang Qingchen couldn't help but smile wryly and nodded, then said, "Father, please don't worry. Why would I follow Zhang Wenbing? Your son is different from him. Moreover, I’m living with several other people in the county. If I were to go astray, they would all know about it, and you could find out just by asking them. So, I wouldn't dare to go astray."

After hearing his son's explanation, Wang Youfu thought it over and realized it was true. He stopped dwelling on that matter and instead told his son to pay attention to adding clothes when it got colder. Finally, amid the coachman's impatient gaze, the lengthy advice concluded, urging Wang Qingchen to quickly board the carriage and set off.

Wang Qingchen nodded and said, "Father, hurry back now. I'm leaving. You both must take good care of yourselves at home!"

"Mmm, everything is fine here together. Don't worry about us; concentrating on your studies is what's important," Wang Youfu couldn't help but add.

"Alright then, Father, I'm off to the county," saying this, Wang Qingchen boarded the carriage.

Once inside, Wang Qingchen lifted the curtain and saw Wang Youfu still standing there, watching his carriage. So, he quickly waved his hand and called out, "Father, please go back now!"

Wang Youfu waved back in return, then finally turned around and got onto the ox-cart.

Seeing this, Wang Qingchen let the curtain fall again and turned to organize his belongings; there was still a long journey to the county ahead!

After escorting his son, Wang Youfu returned home and found his wife, Mrs. Yang, sitting there, staring blankly at something. He walked over to look and saw that Mrs. Yang was looking at a pair of shoe soles in her hands.

Seeing Wang Youfu enter, Mrs. Yang placed the shoe soles down and sighed, "These were for Qingchen. I had hoped to finish them by the time he returned this time. Who knew we’d be so busy these past few days that I wouldn't have the time to work on them. Now that he’s gone to the county, he’ll have to wait until he comes back next time to wear them."

Wang Youfu naturally knew that Mrs. Yang was reluctant to see her son leave. He immediately tried to comfort her, "You shouldn't be so sad. Our son has gone to the county for the sake of his future. While we parents can't help him with his studies, at least we shouldn't cause him any trouble, right?"

"Sigh, how could I not know that I shouldn't hinder my son's future? It's just that he’s mostly away from home now, and he's not here on a daily basis. We can’t really look after him here. Everything he does outside, he has to manage and care for himself. When he was at home before, I handled everything for him. Now that no one is there to look after him, I constantly worry he won't take good care of himself," Mrs. Yang sighed.

"You are truly worrying too much. Our son hasn't been outside for just a day or two; how could he not manage to take care of himself? Relax, our son is quite capable; these things won't stump him," Wang Youfu said proudly.

Hearing Wang Youfu’s words, Mrs. Yang knew that continuing this line of talk wouldn't lead anywhere. So, she tidied up the shoe soles and said, "You’re right! Oh, I’m going to visit my younger sister-in-law now, and I'll take her a hen and some eggs with me. She is in her confinement period and needs these things!"

When Wang Youfu heard she was going to see his sister, he naturally wouldn't object. Instead, he instructed, "Fang'er suffered so much hardship before; only now has her suffering finally ended. We should look after her as much as we can!"

Mrs. Yang nodded, sounding slightly displeased, "Do I need you to say that? Am I that stingy?"

Mrs. Yang’s rare outburst of pique momentarily stunned Wang Youfu. When she didn't hear Wang Youfu speak for a long moment, she suddenly realized what she had just said. At this moment, she was truly embarrassed, her entire face flushed red.

Mrs. Yang felt her face burning hot, so she quickly lowered her head and said, "I'm going to see my sister-in-law now."

With that, Mrs. Yang hurried out, leaving Wang Youfu standing there, still somewhat taken aback.

Mrs. Yang’s whole face was nearly burning as she went to fetch the hen she had already caught. Just as she was about to get the eggs, she saw her daughter-in-law, Luo Qing, approaching.

Luo Qing looked at Mrs. Yang and immediately asked with concern, "Mother, what’s wrong with your face? Are you feeling unwell?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Yang became even more flustered and quickly covered up, "Perhaps I just wore too many clothes today; it got a little hot just now. Oh, right, I'm planning to visit your paternal aunt. Do you want to come with me?"

When Luo Qing heard it was to visit Wang Guifang, she quickly nodded, "Yes, yes! Mother, I’ll go with you right away!"

The reason Luo Qing was so eager to accompany her was that her paternal aunt had also just given birth to a son; she wanted to go and absorb some of that good fortune, hoping she could also have a son.

And so, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went together to visit Wang Guifang.

When Mrs. Yang and Luo Qing arrived, the Old Madam and Tian Shi were also there. Since Wang Guifang had given birth, the Old Madam had been extremely concerned and had visited her daughter almost every day for the past few days. Tian Shi, however, didn't visit as frequently.