Chapter 37 It's not my fault, it's all Zhao Xiaolang's fault for being too...

Fusu was not the type to slander his teachers. But the undeniable facts were right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to think this way.

To verify his guess, Fusu blinked his dark eyes twice and asked with feigned curiosity, "What are the benefits? It's worth mentioning this specifically, Senior Brother Fan."

"Benefits?"

Fan Chunren pondered for a moment, then stroked his chin. Suddenly, he bent down and picked Fusu up in his arms: "The benefits are too numerous to list in a short time."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey—!"

The sudden feeling of weightlessness distracted Fusu. He waved his little hands in the air twice and then sat steadily on Fan Chunren's arm.

A faint scent of ink lingered in the air, startling him, who rarely interacted closely with others. His fair face slowly flushed red: "...Senior Brother Fan? What are you doing?"

Su Shi chuckled and came to the rescue: "Why don't you think about your senior brother's back? I've been talking to you with my back bent over the whole time, isn't he tired?"

Fusu then looked at Fan Chunren, who coughed lightly and said, "That's right. I've been sitting here all day, please forgive me, Junior Brother."

Alright. Fusu accepted this explanation. He also felt a little guilty for not being considerate enough before, for not noticing that Fan Chunren was unwell. But then he thought, Fan Chunren was clearly unwell, but because they were students of the Imperial Academy, he dared to stand up for them, and he didn't back down at all even when faced with the thug's physique.

He immediately abandoned the discomfort of being held like a child as an adult, stopped struggling, adjusted his posture, and sat steadily on Fan Chunren's arm: "This is close enough, Senior Brother, you can say it now."

"This food committee is similar to an autonomous organization of the Imperial College. If you two have the opportunity to join, firstly... secondly... thirdly..."

The more Fusu listened, the more familiar the name sounded.

Isn't this exactly what he wrote in his plan?

It's confirmed, Mr. Mei, you really are a proud and arrogant person.

Mei Yaochen not only circulated his plan among others, but also almost completely preserved the core structure of the committee, retaining its most essential part—student self-governance.

The core essence of the Dietary Improvement Committee lies in the word "self-governance".

Fan Chunren's explanation of the various benefits is based on this very point. Anyone who has ever served as a student leader knows that it is a demanding and challenging experience. The experience gained from the cause of self-governance will be invaluable for one's future career in officialdom.

Fusu and Su Shi were three and seven years old, respectively. Logically, they were still far from being eligible for the imperial examinations and official appointments; no one expected them to take up official posts immediately. However, Fan Chunren meticulously offered them advice beneficial to their official careers, truly showing great concern for their well-being.

Oh, and don't forget, tonight is also my first meeting with Fan Chunren.

Fusu exclaimed in admiration, "Senior Brother Fan, you truly live up to your reputation..."

Fan Chunren was taken aback: "What?"

Fusu originally wanted to say, "He truly is worthy of being Fan Zhongyan's son." But as the son of the historical figure Qin Shi Huang, the most distressing moment for him was seeing the evaluation that he was "unworthy of his father."

There's probably no second-generation rich kid in the world who wants to live in their father's shadow and be constantly compared to others, right? This is almost a curse that second-generation rich kids are destined to suffer from, and Fusu suffered from it for a long time.

A flood of unpleasant memories suddenly rushed into his mind, and Fusu immediately tried to change his words: "As expected of... truly..."

"He's a really good person!"

"..."

Just a second before, Fusu was trying to kill himself for being so speechless he was stuttering. If you don't have anything to say, you don't have to say it.

Is it appropriate to casually comment on a senior you've just met? That's incredibly rude.

Su Shi: "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

After he finished laughing heartily, he nodded emphatically, as if to say, "I agree with what Zhao Xiaolang said!"

Fan Chunren: "?"

Even though you two are praising me, I still feel like I'm being insulted.

Before Fusu could cover Su Shi's mouth, he hurriedly changed the subject: "Let's hurry up and pack something, we still need to return it to Xiangguo Temple later."

He was referring to the sugar painting stall that had been vandalized by thugs. Although the thugs had been taken away by Master Jingjue, the ground was still a mess. Tables, stools, turntables... and other miscellaneous decorations were scattered everywhere.

Fusu was speaking to Su Shi, but Fan Chunren also rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll help too."

"Oh, how can that be!"

Fusu felt that this was their own business, and Fan Chunren had already helped once, so it would be unreasonable to ask him to help again.

Fan Chunren retorted, "Are you just going to let your senior brother watch you two younger ones clean up while you stand idly by?"

"..."

Fusu had nothing to say.

He sighed helplessly and had no choice but to agree. Su Shi then began to order people around without any politeness: "Brother Fan, I'm not strong enough, could you please help me lift the table legs?"

"OK."

Fan Chunren didn't stand on ceremony; he followed Su Shi's instructions exactly. With an adult helping, the tidying up progressed quickly, and soon only a few small items remained scattered on the floor.

Fusu, with his sharp eyes, noticed the paper pointer of the spinning wheel had flown far away and was about to run to retrieve it. Even if he couldn't put the wheel back, he couldn't leave it as trash. The moment he took a step, the pointer was handed to him.

The hand was handed to him by a child a few years older than Fusu. As he held out his hand, he timidly asked, "Young man, are you... coming to the night market again tomorrow?"

He sounded quite embarrassed as he spoke—he hadn't helped when two children younger than him were being harassed by thugs, fearing he'd get caught in the crossfire. Now, after the situation was under control, he'd gone up to them again to ask if they were setting up a stall; it was really… what was that popular phrase again? Right, shameless.

"Yes, Xiao Lang, you absolutely have to come! I've been queuing for over half an hour! If you don't come, wouldn't all my queuing have been for nothing?"

Feeling Fusu's gaze fall on him, the person who spoke chuckled awkwardly.

"Well, young man, I'm really sorry about before. But look how skinny I am, haha, I had no choice..."

Fusu didn't blame the person; their relationship was purely transactional, and no one was obligated to help anyone else. However, he suddenly remembered something: what was their original intention in setting up the sugar painting stall?

Earn a little money, and treat yourself to something nice!

As a result, he stopped talking, and Su Shi, who was tricked into coming, has been starving ever since.

Fusu shook his head decisively: "We won't be coming tomorrow for now... Wait, I didn't mean to blame you! It's just that the syrup for painting is really hard to make, and it will take some time before we can get anything done."

"All right."

The man could only leave dejectedly, but before leaving, he repeatedly told Fusu to come over once the syrup was ready.

This wasn't an isolated incident. Many people near the stall were eagerly watching Fusu; they were all people who had queued up but hadn't managed to buy any sugar paintings. But since they hadn't helped deal with the thugs earlier, they had all discreetly dispersed to protect themselves. Now, concerned about their image, they were too embarrassed to approach Fusu directly, so they could only communicate through their eyes.

Fusu felt a little uneasy under their gaze.

He quickly ran back to Su Shi and Fan Chunren, who were chatting quietly together. For some reason, the latter's gaze towards him was different. In addition to the original affection for the younger generation and appreciation for the child prodigy, there was something else that was hard to explain.

You must have told Senior Brother Fan something about me.

Fusu glanced at Su Shi discreetly: What did you say? Tell me the truth!

Su Shi: I told Senior Brother Fan that setting up the sugar painting stall was your idea. And this spinning wheel was also your idea.

Fusu: "..."

He realized that he seemed to have forgotten something.

In modern times, setting up a street stall is perfectly normal; sandwiches, freshly squeezed orange juice, tiramisu… it's practically every college student's first entrepreneurial experience. Fusu certainly did a lot of this to earn his tuition. But the Song Dynasty was different. The prevailing ideology was to prioritize agriculture over commerce, and merchants were always considered a lowly profession, looked down upon.

As a student of the Imperial Academy studying the classics, how could Fan Chunren possibly approve of such a thing as going to the night market to do business? He certainly wouldn't.

No wonder Su Shi looked so surprised when he suggested setting up a stall during the day. But after a couple of tugs of doubt, he agreed, completely making Fusu forget about the "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce" policy until now.

Well, Su Shi, you truly lived up to your reputation!

Fusu made a last-ditch effort: "Senior Brother Fan, please let me explain. I didn't mean to neglect my duties; I just wanted to earn some extra money to eat something good at the night market..."

Fan Chunren nodded: "I understand."

Fusu: No, you don't know!

He tried to explain himself further, but found himself unable to defend himself. It seemed this strange impression was destined to be left on Fan Chunren.

Fusu had a very good impression of Fan Chunren. But the other side might not think the same way.

"well……"

Fan Chunren composed himself and changed the subject: "Are you going to find the monks at Xiangguo Temple to return these odds and ends? I'll go with you."

"Zhao Xiaolang, you must be tired after standing all night. Let me carry you."

These words were spoken to Fusu. No sooner had the words left his mouth than he picked him up without another word.

Fusu: "Eh—"

Suddenly, everything went upside down, and he dazedly sat on Fan Chunren's arm again. Immediately, the scenery around him began to move. It turned out that Fan Chunren had picked up tables, chairs, benches, and other items, preparing to set off.

Fusu was being jostled around, and instinctively grabbed the fabric of Fan Chunren's clothes on his shoulder. Fan Chunren seemed to sense this and shifted his position.

Fusu wiggled his little bottom, finding a more comfortable and stable position for himself, while secretly pondering in his heart: Could it be that Senior Brother Fan doesn't dislike him? Or is it just out of consideration for the juniors of the Imperial Academy?

He hesitated for a while, then finally decided not to ask and just pretend he didn't know. Anyway, given Senior Brother Fan's character, even if he looked down on him, he wouldn't speak ill of him or treat him differently. So be it, to avoid any awkwardness between them.

Fusu comfortably bury his head in the sand like an ostrich.

But what he didn't know was that Fan Chunren's ears secretly turned red when he held him. Actually, Su Shi's initial explanation was only half right; he did indeed lift Fan Chunren up because it was inconvenient to speak while bending over, but the other half…

It's because he couldn't help it!

Fan Chunren silently consoled himself: It wasn't really his fault; it was just that Zhao Xiaolang was too adorable! Not only was he fair-skinned and soft like a block of tofu, but his eyes were also very bright, as if he could exude a spirit at any moment. He could even write poetry and go to the Imperial Academy at the age of three.

Fan Chunren was newly married and had no children yet. He was longing for a child and couldn't help but daydream: if only his child could be like Zhao Xiaolang.

But Fan Chunren only dared to think these words in his heart; he would never dare to say them aloud. Zhao Xiaolang's surname was Zhao, and he was a member of the imperial clan. If he were to speak out, he would at least be punished for a serious offense of disrespect.

I wonder who is so lucky to be Zhao Xiaolang's father?

What Fan Chunren didn't know was that he was actually envying two... three people!

Achoo!

In the Funing Hall, Emperor Renzong suddenly sneezed.

After wiping his nose with a handkerchief, he smiled at Huang Duzhi beside him and said, "It must be that Su'er misses me and is talking about me."

Huang Duzhi said, "Your Majesty and His Highness Prince Cheng are of one mind. You think of him, and he naturally thinks of you too."

When Emperor Renzong heard this, he couldn't help but smile. His eyes weren't on him, but on Liang Huaiji on the other side.

Liang Huaiji stood respectfully and silently.

Emperor Renzong: "..."

Okay, I understand. My son wasn't thinking about him at all.

She probably didn't even think of him!

The emperor muttered "little rascal" to himself, but his hand continued writing the letter without pause, quickly filling an entire page before finally stopping. The inkstone he used was the very gift that Fusu had personally chosen for him outside the palace that day.

Upon seeing this, Huang Duzhi stepped forward, intending to present the letter to Emperor Renzong, but was stopped by the latter: "I came personally."

While waiting for the ink to dry, Emperor Renzong looked up at the open window, where soft moonlight streamed in. The night was deep. At this hour, Su'er was probably already asleep. He wondered what the beds at the Imperial Academy were like, and whether Su'er was comfortable sleeping alone.

Actually, I didn't sleep at all.

And they were enjoying a good time at the night market. Fusu, Su Shi, and Fan Chunren went to Xiangguo Temple to return their belongings and happened to run into the young monk Jingjue who was looking for them.

"Hey. Where's that thug from before?"

Master Jingjue: "He has already been sent to the authorities and is being held in custody. Your Highness... Young Master, there's no need to worry."

"That's good!"

That thug's tendency to be violent towards children shows he's deteriorating. Such a person is a major threat to public safety; putting him in jail sooner rather than later is doing the public a favor.

Fusu earnestly advised, "But you must also be careful of retaliation."

"Amitabha Buddha, young benefactor, you can rest assured, who would dare to offend the Grand Chancellor..."

The young monk Jingjue was speaking when he suddenly remembered that someone actually dared to provoke the Great Xiangguo Temple, and the conspiracy was even exposed by the person in front of him.

He couldn't help but shut his mouth in embarrassment.

Fusu: "...Pfft. Cough cough cough!"

Fusu feigned a cough, covering the corners of his upturned mouth with his sleeve. Fortunately, the other two didn't notice anything amiss. Su Shi even patted Fusu's heavy sleeve, saying, "Master Jingjue, and Senior Brother Fan, let's go to the night market for some late-night snacks later. Today we're going to eat at Zhao Xiaolang's 'big house'!"

“Half of this is yours,” Fusu retorted.

"Of course I'd be happy to let my junior master and senior brother eat my bread, but what about you..."

Fusu quickly replied, "I'm willing too!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Su Shi grabbed one of them with each hand, and the sudden force caused Fan Chunren and Jingjue to stumble half a step. Seeing this, Fusu immediately joined in the tug-of-war.

Since they've already come all this way and helped us so much, it would be a real shame not to treat them to a meal.

"Well……"

Given Fan Chunren and Jingjue's character, they wouldn't be willing to spend the hard-earned money from their child's stall. But the two little ones seemed determined to treat them to a meal, so they exchanged a glance and had no choice but to considerately comply.

The night market at Xiangguo Temple is really lively.

After the sugar painting stalls closed down, long queues became rare in the night market. Only a few vendors, like Fusu, could create blockbuster products using cutting-edge technology. Most vendors had been steadily building their businesses here for years, earning a living through hard work and excitement.

Braised pork, roasted duck, pan-fried lamb intestines, chilled glutinous rice balls, Kaifeng steamed buns...

With signs flying high, Fusu was dazzled and overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, suffering from decision paralysis. Aside from the lack of light boxes, it was virtually indistinguishable from a modern night market.

Fusu immediately looked at Master Jingjue, who was also the only local among them: "So, which one is better?"

"Oh, right!" Su Shi suddenly realized: "Young monk, you are a monk from Xiangguo Temple, so you must know very well."

Jingjue scratched his face awkwardly: "Actually, I haven't been here much."

"ah?"

"ah?"

"Because I always felt that I could come again anytime in the future, so I..."

Fusu instantly understood: the locals don't travel.

"However, I have a senior brother who comes here often. He knows where the good food is and he'll tell me. I'll take you to find it."

"..."

Fifteen minutes later, Fusu didn't even look up, burying his face in a braised duck bone and munching away.

The duck was braised until tender and flavorful, the chewy meat infused with a rich, savory sauce. Even the bones could be chewed and swallowed. Fusu could hardly imagine how happy someone would be to eat this duck every day.

He openly expressed his envy for the monks of Jingjue Temple and Daxiangguo Temple.

After finishing his meal, Fusu went to the stall again, took out some copper coins and bought a few more whole ducks, intending to ask Huaiji to make another trip the next morning to deliver them to the palace for the Emperor, Empress and his sister's table.

By the way, I'm letting my family know I'm doing well out there—I'm even eating delicious food that I've never had in the palace, so you don't need to worry about me!

Unexpectedly, before Fusu could even send out the food, he spotted Liang Huaiji in the dormitory. At the same time, the replies he had sent out during the day arrived as promised.

Fusu first tore open the top letter, and upon looking at the handwriting on the paper, he realized it was from the Emperor.

"So much!" he exclaimed, looking at the full page of paper.

The message Fusu sent was simply to let his family know he had arrived safely at the Imperial Academy. What exactly did the Emperor write that filled an entire page in such fine calligraphy?

He curiously unfolded the letter and began to read it carefully.

Emperor Renzong's writing style was unlike his elaborate imperial edicts. His words were simple and unpretentious, as if he were speaking directly to himself.

Su'er, have you arrived at the Imperial Academy yet? How are your meals, clothing, and daily necessities? Are you adapting well to life outside the palace? If you can't adapt, then come back to the palace.

—Daga, Koukouwalu! (But I refuse)

Has the food at the Imperial Academy's dining hall improved since I approved the allowance for your meals?

Unfortunately, there aren't any.

Are your classmates treating you well? If you're bullied, don't suffer in silence. Just call my name! Let me stand up for you!

—No, Dad, you don't want to know how the rumors will turn out!

-----------------------

Author's note: A fourth person has appeared who wants to be Fusu's father.

And what will happen to the rumors, lol.