The entire courtyard was completely silent.
Xu Mo thought that his younger siblings had been inspired by his righteous spirit, and was about to take the opportunity to talk to them about principles and sentiments.
Jiang Sheng weakly tugged at the corner of his clothes, which was still covered in cotton fluff, "Big brother, you still haven't told me how you got into this mess."
Xu Mo lowered his head, speechless.
That's another story altogether.
After hearing the secrets revealed by Zhu Sihuan, Xu Mo's mind began to race, and he repeatedly pondered how to bring down Zhu Zhi.
First, we need to find evidence that he bought the gambling questions, but this is extremely difficult. Even the identity of Zhu Sihuan's direct descendant is unknown, which means that only a small group of people can access the gambling questions, and they are extremely distinguished.
As a scholar with no connections, Xu Mo had no way of getting in touch with this group of people.
Then the only option is to start with the impoverished students who sell their writings, find the original manuscripts of Zhu Zhizhong's articles, and then gradually plot against him.
Coincidentally, there were two impoverished students in the Imperial Academy who were ridiculed for their patched clothes and lack of paper for writing. Kind people offered to help them, but they all refused.
In his haste, Xu Mo chose to follow a poor student, hoping to find out where he lived and who he associated with.
"So the eldest brother was treated like a bad guy and beaten up?" Zheng Ruqian couldn't help but blurt out.
Xu Mo's face immediately turned as red as a monkey's bottom. He really didn't want to admit to such an embarrassing experience. He originally planned to just gloss over it, but his younger siblings were too smart and guessed it pretty accurately.
The actual situation at the time was:
Xu Mo followed the student furtively, almost losing him several times. Just as he was getting anxious, a sharp shout came from behind him, "Where did this lecher come from?"
Then, the eldest brother, whom his younger siblings respected most and was considered the epitome of integrity, flew up from the spot and landed face-first in the mud.
It was already late at night. He didn't have time to feel sorry for his torn cotton-padded coat or to wipe his face clean. He only wanted to turn back and look for the poor student, but he had already disappeared without a trace.
Looking back, the person who stepped forward was a neat young woman in a long black dress. Her face was not clearly visible, but she exclaimed in surprise, "She's actually a student from the Imperial Academy!"
After school, Xu Mo followed behind the impoverished students, not even having time to change his clothes. He was wearing the gray robes uniformly issued by the Imperial Academy.
"I didn't mean to... You were the one who started it by acting suspiciously." The girl in the black dress covered her mouth and gave a hasty bow. "It was my fault, please don't blame me."
Then they disappeared into the crowd.
Poor Xu Mo could only slowly sit up and, after resting for a while, struggled back to the second courtyard.
His clothes were tattered, he was covered in dirt and mud, and he still had to face his younger brothers' suppressed smiles.
Only Xiao Jiang Sheng carefully blew the mud and grime off her older brother and whispered, "Blow it on, brother, it doesn't hurt."
He needs to sit on the ground for a while to feel better; it must be hurting a lot, brother.
Just like when she was caught stealing Uncle Zhao's flatbed cart and was kicked a few times, she lay on the ground for a long time before staggering back to the dilapidated temple.
Xu Mo reached out and gently rubbed his little sister's head. Looking into her round, big eyes, he felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.
After a long pause, Changyan said, "Brother, you should not act rashly in the future. This time, not alerting the enemy is already the best outcome."
The relationships between the families are intricate, and the gambling involves a wide range of issues, so much so that a single move can have far-reaching consequences.
Xu Mo knew he had been too hasty and reckless. He tucked the fluttering cotton back in, his embarrassed blush fading, and he returned to being the composed and gentle elder brother he always was. "Don't worry, I won't rush things again."
To be honest, the siblings haven't had dinner yet.
Finally, their conversation came to an end, and Aunt Zhang brought out the reheated food and invited everyone to sit down.
Taking the opportunity, Chang Yan lowered his voice and leaned close to Xu Mo, saying word by word, "Brother, why don't you think about it from a different perspective? It's hard for outsiders to find out the inside story of the gambling, but what if you were one of the players?"
Xu Mo may be powerless and without influence, but he is a talented scholar, a fourteen-year-old top scholar in the imperial examinations. He has unique advantages, and his articles are sure to be highly sought after.
After he finished speaking, Chang Yan obediently picked up his rice bowl and buried himself in his food.
Xu Mo, with his keen insight, remained silent.
Tonight's dinner will still feature Jiang Sheng's favorite braised pork knuckle, Zheng Ruqian's favorite stir-fried chicken, Wen Zhiyun's preferred sweet and sour carp, and Chang Yan's long-awaited hibiscus chicken slices.
My gaze swept to the far corner, where there were five plates of pastries, all leftovers from Jiuzhenfang that couldn't be kept until the next day.
Speaking of which, during the first three days of the buy-one-get-one-free promotion, not a single plate of pastries was left; they sold out every time.
These past few days, the buy-one-get-one-free offer ended, and the remaining pastries went from two plates to three plates, and now to five plates. Any smart person could predict that there would only be more and more in the future.
Zheng Ruqian felt he wasn't stupid, so he became increasingly distressed.
This feeling turned into a wail when he saw Aunt Zhang bring out another plate of jujube cake. "Auntie, what am I going to do if the shop is not doing well? Will my cart of Zhengxin jujubes last for half a year?"
With the pastry shop not selling its goods, Zheng Xin's jujubes couldn't be transported, and his grand transportation plans were about to be shelved.
This is so sad.
Aunt Zhang smiled and tapped his forehead. "That's how business is. Before, there was no risk in transporting goods for others, and you earned little. Now that you own your own shop, you earn more, but you also take on more risks."
"But Auntie, I want to make money. I don't want to lose money, and I don't want to eat leftover pastries every day." Zheng Ruqian said with a mournful face as he slumped down.
He's just a child after all.
In crucial moments, I still want to find an adult to rely on.
Zhang Xianglian hugged him like a mother, gently stroking the back of his head as she sighed, "If only we could do buy-one-get-one-free every day, there would definitely be no leftover pastries, but then we would lose our profits."
What shop offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal every day? How can they make a profit? How can they survive?
Zhang Xianglian said this to comfort Zheng Ruqian, but she didn't expect the children to raise their heads directly.
Xu Mo blinked and hesitated before saying, "If there are too many leftover pastries, the profit margin will be about the same as a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. It would be better to take a smaller profit and just sell more at a lower profit."
"We can continue to give gifts, but less?" Changyan didn't know much about business, and there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Their intention was to comfort their brother, but the boy who had just been sighing and wailing suddenly stood up, his eyes shining brightly, and said, "What my eldest brother and fifth brother said makes sense, we should continue to buy and give away gifts."
But it's not buy-one-get-one-free, nor is it the current price.
The next day, another notice was posted at the entrance of Jiuzhenfang.
Notice content:
Buy one pound of any pastry in the shop and get half a pound free, first come, first served!
However, the price of pastries was quietly adjusted by 50%.
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