Chapter 223 The Taoist Priest and the Schoolteacher
"I see."
Ye Wan smiled and pretended not to know.
"Is Lady Ye free today?" Imperial Censor He felt the time was about right and wanted to probe her.
"Yes." Ye Wan had just finished speaking when she saw the old man coughing as he arrived. "Father."
"Father, what brings you here today?"
The old man, still holding a book, said, "The school is closed today. Let me see if you have anything to do."
"You are..." Imperial Censor He was stunned when he saw the old man coughing.
"You are Fang..."
"Taoist He, my surname is not Fang." The old man coughed, but he remained calm when he saw Imperial Censor He.
He had known about Censor He for a long time; he had seen him from afar once, but they had never met.
"Taoist He, I heard you've been here for half a month, but this is the first time I've met you. Hello." The old man always heard Ye Wan greet him at home, and after a while, he got used to saying it too.
Imperial Censor He barely managed to suppress his shock.
"Hello, Mr. Ye."
"Hello, Taoist priest."
The two greeted each other with smiles on their faces, but their eyes were practically spitting fire.
"What kind of riddle are they playing? I can't understand it." Cai Lei looked left and right. He Yushi knew this old man.
Yu An, Cai Lei, and He Rui were all young, so they had never met Fang Daru before and naturally did not recognize him.
Seeing that everyone around was watching, Ye Wan said, "Guests are guests. If it's convenient for Taoist He, please come to my house to talk."
"convenient."
Imperial Censor He had originally wanted to go, but now that he saw Confucian Scholar Fang, he was determined to go.
"Can we go too?" Cai Lei and Yu An exchanged a glance.
"Hurry up and catch up!" He Rui urged.
They all went to the Lin family's house.
The women who had initially been watching the spectacle began to speak freely without restraint.
"These young masters seem to come from good families. They must be from other places. Judging from their accents, they don't seem to be locals. Their Mandarin is so good. They must be from big cities."
“Madam Ye speaks Mandarin very well,” Madam Dou interjected.
"Alright, alright, Madam Dou, you're the best at flattery."
“How is this flattery? I’m clearly telling the truth,” said Madam Dou, remaining silent.
Someone spoke up: "My second daughter isn't married yet. What do you think about marrying her off to that taller young man from earlier?"
"Alright, Auntie Pang, your Erniu isn't even as pretty as Miss Lin, nor is she as capable. Stop daydreaming."
“I was just saying it casually. How can you talk about someone else’s daughter like that? Believe me or not, I’ll talk about your daughter too.”
"Alright, alright, Auntie Fatty, don't be angry. We were just joking."
"By the way, Miss Ling is not young anymore, you'd better hurry up. If you find someone you like, let me know and I'll arrange a marriage for you."
The topic then shifted to Lingniang.
"I think you old codger are trying to make money off the matchmaker."
Lingniang was working when she looked at Ye Wan's departing figure.
...
...
In the old man's study, two old men were sitting face to face.
"You old codger, how come you're getting younger and younger? I thought you were long dead."
Looking at the spirited and energetic Fang Daru, who was just as he remembered, Imperial Censor He barely managed to suppress his surprise.
"That's quite a coincidence. I also thought you were long dead." Fang Daru slowly brewed tea.
Imperial Censor He: ...
Is this the renowned Confucian scholar? How come he's speaking so rudely now? He's even more rude than this guy who's good at arguing.
"You've come to persuade him to surrender, haven't you?" Fang Daru pushed a cup of tea towards Imperial Censor He.
"How did you know?" Imperial Censor He picked up his teacup. "Couldn't I have come here simply to enjoy the scenery?"
"If that weren't the case, why would an imperial censor like you not be serving your official duties properly in the court, but instead go to such a remote place to travel around? Who would believe that if you told them that?"
“Indeed.” Imperial Censor He took a sip of tea.
Suddenly, I looked at the teacup in my hand.
This tea...
Fang Daru had already put down his teacup. "You've lived here for so long, don't you feel anything at all?"
"I eat the emperor's food and share his worries. Perhaps I am just a cowardly person who doesn't have the awareness to care about the world."
Imperial Censor He sighed, "And what about you? You were once a renowned Confucian scholar, and now you've become an enlightenment teacher. What are you thinking?"
Fang Daru did not answer the question, but poured him another cup of tea.
"If you don't want to go back, you can stay here and become a teacher with me."
Imperial Censor He hurriedly took it, then sighed, "The schoolteacher is good, but my whole family is probably going to suffer?"
This tea is delicious; it has a sweet aftertaste and leaves you wanting more.
"Then it's up to you."
"But it's been so many years, shall we play another game?" Fang Daru sat down on the other side.
This game of chess was played when Lin Anyuan was away.
“You’re probably no match for me.” Imperial Censor He also walked over and sat down.
“Back then, you and I were evenly matched. Aren’t you being a little too confident to say that now?” Fang Daru smiled.
"Give it a try."
On the other side, the others had already taken their seats.
"The food is ready, why hasn't the old man come out yet?" Aunt Cai looked outside, stood up, and said, "I'll go call him."
"Grandma, you can stay seated. I'll go get her." Sanya got up to go.
Then the two of them came back.
"I played a game of chess with Taoist He and accidentally forgot the time," Fang Daru said with a smile as he sat down in the main seat.
Turning to Imperial Censor He, "Does Taoist He not eat meat?"
Imperial Censor He: ...
Everyone knew he was a fake Taoist priest; he did it on purpose, didn't he?
"You Taoists can't eat beef, right? There's no beef on the table today," Er Ya asked.
"Yes, yes, yes." Imperial Censor He had already sat down.
After taking just one bite, Yu An exclaimed, "Madam Lin, the chef in your household is truly skilled. I haven't had such delicious food on this entire journey."
He's telling the truth.
"If it's delicious, then eat more," Er Ya said.
"Thank you, Miss."
Er Ya suddenly felt embarrassed.
Although she longed to be a rich young lady, she felt ashamed when people actually called her "Miss".
"You ate such a big bowl?" He Rui asked Sanya.
This is such a big bowl of rice, it's not a bowl, it's a basin!
Sanya said, "I was afraid of being hungry when I was a child, so I ate a lot."
He Rui frowned. "Your parents have always treated you very well, so why would you be afraid of going hungry?"
“My parents were very good to me, but when I was very young, my family was still very poor,” Sanya said earnestly.
"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, but why lie to me?" He Rui suddenly felt a little unhappy.
Sanya has been avoiding him lately, and now she's saying these things to deceive him.
What did he do wrong?
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