"Don't worry, auntie, we are not that stupid."
"You're not that stupid to get your face hurt like this." Chunxiao looked at the scabs on their faces and felt helpless. If it were an ordinary family, they would definitely go to their house and make a scene. But they had to be from the county, so she had to endure the humiliation.
That is, they took a day off and did not go to the academy in the afternoon. Chunxiao took the three children to the county town for a walk. They ate the things they wanted to eat but had never been able to eat, and bought the ink sticks they wanted to buy but could not afford.
When Chunxiao gave it to Wuzhong, Wuzhong was a little embarrassed to accept it. The ink ingot cost eight taels of silver each, which was really too expensive. Although many students in the academy had it, he was very envious, but Chunxiao was an outsider after all, so he felt uncomfortable accepting it.
"Take it. Remember not to tell your parents, lest they remember it. This is an investment from your aunt. If you become successful in the future, your aunt will want to borrow your influence."
Although Wu Zhong didn't know what kind of power Chunxiao wanted to borrow from him, since Chunxiao said it with good intentions, he didn't refuse. He happily put the wrapped ink stick in his cloth pocket, thinking to himself how nice it was to have a rich aunt.
When they returned, Xiaohua, Tian, Wang and the others had already returned and bought a lot of things.
"We bought a lot of good things today. How was your visit to the academy?" Tian asked Shuwen, then looked at the two younger ones.
"The director said that the learning is good, but now they are short of paintings. However, my aunt got a painting today. Tomorrow, my aunt and I will go to the academy again."
When Wang heard that the painting had been found, she hurried over to sit next to the others and asked, "Chunxiao, you bought the painting. How much is it?"
"Aunt Wang, it's hard to tell whether this painting is real or not. Let's try our luck tomorrow. By the way, Xiaohua, I still have a lot of things to buy."
"Miss, my aunt and the others are amazing. All the things are in the carriage. There aren't many left. Once you finish your business, we can make another trip and that will be enough."
"Aunt, we had a really fun time shopping today. Auntie and Aunt Wang were absolutely killing it. All the bosses said they were scared of us."
Pan'er smiled beside Duo'er, "We also ate a lot of free cakes in the shop today, Auntie, they were all free to eat."
"The things you bought are all exquisite, costing over ten taels at most. How can we stay here if the boss doesn't treat us well?" Tian smiled happily when she thought of today's scene. She even took out an oil-paper bag from her pocket and handed it to Yan Qi. "Your aunt Wang and I have packed up the leftovers. It's a waste not to take this for free."
Wang also took out a paper bag from her body and handed it to Wuzhong.
Chunxiao was so confused that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Okay, next time she would not participate in such things. It was really embarrassing.
Wuzhong and Yanqi had a happy afternoon playing with Duoer and Paner at the car dealership, and were sent back to the academy by Shuwen in the evening.
Chunxiao went to the calligraphy and painting market again, but didn't encounter any unexpected surprises.
The next morning, the two got up early. In order to maintain their original character, they put on their previous clothes again. Shuwen felt that there was no need for that. He wore ordinary clothes yesterday. However, since he had bought the crown, he kept wearing the silver crown.
"I've already bought this, and I won't be able to wear it when I go back. There's nothing wrong with being more presentable." Chun Xiao picked up the painting and said to herself that she must do her best. She took Shuwen to Congwen Pavilion.
This was her second time entering Congwen Pavilion, and Shuwen's third time. The director was not surprised to see them, "You came back so quickly, maybe you have found the painting." The place where they were received was still the front pavilion.
Chun Xiao nervously took out her scroll. "I'm not sure if this painting will please you, but it wasn't easy for me to get this, so I thought I'd give it to you, someone who understands art, to appreciate." She carefully spread the painting flat on the table and stepped aside with Shu Wen. "Take a look."
Zhuang Yan stood up from his seat and looked carefully at the details of the painting.
Zhuang Yan was looking at the painting, while Chun Xiao was carefully watching his expression. The courtyard was full of lush green bamboos and a gentle breeze, but it made beads of sweat appear on her forehead.
The time it took to burn an incense stick seemed like an hour. Zhuang Yan suddenly stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "What a fake!"
A fake? Chun Xiao's heart skipped a beat. It really was a fake. Such a good painting wasn't easy to come by. Shu Wen, standing beside her, sighed and looked at her with a hint of helplessness.
"Fake?" Chun Xiao tried her best to make her expression look natural. She forced a smile, "Is it really a fake?" The solemn expression made her a little puzzled. If it was a fake, why did he look so happy?
"Miss, how did you get this painting? I've been looking for it for a long time."
Chunxiao and Shuwen exchanged a glance. Was there still hope? She wondered why they'd declared it a fake after searching for it for so long. But she couldn't bring herself to ask directly.
"Director, I am very sincere. This painting came to me after a lot of trouble," she observed his expression carefully, "but it has finally caught your eye."
Zhuang Yan stroked his beard and smiled, "Of course. This painting of a tiger descending the mountain is a masterpiece by Qiu Laojiu. Meng Zhong admired his skills and copied a copy. Later, Meng Zhong's achievements soared, and the painting of a tiger descending the mountain disappeared. I never thought I would see this forgery today. I'll keep this painting."
Chunxiao breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out to be a fake, and even if it was a fake, it was a fake by a master painter, so it was certainly extraordinary. Looking at Shuwen happily hammering away, she struck while the iron was hot, "Director Zhuang, can my two boys enroll immediately? I'd like to know what your annual tuition fee is, and how will the food and accommodation be managed?"
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