After passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar, he moved from the private school in the county to the Qingshan Academy in Tangshan Prefecture.
However, Qingshui County is too far from Tangshan Prefecture. If one were to walk there on foot, one's legs would break, and it might not even be possible to reach the destination before dawn.
Taking a horse-drawn carriage is different; it saves not only effort but also time, taking only a couple of hours to get there.
However, the carriage fare was high, costing a full thirty copper coins for a single trip. In order to save money, he had only returned this once in the past month. If it weren't for Meng Fu's wedding, which required his presence as his future brother-in-law, he probably wouldn't have returned this time.
Now, just because the time is a little later, they charge twenty more coins, which is almost double the amount.
He instinctively wanted to change his mind, but when he thought of Xiao Hua... she already had a misunderstanding about him. If he kept postponing the shrimp and crabs he had promised, it would be even more difficult to dispel her prejudice against him.
"So? Scholar, are you going or not?" The coachman's smile vanished instantly when he saw the scholar hesitate.
He squinted and looked Feng Zicai up and down for a while, then half-jokingly said, "Scholar, you are a scholar. You usually spend a lot of money on writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. Surely you can't not even come up with twenty copper coins for a carriage ride?"
Feng Zicai, unmoved by such sarcasm, gave the coachman a cold laugh. "Go! It's just twenty coins, right? Go now. Remember to drive the carriage steadily, don't jostle me..."
He lifted the hem of his robe and strode confidently toward the carriage.
However, just a step away from the carriage, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure swaggering out of Tianxiang Tower. He was beaming with pride, and his lips were greasy.
"Wang Ergou? What's he doing here at this hour?" The man paused in his tracks.
Subconsciously, my gaze shifted from Wang Ergou's face to his long robe. Although it was getting late, the clusters of candlelight in the city still illuminated everything clearly. He was not wearing coarse cloth clothes, but rather a rare piece of cloud satin from Qingshui County.
Moreover, he actually came from Tianxianglou.
You should know that in Tianxianglou, even a simple plate of stir-fried vegetables costs at least five qian of silver.
But who doesn't know that the Wang family is dirt poor in Shanghe Village? The medicine that his son, who suffers from tuberculosis, takes all year round is enough for an ordinary family to chew for a year. And how could Wang Ergou, who is good at stealing chickens and dogs and taking crooked paths, afford to wear such fine clothes and feast so much in Tianxiang Tower?
"Are you coming or not?" The driver's smile vanished completely when he saw that the man was still not moving.
"I'm not going." Upon hearing this, Feng Zicai turned and chased after Wang Ergou in the direction he had left.
Upon hearing this, the coachman spat at his retreating back, "Pah! You're nothing but a penniless wretch, pretending to be a big shot! Don't you even know who you are? You've wasted so much of my time, and you want me to drive more carefully? Careless my foot! With your attitude, I bet you'll always be a poor scholar..."
The driver's voice was rough and undisguised, and all the pedestrians nearby looked at Feng Zicai upon hearing it.
The cold, mocking tone, coupled with the stares from those around him, made Feng Zicai feel as if he were being pricked by thorns. He unconsciously clenched his fists at his sides, glared fiercely at the coachman, and then chased after Wang Ergou even faster.
The world is full of people who despise the poor and love the rich. As long as he wins back Xiaohua's heart, helps the Su family manage their spicy hot pot business, and establishes a relationship with the Qin family, he will never have to worry about money again in his life.
Given time, he will pass the imperial examination with flying colors, and those who laugh at him today will not even be worthy to lick his shoes one day!
Feng Zicai followed Wang Ergou through the streets and alleys for quite a while, and finally saw him and the man with him stop in front of a low house.
The door plaque of the low house was empty, and there were no signs or advertisements beside it. Only two dark blue curtains hung at the door. The curtains were so heavy that it was impossible to see what was inside at first glance.
On either side of the entrance stood two burly men, dressed in dark blue short-sleeved shirts, with a large knife tucked into their waistbands, the tip of the knife reflecting a chilling light in the moonlight.
Wang Ergou whispered something to the gatekeeper, and the big man then lifted the curtain and invited the two inside.
Just as the burly man lifted the curtain, Feng Zicai heard a noisy commotion inside the house.
"Big! Big!! Big!!! I'm betting on Big!!!"
"Small!! Small!! Small!!! I've bet all ten taels of silver on Small, this round is definitely going to be Small..."
Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen pigs run. Listening to the sounds of dice being shaken, Feng Zicai knew perfectly well that this low-rise building was a gambling den. He looked at the shadows peeking through the windows and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
I originally thought that Wang Ergou, like the Su family, had found a good way to make money.
Unexpectedly, he became a filthy gambling addict.
He turned to leave, but his stomach began to rumble. He had been wandering around Qingshui County all day and had only eaten a bowl of vegetable noodles in the morning. He was starving.
At this hour, it was impossible to go to Tangshan Prefecture. After thinking for a while, he simply ordered a bowl of the cheapest cabbage wontons from a small stall at the corner of the gambling den.
While eating wontons, I would occasionally glance at the front of the low house.
He asked the vendor to add soup three times for the five-cent vegetarian wontons.
He was also a little confused about what he was waiting for. For them, scholars, the most hated people were casino gamblers. But when he thought that Wang Ergou, who was once despised by everyone, had become better off than him in the blink of an eye, he felt a strange unease in his heart.
Moreover, he desperately needs money right now.
Just as he finished the last bowl of soup and began to hesitate about whether he should return to Shanghe Village, the curtain of the low house was suddenly opened from the inside—
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