Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Does your tooth still hurt? Let me treat it for you again...
After listening to what Dafu said about what he saw and heard at the county school, Kang He and Fan Jing were also shocked, thinking that it was really an amazing place.
It's no wonder that so many educated people can't stand it. They just shake their heads when talking about it, and refuse to talk when asked in detail. It turns out that if you are tortured like this, it would be difficult to cope with it if you don't have some knowledge. It's a blessing that you can bear it.
After hearing the subsequent conversation with Wu Juye, Kang He and Fan Jing couldn't help but look at each other.
Kang He couldn't help laughing and said, "You don't know that your father and I originally wanted to take you to the Wu family to study, but we didn't know how to start the conversation. I didn't expect that you, child, would make the Wu family speak up first and let you go to study. This trip is really in vain."
When Dafu heard what Kanghe said, his eyes moved. It seemed that his father and little father had known for a long time that Uncle Wu next door was a teacher at the county school.
He couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly is Uncle Wu? He never told me what his position is at the county school. I didn't ask too much and just pretended to be confused."
Kang He smiled and said, "Your Uncle Wu is no ordinary man. He passed the imperial examination at a young age. He thought he would be offered a suitable position later on, so he took up an official position. Now he is the instructor of the county school."
Dafu's eyes widened. Although he had guessed that Uncle Wu was not an ordinary person, he never thought that he was the teacher. He had moved here for many days but had no idea about it.
Fortunately, you are treating me politely today and have not been negligent.
Besides being surprised, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy.
"Sir, the Juren, the Great Instructor, what kind of knowledge is that? I have received his permission to borrow books and learn from him. It is a great honor."
Kang He touched Dafu's head and was very happy. It was a coincidence that made things happen.
It was such a great blessing to be appreciated by Teacher Wu and accepted as his disciple, which was much better than asking for it on their own.
He said to Dafu, "Since Instructor Wu appreciates you, you should study hard and learn from him. Treasure this opportunity."
"Yes, Daddy, I know."
Fan Jing noticed that the hair on his forehead was visibly damp, and he stroked it gently. "You've been waiting outside the county school for quite some time today. I'm afraid your legs must be sore, and you were so nervous going in. Now let's go back to the house and have a good rest. Don't get too hot."
"It's so hard to get a day off, so don't read or write in the afternoon."
Dafu responded with a smile.
"This kid only responds if you tell him to take a break."
Seeing Dafu return to the yard, Kang He pulled Fan Jing over and said with a relaxed look:
"Look, our Dafu is growing up. Not only has he become more sensible, but he has also been able to find a teacher on his own merits. There's no need for outsiders like us to work so hard."
Fan Jing also felt relieved in his heart. It was indeed an opportunity. He couldn't help but smile a little.
Kang He's eyes moved slightly, and he leaned forward to kiss Fan Jing. Suddenly, a figure came into the room and said in a loud voice, "Daddy, little daddy, are you here from brother's house?"
When Fan Jing saw Xiaofu running in, he immediately pushed away the person who was clinging to him.
Xiaofu's eyes widened. "What are you doing? It's so hot and you're sitting so close to me."
Kang He coughed dryly and sat up straight: "Daddy said his tooth hurts, let me take a look."
Upon hearing this, Xiaofu quickly ran over to Fan Jing, frowned, and asked, "Daddy, which tooth hurts? Is there a worm in it?"
Fan Jing glanced at Kang He and picked up Xiao Fu: "I wash it every day, so it won't get bugs. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Xiaofu tilted his head to look at Fan Jing's cheek and said, "Daddy is not a doctor, how come it doesn't hurt after a kiss?"
Fan Jing: “…”
Kang He laughed when he saw this. He leaned over and said, "Daddy used to be a barefoot doctor. You don't know this, but when I have a toothache, I always ask Daddy to treat it. No other doctor can help me."
Xiaofu was skeptical: "What about Xiaofu's? Can Xiaofu's be cured?"
"That can't be cured."
Kang He said, "You just have to eat less sweets and rinse your mouth every morning and night to protect your teeth."
Xiaofu snorted and said that he would not be friends with his father anymore. He hugged Fan Jing and acted coquettishly for a while. When he heard Dafu return to the yard, he ran to find his brother to tell him about picking lotus pods outside today.
Kang He was really amused and went closer to Fan Jing: "Does your tooth still hurt? I'll treat it for you again."
Fan Jing pushed Kang He, but was not pushed away.
The two of them stayed in the house to treat their teeth for a while before going out.
After that day, Dafu often went to Wu's house. After school, when he came back and Teacher Wu resigned, Dafu would find time to go and learn from him.
The next time I wanted to go, I asked Teacher Wu in advance when he would be free.
He often came back with some books in his hands. Whenever there was a meeting in the county school, he would go even if he had to take leave from the school.
He interacted more often with the Wu family, and Xiaofu also played with Wu Heguang. Seeing this, Kang He would send some gifts to the Wu family every now and then. However, they were not expensive things, but often some fresh vegetables, and their own cured meat specialties.
That day, Kang He entered Da Fu's yard and saw A Wang counting his paper and ink in his small storehouse. He said that he was running out of paper and ink, so he wanted to buy some to make up for it.
Kang He thought that the child was studious and wrote articles every day. Since he came into contact with the Wu family, he often borrowed books. If he found a book he really liked, he would copy it down after getting Teacher Wu's permission.
He showed these good recorded books to Shiwu and his uncle Luo Chuanyi.
Previously, Fan Jing was worried that his hands would hurt from writing too much, so he told him to just make rubbings of the books he liked. However, he said that he could remember more deeply by reading while copying, and he liked it that way.
The two of them didn't say anything more.
In addition, some time ago, Xiaofu, under the guidance of Dafu and influenced by Wu Heguang who has been learning to read and write since he was a child, finally started to learn to recognize and write.
In Dafu's study, he would paint randomly before writing a few words, which also increased the waste of paper and ink.
"Don't worry about this matter. My husband and I will go to the bookstore to buy some new paper and pens."
Awang responded.
Kang He called Fan Jing to go to the bookstore with him to choose some new pens, ink, paper and inkstone for Dafu to store at home.
Previously, many of the paper and pens were given by the eldest brother of the Luo family, and relatives and friends outside also gave some during festivals.
Dafu was very careful with the paper and ink he used, and he didn't waste much of them. He mostly used them for writing.
For this reason, Kanghe and Dajing have rarely gone to the bookstore to buy these things for him in the past few years.
The couple looked around the bookstore and saw that the business was pretty good. There were many scholars coming to buy books, and there were also poor scholars who copied books for the bookstore in exchange for paper and ink.
Kang He asked about the price and found out that a stack of rough paper was only forty cents. He remembered that it used to cost fifty or sixty cents, but he bargained down to a lower price.
"Sanlang, Dajing."
The two were looking at the selection intently when they suddenly heard someone calling out. They turned around and saw it was Luo Tongsheng.
Kang He smiled and greeted him.
Luo Tongsheng has been treating Dafu very well since Dafu passed the exam, and he has also become very close to Kang and Fan Jing.
Luo Tongsheng smiled and asked about Dafu's recent situation. He also said that he had not seen him visit his home for some time.
Finally, he asked Kang He and Fan Jing what they were doing here.
"He has the imperial examination next August and is very focused on studying for it. He's also recently been to the county school to consult with great scholars, so his days are quite full. My husband and I were passing by the bookshop and decided to stop by."
Upon hearing this, Luo Tongsheng couldn't help but praise Dafu's visit to the county school to study and learn. He then asked, "Dafu, your paper and ink are almost gone. Can you go back home and get some?"
Kang He waved his hands, "Brother Luo has already given me a lot of paper and ink. How can I let him spend all the money? Even though it's our own business, it still costs a lot. Dafu is still using the money I gave him before."
It was hard for him to tell the truth. He didn't go to the Luo family's Wenzuo to buy paper and ink because he knew that Brother Luo would definitely not accept his money. If he did it again and again, he would have to pay for it.
Luo Tongsheng said, "Giving my nephew some paper and ink is only natural for him to study. What are you talking about? When Dafu lived with us, Dalang loved him very much. He is also sensible and polite. He gets along very well with his brothers and sisters, and they are as close as family."
"It is most convenient for a family to use some writing supplies produced by the family. Come on, I happen to have some free time now, so I might as well go with you to get some paper and ink for the writing."
Kang He and Fan Jing were so enthusiastic about his invitation that they refused it three times. If they didn't accept it, they were afraid that Luo Tongsheng would become suspicious. So they had no choice but to go together.
"Why is Dad here?"
When Brother Luo heard from the waiter that Luo Tongsheng had come to write an essay, he went out and saw Kang He and Fan Jing there too. He greeted them with a smile and asked the waiter to get some tea.
Luo Tongsheng said, "You and Sanlang Dajing take some paper and ink, pack them up, and take them back with Dafu."
Brother Luo responded, then turned to Kang He and said, "Third Brother Kang, you too didn't even bother to tell them to come home and ask them to take you home. You're so busy that you didn't think it through."
"Brother Luo, I'm really sorry to hear you say that. I've already troubled you greatly."
The two exchanged a few polite words. It was Kang He's first time to visit the Luo family's writing desk, so he followed Luo Dalang around.
The Luo family's literary shop is not small, with two floors upstairs and downstairs. It mainly sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones. Almost all the stationery that scholars need can be found here. For example, in shops that sell books, most of the pens, ink, paper and inkstones in the shops are purchased from such literary shops and then sold again.
"Is business going well lately?"
Kang He was also half a businessman, so the two of them exchanged a few polite words, but they didn't seem to be so distant in their polite remarks.
Luo Dalang said, "The world is peaceful. In recent years, the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment. There are more children and more people willing to study. We writers have benefited from this and our business has been good for a while."
"This business is so good, and others want to do it too. In the past two years, several bookshops and literary shops have opened in Upper City. They're competing fiercely, each showing off their skills. A price war has broken out, and the price of paper has become even cheaper."
"I've noticed that there are more customers coming to Wenzuo than before. When I go back and check the accounts, I find that many times the bills are even worse than before."
Luo Dalang took out some paper and pens and showed them to Kang He: "Look, these paper and pens that used to be the best sellers are now 20% cheaper than before, almost selling at cost."
Kang He took a piece of paper and a pen and read it. He was deeply touched by what Luo Dalang said.
Life was peaceful, without disasters or illnesses. Ordinary people gradually saved money and became more generous. Not only did more and more customers come to their house to buy meat, but they were also willing to buy more. They used to buy three or two taels, but now most of them want three or five catties.
Not only that, the honey, sesame oil and other precious ingredients produced at home were rarely available for sale. Most of the buyers relied on the merchants who came to buy spices in the autumn and moon. Kanghe then sold some of the expensive sesame oil and honey to more prosperous places outside.
In the past two years, since the businesses in the city have been picking up, I rely entirely on the Wanjia people to make money.
Just as Luo Dalang said, as more buyers come, more sellers also appear.
Let’s not talk about the spice business. It took Kang He and Fan Jing many years to build it up bit by bit. Even if ordinary people were jealous and wanted to imitate them, they would not be able to achieve any results in three or two years.
But selling pork was easier. In their area alone, three new shops had been opened. One of them closed down a while ago, but even so, there were still two. In addition to their original shop and the one that already existed in the alley, there were a total of five pork shops.
How can this business not be affected? No matter how good the reputation is, customers will still come to buy something new.
Hearing the same thing from other people, Luo Dalang smacked his lips and said, "It's not just me who's having trouble with the writing, it's also not easy for you."
"Fortunately, my second brother has some achievements and honors, so he reduced some taxes for me. Otherwise, this business would be even more difficult. Dafu has a bright future, and I think he will be able to share some of the burden with you soon."
Kang He smiled and said, "Although I don't know what his future holds, as you said, it does give me another layer of hope. I just don't know when that hope will come true, so I'm just keeping my guard up and managing the business well."
Luo Dalang felt the same way. He said, "I've also spent a lot of money to get a set of movable type printing. I'm thinking of taking on book printing jobs later. It would be another business."
Kang He nodded in agreement, but this business was not exclusive after all, and it was just as difficult to make easy money. At most, it was hard-earned money.
He also knew that Luo Dalang had a hard time. His entire family depended on him to run the business for support.
Although Luo Tongsheng also taught, his income was meager; as for Luo Chuanyi, although he had the title of scholar and received a monthly salary from the court, he was still studying.
The two scholars lived a decent life, but without Luo Dalang's subsidy, they would not have been able to live so decently.
There are many such poor scholars in the county town. They have neither parents who make money nor brothers who run businesses. They are honest and do not seek personal gain, so their lives are inevitably hard.
Some of them don't even live as comfortably as the farmers in the countryside who have a few more acres of land.
If a family wants to live a comfortable life, it is not possible to rely on only one outstanding person. If the others are incompetent, the outstanding one will be dragged down as well.
When leaving, Kang He left some money for buying paper and ink, but Luo Dalang refused to accept it. The two of them argued for a long time as they did during the holidays, but in the end, neither of them gave the money.
Kang He thought about going back and sending some fresh vegetables and meat to the Luo family, so as not to let others suffer losses in vain.
After returning home, Kang He told Fan Jing about the conversation between Jin Chao and Luo Dalang.
"Business isn't as good as it used to be. There are so many customers and so many competitors. If prices start to fall, profits will be reduced. At this point, everyone has to figure it out."
Kang He couldn't think of any new ideas for the two shops at home, so he thought he could only find other ways out.
"I heard that Third Brother Bao's cousin-in-law, Xu Niandian, the one who introduced the house to us earlier, told us some news. He said that the population in the city is increasing, and the county town may need to expand outward."
Ever since Dafu passed the imperial examination and became a student, Xu Niandian began to regard the Fan family as his close relatives. Whenever there was something going on at home, he would invite Kang He and Fan Jing over for a drink. Kang He also invited Xu Niandian twice.
"If this is true, once the expansion begins, there will be new houses and shops. We can buy some of them and collect rent from them, or use them for our own use. As for any of these businesses, you need money to make a name for yourself."
Kang He used his abacus to take out the Jiaozi and silver notes from his home and counted them. He found that he still had less than two thousand strings of cash on hand.
Fan Jing took a quick look and said, "The county magistrate has been in office for less than two years. Is he willing to do this while he's still in office? He certainly won't be able to finish it by the time he leaves. Will he be happy to let the next person take the credit?"
"Indeed, he's not bad. I see this one as inferior to the last one. It doesn't count towards his political achievements. I'm afraid he's just too lazy to put in the effort."
Kang He said, "It's just that a while ago I saw Dafu bring back some court reports from the Wu family. I picked them up and took a look. I saw that the fortress county town, which is more prosperous than our county, has been expanded due to the increase in population. It is easier to travel by car and horse, and the congestion has been reduced a lot.
This matter was also praised by the court, and the officials in charge of it were rewarded."
"It's hard to say which way the wind blows. Officials, seeing that they have achievements in government, will have to do it sooner or later. If it's not the best time to do it later, we can use this gap to earn some money and save it so that we can afford to buy it later."
Fan Jing seemed to agree with what he heard, but he didn't have much idea about business, and he didn't know that when Kang He said these words to him, he already had some business ideas in his mind.
Seeing that he was starting to worry about money again, I always wanted to share as much of his burden as possible.
He leaned back in his chair and said, "Yao Yuan mentioned to me earlier that after marrying Qiao'er, he didn't want to be out all the time. He had some ideas about setting up a martial arts school and training some good fighters to serve as escorts or guards."
Kang He raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Is he saying this to you to show his loyalty and love for Zhong Qiao'er, or is he trying to get you to join him in this business?"
Fan Jing said, "I think it's both."
Kang He laughed: "This kid, no wonder he can run a successful escort company at such a young age."
"You're interested in these things, so if you can provide some capital and yourself, it's not impossible. I'll find him one day and ask him about it in detail. If this thing is reliable, it can be a good business."
In his heart, he was also thinking about starting a business with Luo Dalang.
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