Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Meeting an old friend again
Within three days, the news of Dafu's passing the imperial examination spread like wildfire. Not only did the scholars in the city know about it, but even the wealthy merchants had heard the news.
Dafu was very busy. He first attended the banquet hosted by the county school.
He was already familiar with the county school, but this time the banquet also had some prominent figures from the county government, as well as the candidates who had passed the imperial examination. It was quite grand and lively.
Teacher Wu was extremely satisfied with Dafu this time. Although he had felt that Dafu had the potential to be on the list when he was giving him advice before, he had never predicted that he would be at the top of the list. This result was indeed a pleasant surprise.
The rumor that Dafu was his student had already spread throughout the county school, and this time, Dafu won the first place in the college examination, which was also an honor for him.
Now that his disciple had become his favorite student, he not only taught him how to write and write essays, but also taught him how to behave in society, and he was very attentive.
He took Dafu to meet the county magistrate, the education commissioner and other officials, and suggested that he make friends with the scholars who were on the same list. If he stayed in his hometown to do business in the future, these would be his connections. If he had a future in the future and went out, he might find his colleagues here.
Although Dafu is young, he still knows a lot about business. With the guidance of Instructor Wu, he can handle the situation well.
This was just a social event, and then I went back to the school to thank my teacher.
Since he was admitted to the county school, he must go there to study. He would have to continue studying in Xu's private school. Although he had not studied in Xu's private school for two years, Dafu felt that he had learned a lot there. His current situation was inseparable from Master Xu's guidance.
As a feedback, I thanked the teacher and shared my exam experience with my classmates.
The two teachers of the Xu family were also happy for Dafu, and they were also proud of having taught such an outstanding student. If they had known earlier that Dafu was not a fish in a pond and would not always be confined to a small pond, now that he was going to a wider world, they felt less disappointed.
Fifteen, on the other hand, felt a little sad because he could no longer study with Dafu.
The two of them have never been separated for five or six years since they started school.
Dafu comforted Shiwu for a long while, and encouraged him to strive to pass the examination for Tongsheng next year, and get the title of Xiucai as soon as possible, so that they could study in the county school together.
Fifteen was indeed encouraged, although he knew that he might not be able to catch up with Dafu at his pace. He still had the opportunity to study with him as he did when they were young.
But if you stand still, you will never have a chance.
Dafu was busy with social engagements, and his family was also busy. Although they tried not to show off, they still had to entertain him. They didn't want people to think that his family didn't value Dafu's success in passing the imperial examination. Moreover, waves of people were coming to congratulate him separately, and soon the door would be so crowded that it would be difficult to get through. They were also too busy to entertain them separately, so they just invited them all to a banquet together.
We have to have three or four banquets like this, and there are so many people coming that I’m afraid we won’t be able to accommodate them all at home.
The news spread quickly outside. Immediately, a real estate agent delivered a letter, saying that he wanted to borrow a large house to host a banquet for the Fan family to entertain guests free of charge.
It's very thoughtful, and the goodwill shown is obvious.
The invitations that were passed on to various merchants in the city through various connections could fill a box.
They said that it was fate that the shops were opened on the same street, that they and the Fan family both lived in Chaoyang Lane, and that my second aunt and uncle often bought things from their shops... In short, everyone could find some excuse.
In order to surrender, many merchants enclosed gifts when they handed over the cards. Kang He went back in the evening when he had time to take a look. There were coins, silver, porcelain, silk and many other valuable items that Kang He had never seen before.
"Dajing, come and see what this is."
After hearing Kang He's words, Fan Jing walked up to him and saw that he was holding a shop deed in his hand.
"What's so strange about that?"
Each gift presented had its own ingenuity, with land deeds, house deeds, and shop deeds being the most common.
Kang He said, "Look carefully at the address written above: Shop 188, South Street."
Upon hearing this, Fan Jing's eyebrows twitched and he looked at Kang He: "That shop with a cellar that you had your eye on earlier that was going to be used for selling vegetables?"
"That's right."
Kang He was quite emotional: "After going through so much trouble, I tried so hard to get something before, but now someone has brought it to me."
It is good to have a way out, but in the end it is not as practical as being strong on your own.
Fan Jing asked him, "What are you going to do with these things?"
Kang He put the deed and the post in his hand back and tidied things up.
He looked at Fan Jing and said, "Call my parents over so we can talk about this together."
Seeing this, Fan Jing responded.
At night, Kang He called Fan Dad, Chen Sanfang, and Fan Jing to come into the house and closed the door.
It was just like when something big happened in the village in the past, everyone in the room would gather together to discuss it.
"Through hard work and concerted efforts over the years, our family has come this far. We may not be rich, but we no longer have to worry about food and drink."
"Dafu is a promising child. He has helped to raise our family's fortunes. The Fan family has also risen from humble beginnings to a prestigious family. Now, seeing how our family is so popular, relatives are flattering us, merchants are trying to curry favor with us, and gifts are piling up. It really makes everyone's heart soar."
Kang He looked at Father Fan and Chen Sanfang and said slowly, "Dad and Mom, it's not easy for our family to get to where we are today.
Over the years, we have dug wells, built houses, bought land, run businesses, and managed farms; every single thing has been done with care and diligence by our family, which is why we haven't made a single wrong move. If we had made a mistake at any point, our family would definitely not be where we are today."
"Now that our family is doing well and is still in a good position, we must not relax and lose our minds, or let others take advantage of us. Instead, we should be more alert and deal with it at this critical moment."
"In the past few days, my family has received many expensive gifts, and many people have come to offer me favors. Moreover, some people have given me gifts on their own and have not asked for anything else. It really makes me feel very excited.
There's no such thing as free food or free gifts. They had no prior relationship with our family, yet they're trying to curry favor with us, hoping to take advantage of our influence. If they take advantage of us now, and they need help from us in the future, can we just walk away and leave them alone because of our current relationship?"
"It's fine for trivial matters like that, but what if they've committed something illegal, something criminal, and asked to come to our house and have it settled?"
"Dafu is still young, and many things are still handled by his family. If we, as elders, don't behave properly and don't maintain a good relationship with him, we will have to repay the favors we owe him."
"If the child has a bright future, he will inevitably be burdened by these complicated matters in order to repay these favors. We can't miss out on such a great blessing."
Father Fan and Mrs. Chen listened quietly, and were awakened by Kang He's words. Their hearts, which had been wandering due to the flattery and fawning on Dafu these days after he passed the exam, finally slowly returned to their original state.
Chen Sanfang said, "In the past few days, so many treasures and so much money have been secretly sent to us. We are so overwhelmed by the sight. We are just overjoyed, but we can't sleep well at night. I can't figure out what's wrong."
"Sanlang, after listening to you, mother finally understands the reason. We have to repay the favor in the future if we accept it. If we can't repay it, we have to ask Dafu to do it. If he becomes a great husband or an official in the future, he will not be partial to his friends."
Seeing that Chen Sanfang understood immediately, Kang He nodded and said, "That's exactly what I said. Dafu taught our family to be respected when we go out. How can we teach our children to be burdened with a debt of gratitude?"
Father Fan also spoke up, "We don't understand what's going on outside. We just visit relatives during festivals and holidays. You gave us some dried meat, and we also gave a few buckets of corn.
Now, those who had no contact or dealings with us before suddenly send us so many valuable gifts and offer us great benefits. If we have to pay them back, we will have to spend a lot of money."
"Yes, my parents are both understanding people. Dajing and I mean to return all the goodies sent by those unfamiliar and unconnected people unopened.
As for those families who were already close to our family, if they send us gifts, we should accept them and host a banquet to return the favor. We can't stop associating with our old relatives and friends just because Dafu passed the imperial examination."
Kang He said, "Da Jing and I will take care of the affairs in the city, but the important things in the village are still managed by my parents. I am saying this today to warn my parents to be more careful. First, don't owe unnecessary favors to others. Second, if we don't behave properly, people who are jealous of our family will get hold of us and use them to punish us, which will be a big loss."
Father Fan and Chen Sanfang nodded. "We understand. Let's go back and tell everyone at home that all the things that were originally sent to the family and that were not appropriate for the family must be returned without exception, and we won't send any more things back."
"Previously, many wealthy families in the village, as well as the heads of other villages, sent us good things and various other benefits."
Kang He was relieved to see that Father Fan and Chen Sanfang were still sober. He was afraid that his family members, who had lived in the countryside for many years and had little experience, would be easily won over. That would cause a lot of trouble and there would be landmines everywhere that might explode at any time.
“It’s a pity that we can’t keep those good things, but Dafu passed the imperial examination and his family was exempted from various taxes. We have already gained a lot.
Our family works together to protect this, and our future will only be better. The good things we see today, we can have in the future, and they are earned by ourselves, so isn’t that reassuring?”
Chen Sanfang was delighted by Kang He's words: "Sanlang is right. If we behave properly, our family will only get better and better. It's unworthy to take advantage of others."
Father Fan also smiled: "I am just a barefoot farmer. Now I have wine to eat, a house to sleep in, and everyone in the village greets me warmly. I am very satisfied with my life. Even if you give me mountains of gold and silver, I will not need them."
"I'm just happy to see Dajing, Zhen'er, and Qiao'er living happily with their sons-in-law, and to see my grandchildren in good health. I don't ask for anything else."
Father Fan is easily satisfied. He has never been greedy for good things given by others. Now that he has heard what Kang He said, he will not touch them anymore.
The four of them talked in the room for a long time, giving each other advice and encouragement, and they felt at ease.
Dafu arrived home late. When he returned to the house, he heard Xiaofu say that his grandparents and his father and younger brother had something to discuss tonight. He didn't know what it was about, but thought that he was grown up now and he could also take part in making decisions when there were important matters at home.
When I came over, I heard a family conversation and I was indescribably moved.
Things are going very well at home right now, it's hard to still be so clear-headed and think about him.
He saw many harmonious families, but also many families that were causing trouble and unrest. Dafu felt fortunate to be born into a family like the former.
When he was in the countryside, he heard his great-grandfather talk about the poor days of his family in the past. He always admired his father and stepfather, and wondered what kind of ability they had to manage their family from being poor and unable to feed themselves to being rich today.
Now he has some more feelings.
The next day, all the things sent to the Fan family were returned one by one.
Kang He and Fan Jing still followed their original plan and hired some guests, rented a house and invited their relatives and friends to a banquet.
This time, following the example of the student from Dafu, a banquet was held for the teachers, the prominent figures in the county government and even the county school.
Then he would host a banquet for relatives and friends in the city, and finally for classmates and friends. Dafu would still be the host and decide on the guests.
That day, Kang He and Fan Jing finalized the location of the banquet and invited a group of people to organize it. Then the two of them went back home in a relaxed manner.
When he was near the door of his house, he ran into a man who looked familiar. He was wearing a blue shirt with a cross collar and seemed to be the head of a family. Besides coming alone, he was also followed by two servants, both holding gifts in their hands.
They were used to it these days. Even if someone came to give a gift, Kang and Fan Jing would usually not bother with him and would sneak back through the back door.
Anyway, many merchants who came to give gifts and curry favor with them did not know Kang and Fan Jing. Before Dafu won the first place, their Fan family had no reputation in the city. If Dafu had only won an ordinary scholar, not many families would have come to curry favor with him, but he won the first place.
Everyone knows that the first place in the provincial examination will most likely pass the imperial examination. Waiting to move around after passing the examination will be a completely different world, and it will not be easier than moving around when there are some signs of success.
But this time, the person who came back was someone Kang He was familiar with. Not someone he was familiar with now, but someone he had had a good relationship with in the past, which prevented him from turning around and leaving.
"You are very kind, steward. I am sorry to have come so far. But our master is not at home at the moment, so you must have come in vain. Our master has already instructed us to come home one day with a letter, thank you for your congratulations, and have a drink and celebrate together."
Hearing the gatekeeper Shenghan say that he had brought invitations to drink, the gift manager couldn't help but sigh slightly. This was because they only invited those with invitations, so they politely declined their uninvited arrival.
He wondered if the Fan family was so upright.
Since his sweet talk failed to get him invited, the manager had no choice but to give up. If he continued to pester her for too long, he would only make people annoyed, which would be a bad idea.
Just as he was about to say goodbye, he turned around and bumped into two familiar figures. His name went through his mind for a while before he finally matched the faces with the people. He slapped his head and said, "Brother Kang, Mr. Fan!"
Kang He smiled and said, "Brother Jin, it's been a while since we've met. Looking at you now, I'm afraid I shouldn't address you like that."
Fan Jing looked at the person in front of him and felt that he looked familiar, but not as familiar as Kang He. He immediately remembered who he was. When he saw the man talking and laughing, he remembered that this man was actually a clerk in the Zou family candle shop at the bridgehead.
Kang He said that he hadn't seen him for some years, and it was indeed many years. In the past, their family and the Zou family often interacted with each other, and this clerk often ran errands for the shopkeeper Zou, so the two sides were familiar with each other.
But later on, the Zou family's business grew bigger and bigger, and the contacts became less frequent, and there was no more social interaction.
Luan County is not big, but it is not small either. If you don't deliberately make contact, it will be difficult to meet some people.
Manager Jin smiled and was quite happy to see Kang He and Fan Jing. He thought back to when he first met the couple, he was still a clerk in a candle oil shop. Over the years, he was promoted by Mr. Zou and became the manager of the Zou family.
Hearing this name again, I feel a little dazed and can't help but recall my youth.
To be honest, the relationship with the couple was very harmonious in the past, but the communication between the masters and the wives stopped later. People like them had no connection with the masters and they did not live in Douhuifang area, so they also lost contact with Kanghe.
"Are you two here to congratulate the talented young man from the Fan family?"
Recalling a few past events, Manager Jin couldn't help but whisper to them when he saw the two of them coming here, "Speaking of it, he is indeed a person of character. Not only did he pass the imperial examination at such a young age, but he also won the first place in the examination. Now he is really popular in the county. But he is very reserved. He won't accept gifts or see people~"
Kang He smiled slightly upon hearing this and said, "My son was lucky enough to pass the exam thanks to his good fortune in literature. I'm really grateful to Manager Jin for coming to congratulate me. It's been a while since we last met, so why not have a chat at my humble home? No need for gifts."
"dog......."
Manager Jin was surprised when he heard Kang He's words. He looked up at the plaque of the Fan family's house, and then looked at Kang He and Fan Jing.
Kang He was eloquent and good at debate, which made people think that he was the head of the family. Even if his son passed the imperial examination, the plaque of the house should not have been named Fan. How could he have separated the family and set up his own household at such a young age?
Suddenly, I remembered that Kang He had married into the Fan family! So, shouldn't the plaque on the house bear the Fan surname? How could I remember these old things if no one reminded me?
He had indeed never thought that the first suspect in the case was actually their child. There were so many people with the same surname in the county, and who would think that a big shot with the same surname was someone they knew?
Manager Jin was stunned for a long time. After a while, he remembered to bow to Kang and Fan Jing and said, "Congratulations to you two!"
Kang He didn't know what to feel for a moment. Manager Jin came to give him a gift and didn't even know that Dafu was their son.
If the Zou family had paid some attention to inquire, they should have known that they were "old friends". Now that Manager Jin has come, they are completely unaware of it, which shows how sincere the Zou family is in wanting to make friends.
Naturally, Kang He did not pursue these matters. After all, he would never reconcile with the Zou family. He was just lamenting that the Zou family was still so "careless" in doing things.
But when he saw the boy from that time again, he still felt the joy of meeting an old friend again. They had never had any estrangement or disagreement from the beginning. They had all been working hard to make a good living together. When they met again, he sincerely invited them to get together.
Manager Jin was both surprised and honored as he followed Kang and Fan Jing into the house.
He thought to himself that he was quite influential, as it was a rare occasion that he did not rely on the Zou family's influence. It was entirely due to his own connections that he was invited by the father of Mr. Fan, one of the most influential people in the city.
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