As the voice fell, there was a click, and the mechanism in the red-clothed girl's hand fell on the carpet of the carriage, making a dull sound, but she seemed to have not yet reacted to what her father said.

After a while, his face turned pale and he said:

"Is father kidding?"

Su Shengyuan said seriously, "How can a father take such a big matter as his children's marriage lightly? This child is really gifted, like a soaring dragon in the wild. He only needs to wait for the right time. In just a few years, he will surely soar into the sky and fly across the four plains of the nine provinces."

"By that time, even if he is well-known throughout the world, I am afraid that all the noble families in the imperial city will choose him as their son-in-law..."

He originally wanted to say that it was difficult for you, my daughter, to interact with him at that time.

But the voice paused, and did not speak, just said:

"He has a righteous character and integrity. Although he is a little poor now, it will not last long. If you can treat him sincerely when he is poor, he will never let you down even if he rises to fame in the future. You can be said to be a good match for him."

Su Shengyuan spoke slowly.

Parents have far-reaching plans for their children.

This was the best fate he could foresee for his daughter, but the girl in red was pale, her fingers twisted together, and finally, facing her father's gaze, she gritted her teeth, shook her head slowly, and said:

"My daughter, I don't want to..."

Su Shengyuan was stunned, but he was not angry. He just asked in a gentle voice:

"Why?"

The girl in red was about to answer, but she couldn't find any problem with the boy's behavior. He wasn't handsome, but he was resolute and calm, and had his own character. After hesitating for a moment, she could only bite her lower lip and said what she had originally thought:

"He, his family is poor, and he has no elders to support him. Even if he has talent and knowledge, how far can he go in his official career?!"

As soon as he said this, he felt something was wrong, but it was hard to take it back, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "My father asked me to read the history books. Since ancient times, there have been geniuses in every generation, but how many of them can reach the top? And those from the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, even if they are mediocre, can be honored with official positions and become prominent."

"Is his talent greater than that of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans?"

"My daughter, my daughter doesn't want to..."

Su Shengyuan was stunned for a long time, looking at his daughter with complicated eyes:

"I asked you to read history. It seems that you did learn something from it..."

The carriage door curtain was lifted, and a handsome young man in a brocade robe and a jade crown entered. He laughed loudly and said, "Uncle Su, although what Sister Yue'er said is a little inappropriate, doesn't it make sense?"

"That Qi Wuhuo may be talented, but the world is so vast. Even if he has talent, how can he enter the world? Besides, although I am not talented, I am confident that I have some skills. Even if I don't have a family background, I may not be worse than Qi Wuhuo."

This handsome young man had a smile on his lips and a handsome demeanor. He was from Su Shengyuan's wife's family and came specially to pick them up. It was said that he had some connection with the Cui family, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans. Su Shengyuan saw the young man's vigor and saw his daughter's cheeks slightly flushed. He suddenly sighed and said it was natural. From then on, he never mentioned the matter again.

…

Qi Wuhuo sent Mr. Su out and watched their carriage rushing along, its wheels pushing aside the wind and snow as it rumbled away on the only wide avenue in the entire town before turning back.

After opening the package, apart from a few pieces of clothing, there was still some small change, about three taels of silver. The price of rice was a little high now, and one catty was only ten coins. A hind leg of pork or mutton would only cost a hundred coins. A maid or servant in the city would only cost five taels of silver, and three taels of silver, which was more than enough for a family to survive the cold winter.

In addition, there are several volumes filled with annotations.

Qi Wuhuo held these things and felt that they were heavier than before.

Suddenly, the old man in the courtyard knocked on the table and laughed:

"Boy, what are you standing there for?"

"The tea is ready, come and have a few cups with me."

Qi Wuhuo put away his things and replied, "I haven't cooked yet."

The old man didn't care. He just picked up the teapot, poured two cups, held a cup of tea, and watched Qi Wuhuo clean up and cook. After the young man started cooking, he washed his hands and came to sit next to the stone table.

The old man was very skilled in brewing tea, and the aroma of the tea was clear and ethereal. Even Qi Wuhuo, who had never tasted any good tea, could feel that this tea was probably much better than the small jar of tea that Mr. Su treasured so much.

The old man took a sip of tea, looked around the house, and said with a smile, "Did Mr. Su teach in this small town? I heard that he seemed to have high expectations of you."

"Why, little guy, you don't like the gold and silver in the room, nor do you like the beauties who look like fairies, but instead want to study and take the imperial examination?"

Qi Wuhuo sat upright, drinking tea and nodded.

The old man stroked his beard and asked, "Why?"

Qi Wuhuo fumbled with the cup for a long time and said, "When I was young, my father was studying. He stroked my back and told me that men should study to show their talents, report to the country, and realize their ambitions."

"My hometown was hit by a disaster. I saw hundreds of thousands of displaced people along the way. The officials at that time did nothing. If they had done something, I think fewer people would have died there."

"If I could be a civil servant, I would revise the laws in the court, implement good policies, and benefit the people. If I could be a general, I would be able to lead the elite troops to attack the evil country and avenge the people who died unjustly at the hands of the evil."

“You can pursue your ambitions as much as you can.”

The voice paused, and then continued: "When you go in and out, you can get to know the heroes of the time, see the prosperity of the world, and not be in danger of losing your job every day. You will achieve success and be famous, and your name will go down in history."

The old man just sneered.

The young man asked, "Is there anything wrong with what I said?"

The old man stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "It's all wrong. It's totally wrong."

"What do you mean by civil or military? If you are an official, you are just a sword in the hands of the emperor, a captive hawk or dog. You go wherever the emperor tells you to go. Everything you do, such as providing relief to the people and resisting the demons, requires the emperor's approval before you can mobilize manpower. If the emperor doesn't have this intention, it will be useless even if you have great abilities."

"When you are no longer useful, I will abandon you."

"You said you wouldn't be in danger."

"To be with the emperor is like being with a tiger. How do you know which is more terrifying, the evil spirits in the court or the demons outside? Oh, you might as well let it go. Fame, wealth and power are nothing but worldly desires."

The old man sighed and said, "You have a natural talent, you can see through good and evil, know honor and disgrace, you disdain wealth and fortune, you regard beauty as dust, and wine, sex, money and anger cannot mislead you, why can't you see through the word [name]?"

Qi Wuhuo pondered for a long time and said calmly:

"This is what the old man said from the bottom of his heart."

"But I'm still young."

"I have not seen all the prosperity, talent, beauty, love, heroes and warriors in this world. Maybe after I see all these, I will come to the same conclusion as my father-in-law, but I will be old by then."

Qi Wuhuo sighed and said to himself:

"The word 'name' must be broken in this life."

The old man said with a smile: "Break it in this lifetime? Why do you have to do this?!"

Having said this, he said nothing more and just invited Qi Wuhuo to drink tea and chat. This happened three times and in a moment the whole pot of tea was finished. Qi Wuhuo suddenly felt sleepy and his eyelids were drooping, while the yellow rice over there was still far from being ready.

The old man smiled and asked, "Are you confused?"

"If you are sleepy, go and have a rest."

Qi Wuhuo originally planned to refuse, but he was so sleepy that he had to agree. He staggered when he stood up, and when he got back he realized that his pillow was missing. He searched for it for a long time but couldn't find it.

He was planning to go to sleep right away, but the old man took out a pillow that seemed to be made of jade, flawless white jade, and greeted him with a smile:

"Come, come, I have a pillow here. It was given to me by a wandering Taoist priest. I heard that it can help you see many wonderful things in your dreams. Take it and sleep on it. Don't worry. I'll call you when the meal is ready."

Qi Wuhuo felt even more sleepy, nodded, hugged the pillow and went back to sleep. The old man sat in the yard, stroked his beard and smiled, saying:

"Fame, wealth, sex, money, anger, today I'll give you a chance to see if you can indulge in wealth or break free from worldly desires."

"Let's have a big dream."

The old man poured tea by himself. He had just finished drinking it, but now it kept pouring. He looked up and said to himself, "What a pity, there is tea but no flowers to appreciate."

Suddenly, the soil broke, and a strange grass grew in the wind. In a moment, it turned into a winter plum, which bloomed instantly. The flower fragrance was long-lasting, and it was even more wonderful when combined with the fragrance of tea.

He added: "What a pity, there are flowers but no snow."

In an instant, snow had begun to fall, but it did not contaminate the courtyard. The fragrance of tea, the cold plum blossoms, and the falling snow were truly a wonderful sight. The old man drank tea, looking ethereal and lonely, as if he were not from this world. He held the cup and tapped the stone table lightly, muttering to himself with each tap:

"Beauty, hero, fame, fortune, and wealth."

"Oh……"

He shook his head and laughed: "It's all just a fantasy."

Drinking a cup of tea, holding the cup in hand, looking down at the withered winter grass, he murmured quietly:

"See through the prosperity."

"You can enter the Immortal Gate."