At the Han family's old residence, Han Yi returned home, still hesitant.
Han Qi, who had been feeling down all day, was furious when he learned that his son had gone to Huangjiakou without him.
Upon learning of his son's return, he immediately stormed in, yelling, "You brat, are you trying to rebel? Locking me up is one thing, but you even went to the Huang family without my knowledge. Do you think I'm dead?"
"Dad, stop fooling around," Han Yi said, somewhat annoyed. "I'm thinking about something and don't have time to play games with you."
Upon hearing this, Han Qi felt a surge of anger that rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He looked at his son with a mixture of heartache and disbelief. "You actually said I was being ridiculous?"
Never before had Han Qi felt his dignity been offended as he did at this moment.
It is said that one should know one's destiny at forty, but Han Qi was very unhappy that his own son said he was being ridiculous at such an advanced age.
He grabbed a book and threw it at you, yelling, "You brat, even if I'm a good-for-nothing, I'm still your father! What's the point of your education? Don't you even understand the saying 'a son shouldn't speak ill of his father'?"
"I'm sorry," Han Yi slapped his forehead, "My son shouldn't have said that."
I was so engrossed in thinking that I blurted out what I had said without even thinking it through. It's true, you can't be too relaxed even at home.
"Just shouldn't have said it?" Han Qi sneered, hands behind his back, rebuking, "You can't even think like that!"
This son is so inconsiderate, I want to throw him away!
"This..." This is clearly making things difficult for me.
Don't you know your own limitations?
Although the second half of the sentence was not said directly, his expression made it very clear.
Touching his nose, Han Yi decided not to argue with his own father.
No matter how unreliable he is, he's still your own father, so you can only try your best to go along with him and coax him.
"Fine, I'll let it go," Han Qi said, raising his chin slightly and looking down at Han Yi with disdain. "I'm going to Huangjiakou tomorrow, and you're not allowed to let anyone stop me."
Han Qi hadn't left his house since visiting the graves during the Qingming Festival, and he felt that if he stayed cooped up any longer, he would rot away.
"No," Han Yi refused without hesitation, "The Huang family has important business to attend to recently, you can't go."
"What important business is it?" Han Qi asked indignantly. "Why can't I go?"
He won't get in the way, and if I need money, I can even give him some.
"It's complicated to explain, so just don't get involved."
"No, I'm still going," Han Qi said angrily, glancing at his son. "I'm just telling you today, not discussing it with you. If anyone tries to stop me from going out tomorrow, I'll smash my head against the ancestral hall and die. How will you explain that to the dead old man then?"
Upon hearing this, Han Qi felt a headache coming on and tentatively suggested, "Stay at home, and I'll invite the courtesan over for you, how about that?"
"No need," Han Qi said, his brows furrowed. "I'm currently recuperating and shouldn't be near women."
Otherwise, he would have already made Yimanlou his home.
“That won’t do either,” Han Yi said firmly. “You can go out, but you can’t go to the Huang family. I’ll explain it to Han Yi later and have them keep a close eye on you.”
"Why should I? I'm the boss!"
"I'll explain it to you in a while, listen to me for now."
Han Yi wished he could share some of his brainpower with his father to stop him from causing trouble, but unfortunately he couldn't.
"No, you'd better explain yourself today," Han Qi said, sitting down as if waiting for his son to give him an explanation.
Upon hearing this, Han Yi did not answer, but instead asked, "Father, shouldn't our family change its allegiance?"
"Change allegiance?" Han Yi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You're abandoning commerce for farming?"
Actually, it's not impossible!
Before the Five Dynasties period, the Han family were also farmers. The old patriarch sold fifteen acres of land and a batch of leather materials, which he sold out, to earn enough to buy a shop.
Only after that did the Han family begin to rise little by little.
Although they encountered some storms, they were fortunate enough to escape them all, gradually accumulating wealth until they gained a foothold in the prefectural city.
However, being a merchant is not a good thing. Even if you earn a lot, you also have to spend a lot. It would be better to become a farmer or a landlord. Perhaps you can pass on your family's literary and scholarly traditions in the future.
“No,” Han Yi gritted his teeth, “Yes, to take up an official post.”
"Become an official?" Han Qi asked in surprise. "What kind of official? How much did you pay to get it? I heard it starts at least at 100,000, and you have to bribe all sorts of people. You didn't empty your savings, did you?"
Suddenly, a pang of heartache struck him, and he vaguely understood why his son always looked like he was going to eat him alive whenever he spent money.
“It’s not certain yet,” Han Yi explained softly, “Someone wants to recommend my son for an official position.”
"What are the conditions?"
Upon hearing this, Han Yi lowered his head and remained silent.
"What is he plotting?" Han Qi warned nervously. "The Han family's foundation has been passed down from generation to generation by our ancestors. You can't make a mistake. If the Han family falls because of you, I won't dare to close my eyes even in death."
"Dad, in your heart, your son is just a spendthrift?" Han Yi laughed. "You really don't trust your son at all?"
He hadn't even said those words to the old man yet, but the old man had already said them.
I didn't realize how much money I was wasting, but he's already this nervous before he's even done anything.
It's a case of "the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are forbidden even to light lamps!"
I'm so annoyed.
"Of course not," Han Qi denied immediately. "I'm just afraid that you might do something rash and go down the wrong path. Your father has always told you that there's no such thing as a free lunch. You can't be impulsive."
There are very few people in the whole world as simple-minded and easily fooled as Jiang Meizi.
“It’s not without reason,” Han Yi hesitated for a moment, then decided to believe his father this time. After all, what his father said made a lot of sense. “The important person from the capital probably wants me to maintain my relationship with the Huang family.”
"Why maintain relations with the Huang family?" Han Qi asked warily. "What is he plotting?"
"Wine!" Han Yi explained vaguely, "Young Master Wang is in poor health, and the Huang family's wine has miraculous effects."
"How did he know?" Han Qi stared intently at his son. "Did you leak it?"
"By a twist of fate, the young master Wang drank some wine, and when pressed for details, my son couldn't hide the truth from him."
Upon hearing this, Han Qi's eyes widened, and he remained speechless for a long time.
After a short while, he suddenly shouted towards the door, "Han Yun, get out! Han Yi is blocking the door. I'll beat this treacherous scoundrel to death today!"
He grabbed the feather duster he had already chosen and started whipping Han Yi hard, cursing as he did so:
"What has the Huang family ever done to wrong you that you would treat them like this? Don't you understand that this is repaying kindness with enmity?"
"They're incredibly unlucky to have met you. They can just sit at home and be struck by a sudden disaster, and there's no way to avoid it."
"You're capable of shifting blame, yet you've absorbed all the old man's teachings about the importance of integrity and honesty?"
"Do you feel guilty for doing such a despicable thing for your own selfish desires?"
"So selfish and self-serving, yet you still want to be an official? Dream on! If you dare to become an official, I'll immediately beat the drum and accuse you of being unfilial."
"You bastard, don't ever call yourself my son again, it's shameful!"
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