Chapter 91: Exploring (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Fu Mingfeng seemed to be so happy that he was blinded by joy. He happily welcomed the person in and hurriedly had someone wake up the servant in the side room to serve tea.
Once everyone was seated, Fu Mingfeng finally had a chance to ask, "Why did you all come here so suddenly? Is there anything the master wants to do for you?"
Fu Mingzi looked at Fu Mingfeng, and although he was smiling, he couldn't help but reassess his third brother. He hadn't realized before that Fu Mingfeng never called the Duke of Jingguo "father" or "daddy," but always addressed him as "master" in a distant way.
“Nothing’s wrong at home, it’s just that Fan’er misses you and Third Sister-in-law. I happened to be free, so I came with Fan’er to visit,” Fu Mingzi replied with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingfeng's originally honest face darkened, and he glared at Fu Zefan: "You're just causing trouble for the family. Didn't I already tell you in the letter that your mother just caught a cold and didn't need you to come over?"
Fu Zefan looked terrified and listened to the reprimand with his head down.
Fu Mingzi was slightly surprised: "Third sister-in-law is sick?" He glanced at Fu Zefan: "Zefan didn't tell me."
"It's nothing," Fu Mingfeng waved his hand. "It was just a minor cold, but I've recovered after resting for a few days."
"I see." Fu Mingzi feigned understanding, then looked at Fu Zefan with admiration: "No wonder Fan-ge'er insisted on coming. So that's why. Truly filial."
Fu Mingzi maintained a perfectly composed facade, but inwardly she couldn't help but admire her brother's meticulousness. By only revealing their sister-in-law's illness upon arrival, he not only avoided causing anger at Fu Zefan's insistence on leaving home, but also highlighted his filial piety and kindness.
In the past, Fu Mingzi felt that if he were caught off guard, he might have been fooled by such nonsense. But now it was different. He had been wary of Fu Mingfeng for a long time, so he would carefully consider his every word and action.
"It's just kids playing around," Fu Mingfeng said with a smile, waving his hand. "But it's been a lot of trouble for Fifth Brother to help out."
Fu Mingzi smiled reservedly: "I'm getting bored staying in the capital, so it's nice to get out and about."
After saying that, he glanced at the backyard and said, "I heard from Uncle Fu that Third Sister-in-law has already rested, so I won't disturb you any longer. It's so late, you and your son probably still have things to talk about, so I'll make my own arrangements."
Fu Mingfeng hurriedly nodded: "Alright, I won't keep you any longer. You must be quite tired from the journey." After saying that, he called out to Uncle Fu. After Uncle Fu came in, he instructed: "Take Fifth Brother to the guest room to rest. However, it hasn't been occupied for a long time, so we should have someone tidy it up first."
Uncle Fu smiled and accepted the order.
Fu Mingzi did not refuse and followed Uncle Fu out of the study.
As soon as they stepped out of the study courtyard, the two followed the corridor to the side courtyard. Uncle Fu led the way, carrying a gas lamp, and said as they walked, "It's not as spacious outside as at home. I'm afraid Fifth Master will have to make do tonight."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "I used to go hunting with my father and brothers, and I even stayed in the wilderness. What's this?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Fu grinned from ear to ear and began to recount the times when he was still serving under the old master and taking young Fu Mingzi out hunting.
Fu Mingzi's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, but he knew why he had come, so he quickly restrained his emotions and said calmly, "It's embarrassing to say, I didn't dare to mention it in front of Third Brother. Why is Third Brother's place so dilapidated? Are you short of money? If so, why didn't you tell the family?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Fu sighed and said helplessly, "When Third Master first came to Qinghe, he was just a clerk. At that time, because his wife managed the household and he had brought money from home, he was quite well-off. However, a year ago, Third Master was promoted to county magistrate. He had more social engagements and hired many advisors, which increased his expenses but not his income. As a result, his family started to tighten their belts. He had originally planned to move to a new house before the new year, but that plan has been put on hold. I tried to persuade Third Master, but he is strong-willed and doesn't want to trouble his family after starting a family. That's why..." Uncle Fu stopped speaking somewhat awkwardly.
Fu Mingzi understood and chuckled: "Third Brother is being too concerned about appearances. No matter how much he settles down and starts a family, the Duke's Mansion hasn't split up yet, so he is still a member of the Duke's Mansion. When he's out and about, he shouldn't lose face."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Fu echoed, "That's what I was advising Third Master, but once he gets into a tantrum, no one can persuade him otherwise."
Fu Mingzi glanced at Uncle Fu and saw that he was genuinely worried and speaking up for Fu Mingfeng. She understood that Uncle Fu probably didn't know about Fu Mingfeng's ulterior motives, but Uncle Fu's son...
"By the way, Uncle Fu," Fu Mingzi asked, her eyes flickering slightly, "is your son still with Third Brother?"
When he talked about his son, Uncle Fu's worries lessened considerably, and his eyes lit up: "Thanks to Fifth Master, my son has some talent in studying, so Third Master released him from his indenture two years ago. He is now preparing for the county academy and is thinking of taking the county exam this year."
Fu Mingzi's eyes flickered as she glanced at the radiant Uncle Fu. It seemed that Uncle Fu's son was also unaware of the situation, and Fu Mingfeng had used him to play the good guy.
"I see. Congratulations, Uncle Fu! You'll probably be a great-grandfather soon." Fu Mingzi smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
Uncle Fu smiled broadly at the compliment, but he still humbly replied, "At most, I'm just a scholar; I wouldn't dare dream of anything more."
The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the side courtyard. As soon as Uncle Fu stepped out of his study, he found a nimble servant to come and tidy up. So when they arrived at the side courtyard, they saw that the courtyard was brightly lit and several servants were coming and going in the house, all of them tidying up.
Seeing that the place was in disarray, Uncle Fu found a clean side room and let Fu Mingzi go in and sit down.
"Fifth Master, please wait a moment. This guest room was occupied not long ago, so cleaning it up won't take long."
Fu Mingzi's expression shifted, and he glanced at Uncle Fu: "Has anyone stayed here?" He tried to remain calm, his tone only slightly surprised: "Did Third Brother also have friends visiting him when he came to Qinghe County?"
Uncle Fu didn't understand anything and replied, "A few people came a few days ago. They were all from the capital. According to Third Master, they were his former classmates from the academy. They were passing through Qinghe and came to see him."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "Really? Which classmate is it? Maybe I know them too."
Uncle Fu frowned: "I didn't ask about that, but according to Third Master, one is Sixth Master and the other is Seventh Master, but I didn't hear their names."
Such caution... Fu Mingzi pondered to himself. The Xia family did indeed have a sixth master and a seventh master, whose ages were similar to Fu Mingfeng's, but he had never heard of any relationship with them before.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Fu Mingzi didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he changed the subject and started talking about other things. Uncle Fu inquired about the people in the mansion. Hearing that the Duke of Jingguo still got up every morning to practice boxing, he sighed, "It's good that the Duke is in good health. I'm getting old, and I can't even do a set of boxing moves anymore."
Fu Mingzi felt a little sad when he heard this. When he was a child, Uncle Fu was the strongest and most powerful man in his eyes. He would always lift him up high and put him on his shoulders, or carry him on his back and climb up trees to pick fruit for him.
Looking at this somewhat hunched old man now, Fu Mingzi can hardly recall his once hearty and cheerful smile.
"Uncle Fu should also take care of his health. When we return to Beijing, the old man will want to play chess with you," Fu Mingzi said, trying to comfort him.
Upon hearing this, Uncle Fu immediately shook off his previous dejection and smiled again: "That's true. I suppose without me to keep you in check, you wouldn't have enjoyed playing chess all these years."
Fu Mingzi laughed when she heard this. Only Uncle Fu could tolerate the old man's reputation as a stinky old man.
In an instant, the cheerful atmosphere in the room returned to normal.
**
Once the guest room was ready, Fu Mingzi moved in. Uncle Fu wanted to assign someone to take care of him, but Fu Mingzi refused. Seeing the situation at Fu Mingfeng's house, he didn't need to put on any show.
When Uncle Fu heard that Fu Mingzi refused, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. He couldn't bear to see someone who was used to being waited on hand and foot at home suffer like this outside.
However, some things had to be experienced. Uncle Fu wouldn't insist on going against Fu Mingzi's will, so when he saw that Fu Mingzi firmly refused, he left with a few servants. Before leaving, he repeatedly told Fu Mingzi to close the doors and windows properly when he went to sleep at night and not to catch a cold.
After Uncle Fu left, Fu Mingzi finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then carefully thought through the events of the day.
Pretending to be poor in front of him might fool Uncle Fu with Fu Mingfeng's words, but Fu Mingzi was not some ignorant fool. He knew very well that when Fu Mingfeng went out to take up his post, the old man gave him a large sum of money, which would be enough even if he indulged in eating, drinking and playing for three or four years.
It shouldn't have come to this point where it's struggling to make ends meet.
As for why Fu Mingfeng acted this way, that is something worth pondering.
It's clear that Fu Mingfeng is a cautious and prudent person. For so many years, he has preferred to live frugally rather than ask his family for money because he knows that others may not know how much money his grandfather has given him, but his grandfather knows. If he were to ask for money, his grandfather would notice something amiss and might even send someone to investigate him.
Therefore, he dared not ask for money. However, even though he knew that Fu Mingzi was coming, he still stayed in this dilapidated house and did not change his residence, which also indicated that he probably had no money. Therefore, he could only take the risk and see if he could fool Fu Mingzi.
Fu Mingzi knew perfectly well that if he asked about money tomorrow, Fu Mingfeng would give him a flawless excuse.
Therefore, Fu Mingzi would not create trouble for herself by pursuing an answer that was destined to be wrong.
He might as well just pretend he'd been scammed, and he'd have to investigate where the money actually went himself.
Having figured this out, Fu Mingzi pulled up the covers and lay down to sleep.
Anyway, if the sky falls, someone else will cover it. Fu Mingzi is very easygoing. His coming to Qinghe is just a pretext. Fu Mingsong has also secretly sent people over. With one in the open and one in the shadows, they are not afraid of not finding any clues.
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