Chapter 49 Fame Spreads: He was so jealous that tears streamed down his face.
Although the first month of the lunar calendar marks the beginning of spring, the chill of winter is still intense. Adding to this, the sky is partly overcast, the sun appearing hazy as if covered by frosted glass, and the north wind is particularly fierce, whipping up withered yellow leaves that seem to have drifted in from nowhere, lashing directly at Yao Ruyi's face.
She pulled the fallen leaves off her forehead, and suddenly the creaking of a cart axle came from the alley entrance. Three horses turned in first, followed by a tall cart with a blue veil, and then three wide flatbed carts piled with red lacquered chests, cabinets, tables and chairs, and stacks of books.
Leading the way on horseback were Yu Erlang and Yu Shouzhen, followed by Meng Qingyuan. All three were tightly covered with cotton hats and earmuffs, but their noses were still red from the cold. Perhaps due to days of travel, their eyelashes and eyebrows looked frozen, and white breaths kept coming out of their mouths and noses.
Yao Ruyi happened to be standing at the entrance of Zhixingzhai. She looked around and noticed that Aunt Yu, who had led the charge when they left, was no longer on horseback but had gotten into a carriage. It seemed that the Yu family uncles and cousins who had gone to kidnap people with knives, spears, and clubs had also parted ways with Chen Chuan beforehand. Now, only the four members of the Yu family, Meng Qingyuan who had mingled among them, and the three hired coachmen who were escorting the luggage carts were driving the carriages back to the alley.
Yao Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief when the carriages and horses drew near.
After Yu Erlang, Uncle Yu, and Meng Qingyuan dismounted one after another, Aunt Yu also lifted the carriage curtain and got off the carriage. She was much thinner than when she went before the New Year, and her plump body even had a slight waistline. But fortunately, she looked to be in good spirits. After she stood up, she reached out and carefully helped a slender woman in the carriage down.
Yao Ruyi hurriedly stepped forward to greet her.
Master Meng also stopped, turned around and stared at his son with a fierce look.
Zhixingzhai was located diagonally opposite the Yao family's house and very close to the Yu family's house. Yao Ruyi ran a few steps and arrived in front of Aunt Yu. She said happily, "Auntie, you're finally back! Everything has been fine at home these days. The birds and flowers are all doing well."
When Aunt Yu saw it was her, a relieved smile appeared on her exhausted face. She pulled her arm and said, "Ruyi, thank you so much these past few days! I'm hosting a feast at home to celebrate later. You, your grandfather, and your second uncle must come. Come here, this is your ninth sister. You should have met her before. Look, do you still recognize her?"
Aunt Yu pulled Yao Ruyi in front of the slender woman, and they met face to face.
Although Jiuwan had been married twice, she was only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She was beautiful with delicate features, but due to her weak health, her face was extremely pale and her lips were bloodless. However, none of this diminished her beauty.
Her beauty was quite unique, and Yao Ruyi found it hard to describe. Looking closely at her facial features, she resembled Aunt Yu and Uncle Yu, but when put together, she appeared exceptionally refined and gentle.
You should know that neither Aunt Yu nor Uncle Yu are particularly good-looking.
Uncle Yu had a long, thin face and small eyes, but a high nose, a tall stature, and long legs. Aunt Yu, on the other hand, had a large, round face, a fleshy nose, and slanted phoenix eyes, but fortunately, her skin was fair.
Well, so Jiu Wan was born with phoenix eyes, a high nose, fair skin, a tall figure, and long legs. Moreover, she had a scholarly air about her, so she must have been a girl who had studied since childhood.
"Talented and beautiful..." Yao Ruyi couldn't help but steal a glance at Meng Qingyuan out of the corner of her eye. No wonder he couldn't forget her even though she was married... At this moment, Meng Qingyuan was standing with Yu Erlang, discussing the unloading of luggage from the car in low voices from time to time, completely unaware that he was actually surnamed Meng.
Master Meng, who had already walked over silently, had a stiff expression on his face.
Although Jiuwan was unwell, she still smiled and reached out to hold her hand first. She looked at her carefully and said with a smile, "My mother often mentioned you to me. I remember you. When I married and went to Luoyang, you were just a shy little girl of fifteen or sixteen. Now that I see you, you have really grown up a lot and have become so beautiful."
Her tone was gentle, and she was beautiful. Such praise made Yao Ruyi feel embarrassed. She quickly curtsied and said, "Greetings, Sister Jiuwan." After a pause, she added, "You are beautiful too."
Jiuwan smiled, but couldn't help coughing. Once she started coughing, she couldn't stop. She hunched over and covered her mouth, almost choking and unable to breathe. Even the veins on her forehead and neck bulged.
Aunt Yu immediately panicked: "Quickly, let's go inside first." She then turned to Ruyi apologetically and said, "It's a mess today, and Jiuwan is feeling really unwell. I'll settle her in first, and then I'll talk to you later."
"Yes, yes, please don't speak in the wind." Yao Ruyi naturally knew the importance of the matter and only came over to say hello. She stepped aside, and Aunt Yu was already extremely nervous. She grabbed her daughter's arm to give her something to lean on, tried to shield her from the wind with her own body, and loudly urged that damned Uncle Yu to hurry up and take out his keys to open the door.
"Coming, coming!" Uncle Yu panicked after being scolded by Aunt Yu. He almost rushed to the door, took the key from his waist, and hurriedly opened the door.
When Yao Ruyi saw him, she thought of the parrot in the shop. She was thinking that she should remember to return the Yu family's key and the parrot to him later. Her gaze swept over Uncle Yu's face and she suddenly noticed that he had a large bruise around his eye, a cut on his lip, and a cut on his forehead. The wounds were not properly treated and were swollen. He had actually been injured!
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn't expected that Uncle Yu, who was usually timid and cowardly to be so brave for his daughter, would be so courageous this time. Could it be that he had been so enraged on the way to Luoyang that he had charged ahead of everyone else?
She watched as Uncle Yu, his face bruised and swollen, opened the door. Perhaps her gaze was too direct, for when Aunt Yu helped Jiu Wan, who had finally caught her breath, through the door, she gave a disdainful snort: "Don't overthink it. With his cowardly appearance, if a real fight had broken out, he would have been too scared to even pick up a knife! He was trembling and pathetic! Later, I rushed up and kicked that bastard who was spouting nonsense at first, but I used too much force, and my arm swung out and hit your Uncle Yu in the eye. And because of that elbow, I also knocked him flat on his face, and that's how he got his head and mouth bruised!"
It turns out she was overthinking it.
Upon hearing this, Yu Shouzhen muttered under his breath, both angry and timid: "Nonsense, I was about to rush up when you slapped me to the ground with your arm..." He paused and then added, "Later I went up and hit you a few times too."
Yao Ruyi chuckled dryly: "...Haha."
"Father, don't try to cover it up. It's true that you went up and hit her a couple of times, and then the old lady hit you with her cane and you ran away with your head in your hands. If it weren't for Mother rushing over to save you..." Yu Erlang looked up and suppressed a laugh. He tied up the carriage and directed the driver to unload the mountain of luggage so that it could be piled up in the yard.
Yu Shouzhen's face flushed red, and he angrily shouted, "Stop talking!"
Meng Qingyuan couldn't help but chuckle, but he didn't dare laugh at Yu Shouzhen. He quickly shut his mouth after making a grin. He was also busy carrying boxes, making it impossible for Master Meng to get a word in edgewise when he wanted to talk to his son. He gritted his teeth and shamelessly joined in to help carry them.
When Meng Qingyuan saw his father with a stern face, silently carrying two stacks of books toward the Yu family, he was stunned for a moment, a hint of guilt appearing on his face, but he still silently carried the box inside.
Yao Ruyi thought for a moment, then scooped a few bowls of hot tea soup from the grocery store and invited the three rickshaw drivers to have some tea and rest before continuing their journey. She then went back to her own kitchen to get some instant soup noodles, sausages, and a large pot of hot water, which she then delivered to the Yu family.
Then, fearing that Jiuwan wouldn't be able to eat instant noodles, he filled half a pot with the millet porridge that Uncle Cong had cooked for Grandpa Yao that morning, put it in a basket, and asked Sancunding to help deliver it.
They've just returned, and it's troublesome to have a cold stove and a cold pot. It's better to make do with this for now, eat our fill, light the fire, burn some coal briquettes, and put everything away before slowly cooking a hot meal.
She had given the gifts and declined Aunt Yu's profuse thanks for seeing her out when she heard someone calling her from the entrance of Zhixingzhai. She hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran back to the study to help, but after only a short while, several students had gathered at the entrance, guessing that Meng Boyuan was busy inside and hadn't seen her.
Yao Ruyi handed out a few more membership cards, and then saw Master Meng pulling Meng Qingyuan, who kept turning back to look at him, out. He seemed to be scolding his son in a low voice, but although Meng Qingyuan was listening, his mind was not on his father. Every now and then he wanted to turn his head to look at the Yu family's door, but Master Meng would forcefully pull him back.
"Alright! Stop looking! Even if you do, they won't even look at you. They didn't like you back then, so why would they like you now that they're trying to please you? I'm not saying this to criticize you..."
I could faintly hear Master Meng speaking in a low, angry voice.
After the father and son walked away, Yao Ruyi withdrew her gaze, lost in thought. So, Master Meng was aware of Meng San's feelings? She had thought Meng Qingyuan's feelings were unrequited, that he hadn't dared to take the plunge. Now it seemed there might be more to the story.
"Sister Ruyi! The stationery shop is sold out of pens again!" Little Stone suddenly poked his head out of the window and called to her. It was his first day working as a shop assistant, and he hadn't expected the business to be so booming. His chubby little face was flushed, whether from the heat of the stove or from excitement. "Sister, come and see, do you still have any of those pens with the 'Woof-like Head' design? Lots of people are waiting for them!"
Yao Ruyi quickly snapped out of her daze and ran to reply, "The woof ones have already been hung up, and we still have the Iron-Clad Gold Puppy in stock at the general store. I'll get it right away if you want it!"
Before she even arrived, Cheng Shujun, wiping his sweat, looked for her: "Young Lady Yao, we're out of coal briquettes. Where...where can I get some more?"
Yao Ruyi had no choice but to turn around and answer him, "I'll get it in a bit."
A moment later, Meng Boyuan said that some students wanted to bring their Yin-Yang cards in to play, and asked if that was allowed. She widened her eyes in shock and said, "This is a study room! They pay to come in and not study, but want to play cards here?" No, she didn't run a board game club!
How come they've already come up with such a strange use for the reading room on just the first day!
Yao Ruyi opened this study room with the genuine intention of helping students study diligently. To this end, she racked her brains to collect teaching materials, but the collection of poems and essays had not yet been published, and she had only copied two copies. Currently, the study room only contains Grandpa Yao's collection of books.
Meng Boyuan chuckled and said, "In the past, it was troublesome to gather twelve people to play Yin-Yang cards in the academy. It's so convenient in the study room. The long table in the tea room is huge, and all the classmates from each school are here. It's easy to gather people. There's also tea to drink and plenty of snacks to eat. If you get hungry, you can ask Uncle Cong to cook soup dumplings for you."
Yao Ruyi was speechless, and whispered a reminder: "My grandfather is inside! Although he is sometimes confused now, he has not forgotten that he is a teacher. He can be very loud when he scolds people. Tell them to tone it down! It's fine to play a few rounds when they are tired of studying, but if they make a fuss, my grandfather will get angry later."
Meng Boyuan nodded, suppressing a laugh: "But... Dr. Yao only has two or three people on his side right now."
Yao Ruyi: "..."
She was in a daze, and couldn't help but ask herself: Where exactly did her business go wrong?
***
An hour ago, on Imperial Street, at Donghua Gate.
Shen Hai had just gotten off the first long carriage from the outer city to the inner city when he saw that the sky was getting brighter. He had a bad feeling in his heart, so he hurriedly grabbed his hat and ran wildly toward the palace gate. He checked his official pass at Donghua Gate, panting, and without pausing for a moment, he continued to run inside.
Damn it, why do we have to go through two palace alleys and three palace gates to get to the Military Equipment Bureau?! He was sweating profusely in the cold weather, and he had to stop at each palace gate to have his badge checked and his identity verified before continuing to run.
Fortunately, he managed to cross the gate of the Ordnance Bureau just before 7:45 AM, hurriedly tossing the bamboo token into the bamboo tube in the window of the duty room by the gate, and smiling obsequiously at the clerk who was carving a water clock and glaring at him with a pen in hand: "Just in time! Just in time! Not too late!"
Xiao Huangmen remained expressionless, glancing sideways at Ke Lou, but ultimately did not circle his name in the examination book. He simply waved impatiently and took away the bamboo plaque engraved with his name.
Finally made it! Shen Hai let out a long sigh of relief and walked inside weakly. He was afraid of being reprimanded by the eunuch in charge of the exams, so he didn't even have time to eat breakfast this morning, let alone stop to buy anything in the market. Now, running on an empty stomach, his chest ached, and he had been exposed to the wind the whole way. Holding his rumbling stomach, he felt utterly miserable.
When he was a student, he was too greedy and ignorant. He did not study hard enough and failed the imperial examinations for several years. In the end, he switched to studying mathematics in the Mingjing examination. He originally wanted to get a Xiucai degree and become an accountant. Unexpectedly, he passed the Mingjing examinations and eventually became a clerk in the Military Equipment Bureau.
Although he was a low-ranking official with no official rank and not even allowed to wear official robes, he had an official token that allowed him to enter the palace. His parents were so happy that they held a banquet for several days and told everyone he had made something of himself.
At first, Shen Hai was also happy, thinking that he would surely be able to accomplish great things in the future. But when he actually entered the government office, he realized that there were hundreds or even thousands of clerks like him, and the Ministry of Revenue did not even pay their salaries. In fact, his name was not on the list of officials in the Ministry of Revenue.
He was really just a "task".
He wasn't considered an "official".
The affairs of the Ordnance Bureau were already extremely complicated and difficult, and before Lord Lin arrived, it was in complete chaos. The higher-ups would haphazardly pass the buck on difficult tasks, which ruined the official business. When the higher-ups investigated, it was always these "outsourced" people who ended up taking the blame.
Moreover, the palace eunuchs treated them differently from other officials. For someone like Shen Hai, who lived in the outer city, they dared not be late even for a moment, otherwise they would be recorded without mercy. After three such instances, the Privy Council's Examination Department would write a "disrespectful" comment about being late during the monthly examinations of officials.
If someone is late three times in a month, they will be fined half a month's salary.
If a person is late six times in a month, their entire month's salary will be suspended, which is an extremely severe punishment.
At the end of the year, the annual performance evaluation will determine whether a candidate's performance is rated as inferior based on the number of misconducts committed throughout the year. If a candidate is unlucky enough to be rated as inferior, he will not only face impeachment but may also be demoted. For a minor official like him, who has no way to retreat or be demoted, he may have no choice but to be dismissed.
However, if the officials were legitimate, most of the eunuchs would turn a blind eye and would never dare to use the task of recording the day's work to show off their power or solicit bribes.
Sighing, Chen Hai stepped over the threshold and walked along the covered walkway inside.
Looking back, how full of ambition he was when he first passed the exam and left the academy! But as soon as he stepped into officialdom, reality slapped him hard in the face several times.
But what else could he do? This was the best way out for a commoner like him. He didn't know how to do anything else, so he could only continue working cautiously.
Although Shen Hai was just an unknown figure in the Imperial Palace, he was extremely powerful in his parents' eyes. Moreover, because he worked as a clerk in the Armory, his parents' life in the outer city, where they ran a grain shop, became much smoother. At least some corrupt officials from the Street Office no longer dared to come and demand protection money.
Just then, his stomach growled even louder. He was about to hurry toward the clerk's office when he vaguely remembered that there was a piece of instant soup dumpling hidden in the drawer under the desk before the New Year. It was wrapped tightly in oil paper. In the cold and dry winter, perhaps... maybe... it hadn't gone bad?
Not wanting to turn the corner, just as he passed Lord Lin's duty room, a refreshing milky aroma wafted out from the half-open door! No, no... it wasn't just milky, but also the aroma of rice, cooked rice, tea, fruit... the fragrance of many kinds of food wafted over, and Shen Hai's mouth immediately watered, and his steps seemed to be rooted to the spot.
This morning, Lin Wen'an was thinking about Ruyi's new business, so he got up very early. He went to Ruyi's study room and came out before dawn. Even though he didn't take a car, it was not yet Chenshi (7-9 AM) when he slowly walked to Donghua Gate.
On the first day of the new year, he should have set an example by arriving at the yamen early. However, since he arrived early and it was not yet time for his regular duties, he did not bother to summon the two eunuchs. Instead, he quietly sorted out the unfinished business from before the new year and only sat down to have breakfast after finishing his work.
Today's breakfast was prepared for him by Ruyi.
Because it was the opening day, Ruyi got up early. When she saw him preparing to leave while steaming rice and making sashimi, she hurriedly called him back. She not only quickly prepared a pot of hot milk tea and packed a box of freshly made rice cakes, but also, disregarding the fact that the rice was hot, she quickly made a few kinds of sashimi and even cut and washed fresh fruit and put them in a box.
I packed three layers of food boxes and brought them to him in a large bundle.
He told her not to bother, to go back and get some more sleep, as she must be extremely busy today and needed to rest well. But Ruyi just shook her head, her hands moving even faster, and turned her head with a serious look in her eyes, saying, "There's nothing I can do for Second Uncle. If I don't even prepare some food and just want to be comfortable and lazy, that would be too heartless."
It was still dark at that time, and the world was quiet except for the occasional crackle of the candlelight in the kitchen.
The candlelight cast a warm yellow glow on Ruyi's profile as she worked with her head down. He stood by the door for a while, smiling as he watched her bustling around the kitchen like a squirrel preparing for winter. His heart swelled with emotion, and he went over to help her cut oil paper and chop fruit.
Halfway through, as he turned to get new oil paper, he saw his and her shadows cast on the wall behind him by the slanting lamplight, their shadows overlapping, already intertwined like silk threads, inseparable.
When Lin Wen'an was tired from being busy, he would usually take a break to think. In the past, he was mostly worried about his teacher's illness. But as his teacher's health gradually improved, his mind, which was full of blueprints, algorithms and the pungent smell of kerosene, began to show a lively and bright figure, like light shining through a crack in the dark clouds.
By now, Ruyi must be busy, right?
As he was thinking, he took off his shawl, poured a cup of hot milk tea from the teapot, and opened the food box containing sashimi and fresh fruit. Just as he picked up his chopsticks, he saw a shadow cast in front of the door.
As if sensing something, Lin Wen'an looked up.
A short, stout clerk surnamed Shen was staring intently at him from the gate, or rather, at the food boxes in front of him.
Lin Wen'an: "..."
But then he noticed that the clerk's neck was still damp with sweat, his clothes were disheveled, and his feet and shoes were covered in yellow dust, indicating that he must have lived far away and had rushed over.
Thinking back to the fact that this person was the last minor official to return home before the New Year, although his abilities were not outstanding, he had never made a mistake in reviewing matters and had sent the whole thing back for recalculation, so he was quite diligent.
He sighed, and even though it was breakfast that Ruyi had prepared for him on the table, he still remembered his name and said considerately, "It's... Shenhai, right? Come in and eat with us." As he spoke, he took out another pair of chopsticks that Cong Boduo had prepared earlier from the small drawer and gestured for him to sit opposite him, "Sit."
Shen Hai was flattered; he never expected that Lord Lin would remember his name!
You should know that the former supervisor of the Ordnance Bureau, Lord Dong, hadn't remembered his name even after two years. Even though he came to deliver documents every day, Lord Dong would only call him, "Um...you...come here for a moment..."
Later, because he was late three times in a row last year, which was considered "disrespectful," he was publicly reprimanded by Lord Dong during a meeting. However, Lord Dong couldn't remember his name, so he could only scold him by saying things like, "Some people," "A very small number of people," "And even more people," and "To save you some face, I won't say who they are," describing how lazy he was on duty, how he would run away as soon as his shift was over, and how he would spend half an hour in the outhouse, not even afraid of his legs going numb and falling into the latrine, and so on...
Hearing this, Shen Hai just wanted to roll his eyes, thinking, "If you're so capable, why don't you call on someone by name!"
Since he wasn't named, then he wasn't talking about him, humph.
This new Lord Lin is much more practical and doesn't like to talk about these things. However, he is, after all, a superior. Although Shen Hai really wanted to eat, he felt it was too awkward to eat at the same table as his superior. He thought it best to go back and check if his instant soup noodles had grown mold...
Just as he was about to muster the courage to politely decline, his stomach growled loudly, causing the words "Thank you, Lord Lin, I have already eaten" to get stuck in his throat.
Hearing his stomach growling loudly, Lin Wen'an said helplessly, "It's alright, come in and eat with us." Shen Hai really didn't dare to trouble Shangguan to urge him again and again, and besides... he really couldn't resist the aroma that kept wafting into his nostrils, so he could only thank him repeatedly, bow his head and come in, sitting down next to the stool.
Lin Wen'an poured him a cup of hot milk tea, glanced at his physique, and gave him half of the rice sashimi, three snow cakes, and an apple.
Shen Hai naturally got up to thank him again. He told the others to sit down and then started eating by himself.
Sure enough, the short, stout official opposite him waited until he started eating before apologizing and picking up his chopsticks.
With the first bite, his eyes lit up; with the second bite, he could only swallow his saliva; with the third bite, he couldn't hold back any longer and let out a "whoosh" in front of his superior.
Lin Wen'an looked up at him and thought, how could someone make such a big fuss over a meal?
Shen Hai wished he could dig a hole and disappear, but he couldn't bear to put down his chopsticks, so he could only continue eating, his face flushed. By the time he finished, Lin Wen'an had already finished eating. He hurriedly got up to collect the bowls and plates, and obediently offered to take them to be washed. Before leaving, he couldn't help but turn back, forcing a smile, and asked foolishly, "May I ask, sir, which restaurant served this breakfast? It was so delicious!"
From a young age, he had no other hobbies except for eating and drinking. He fondly recalled his days studying at the Biyong Academy, when everyone looked up to Xie Qi, the top scholar in the imperial examinations, but he was different. Instead, he admired Ning Yi, who consistently ranked last in the examinations. Ning Yi not only had exceptional academic luck, achieving the Jinshi degree by ranking last in the spring examinations, but after being appointed to an official post, he couldn't bear the corrupt atmosphere of officialdom and resigned to travel the world. During this time, he even wrote several books on gourmet food, sampling delicacies from all over the country.
Shen Hai greatly envied him and longed to live such a carefree life.
Ning Yi came from a wealthy aristocratic family, which allowed him to indulge in such extravagance, but he couldn't. Besides... with parents still alive, one shouldn't travel far; he couldn't abandon his parents. However, he had already made plans. Marrying and having children didn't matter to him; he just wanted to wait until his parents passed away so he could retire from this lowly clerk job. If he was still healthy enough to travel, he would definitely go out and enjoy the world.
At least in his later years, he no longer wanted to waste his life on such tedious paperwork.
Lin Wen'an remained silent for a moment after hearing his question.
This clerk seems to have nothing but food on his mind... But considering this is Ruyi's livelihood, he patiently told him the truth. Shen Hai's eyes widened immediately. It was actually at the Imperial Academy! When did the Imperial Academy have such delicacies? He had no idea!
No, no, he must go and investigate after he gets off work today!
Because he was so eager to finish his shift on time and get something to eat, he worked with incredible energy all day, practically on steroids. Finally, two quarters of an hour after the night watchman's clapper sounded, he finished all his tasks for the day. Finally, he could go eat dinner!
Ignoring the displeased look on the head of the clerk's face, Shen Hai grabbed his chain and ran off. He retrieved his official token from the eunuch and dashed out of the East Gate. There, he found Lord Lin, now in plain clothes, chatting happily with a fat monk as they walked along the Imperial Street.
What bad luck! How could I run into my superior as soon as I stepped out of the government office!
Moreover, isn't Lord Lin always busy until dark? How come he's like him today, leaving work right on time?
Shen Hai quickly stopped. He didn't want to greet his superiors after leaving the yamen, so he sneaked around behind the trees on both sides of the Imperial Street, afraid of being seen by Lin Wen'an.
But after leaving the Imperial Street, he realized something was wrong. Why did Lord Lin also seem to be heading to the Imperial Academy? And he was about to turn into a side road, which was narrow, leaving him nowhere to hide.
Sigh! Shen Hai had no choice but to bite the bullet and go forward to greet them.
Lin Wen'an glanced at him sideways, feeling surprised as well. He knew Ruyi's new shop was opening today, and his family must be busy. Besides, the yamen wasn't busy on the first day of business, so he wanted to go back early to check on things. Unexpectedly, as he walked along the Imperial Street, he encountered a monk from Xingguo Temple. This fat monk, perhaps having received a tip from Liang Da Dang, or perhaps having inquired about his connection to the Yao family, greeted him with a beaming smile, saying he was on his way to the Yao family to discuss the pastry workshop with Yao's young mistress.
Although she disliked the monk's arrogant yet obsequious manner, the pastry workshop was always a top priority for Ruyi, so Lin Wen'an let him accompany her to the alley.
They were almost at the Imperial Academy when the minor official who had eaten half of his breakfast also arrived.
So one person became three.
Shen Hai followed Lord Lin into the alleyway leading to the Imperial College, looking around curiously. It was his first time here; he had previously studied at the Biyong Academy, but had heard many interesting anecdotes about the Imperial College. He had heard that the Imperial College's dining hall was similar to that of the Biyong Academy—the food was as bad as swill. Hearing this gave him some comfort.
So when they learned that there was a shop inside, they were greatly shocked.
When he finally sat down in the tea room of Zhixingzhai, feeling a little dizzy, he looked around. The room was elegant and warm, filled with the aroma of milk tea. Many students were sitting around reading, playing with cats, and playing chess, enjoying sweet pastries. Next door was a stationery shop selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and across the street was a brightly lit study room. He peeked through the window and saw that the tables and chairs were brand new, and an old gentleman was there to answer questions. There was also a row of bookshelves along the wall for borrowing books.
He was so jealous that tears streamed down his face.
Why... why can the students of the Imperial Academy live so comfortably without having to climb over the walls? What happened to the hardships of studying hard? What about the suffering he endured when he was studying?
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Chen Hai: For my peanuts! For my peanuts! [crying][crying]
Actually, this chapter could also be called "Tears of a Beast" [crying][crying]
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