Chapter 112
"This is the new Lu Mo. You two can take a look at it. Do you like it?"
Ruijin studied hard and had never put down his pen since he started learning calligraphy. Xu He had been to the bookstore quite often in recent years. He was originally an illiterate layman, but thanks to this boy he managed to learn to judge the quality of ink and could distinguish between lampblack ink and pine soot ink.
Lamp soot ink is black and shiny, suitable for writing, while pine soot ink is thick black and matte, easily dissolves in water, and is more suitable for painting and depicting the fine details of the task.
"The newly arrived pine soot ink is really excellent." Xu He picked up the ink block and said to Zhang Fangyuan, "I have never seen anything like this in the previous times I came here."
Xu He originally planned to buy pine soot ink. He saw that Rui Jin had been painting in the study recently. He had been concentrating on reading and practicing calligraphy before and had never done anything else. Now that Rui Jin was learning to paint, he, as his father, could not guide him like a teacher, but it would always be a good idea to come here and carefully select some good brushes and ink.
"Rui Jin uses a lot of ink for calligraphy practice. Brother Xiaoli casts the net for three days and fishes for two days. Although he is not as hardworking as his brother, he should also start writing. Since you think the lampblack ink is good, buy some and store them. There will always be a chance to use them."
"Oh, the best pine soot ink! Shopkeeper Ma's new stock has arrived!"
The couple was discussing buying the whole thing when suddenly a voice interrupted them and took the ink from the counter.
"This is really good ink. I want all of it. Shopkeeper Ma, please pack it up."
The shopkeeper glanced awkwardly at Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He, and said politely to the man who came over, "Butler, this is what Boss Zhang and the other man chose first."
The man turned his head and looked at the couple beside him when he heard the voice, as if he had just spotted someone: "It turns out to be Boss Zhang, no wonder he looks familiar."
The housekeeper smiled and said, "You two are here to buy ink for your children, what a coincidence. Boss Zhang has always been generous, I wonder if you can give me these inks. Boss Zhang and his wife also know that our master has many students under him. Seeing that the Tongsheng exam is coming soon, we need to send students to take the exam, so we need some good inks."
"Young Master Zhang is still young, and has just reached the age to enter the examination hall. I'm afraid he won't be able to take the exam this year. He can just use some ordinary ink to practice calligraphy. Wouldn't it be a waste to use such good ink?"
Zhang Fangyuan sneered: "There is still some time before the Tongsheng Examination. You may as well go there again in a few days."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu He tacitly took out an ingot of silver from the counter and picked up the ink.
“Hey!”
Zhang Fangyuan said politely to Xu Hetong, the shopkeeper, then left with the box, completely ignoring the butler named Gan who was still jumping up and down on the spot.
"You don't look like a prince when you wear the dragon robe. You don't have enough talent and knowledge, so you can't write a good article even with the imperial ink!"
"Butler, why don't you look at something else?"
The housekeeper glanced at the shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, you have a good eye. The Zhang family has become more and more financially powerful in Siyang in recent years. It's hard to understand why you are a businessman instead of a scholar."
"Oh, look at what the housekeeper said, what kind of help or not? Master Meng taught and taught, and we nephews still have to rely on him. In fact, it was Boss Zhang who came first and had already told us verbally that a small business can only be run with integrity, don't you think?"
The housekeeper snorted coldly: "Everyone knows that merchants like the shopkeeper are good at talking."
The implication was simply that he looked down on merchants and disliked their sophistication and cunning. The bookstore owner was unhappy when he heard this, but he did not argue with him and just smiled apologetically.
Xu He came out of the bookstore with a bad look on his face. "It was because we didn't receive education at the Meng family. The housekeeper of Master Meng was always weird when he saw people from our family. He always suppressed and provoked them, as if only the Meng family could teach good students. With such a vindictive temper, it's a good thing that we didn't send Rui Jin and Rui Li to receive education."
"To put it politely, he is a steward, but to put it bluntly, he is a servant. Since he dared to provoke us again and again, it is hard to believe that he did not get Master Meng's permission."
Zhang Fangyuan said: "Master Luo has always been a low-key and introverted person. The private schools in the city like to take their students to participate in elegant gatherings and poetry gatherings. It sounds good to say that it is an exchange, but in fact it is a bad atmosphere. It is nothing more than a competition between private schools."
"Whose private school's child won the first prize in the elegant gathering and poetry competition, who's private school's child's handwriting is the best, and so on. This will bring honor to the private school, and the reputation will spread out, and people outside will try their best to send their children to private schools. The Meng family is the most enthusiastic about this elegant gathering and poetry competition, and that's how they made their name."
"I heard from Master Luo that the Meng family also sent him an invitation. I don't know whether it was a sincere invitation or a test. You know Master Luo, he likes peace and quiet and never pays attention. The Meng family resents our family, and they have been rejected by the Luo family several times, so they also resent the Luo family and slander them everywhere."
Having settled down in the city over the years, he has made many familiar friends, some of whom are close to him. Every household has children, and Xu He has often heard gossip from outside.
It simply means that merchants like them have narrow vision and cannot judge people well. It is hard to tell whether the Luo family's candidates are genuine or fake. The children they teach are never taken out to see the world. They are pedantic and closed-minded. The teachers are not like teachers, and the students are not like students. They can't teach anything at all.
The children are young and cannot see much. When they grow up and leave the private school and enter the academy, they will know who is superior and who is inferior. Then they will regret in vain for not following a good teacher when they were young and wasting so many years. In the future, they will have to follow in their father's footsteps and become merchants like their family.
Although Xu He was a layman, he could still tell whether his child had made progress or not. Fortunately, the couple had grown up in an environment full of rumors and gossips, so as long as they were sure of what they were doing, they would not listen to anything others said.
Some merchants who had relations with the Zhang family shared the same hatred for the enemy, while others advised them to send their children to the academy.
Now the little guy is six years old, and he was able to enroll in an academy. However, the couple felt that he was learning well under Luo Yan, so it was fine for Xiaoli, as long as he could learn to read and write. Since he couldn't take the imperial examinations, the couple didn't have high expectations for him.
In fact, to be precise, the couple did not have high expectations for their two children, but Ruijin really liked reading and was interested in imperial examinations, so the couple would naturally pay more attention to his teaching.
I have asked Ruijin before whether he wanted to go to the academy to study. With the connections he has made in the city over the years, it should not be a problem to send him to the best academy in the city and choose a good teacher. However, Ruijin felt that he could learn very well in Mr. Luo's private school and was not willing to go to the academy.
Ruijin has been steady since childhood, so the couple don't have to worry that their child is unwilling to go to the academy because he is too playful. It is the child who is taking the class, and since the child agrees, they don't have to worry too much about the teacher.
The two of them were of the same mind, and although they were bothered by the gossip, they never took it seriously as a sadness.
After talking for a while, the couple realized that the carriage they were riding in had not moved at some point. Zhang Fangyuan was still in a hurry to meet a guest, so he couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
"Master, there is trouble ahead, you need to move forward."
Zhang Fangyuan's eyebrows twitched. He lifted the curtain and took a look. The alley was just wide enough for two carriages to pass in opposite directions. Although there was no carriage in front, there was a group of people. The carriage could still pass through, but it would be a bit troublesome.
Having stayed in the city for a long time, it is not uncommon to see such scenes. From a distance, you can tell from the fierce momentum that it is not a good thing.
There are frequent quarrels in the village even though the population is small. The city is densely populated and there are even more big and small things happening. Moreover, unlike in the village where relatives are the only ones who can mediate quarrels, people in the city don't even like to watch the fun when something happens. If they are not careful, they will be dragged to the government office to serve as witnesses. Ordinary people dare not get involved in such things.
"Why didn't you take the main road?"
The coachman said honestly, "The master is in a hurry to go to Qianchun Tower to meet a guest. It is almost time for dinner. The weather is clear and cool today. The main road is bound to be congested. I am afraid that it will take time to go that way, so we changed the road."
"But it is true. This road is usually sparsely populated."
Xu He frowned and looked ahead. There were several tall men standing there, and he couldn't see clearly what was going on inside. He was not a person who liked to meddle in other people's affairs. It was not easy for ordinary people like them to get involved in matters that even the county government could not handle.
Although it is best not to get involved, it would be good if we could stop a disturbance as soon as possible: "Let's drive the carriage over there and persuade them to stop. You can go and report to the patrolling yamen runners."
He made the arrangements, and Zhang Fangyuan got off the carriage and led the way. Xu He was hidden behind him. The two of them walked over with servants. But before they could say anything, they heard a voice saying, "Master, someone is coming. There is a master and a servant. It will be troublesome if they start to argue. Master, please forgive that blind person today. She is just a vulgar woman. You don't need to be angry."
"Bah, you ungrateful thing! I appreciate you but you insist on following your poor husband. Then use this money to treat your short-lived husband."
After that, there was the sound of silver coins falling to the ground, and then the group of people really left, retreating very quickly.
Zhang Fangyuan was tall, and when he saw the back of the man being surrounded by able-bodied men and walking away, he felt that the man looked familiar. However, the young master walked away with his head held high and never looked back, so he couldn't see his face clearly.
After the group of people left, the people who had been surrounded and bullied revealed themselves to be a young couple. The man collapsed to the ground with a bruised face and nose, and the young woman hugged her husband and cried inconsolably.
The couple were dressed simply, and one could tell at a glance that they were from a poor family. Although the young lady was plain, her eyes and eyebrows could not hide her beauty. Even if he had not stepped forward to ask, Zhang Fangyuan could guess what was going on from the few words she had just said and the young master who had left.
It was nothing more than a lustful man who took advantage of his wealth and power to molest the young lady in the street. When the husband stepped forward to argue with him, he ended up being beaten up. These young masters who took advantage of their power to bully others always treat people differently according to their circumstances, and when they saw the boy from a poor family, they did whatever they wanted.
Xu He saw the young master throwing coins all over the floor, and felt sorry for the couple. He couldn't bear it, so he stepped forward to help and said, "I see your husband is seriously injured. You should go to the clinic as soon as possible. If you delay the treatment, it will be even more heartbreaking. Wouldn't it be better to go to the government office and sue after the injury is healed?"
"There is no one in the alley, and only the couple suffered. It is hard to tell them." The young lady wiped her eyes and was even more heartbroken when talking about this matter: "Then it was Qin Shang, the young master of the Qin family. He is rich and powerful, and he is also a playboy and vicious. How can we, the common people, sue him?"
Zhang Fangyuan frowned when he heard this: "You mean Qin Shang?"
The woman nodded.
Zhang Fangyuan understood. No wonder he looked familiar. That guy was indeed a bully. He was a cousin of Qin Zhong, his old boss when he was hanging out in the city. The two were of the same bloodline and neither of them was a good person.
Qin Shang is extremely lustful and has abused many people. He is capable of even molesting people in the street.
What the couple said was also true. How could they sue the local tyrants in the city when they were alone and weak? It was precisely because they knew the disparity in strength that they could not go up and fight for justice, which would only make them feel hopeless.
"You should hurry to the clinic to see your husband. Human life is important. As the saying goes, if you have green mountains, you will not have to worry about running out of firewood."
Zhang Fangyuan saw that the scattered silver on the ground was really shabby, so the couple just looked at each other, and Xu He took out some money from his own pocket to give the young lady. The girl was about to kowtow to express her gratitude, but at this moment the servant asked the yamen runner to come and take her to the clinic.
The young lady supported her husband all the way, turning back and crying, bending down to thank the two men.
Looking at the couple walking away, Xu He felt a little uncomfortable. If their family was poor, they must have been bullied like this, so he would inevitably feel more sympathy for them.
Zhang Fangyuan seemed to see through his thoughts and touched his head: "No, even if our family has no wealth, I can still fight, and the person lying down will definitely not be me."
"You're still joking at this time." Xu He patted the back of Zhang Fangyuan's hand: "Hurry up and go to Qianchun Tower, don't be late."
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