Chapter 116
"Take a look at the newly renovated house. Is there anything missing or something you would like to buy? This side of Xiangyang has never had anyone come to renovate it, but your father renovated it himself."
Xu He took Xiao Li to see the new wing. The two children were already grown up, and it would be inconvenient for them to still live in the same room. Since Rui Jin was about to take the next exam, it was a good opportunity to find a new home for Xiao Li.
"Ah?" Ruili opened his mouth wide. He asked why his family had been banging and banging around to clean up the house recently. His father told him that the roof was leaking and they were repairing it, but it turned out that the house was arranged for him. After looking around the wing, the new room was nice, big and bright, but: "I still want to stay with my brother."
He and his brother have the same face and have slept in the same bed since they were born. If they are suddenly separated, he will kick whose butt or grab whose quilt when he sleeps from now on. He will definitely not be able to sleep.
"My brother has an exam coming up, and he's studying late at night. Aren't you afraid that he'll disturb your sleep by lighting a candle?"
"Oh, just bear with it for a few days and it will be over. Besides, my brother rarely studies in the room. He is always reading and writing in the study. He won't bother me at all."
Xu He grabbed the little brother who wanted to slip away. He had been clinging to his brother since he was little, so he was naturally unwilling to agree to separate the two. Seeing that the excuse was not convincing, he said, "It's not right for the two of you to be together at this age. If it gets out, people will laugh at you. When your brother gets married, will you still share a room with him? The sooner you move out, the sooner you'll get used to it."
"I don't want to." Little Li couldn't run away, so he lay on the couch and said, "I'd rather marry my brother, so that we don't have to move."
"Nonsense." Xu He flicked Xiaoli'er's forehead: "Who said that a family can get married?"
Little Li covered his head and said, "Why did Uncle marry my cousin? Uncle said that this is called a close relationship in our family. If I marry my brother, won't I be closer than them?"
Xu He clenched his fists: "Do you believe I will beat you up?!"
Little Carp shrank to the other side of the soft couch: "That's how it is."
"Cousins are distant relatives. Are they relatives living under the same roof?"
Little Li hugged the small soft pillow on the couch and pouted his lips to confront his father: "My brother won't marry me or anyone else. He said he wants to study until he's old, so he doesn't have time to get married."
"Your brother is not as naughty and ignorant as you."
"snort!"
Xu He sat on the couch and said, "If you don't move everything in the house with the servants today, you are not allowed to go out to play. If the servants are clumsy and let someone's cricket run away, I don't know what will happen."
As he said that, Xu He lifted his butt and walked out of the house. Little Li hurriedly chased after him: "Don't move, don't move, I will move it myself!"
Rui Jin came out of the study and looked at the little Li brother who was running behind Xu He: "Moved?"
"Brother, come and stop Daddy."
Xiaoli rushed over and grabbed Ruijin's hand, but his brother didn't move. He exhaled angrily: "Don't you want to live in the same room with me?"
"I haven't thought about it for a long time. I started not thinking about it yesterday."
"You don't have me anymore!"
In a blink of an eye, it was mid-May. Zhang Fangyuan received a letter from Suzhou saying that Zhang Xiaotian and Zhang Xiaoxuan's trip to Suzhou was very smooth, the goods had been almost sold out, and they could return early.
The second branch of Zhuang Yan's martial arts school is doing just as much business as the first one. His child has turned one year old, and they have bought a new house this morning. They are planning to hold the housewarming party and the child's first birthday party on the same day, just like they did in the past.
After checking the almanac, I found that it was on the same day as the Tongkat Ali exam. Even the exam date was an auspicious day set by the local government.
This made the Zhang family quite busy, as they had to send people to help the banker and also worry about Ruijin's fate.
In the past, when the imperial examination began to be taken seriously, the examination for students of higher learning was divided into two rounds. One had to pass the county examination and the prefectural examination before one could continue to take the imperial examination. However, later on, because the two examinations were too strict and there were not enough talents to recruit into the imperial court, the requirements for the children's examination were relaxed appropriately, and the two examinations were combined into one, with five consecutive examinations.
It was almost summer at this time, and the weather was extremely hot. The environment in the examination room was not as good as at home, so parents from wealthy families would personally bring their young children to wait outside the examination room early in the morning.
Before daybreak, Xu He checked again the book boxes that the servants had packed for Rui Jin. Although the examination for children was not as strict as the academy examination and the provincial examination, the examination was still very strict. If there was any problem with the book boxes, pens, ink, paper and inkstone, it would be a big problem if the candidate was disqualified from the examination. What's more, it was a joint punishment, and several candidates who were connected with each other would also be affected.
When it was dawn, the servants harnessed the carriage and were ready to take Ruijin to the examination room.
His brother was taking an exam and there was one less student in the private school, so the teacher gave everyone a holiday. Little Li was sleeping soundly on the bed with his butt sticking up, but thinking about his promise to take his brother to the exam, he got up from the bed with sleepy eyes.
He let the servants help him dress neatly, and then applied a soft handkerchief soaked in cool ointment water to his face. It stuck to his face like a dog-skin plaster and dissipated a lot of his sleepiness. He was carried into the carriage by the servants.
The carriage was shaking all the way and he felt sleepy again. His little father and old father kept instructing his brother this and that, and he fell asleep immediately. Only a god-like person like his brother could get up so early and still be energetic and patient to listen to the instructions of the two elders.
"It's just a test, don't be nervous."
"Know."
When the family of four arrived outside the examination hall, there was already a sea of people. The higher the level of the examination, the fewer candidates there were. As the Tongsheng examination was the first level, the number of candidates was the largest, and most of them were young children under ten years old. Most of them would be accompanied by their family members, so there were the most people outside the examination hall.
"Dad, please go back. Just let the servant follow me. We still have to go to my uncle's house to help."
Xu He nodded.
Ruijin glanced at Xiaoli who was sleeping soundly beside Xu He's legs, walked over and pinched his face: "You're drooling, I'm leaving now."
Little Li opened his eyes dazedly and wiped his mouth subconsciously: "Are we there yet?"
"Um."
"Brother, please go to the examination room quickly. I will come to pick you up after you finish the exam."
Ruijin smiled, touched Xiaoli's head, and got off the carriage without saying a word.
Little Li rushed to the window, pulled open the curtain and poked his head out. He watched his brother politely walk into the examination room accompanied by his servant to have his body checked. He did not retreat back to the sedan chair until he could no longer see anyone. "Let's go to my uncle's house to have some delicious food!"
Zhang Fangyuan held the little guy back and said, "Greedy ghost, you can't jump up and down in the past, do you understand?"
"I know. I still have to go see the kids."
The carriage turned and went to the Zhuang family's house.
The martial arts school has earned a lot in the past few years. Even if Zhang Fangyuan only took 30%, he could still get 50 or 60 taels of silver every month. Zhuang Lian kept saving the money and finally bought a house in the east of the city after several years.
Originally Xu He hoped that Xiaomao lived closer to them, but in recent years, many new shops have been built on the Qingshan Lane in the west of the city. More and more people have moved into Qingshan Lane, and the price of the houses is no longer the original price they bought them for. Even if the house is of the same size as the Zhang family's current house, the price would be at least twice as expensive.
After all, their foundation was not stable enough, and they had to run two martial arts schools. After some consideration, they chose a house on the east side of the city. Although it was not as spacious as the Zhang family's, it was big enough for a couple and a kid. Moreover, he had been living in the martial arts hall before, and suddenly moved into the house, which was much better than the previous conditions in any case.
It's lively here today. The new house is decorated with lights and red silks. I have made many friends through business in the past few years. Today, good things come in pairs, and people come to congratulate me like a flood.
Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He also prepared a generous gift and brought a whole box of firecrackers for congratulations.
From the hour of Chen, the sound of gunfire from the banker never stopped, and it was as festive as the New Year.
"This banker is really generous. He bought a new house in one fell swoop."
"Since the opening of Ji'an Martial Arts School, the business of other martial arts schools in the city has declined. Now that a second martial arts school has opened, it is clear that they are making a lot of money."
"This banker is really successful. He was just a farmer and hunter in the past, but he was able to open a martial arts school and run it till today."
"Behind the banker is Zhang Fangyuan. With this cousin protecting him, it's no wonder that the banker's business is booming."
A few people who were drinking tea on the second floor of a teahouse across the street from the banker looked out at the flying firecrackers at the banker's house and couldn't help but sigh.
"Brother Qin, don't just sit there, have some tea."
"How can Brother Qin drink tea after Brother Cai's speech?"
The middle-aged man surnamed Cai was slightly startled, realizing that he had said something wrong, and apologized to the man surnamed Qin and poured him another cup of tea.
Qin Hongde was naturally unhappy, the most important thing on his hands was the martial arts school business. Half of the military officers in the city were under his control, and the martial arts schools of other surnames all made a living under his management. However, in the past two years, he had to watch Ji'an Martial Arts School grow and develop, which made him feel very unhappy.
It's not that they haven't suppressed Ji'an Martial Arts School before. They originally thought that the banker was just run by a hunter and it would be easy to get rid of him. However, as someone at the table said, the Zhang family was behind the banker.
Back then, that kid Zhang Fangyuan became famous overnight with his charcoal business and established a strong foundation that could not be easily eliminated. In the past, he had discussed the charcoal business with the Zhang family, but they failed to reach an agreement. With new hatred and old grudges, Qin Hongde was even more angry.
He took a few sips of tea, and couldn't bear to see the lively and festive atmosphere of the dealer, so he made an excuse that the weather was too hot today and left.
“Brother Qin!”
The man surnamed Cai watched Qin Hongde leave with a wave of his sleeves, and hurriedly stood up to try to keep him, but did not chase after him. After the man had gone far away, his expression calmed down, and he instead took a sip of tea contentedly.
The Zhang family's main business is not a martial arts school, but a supply of poultry to the village. They established a good reputation during the natural disaster, and their business has been booming over the years. However, it has caused his poultry business to become a mess. Since he cannot handle the Zhang family himself, it would be great if someone could make knives for him.
The Zhuang family’s wedding banquet is over, but Ruijin’s exam is not over yet.
Little Li was bored at home. Although his brother often stayed in the study when he was at home and might not play with him, at least he was at home. He would hang out in the study, read his brother's articles and poems, and bring him a cup of sweet soup that he and his father made. He could always see people and kill some time.
Now, people have gone to take exams and I don’t even have time to look at them.
He simply took a break and dragged little Xing brother home to play.
"I moved to a new house and haven't invited you to come over to play." Little Li took off his shoes and climbed onto the new mat that the servants had laid out. He then brought Little Xing over and helped him take off his shoes. There was a low table above the mat, on which were placed several plates of exquisite pastries and fruits.
Little Li washed his hands and pushed the plate in front of Luo Yuxing: "Little Daddy made this cold chicken feet. The bones are already removed. It's sour, spicy and refreshing. It's delicious. If you hadn't come here today, Daddy wouldn't have made it for me."
Luo Yuxing took a bite. This dish was sold very well in the city during the summer. His grandfather would always bring him a plate when he went out for banquets, but the taste was never as good as that made by Uncle Xu.
Seeing that Luo Yuxing also liked it, Xiaoli smiled and pinched Luo Yuxing's cheeks: "I originally felt uncomfortable moving out of the original room and leaving my brother, but now it seems that this place is not completely without benefits."
Luo Yuxing blinked: "What's the benefit?"
"Of course you can come directly to the house to look for me when you come here? Earlier, my brother was also in the same room, but you never went in to play."
"You are brothers, so there is nothing wrong with you being in the same room. How can I go in?"
"Yes, yes, Master Luo has strict education, and you are the most polite one."
The two were talking happily. When Xu He came into the room, he saw the two little ones lying in a row on the mat and reading a small book. Seeing him come in, Luo Yuxing quickly sat up straight and called "Uncle Xu" sensibly.
Xu He touched Luo Yuxing's head and said to Ruili, "I asked Xiaoxing to come here today to teach you needlework. Xiaoxing can already embroider lotus flowers, but you can't even hold the needle and thread steadily."
"Don't worry, learn slowly." Xu He stopped Xiaoli from trying to shirk his responsibility and said, "I'll go buy some vegetables and cook your favorite dishes at noon."
"Great!" Xiaoli immediately forgot about the unhappiness of learning needlework and quickly ordered dishes: "I want to eat braised pork elbow and garlic ribs. Xiaoxing likes to eat wild delicacies, so daddy should remember to buy some for him too."
"Okay, okay."
Xu He hadn't cooked for some time. Usually he just made snacks for the kids. Suddenly, his culinary desire was aroused.
"You guys just wait here. It's not easy for carriages to enter the vegetable market. It's so noisy and it will block the road and cause trouble." Xu He took the vegetable basket and went to the vegetable market by himself. He was very familiar with this area. He had come to the vegetable market many times to sell vegetables before he got married, so he was very familiar with going in and out.
After moving into the house, in the past few years, many hired farmers had sent their children to serve as slaves, and the family bought more servants, so the manpower became more and more abundant. For example, he was no longer needed to buy meat and vegetables for the family.
Today he came in alone to buy some vegetables, and he found it quite interesting. He bought a lot of vegetables out of joy.
When he left the vegetable market, the basket he carried was full, and some vendors thought he was generous and wanted to chase him to sell him more vegetables.
"Really, no need, I've already installed ..."
"Oh, whose family is this man from? Why haven't I seen him before? Look at his handsome features."
Xu He tilted his head in shock. He felt like someone was following him and thought it was a vegetable vendor. But when he heard the vulgar voice, he realized it was a young man.
He frowned, ignored her, and was about to leave, but the man kept pestering him, "Such a big basket of vegetables, how heavy is it? Why don't I carry it for you? I don't know where your husband lives, would you mind taking you home?"
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