Chapter 47 Gift Giving
Before breakfast, Su Fengzhang was used to running a few laps outside. Now that he had arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture and did not have the conditions for this, he simply practiced boxing in the yard. He practiced the most common military boxing, and his movements were not very standard.
But after practicing for a long time, he seemed to be more vigorous and powerful.
Wen Zhu lazily stood up and walked out to see him finishing the last paragraph. His forehead was covered in sweat. He couldn't help but ask, "How long have you been up?"
"Not long, half an hour earlier than you." Su Fengzhang replied with a smile.
Wenzhu quickly checked to see his father wasn't there, then said, "Hey, I didn't know before how you could make such great progress in just three years. Now I understand. If you go to bed later than me and get up earlier than me every day, doesn't that mean you're better than me?"
Who knew that Mr. Wen happened to hear these words, and he immediately snorted coldly: "It's good that you know."
Wenzhu shrank his neck and kept silent. He thought that he was just fooling his father. If he had studied half as hard as he did, he wouldn't have been so stagnant.
After all, it is impossible to ask him to study as hard as Su Fengzhang. You have to know that except for a short nap after lunch, he spends the rest of the time studying, either reading or practicing calligraphy, and he is fully focused on it.
Sure enough, after breakfast, Su Fengzhang went back to the house to read. He shared a room with his second uncle Su, but during the day, his second uncle Su felt that staying in the house would disturb his reading, so he simply worked in the yard and occasionally talked to Mr. Wen.
The reason why Mr. Wen was blocking the yard was that after coming to Qingzhou Prefecture, Wen Zhu once sneaked out to play and was discovered by him, so now he sits in the yard every day, and no one can avoid him to go out.
Half a month passed, and Su Fengzhang had already registered at the yamen, and was now sorting the books he brought with him.
Most of the books inside were donated by the magistrate Mr. Cai and Mr. Wen. They are all books related to the imperial examination, most of which are related to current affairs. There are also very precious reading notes and manuscripts, which are very rare.
It took Su Fengzhang half a month to read it from beginning to end. Now he started the second time according to the order of importance he understood. He even wrote a thick stack of notes.
Scholars are generally respected and treated preferentially among the scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, but this respect and preferential treatment does not come for nothing. His goal this time is to become a scholar. After obtaining the title of scholar, he can be exempted from corvee labor and does not have to bow to officials.
Although people always say that scholars are poor, as long as they know how to plan, they will not be too poor, because they have entered the scholar class.
This is how reading works. The more you read with enthusiasm, the more interested you will become. Su Fengzhang was not used to this way of reading at first, but now he enjoys it.
In contrast to him, Wenzhu next door has been studying for more than ten years, but he still gets a headache when he sees a book. He is born not to like reading.
Even when sitting in the yard, Mr. Wen could notice his son peeking out. If he walked away for a while, he would probably disappear. After all, he was his biological son, and he only had one. If he didn't set the rules for him when he was a child, he couldn't change it now.
Comparing him with Su Fengzhang on the other side, Mr. Wen felt both envious and fortunate, because he was also his student after all.
"Feng Zhang is talented and hardworking, and what's rare is his ability to stay calm. He will surely achieve great things in the future."
Uncle Su was also happy to hear this. He patted his head and said, "Hey, this kid is just like his father. My eldest brother was like this when he was studying. His butt seemed to be glued to the stool when he was studying."
"Knock knock knock!" There was a sudden knock on the door.
Uncle Su said curiously, "Are there guests at home?"
This is strange, as the couple who look after the house always go in and out through the back door, and Mr. Wen doesn't have any relatives in Qingzhou.
When he opened the door, he saw a carriage parked outside. The carriage was just ordinary, but the person standing in front of the carriage was extraordinary. It was Fang Yu who had changed into gorgeous clothes.
"Is Mr. Su at home?" Fang Yu asked with a smile.
"Mr. Fang?" Su Fengzhang also came out of the house and was a little surprised to see the servants constantly moving things out.
"Master Su, Master Wen, and the two old gentlemen, I've come here specifically to express my gratitude for saving my life on the boat."
Su Fengzhang quickly said, "It's just a small favor. Master Fang, you are too polite."
Wenzhu also emerged from the house, laughing and shouting, "Yes, we didn't save you for money."
Fang Yu felt a little embarrassed, but the servant behind him said respectfully, "Master Fang knows that the two young masters do not want anything, but the Fang family cannot be ignorant of etiquette. Please accept these small gifts."
Just as Su Fengzhang was about to speak, he heard the servant say, "The provincial examination is imminent, so Lord Fang can't summon you two. If you're lucky, we can meet after the examination. Please don't refuse."
Fang Yu also helped, saying, "Yes, I don't have much to repay you for. These gifts were prepared by my aunt. They are not worth one thousandth of the life-saving grace, but they are also a token of my gratitude to my brother and me. Please don't refuse them."
At this time, Mr. Wen said, "In that case, you should accept the Feng Zhang."
"Then I'd rather obey than be disrespectful." Su Fengzhang said with a smile.
Fang Yu only stayed for a short while before leaving. As soon as he left, Second Uncle Su came over to take a look and frowned, saying, "This isn't just a small gift; it's way too generous."
Wenzhu walked over, picked up the gift list and looked at it, and was also shocked.
Mr. Wen sighed and said, "I didn't expect this Mr. Fang to be a relative of the prefect, Lord Fang. The pirates that day were indeed not simple. They are now sending a generous gift to repay the favor of saving your life. It's actually a good thing for you."
"Ah? Cleared?" Wen Zhu was depressed when she heard it. "Master Fang doesn't mean that, right? Besides, if I can establish a relationship with Master Fang, it will also be beneficial to Feng Zhang's future career."
Mr. Wen glared at him and said calmly, "The imperial court is unfathomable, and the Fang family is quite influential, with many connections involved. Haven't you seen those ruthless pirates who kill people without blinking an eye?"
"Feng Zhang is not even a scholar now. If he gets involved with them, he might not even know how he will die."
"What's worse is that Lord Fang is the chief examiner for this provincial and academy examination. If he has a close personal relationship with you, I'm afraid that even if nothing happens, someone will use you as an excuse to criticize you."
Su Fengzhang also agreed with this view and said, "Sir, you are right."
Wen Zhu said gloomily, "It was a life-saving favor after all. I just accepted a small gift and settled the debt. This Lord Fang is a bit stingy."
Mr. Wen couldn't help but curse, "Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about? Do you need me to teach you the principle of not expecting anything in return for a favor?"
Wenzhu quickly shut up. He just said it without meaning it and didn't expect anything in return.
Su Fengzhang added, "I actually think this Lord Fang is quite good. It was the soldiers who arrived just in time that day. Otherwise, even if my uncle and I had swords, we probably wouldn't have been able to save our lives."
"But after he learned about this, he didn't pretend to be ignorant. Instead, he sent someone with gifts to express his gratitude, which shows his sincerity."
"Look at these gifts again. Firstly, they are valuable. Secondly, they are also things that scholars can use. A lot of thought went into them."
"He is the high and mighty prefect, and we are but commoners without any official title. It is not easy for him to send such a gift to express his gratitude."
"Besides, settling this matter will benefit both parties. The Fang family won't have to worry about us using it to repay a favor, and we won't have to worry about complications when we take the exam. Isn't that a happy ending for everyone?"
"In the final analysis, we still made a profit."
Mr. Wen smiled, nodded, and said, "Feng Zhang is still clear-sighted. That's exactly it."
Wen Zhu raised an eyebrow and said with a smile: "According to what you said, Master Fang is still a good person."
"Don't make irresponsible remarks about the court officials." Mr. Wen scolded him again and simply ignored him.
Su Fengzhang also smiled without saying anything. He didn't know whether he was a good person or not, but he was definitely a shrewd official. From the gift-giving incident, it could be seen that he was not a particularly cold-hearted, ruthless or cruel person.
Originally, he had no intention of getting close to the Fang family, and was actually happy to see it happen.
He walked over and took out an inkstone. The stone of the inkstone was solid, smooth and fine. It was the most famous of the four famous inkstones, the Duan inkstone. Although the grade was unknown, it must be worth a lot of money.
"Here, haven't you always wanted a Duan inkstone?" Su Fengzhang handed it to Wenzhu with a smile.
Wen Zhu quickly waved her hands: "Why give it to me? Just use it for yourself. I'm not the one who saved people."
"Take it, there's more than one piece in there." Su Fengzhang said with a smile, "One for me, one for you, one for Mr. Wen, and there's still one left. I can only take it back to my brother when the time comes."
Without waiting for Mr. Wen to refuse, Su Fengzhang said with a smile, "Sir, please don't refuse. These things are used by scholars. Judging from the number of pieces, you are all included. Besides, I can't use them all by myself."
"It's also good to take it home and use it slowly." Mr. Wen didn't want to take advantage of the students.
"I have to explain to my mother if I bring her back. She will be worried when she asks about what happened on the ship." Su Fengzhang said with a smile.
Mr. Wen then accepted it and did not object. Wen Zhu was even happier. He did not like reading, but he liked the four treasures of the study.
The only things that could be used by the scholars were divided, the food was sent to the kitchen, and the remaining usable things were given to Uncle Su. Uncle Su couldn't help but say, "I don't need these at all, you can keep them."
He was not allowed to refuse: "I can't explain myself if I take it back, so leave it here. If not, let's exchange it for silver before we go back."
On the other side, the servant who came to deliver the gift stood in front of Lord Fang and told him about the gift.
Lord Fang simply nodded and commented, "Fortunately, he's a smart guy."
After saying this, Lord Fang fell silent and seemed to be thinking about something. The one who saved the man was a smart person, but the nephew who was saved... It has been so many years, and this child has no parents and a younger sister to take care of, so why is he still the same temper as before?
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