Chapter 82: Senior Brother, Senior Brother [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Ayan curiously grabbed a heavy gold ingot.
The gold ingots were of high quality and weight; they could not be held in one hand.
He had never seen this before.
They looked at the teacher with questioning and inquisitive eyes.
The old man gave a cold, shallow smile and curled his lip: "Your 'senior brother' really treats us, master and disciple, like poor relatives who come to beg for our money. After treating us to a meal, you bring us this dish. It's obvious you want us to get lost. Humph, how novel."
Everyone knows the situation in Sibao County.
He was having a really comfortable time as the prefect, throwing around two hundred taels of gold with a single stroke, truly treating money like dirt!
Ayan said, "Senior brother, very good."
He ate a lot of delicious food today.
The old man was both amused and annoyed. He lightly poked the man's forehead with his finger and asked, "In your opinion, whoever feeds you is a good person?"
Ah Yan pondered these words in her heart twice.
After a long pause, he nodded firmly: "Yes."
After a while, he added another sentence.
"However, the teacher is the best."
The teacher not only cooked for him, but also taught him a lot of things. Although he didn't know what the use of learning these things was, they were a rare source of fun in his otherwise dull daily life.
"Yes, teacher knows."
He exhaled a heavy breath.
Although he had heard Ah Yan say this many times, he always felt a warm glow in his heart, and his unhappy mood improved considerably.
It's laughable that he had such a smooth career, with countless students and former subordinates who called themselves his students and respected him as their master and teacher. Yet, in the end, he ended up in such a wretched state.
He never dreamed he would be "sent off" like this.
Shouldn't he be relieved that Xiaocheng's student still "has some conscience"? At least he cares about his reputation and is willing to pay people off with money instead of handing over the master and apprentice to Zheng Qiao to claim credit?
Thinking of this, the old man couldn't help but shake his head and sigh—
They used to tip people off and kick them when they were down, but now they treat them with great hospitality, "honored guests," and are even willing to spend money on their travel expenses.
Ayan keenly sensed the old man's complex emotions at that moment.
He didn't know how to comfort him, so he awkwardly grasped his teacher's large, weathered hand with his small one, looking at him with eyes full of adoration. The old man pinched Ayan's little face and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Whether in the bustling world or the treacherous officialdom, there are always more people adding flowers to brocade than offering charcoal in the snow; following the powerful and flattering the weak is the norm... Now I'm just a down-and-out old man..."
Facing Ayan's eyes filled with doubt, he said, "Ayan is still young. She will understand when she grows up. However, given your situation, it is better for you to retire with me. The world outside is not suitable for you. If you enter the world, you will surely be skinned alive."
Skinning and dismembering?
A hint of fear flickered in Ayan's eyes.
He buried his head in the old man's knees and mumbled, "Don't skin me alive, teacher, Ayan, don't let me be eaten..."
"Alright, alright, Ah Yan is so cute, I won't eat, I won't eat." The old man was amused by Ah Yan's innocent words and laughed heartily. He said, "Although I don't have many years left to live, I can still raise you. If anyone tries to eat you in the future, just punch and kick them back."
Ayan said, "Fight back?"
"Yes, whoever it is, hit him!"
Ayan listened intently, as if trying to memorize these words as if they were sacred decrees: "Yes, fight back! Hit him!"
As the master and apprentice were talking, there was a knock on the door.
"Sir, the wine has been purchased."
Old man: "Wine?"
Servant: "Yes, the master ordered it to be bought."
The prefect had gone to great lengths to cultivate this relationship with the old man, inquiring about his preferences and hoping to curry favor with him and make a good impression, perhaps even securing a promotion for him later in his official career. Even if that didn't work out, leaving a good impression would be beneficial.
Because of his humility, diligence, pragmatism, and ability, the prefect benefited greatly from the old man and received a lot of help behind the scenes, which made his early career in officialdom less embarrassing.
I remembered it for many years.
But times have changed.
He specifically instructed his servants not to buy any fine wine—the master was intelligent; what fine wine hadn't he tasted? Just a taste of ordinary, inexpensive wine would be enough for the master to know his attitude.
But he didn't know that the old man had given up drinking after taking in Ah Yan.
Just as the old man was about to refuse, Ah Yan looked at the round wine jars with bright eyes and said, "Teacher, sugar."
"This isn't sugar, it's alcohol."
Ayan insisted: "It's candy."
The old man said, "It's wine."
Ayan lowered her head: "I want to eat."
Old man: "..."
He had his servant bring in the wine jar, and as he uncorked it with the red cloth, a rich, overpowering aroma wafted out, seemingly permeating even his clothes. The old man was slightly surprised; based on his understanding of his student, the wine he brought was either bland and tasteless or of mixed and inferior quality, something the common people could buy for a few coins.
But this is clearly a rare and exquisite wine.
The smell alone was enough to trigger his long-standing alcohol addiction.
The old man looked at Ayan, then at the wine jar.
They are caught in a dilemma.
Ayan pointed to the wine jar: "It's sugar."
The old man chuckled, "You say it's candy, then let you try it."
Ayan's eyes lit up: "Okay."
I said I was just tasting it, so I just dipped a little bit in with my chopsticks.
Ayan opened her mouth and yelped, taking a bite and sucking on it. Immediately, her little face scrunched up from the spiciness, her eyes turned bright red, and she stuck out her tongue in a disheveled state.
The old man laughed heartily.
"You can drink this wonderful thing called wine when you're older."
The old man, unceremoniously accepting the fine wine offered by his cheap disciple, filled his cup and downed two bowls in one gulp. He remarked, "Your senior brother is good in every way, except for his character. He's climbed this ladder through scheming and maneuvering, using countless underhanded methods to bring down people. I wanted to warn him to be careful of your senior brother, but he sees us as a dangerous threat, so clinging on isn't a good idea..."
Whatever you step on to get up there, don't blame it for what will knock you down.
Ah Yan looked at the wine jar as if it were a raging flood or a ferocious beast.
Hearing the teacher's words, I felt confused.
He didn't quite understand what the teacher was saying.
Old man: "After we finish drinking this, we'll leave."
"Senior brother? Senior brother?"
How come there are two senior brothers?
The old man looked completely unfazed.
"I have many former students and subordinates who are your disciples. Although our friendships are superficial, they are all your senior brothers. It's rare for Xiaocheng to have two senior brothers. I just never expected this..."
The old grudge between Qi Shan and the Prefect of Xiaocheng had caused quite a stir in a small circle back then, and the old man knew a bit of the inside story. When he entered Xiaocheng, he subconsciously activated the Way of the Scholar and found Qi Shan nearby, so he knew that the Prefect's protégé was about to be in trouble.
The old man said, "Your senior brother surnamed Qi is the type who prefers to plan carefully before acting. The fact that he dares to appear on his enemy's territory means that he is confident enough to strike a fatal blow and avenge his previous defeat..."
Ayan listened with a blank expression.
"Stay away from them." The old man murmured with a smile, as if recalling some past event, "You are no good person; how can one associate with you?"
Ayan: "Huh?"
Still completely confused.
At the same time, Qi Shan and Gu Chi also cleared up their differences. The atmosphere was no longer as tense and fraught with hostility as before, but instead had a relaxed and pleasant feel, like old friends reuniting.
Gu Chi frowned inwardly as he saw that Qi Shan accepted the situation well.
Qi Shan seemed to be able to read minds even better than him: "Are you wondering right now why I'm not afraid of your scholarly ways?"
Gu Chi said, "A little."
Qi Shan: "Because I have seen something even more frightening."
I drank almost a whole pot of hot water after taking the medicine. I hope my tonsils will return to normal tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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