Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Going to Beijing Together
"Run'er!" A joyful voice came from not far away.
"Yunfan." Qin Run happily put down the bowl, stood up and ran over.
There's no way, a short separation is better than a new marriage, the two have a good relationship. Last time we didn't see each other for five days, this time we haven't seen each other for three days, it can be said that one day apart feels like three years.
Xu Yunfan caught Qin Run who rushed over and happily kissed him twice on the face. "Have you been waiting for so long? Your face is so cold."
"Soon, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something before going back?" Qin Run did not ask how Xu Yunfan did in the exam. Although he was worried, the exam was over, and asking would only increase Xu Yunfan's pressure. It would be good if he passed the exam, but it didn't matter if he didn't. At least it was good that Xu Yunfan was by his side.
Xu Yunfan glanced at the uncle's stall and swallowed his saliva. "Let's eat something first. We'll go back together after Xu Zhifeng comes out."
The uncle didn't expect that Qin Run's husband would look so... eye-catching. The two of them were so affectionate that their gazes were almost lingering. It seemed that he was just overthinking it.
Xu Yunfan led Qin Run to the stall and asked, "Uncle, what do you have for sale?"
"Meat buns, steamed buns, meat soup, dumplings, what would you like to eat, young master?"
Xu Yunfan hadn't slept well during the three days in the exam hall, and naturally his food wasn't very good either. Even though Qin Run had prepared bread and other easy-to-carry snacks for him, they couldn't compare to a bowl of steaming hot rice and a bowl of fragrant broth. "I want a bowl of soup, a basket of dumplings, and three meat buns. Run'er, what do you want?"
"I'll have some dumplings too." Qin Run paid the money and then opened Xu Yunfan's basket to see that the food inside had been eaten up by Xu Yun. Seeing this, Qin Run knew that he was worrying for nothing.
During these three days, he was worried that Xu Yunfan would not be able to eat or sleep well. The last time Xu Yunfan stayed in the examination room for five days, he prepared a larger basket filled with food. Later, when Xu Yunfan came out, there was nothing left in the basket. But this time it was a provincial examination, and the people who accompanied the examinee said that many examinees were under great pressure and could hardly eat, so preparing a few steamed buns was basically enough.
Not to mention that the people accompanying the exam were surprised to see the basket of food prepared by Qin Run, even the officers in charge of the entrance inspection whispered to each other and motioned their companions to look at him after seeing Xu Yunfan, obviously they remembered him.
After all, there are not many candidates like him who bring a full basket of food into the examination hall. The officer in charge of checking food in the last county examination told his companions about this matter later, and the others did not believe it. Now, after hearing the hint from their companions, they looked over and saw that there was indeed a full basket of food. When they looked at Xu Yunfan again, their expressions changed. Before, they thought that this man was handsome, but now in their eyes, Xu Yunfan was definitely a glutton.
Xu Yunfan's appearance was already unforgettable, and now he had the reputation of being a good-for-nothing, so much so that even the officials remembered him and were wondering whether he could pass the exam.
Just because he ate a little too much, on the day when the results were announced, word spread that the top two scorers in Qinghe Town was a big foodie and that even a basket of steamed buns was not enough for him.
At this moment, Xu Yunfan finished a basket of dumplings, drank two bowls of meat soup, and ate three meat buns. Only then did he take out a handkerchief with satisfaction and wipe the corners of his mouth elegantly. He said that he was only 50% full and wanted to save some room for dinner when he got home and could not eat any more.
The uncle watched Xu Yunfan devour the food in no time and couldn't help but admire him secretly. There were sixteen dumplings in a basket, and the dumplings he made were big, the meat buns were not small either. Even the bowl he used for drinking soup was the big bowl at home. After eating so much, he was only half full?
The uncle saw and heard it with his own eyes. When other people later questioned whether someone was jealous of this student who was the top scorer in the double case and that was why they called him a glutton, the uncle stood up and personally proved that what everyone said was true, and that this student really could eat a lot.
On the way back, Xu Yunfan observed Xu Zhifeng's expression and found that Xu Zhifeng was relaxed and not frustrated at all. It seemed that he had performed well. After the two of them talked about some test questions, Xu Yunfan instructed him, "Go back and rest for two days. If you have any questions later, go to Dean Jiang when I'm gone."
"Where are you going?" Xu Zhifeng didn't know about the Master's competition and couldn't help but be curious.
Thinking of the Master Competition in March, Xu Yunfan said with a headache, "I have to go to the capital. Dean Jiang begged me to compete for Qingfeng Academy. It's a good thing, but as a master of the academy, I must contribute to this important matter. So I have to leave for the capital in a few days. Dean Jiang said the competition will last for several days."
Qinghe Town is relatively close to the capital. If a teacher from other places came here, he would probably have to ride in a carriage for one or two months, which would be real suffering.
Xu Zhifeng was already used to Xu Yunfan's boasting. "Then I'll go directly to the capital city to wait for you. I'll go there in advance and book a room for you."
"Well, if we arrive in the city first, we can book a room first. I will send someone to wait for you at the city gate."
"Okay." Xu Zhifeng nodded.
Qin Run, who was sitting on the side, looked up at the sky and thought to himself that Xu Zhifeng had been led astray by Xu Yunfan. He had just come out of the examination room today and it was still unknown how he did in the exam, but the two of them had already discussed going to the provincial capital to take the exam, as if passing the examination as a Tongsheng was a sure thing.
It was not only Xu Yunfan who was going to participate in the teacher competition at Qingfeng Academy. Several other teachers were also going. Jiang Lanfang specially gave the teachers some homework, and Xu Yunfan listened obediently for two days.
Returning home in the dark, Xu Yunfan discovered that the atmosphere at home seemed a little strange tonight.
The yard, which used to be bustling with activity, was surprisingly quiet tonight. Qin An, Qin Mu, and Xiaobao, who used to squat at the gate and wait for him to come back and then rush over to him and shout for a hug, were gone. Only the sound of the spatula colliding with the big pot could be heard from the kitchen from time to time.
Xu Yunfan entered the kitchen and sat on a stool to add firewood. "Run'er, where are the three children?"
Qin Run said tiredly, "The kids are throwing tantrums and haven't wanted to come out of the house for the whole afternoon."
"Throwing a tantrum?" Xu Yunfan was surprised. "Oh, you've improved. Now you know you have a tantrum? Tell me, what's going on?"
What else could it be? They are just children, they stick to their adults and don't want to be separated from them. Qin Run and Xu Yunfan are going to the capital, so Qin An and the other children naturally want to follow them.
Last time, Xu Yunfan promised that he would take them with him next time, but today Qin Run asked them to wait at home obediently. How could Qin An and Qin Mu not be angry?
Not to mention, this time, Qin Run and the others stayed longer than last time.
"Since they want to go, just take them along. This time, we can also look at houses. Sixth brother inquired about the house prices last time. We can buy one now." Xu Yunfan earned more than a thousand taels by making a pair of dragon and phoenix candles. Qi Yuanyang was very satisfied after inspecting the goods and gave Xu Yunfan a few hundred taels. In addition to the income from other factories, shops, restaurants, and canteens, although the debts of the Qi and Xie families have not been paid off yet, the Food City still needs to continue to invest a large sum of money. However, there are priorities. Let's pay the debt for now and buy the house first.
Qin Run frowned and said, "This isn't a good idea. We still have a few families' money to pay back."
Being debt-free brings relief, but when Qin Run thought about the huge amount of money he still had to pay back, he felt stressed and uneasy, as if there was an invisible burden on his shoulders all the time.
He made a lot of money from the bamboo paper he sold before the New Year, but he spent the money on other things.
Renting, shop renovation, and other things in various prefectures, counties, and states, which one doesn't cost money?
Xu Yunfan smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? Too many lice won't itch, and too much debt won't worry you. It's not like we won't pay it back. When the time comes, we can just pay it back with interest."
"Will it be bad to keep dragging it on like this?"
"What's wrong with that?" Xu Yunfan pouted. Many bosses had taken out loans to finance their projects. "We'll pay it back next year at the latest. We're almost done with the fonts now, and we've made the first batch of bamboo paper. We'll be able to produce it every day. Once the bookstore opens, I can't even imagine how much money we'll have to spend counting the money until our hands cramp."
What Xu Yunfan said was beautiful, and Qin Run thought it was even more beautiful. He said happily, "You really are dreaming. We haven't even rented a bookstore yet."
"These are minor issues. We have so many managers now. Just a word from you and they'll do the heavy lifting for you. You can have them start preparing for the bookstore."
"Do you have any ideas for the decoration of the bookstore?"
Xu Yunfan reads a lot and has very novel ideas, so Qin Run couldn't help but want to discuss something with him.
"Just do as you see fit. We can divide it into several areas later. However, our bookstore will definitely not be limited to selling only the books students need. We will also sell storybooks and other things. Therefore, the bookstore must be large and clearly divided into areas. Just follow these points and you'll be good to go."
Qin Run nodded. "I understand. By the way, are you planning to sell the storybooks in the woodshed in the bookstore?"
Ever since the children in Qin'an became addicted to reading storybooks, Xu Yunfan would continue to write and draw whenever he had free time, and now he has accumulated more than a dozen books.
"No," Xu Yunfan explained his plan. "I plan to use these as original copies. I'll hire some skilled painters to reproduce them, and then sell the copies in bookstores. These are original copies, so I can't sell them."
Qin Run was silent. He didn't expect that Xu Yunfan would play and make fun with the children on weekdays, and he could both coax the children and make money. Compared with the vast majority of men who can only take care of their families but not make money, or make money but not take care of their families, there are really too few people like Xu Yunfan.
The conversation had strayed off track, so Xu Yunfan brought it back to the point. "Once the printing factory is up and running, there are plenty of ways to make money. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I'm here, right? At worst, I can just make a few more pairs of dragon and phoenix candles and sell them. Even if the candles don't sell well, I have so many rare items. I can figure out how to process them, so there's no need to worry about not making money. Let's take the three of them with us this time. As brothers and elders, how can we go back on our word? If we break our promise, we won't be credible in front of the children next time. As brothers, we have to set a good example for them."
"Besides, we're going to buy a house this time, so we can take them with us to see if they like it. The child is growing up day by day, and as the eldest brother's husband, we should also ask for their opinions on things, right?"
"Yes." Qin Run responded sullenly, rubbing his nose, his emotions surging, "Yun Fan, you are really good!"
"Hey, it's not the first day you've known I'm a good man." Xu Yunfan put his hands on his hips, his nose tilted up, "Our Xu family is known for producing good men."
Xu Yunfan's smug look was a bit disheartening. If Xu Yunfan wasn't so handsome, he would probably have been considered greasy. But Qin Run liked him very much. He liked Xu Yunfan's arrogant look of being the best in the world. "I wonder if they will get seasick when they are so young."
Qin Run's face turned pale when he thought about the last time he was seasick. That feeling was really uncomfortable.
Xu Yunfan waved his hand and said, "We won't take a boat this time, we'll go by carriage." This time, they were going to Beijing at public expense. Although the boat was fast, it was a torture for people who were seasick, and taking a carriage would cost more money.
Xu Yunfan thought heartlessly that it was not his money that was being spent, and he was not kind enough to save money for Jiang Lanfang and let his husband and children suffer.
When the three children learned that Xu Yunfan was going to take them to Beijing, they happily circled around the table, praising Xu Yunfan as their brother-in-law/father.
Xu Yi must accompany him to Beijing this time, and Shiliu Shiwu is far away in the mountain village to follow up on the progress of the font model. In this way, Li Liu is the only one left at home, and Qin Run is worried.
Li Liu was even thinner than Qin Run, making him an easy target for thieves. Xu Yunfan glanced at Li Liu and thought to himself that Qin Run's worries were unfounded. "How about this? Brother Liu, don't come back after work. Just go sleep at the academy. I'll tell Xiu Ze and the others, and you can just go over there when the time comes."
Xu Yunfan's dormitory in the academy was usually the nap room for Qin An and Qin Mu. It was fully equipped with bedding, pillows and everything. He asked Sun Wu to tell Qi Xiu Ze to tell them to tell the dormitory management staff that Li Liu could move in at any time. As for his home, Qin Run asked the village chief to arrange for a few men to come and help take care of it. After everything was arranged, Xu Yunfan went to Beijing with his family.
It takes six or seven days to travel from Dali Village to the capital by horse carriage.
After the carriage left Dali Village, the little ones were quite happy. They saw the unfamiliar scenery and found everything curious. But in the afternoon, they all became listless. It felt like there were needles prickling under their buttocks. They would move from time to time and lift up half of their buttocks.
Xu Yunfan looked at him amusedly. "What's wrong? You can't stand it anymore? Today is only the first day. You still have to sit for a few more days. If you really can't stand it, when you get to the next county, Brother Fu will ask someone to take you back."
"No." Qin An grabbed Xu Yunfan's sleeve and said, "Brother, we are not going back. It's just that my butt is a little numb. Brother An doesn't want to go back. Brother An wants to go with Big Brother and Brother."
"You're such a clingy person." Xu Yunfan pinched Qin An's cheek. "Get up. Brother Fu will get something to shake you softly. Just bear with it. When we get to the county town, we'll get off the bus, eat, and find a place to sleep."
Xiaobao was held in Qin Run's arms. For some reason, the little guy was much more energetic than Qin An and Qin Mu. Accompanied by Qin Run, he was flipping through the storybook with great interest.
"Xiaobao, don't you feel dizzy?" Even an adult like Xu Yunfan felt a little uncomfortable after sitting for a long time, but Xiaobao didn't make a sound and was very well behaved.
Xiaobao looked up at Xu Yunfan and said, "I'm not dizzy, but father, the uncle driving the carriage outside is not very skilled. He can't drive the carriage steadily, and daddy has bumped into it several times."
Xu Yunfan raised the corner of his mouth, "You know all this? Who told you this?"
"Hmm? That's right, how would Xiaobao know that?" Xiaobao tilted his head, his round eyes full of ignorance, and Xu Yunfan felt heartbroken.
Qin Run pulled Xu Yunfan and shook his head slightly at him, signaling him not to ask any more questions.
Capital city.
The Fang family is about to get married. The wedding that has been prepared for more than a month is naturally grand. As one of the protagonists among the newlyweds, Wu Lan has recently become very popular among the sisters.
It’s simple. What kind of family is the Fang family?
As the eldest son of the Fang family, Fang Peizhou has great abilities. Now, at the age of only 26, he has already become a fifth-rank doctor of the Ministry of Revenue. Combined with his father's status, he will surely rise higher and higher in the future. Wu Lan's father is only a sixth-rank doctor of the Imperial College. The two families are not a good match, but the Wu family has one good thing, that is, the mistress of the Wu family, Shen Yunfei, is related to the old lady of the Xiao Palace.
Shen Yunfei is Xiao Heng's cousin. The Shen family used to be a big family and a family of military generals. Unfortunately, after Shen's father, several of his sons were not very capable. They were not good at martial arts, and their literary skills were also average. On the contrary, Madam Xiao, also known as Grandma Xiao, inherited the talent of her father, which is why she caught Grandpa Xiao's eye.
Today's Shen family has lost its former glory, and the Wu family's status in the capital is just average. However, Wu Lan still has an aunt, and because the Xiao family has been composed of men for generations, Wu Lan, the granddaughter of her natal family, naturally gets some love from Grandma Xiao.
With Grandma Xiao as her backer, Wu Lan naturally had an extraordinary status in the circle of women from fourth and fifth rank officials' families. She was highly praised and became arrogant.
"Lanlan, your wedding to Master Fang is approaching. When we meet again in the future, we won't dare call you Lanlan anymore."
Another girl, Lan Xin, chuckled softly, her voice like a silver bell, neither too loud nor too soft, and she was obviously controlling her voice. The girl said teasingly, "Of course not. Next time we meet, we'll have to call her Madam Fang."
Wu Lan said shyly: "Don't make fun of me."
The other people looked at Wu Lan's shy look, and their hearts felt mixed emotions, as if a bottle of seasoning had been turned over.
The ugliness of human nature is nothing more than: hating what you have, laughing at what you don’t have, despising you for being poor, and fearing your wealth.
In the past, everyone was pretty much the same, but when Wu Lan married into the Fang family, she had a family like the Fang family, and they would be the ones they had to look up to in the future. Lan Xin was almost going crazy with jealousy.
They all came from similar backgrounds. Just because Wu Lan had a good aunt, they usually served as her foils. Now Wu Lan was even more favored by Fang Peizhou. Lan Xin felt extremely jealous and asked, whether intentionally or unintentionally, "Would the young master of the Fang family come in?"
The young master of the Fang family, along with the young master of the Jiang family and the young masters and young ladies of several other families, are people who are both envied and jealous.
Jiang Yunshen, who is unromantic and now lives far away in Qingling County, and Fang Zixi, who got pregnant before marriage and gave birth to a bastard child of unknown origin, are both just good-looking, but all the men in the capital are almost bewitched by them.
I heard that women like Fang Zixi who have given birth to children are more charming and more enjoyable to sleep with. As for men like Jiang Yunshen who don't treat men as men, if the other party is submissive under him, wouldn't the man's self-esteem and desire to win be satisfied unprecedentedly?
The more popular Fang Zixi and the others are, the more humble they appear.
Wu Lan didn't like Fang Zixi very much. He thought Fang Zixi was just like Jiang Yunshen, with a very high opinion of herself. Fang Zixi was even more willing to degrade herself. She actually got pregnant before marriage, which really brought shame to the Fang family.
Originally, her marriage to Fang Peizhou was supposed to be in January, but Fang Zixi's people found the whereabouts of the child. In the cold winter, Fang Zixi couldn't wait to go looking for him. In the end, not only did she find nothing, she also fainted with a fever after returning to Beijing.
The Fang family was in a state of chaos and had no mood to celebrate the wedding, so they had to postpone the originally agreed date.
In this regard, even though Fang Zixi came to Wu Lan's house to apologize in person, Wu Lan still looked down on Fang Zixi. Although Fang Zixi endured it, Wu Lan was still not satisfied.
Especially when he saw Fang Zixi's weak appearance, Wu Lan felt even more disgusted. He was not a man, so who was Fang Zixi showing off to?
What a bitch she is. She is shameless enough to be deceived by a man. After giving birth to a child, she has the nerve to take the child to eat and live at her mother's house. Does Fang Zixi have any shame left?
As the granddaughter of the mistress of the Xiao family, Wu Lan had attended some dinner parties that Lan Xin and others were not qualified to attend. At the dinner parties, because of her status, she was not introduced or approached, while Jiang Yunshen and others were the center of attention. When Fang Zixi saw her, she looked away indifferently, as if she was disdainful of knowing her.
She always remembered Fang Zixi's eyes. Now that she was going to marry into the Fang family and become his eldest sister-in-law, Wu Lan couldn't help but feel proud. "He's still the same, looking half-dead all day long. It's really unlucky. If you don't know, you might think he's showing his displeasure to me, his sister-in-law who hasn't married yet."
"That's not what I meant." He Jingjing disagreed, "As a father, who would feel good if their child was lost? Lanlan, don't think too much. You have known Lord Fang for more than a year. Lord Fang values you. When you enter the Fang family in the future, you should manage the household well and get along well with your brothers-in-law." Instead of criticizing your future family members with such disdain behind their backs.
Upon hearing this, Wu Lan's face darkened, and even the others became embarrassed. It would have been fine if He Jingjing didn't know how to speak and didn't try to curry favor with Wu Lan, but she actually offended him. Is this person a fool?
Someone hurriedly said, "As a parent, no one feels good about losing their child, but Lanlan is about to get pregnant, and Young Master Fang is still in that state. It's really not a good look."
"That's right, I'm not saying anything, this Young Master Fang is..." The person speaking extended a slender jade finger to his head, "Is there something wrong with this?" With so many young talents in the capital, he chose to find a random man who came from nowhere, and ended up being deceived by him. What else could he be but an idiot? Could it be that he was just a cheapskate?
"Who knows, but the Fang family really dotes on him. If I had done something so shameful, I would have been kicked out of the house and left to fend for myself. How could I still be the eldest daughter at home?"
"This is fate. Young Master Fang is not only doted on by his parents, but his brothers also protect him. Who dares to say anything bad about him?"
Lan Xin, whether intentionally or not, feigned sorrow and curiosity as she spoke, "I heard that Lord Fang and Madam Fang love that child very much. Those who know know that Bao'er is just a grandson, but those who don't know would think that he is their biological grandson. If the Fang family has a legitimate grandson in the future, perhaps Lord Fang and his family will favor the grandson more. However, doesn't the old saying go, the youngest son and the eldest grandson are the lifeblood of the elderly? If they treat that child as their eldest grandson, then the Fang family will probably have Bao'er in the future."
This was not groundless talk. Wu Lan and the others present had witnessed that whenever Mrs. Fang went out, she would often carry her grandson with her. She even doted on him to the point of granting his every request.
Wu Lan twisted the handkerchief in her hand unhappily, thinking to herself, Fang Zixi is the rotten apple of the Fang family. He has brought shame to the Fang family. In the future, she will also be a member of the Fang family. With such a self-deprecating brother-in-law, she will also lose face. "He only dares to act recklessly because of this. If the young masters of the Fang family get married, who will care about him?"
If his brothers no longer love and protect him, how long can Fang Zixi rely on his parents alone?
Hearing this, He Jingjing looked at Wu Lan suddenly, so, what did Wu Lan mean?
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