Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Brother Fu
Fu Wenxiao and Mr. Wang over there had already spotted them and were walking towards them.
At this moment, Fu Wenxiao's eyes met Madam Yao's, and then he nodded slightly to her, like a well-educated junior who was humble and polite when meeting an elder, and there was nothing wrong with him.
Old Madam Yao looked at his face in silence, then she also smiled.
She turned around and asked, "Miss Yu, is this man your husband?"
"Yes." Yu Li said.
Madam Yao smiled and said, "Your husband is really a handsome man. I wonder where he is from and what his name is?"
Hearing this, no one present thought much about it.
Mrs. Wang thought that Mrs. Yao liked Yu Li too much, and therefore loved her husband Yu Li as well.
In fact, she was also full of admiration in her heart. The demeanor of this young man in his every move and gesture was so dignified that it was possible that he was the heir carefully cultivated by a large family. He was the most outstanding child of a noble family she had ever seen in her life.
If "Mr. Songhe" is him, he is worthy of the name. Only such a person can produce a unique copy and write such beautiful calligraphy.
Before Yu left, Mr. Wang said happily, "Aunt, this is Brother Fu, also known as Wenxiao, from Qingshi Village." Then he added with admiration, "Brother Fu is extremely talented, both in calligraphy and painting. I am really not as good as him! He is so young, but he has achieved so much. It really makes us feel guilty..."
Listening to Mr. Wang calling him "Brother Fu" and praising him endlessly, Mrs. Wang showed an awkward but polite smile on her face.
If it wasn't in public, she really wanted to elbow her husband to make him tone it down.
This is the first time that my husband has lost his composure like this, but it can also be seen that this "Brother Fu" is a man of real talent and knowledge, otherwise he would not be regarded as a close friend by my husband and would not even care about his image.
Madam Yao said, "It turns out to be Mr. Fu. The surname Fu is quite rare."
“Is there?” Mr. Wang was stunned for a moment, then he thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and he said uncomfortably, “In fact, there are many people with the surname Fu. Although Brother Fu’s surname is Fu, he used to be from Yuzhou. He returned to his hometown with his mother a few years ago to recuperate. He is not from the north…”
Madam Yao just smiled and said nothing. She said to Yu Li, "Miss Yu, you must come and see me when you are free someday."
"Okay." Yu Li nodded, "I'll go when I'm free."
After saying goodbye to Old Madam Yao, Yu Li finally left the Wang family with Fu Wenxiao.
Mr. Wang reluctantly saw them off to the gate, saying, "Brother Fu, if you come to the county town someday, please come again. I will be waiting for you anytime."
Fu Wenxiao agreed with a smile.
Only when the two figures disappeared did Mr. Wang return home with a sigh and a heart full of sorrow. Those who didn't know the truth would have thought that he had just sent his lover away.
Mrs. Wang, who was seeing him off with him, said with a wry smile, "This is the first time I see you so reluctant to leave. When you left Yanshan Academy, you didn't miss your classmates there either."
"How can they compare to Brother Fu!" Mr. Wang said without hesitation, "Brother Fu is so talented, like the bright moon and stars. Compared with him, we are just fireflies. How can we be compared with him?"
Mrs. Wang was shocked. "Is Mr. Fu really that powerful?"
It was the first time she saw her husband praising someone so much, and he praised him to no end, even comparing him to the bright moon and stars, and belittling himself to a firefly.
Scholars all have their own pride. Mr. Wang was also brought up as a genius. It is rare to see him so submissive and respectful to anyone.
"Of course!" Mr. Wang said excitedly, "I talked to Brother Fu before. Brother Fu is not only knowledgeable, but also has a wide range of interests. He is quick-witted and has a unique writing style. And his handwriting..."
Hearing him start to boast nonstop again, Mrs. Wang suddenly wanted to touch her forehead.
She really didn't want to listen to his praise anymore. It was endless and really too noisy.
Fortunately, at this time, a maid came over and said that Old Madam Yao asked them to come over and had something to ask them.
Mrs. Wang said hurriedly, "Aunt is looking for us. Maybe she has something to ask. Let's go over."
Mr. Wang could only shut his mouth with a feeling of unsatisfied feeling.
When the couple arrived at the warm room, they saw Old Madam Yao sitting there with a serious look on her face.
The servants retreated outside the door and waited, without coming in.
The two thought something had happened, and their expressions could not help but calm down. They bowed respectfully and asked, "Aunt, what's the matter?"
Old Madam Yao came back to her senses and smiled again, saying, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask you about Mr. Fu."
Mr. Wang's eyes suddenly lit up.
Mrs. Wang's face stiffened slightly and she sighed inwardly, thinking that her husband was about to start praising her again.
Sure enough, Mr. Wang praised Fu Wenxiao to Madam Yao again, saying that he was the best in the world, from his appearance to his talent, and then to his painting and calligraphy...
Old Madam Yao listened with a smile on her face, showing no impatience at all, except that her cloudy eyes looked heavy, and no one could tell what she was thinking.
She asked, "Does Mr. Fu's calligraphy really work well? Do you have any of his calligraphy here?"
"Yes!" Mr. Wang laughed, "I asked him to write one for me before."
Hearing that Old Lady Yao also wanted to take a look, Mr. Wang hesitated a little, but still ordered the servants to go to the study to get it, while reminding: "Be careful, don't damage it!"
The servants were repeatedly warned and felt great pressure, so they responded with fear and trepidation.
When the servants went to get the calligraphy and paintings, Old Lady Yao asked again, "Why did they come to visit today?"
After hearing her mention this, Mrs. Wang also reacted. She didn't know why Mr. Fu came to see her husband today.
Mr. Wang said, "Nothing much. Brother Fu wants to take part in the county exam this year and asked me for help."
"The county exam?" Old Madam Yao was surprised. "Why would he take part in the county exam? With his talent, why would he need to take part in it?"
"That's what I thought, too!" Mr. Wang said happily. "Brother Fu is extremely talented. If a saint saw him, he would probably want to grant him an official position on the spot. With his talent, it would be an injustice for him to take the imperial examination."
Old Madam Yao: “…”
Mrs. Wang: “…”
Although this is true, don't take it for granted.
Old Lady Yao looked at Mr. Wang's happy expression and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She was glad that Mr. Wang was the youngest son of the Wang family and had two capable older brothers to support him. Otherwise, the Wang family might not be able to survive.
Mr. Wang was the youngest son, and his family saw that he was not really suitable for being an official, so they did not have many expectations of him. When he wanted to take his wife on a trip, the Wang family did not stop him. If it had not been delayed for so many years, he would not be just a juren now.
Now that Madam Wang is in poor health, he and Madam Wang will stay here to serve the old lady.
When the calligraphy was brought over, Old Madam Yao had already learned about Fu Wenxiao from Mr. Wang.
Since Fu Wenxiao wanted to ask Mr. Wang for help, he naturally had to explain his situation.
When Old Lady Yao heard that Fu Wenxiao had once gone to the study under the name of "Mr. Songhe" to sell rare handwritten copies, her face twitched and she almost couldn't control her expression.
She really didn't expect that this once-popular person in the capital...
It has fallen to this point.
Madam Yao sighed: "It seems that he is living a miserable life..."
They have all fallen to the point of selling books.
Mr. Wang disagreed with this. He felt that Brother Fu donated the unique handwritten copy to the study for the benefit of scholars and that he was not a person who cared about fame or wealth.
Moreover, he has been weak and sickly since childhood and has not had a good time enjoying life, so it is useless for him to make so much money.
Looking at the way he is dressed, you can tell that he has no requirements for food, clothing, housing and transportation. He is a very simple person, so simple that it makes people feel distressed.
The more Mrs. Yao listened, the more she felt that the child was hopeless.
It was the first time she heard such ridiculous words. Anyone who knew him or even had heard of him would think that he was not interested in fame and fortune.
If he was not interested in fame and fortune, why would he have gotten involved in the matter of deposing the crown prince and ended up like this?
If he really doesn't enjoy life, then who is he showing off all this gold and jade to?
Here, Mr. Wang said with sympathy: "I heard that Brother Fu has been weak and sick since childhood. Fortunately, he met a miracle doctor when he returned to his hometown for treatment. He was finally cured. He decided to take the exam this year and wanted to pass the imperial examination to live up to his talent..."
Old Madam Yao listened in silence without saying a word.
When the servant brought Fu Wenxiao's calligraphy to her, she took it and exclaimed, "Great calligraphy!"
The Yao family has a long history of learning. Old Madam Yao is literate and knows how to appreciate calligraphy and painting. When she saw this piece of calligraphy, she was simply amazed.
Mr. Wang was very proud, as if he was the one being praised, and he started to praise others non-stop, which made Mrs. Wang very uncomfortable.
She knew that Mr. Fu was talented, handsome, and had beautiful handwriting, but could she please stop praising him?
After hearing it so many times, she felt it was really noisy. She never knew her husband could be so noisy.
After reading the calligraphy, Old Lady Yao asked, "Can you give me this calligraphy?"
"No!" Mr. Wang almost jumped up, "Aunt, I tried every possible means to get this from Brother Fu, I can't give it to you, if you want it..." He was so anxious that he turned around and around, "Next time I see Brother Fu, I will ask him to write one for you."
This was given to him personally by Brother Fu, and he was reluctant to give it to anyone else, not even to his aunt.
Seeing how anxious he was, Old Lady Yao just smiled and returned the calligraphy to him.
Seeing him holding the book as a treasure, he felt it was too much to bear, and said, "You said his family was just a traveling merchant, how did they know about so many rare books?"
She mocked in her heart, what a "traveling merchant" he was. She didn't know if Duke Fu would be angry and call him an unfilial son if he knew about this. Even if he made up an identity for himself, he shouldn't be so perfunctory.
I don't know who gave him this identity. He is really irresponsible.
Mr. Wang said, "What's the big deal? Brother Fu has made many friends, including a prominent family in Yuzhou. Given their friendship, it would be easy for him to see a rare book. Gentlemen should not be too fussy about it."
"Moreover, the two rare copies he had sent to his study were obtained by chance. Later, due to a change in his family, they were unfortunately lost. Fortunately, he had a photographic memory and memorized them..."
When Old Madam Yao heard this, she was really amused.
What kind of accidental discovery? I'm afraid it's the palace's collection of books? I don't know if the saint in the palace would be angry and laugh if he knew about this.
Probably.
Old Lady Yao really didn't want to see Mr. Wang's stupid look, so she asked him to leave quickly.
She went to sit with her sister for a while, but didn't stay long and left soon.
After returning to the villa, Old Madam Yao dismissed all the servants in the room and only left her trusted confidante, Nanny Lu.
Nanny Lu has served her all her life. Although they are master and servant, they are actually like sisters, so their relationship is naturally special.
Seeing the old lady's serious expression, Madam Lu asked, "Madam, what's wrong with you? What's going on with the Wang family?"
She didn't go to the Wang family with the old lady today, and she thought something happened in the Wang family.
Or is Mrs. Wang not feeling well again?
Madam Yao sighed and said, "Mammy, I saw the young master of the Fu family at the Wang family earlier."
"What?" Madam Lu was shocked. "Are you talking about the Prince Fu from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion? Didn't he die four years ago?"
When she heard the name "Prince Fu", she could only think of one person.
He is the prince of the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion.
Madam Yao sneered, "How could he be dead? Unless the saint is really cruel and doesn't want him to live, he will definitely not die. The one who spread the news of his death must have bad intentions, or he may have done it on purpose."
Her expression was solemn. She didn't expect that the person who was rumored to be dead would appear here.
A remote county town in the south, even so close to the Zhennan Army’s garrison, made her wonder if this Fu Shizi was trying to collude with the Zhennan Army…
Perhaps it is impossible. General Xuan will not put the Xuan family in danger, and will certainly not risk his life to join forces with him, unless the Fu family really decides to rebel.
Madam Lu said hesitantly, "Perhaps the Saint still cares about the eldest princess. After all, they are siblings. How could he bear to really do something to his own nephew?"
Fu Wenxiao's mother was the noble eldest princess of the current dynasty. She had always had a good relationship with the saint, and the saint also loved this nephew very much.
Old Madam Yao remained silent. She felt very heavy as she recalled the events in the capital four years ago.
After a long while, she sighed again: "Now I hope the old man will retire quickly. I don't know what will happen in the future."
If she had not seen the Prince Fu with her own eyes, she would have thought that he was dead like many others and felt it was a pity. The Prince Fu was indeed an extremely outstanding person, better than those princes.
Since he is not dead, then what happened four years ago...
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu was also a little worried, and could only comfort him, "The old master has always been cautious, and he is deeply trusted by the saint, so I believe nothing will happen."
Madam Yao said, "I hope so."
**
After leaving Wang's house, Yu Li asked, "Xiao brother, how is it? Did Mr. Wang agree to help?"
Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "I agree."
Thinking of Mr. Wang's enthusiasm just now, Yu Li felt that it was normal for him to agree, and asked again: "Did he make any requests?"
"have."
"What is it?" she asked curiously.
Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "He asked me to give him a calligraphy work."
A calligraphy work?
Is it just to write a calligraphy for Mr. Wang? Is it that simple?
Yu Li suddenly felt that he seemed to have underestimated the obsession of people in this world with calligraphy and painting. People who write beautiful handwriting are indeed very popular.
Hearing her sigh, Fu Wenxiao couldn't help laughing.
She is the only one who thinks so. If you are not famous, even if you write beautifully, you may not be able to accomplish certain things.
Before that, one still needs to make a name for oneself so that one can find the opportunity at the right time.
Yu Li's eyes widened when he heard him say that. "Is it that complicated?"
"Yes!" Fu Wenxiao nodded seriously, but the smile in his eyes made people know that he was not serious at all.
At this time, she asked again: "Then you asked me to take your handwritten copy to the study, was it also for the purpose of gaining fame?"
Fu Wenxiao: "...That's not the case."
It was simply because the family was running out of money and he was in poor health, so this was the fastest way to make money at the time.
Yu Li exclaimed, it turns out it was just for the sake of making money.
But he didn't expect to make his name known. So he made good use of the reputation of "Mr. Songhe" and it would be a waste if not wasted. It belongs to him anyway.
She thought she understood and asked, "Is that so?"
"Yes!" He nodded with a smile, adding, "Li Niang is so smart!"
Yu Li tried hard to hold back, but couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth slightly, and said: "I'm not smart either. I've never been involved in these things before. I feel it's quite complicated."
As she said this, she couldn't help but sigh. In the past, genetic warriors were only responsible for fighting and killing, and other matters were taken care of by dedicated people. Why did they need to worry about anything?
If you think something is wrong, just call and ask for clarification.
It never has to be so complicated. Force can solve all injustices.
Fu Wenxiao asked, "What if someone deliberately deceives you?"
In fact, what he wanted to ask was, she was so innocent and acted quite recklessly, had she ever been schemed against and deceived by anyone before?
"Just fight!" Yu Li said simply, "I don't think anyone would deliberately do anything deceitful when facing an absolute threat of force, right?"
Fu Wenxiao: “…Yes!”
-
The two did not rush back to the village, but went to Fulai Restaurant for dinner first.
It was almost lunchtime and there were already quite a few diners at the Fulai Restaurant. In order to take care of Fu Wenxiao and also to make it easier for himself to eat, Yu Li specially picked a private room and ordered a large table of dishes.
When the waiter left, he looked at them with a conflicted look in his eyes.
When the dishes were served one by one, she introduced them to Fu Wenxiao, "This chestnut roast chicken is delicious."
“This roasted meat is delicious too.”
"And this rice wine meatball is delicious too."
“And this one…”
Fu Wenxiao tasted them one by one and nodded, "It's really delicious."
If she says it's delicious, then it's delicious.
Yu Li narrowed his eyes, with a happy expression as if he was recognized for sharing delicious food with his friends, and said with a smile: "Isn't it? It is indeed delicious. You should eat more. You are too thin. If it is not enough, I will ask for more."
She had promised to invite him to dinner here, so she was naturally not stingy with the money and ordered a lot of dishes.
Anyway, she can finish it, so there is no need to worry about waste.
The two ate and chatted.
Yu Li said that she had delicious dim sum at Wang's house, which was better than those in restaurants.
"...I originally thought I would never be able to eat it again, but unexpectedly, that old lady Yao invited me to the Wang family's villa as a guest, and said that she would treat me well. Mrs. Wang said that she would send a cook over...When I ask for this, I guess I can eat it, right?"
Fu Wenxiao asked: "How do you know that old lady Yao?"
"I saved her."
Yu Li told him about the time when she went to the study to get money and returned to the village, and she saved Old Madam Yao on the way. In her heart, she thought of it as a simple thing to do, so she didn't tell anyone else, and of course didn't tell him.
Fu Wenxiao couldn't help but smile, "So that's how it is, it's quite fate."
Yu Li tilted his head and looked at him, somewhat puzzled.
"The old lady Yao is the ancestor of the Yao family that I mentioned before. Her husband is the imperial tutor in the capital..."
Yu Li finally understood.
I remember that after she sieged the gambling house, she could only rest at home for a month because the Kang family had the third prince behind them and she was worried about the Kang family's revenge. At that time, Boss Tu helped Master Xuan to send something to her, and Fu Wenxiao helped to give advice and mentioned Old Madam Yao.
"So, it is indeed fate that we meet!" Yu Li nodded.
Seeing that she just agreed with him, Fu Wenxiao continued to eat, as if Madam Yao's status was not as important as the food in front of him.
She really didn't care who Old Madam Yao was, nor did she care who the person she saved was or how important that person was.
She would save even a dog in distress, let alone a living person.
Realizing this, the corners of his lips curled up and he picked up some food for her with chopsticks. There were too many dishes on the table, filling up the entire table, and some were too far away for her to reach.
Seeing her looking over, he said, "I'm full. I'll help you get some food."
"Are you really full?" Yu Li looked at him, "Xiao brother, you eat so little. You need to eat more in the future so that you can be healthy."
Fu Wenxiao nodded and smiled, "Well, I will try to eat more."
Try to keep yourself healthy and live longer with her.
Thinking of something, she added, "But when you practice physical training in the future, it will consume a lot of energy, and you will eat a lot at that time, so don't worry about not being able to eat."
Fu Wenxiao continued to smile and nodded.
After dinner, they walked out of the Fulai Restaurant and came to the busy street.
Yu Li looked at the people coming and going on the street, turned around and asked him: "Is there any place you want to go?"
Fu Wenxiao shook his head, then thought of something and said, "This is my first time in the county town. I'm not familiar with it and don't know what to visit. Why don't I go to Zhang's butcher shop and have a look?"
"Go to the butcher shop?" Yu Li looked at him strangely, "What's so good about it? The environment there is not good."
Someone as particular as him would probably not be able to adapt if he went there.
"It's okay." Fu Wenxiao insisted, "I want to go and take a look." He wanted to see where she usually worked.
Although Yu Li thought he was weird, he still took him to the butcher shop.
When he arrived at the butcher's shop, he found it deserted and Zhang Yaoping was guarding the shop out of boredom.
Although the New Year has not yet ended, people are willing to spend money to buy more meat before the New Year, for fear that the meat at home has not been consumed yet, so naturally there are fewer people coming to buy meat. After noon, there is still a lot of meat left on the meat stalls.
Fortunately, the weather is cold, so the meat will not go bad if left alone and can be sold slowly until the evening.
Yu Li took Fu Wenxiao over.
When Zhang Yaoping saw someone coming, he smiled and was about to greet them, but when he looked closely, it was Yu Li, and there was a handsome man beside her.
"Yu, Sister Yu, why are you here? Who is this gentleman..."
"He is my husband." Yu Li introduced him to them.
Zhang Yaoping felt dizzy and didn't even respond when Fu Wenxiao greeted him. He had only one thought in his mind: Is this the sickly husband of Sister Yu?
Can a sickly person actually look so good?
Zhang Fu heard the sound and came out. When he saw Yu Li and the other person, he was stunned for a moment, then greeted them with a smile.
He slapped Zhang Yaoping on the head and said to Fu Wenxiao, "Mr. Fu, don't pay attention to him. Have you had lunch? Do you want to come over and eat something? I just stewed the meat..."
"Brother Zhang, no need, we've already eaten." Yu Li waved at him, "We came to the county town for something today, and came to see you by the way."
Zhang Fu hurriedly invited them in.
After entering, he saw the bloodstains and filth in the yard that had not yet been cleaned up. He looked at Fu Wenxiao awkwardly, worried that he couldn't bear it.
Li Niang's husband looks like a young man from a noble family. It is said that these young men from noble families are very particular. They always take a car and burn incense when they go out. They will never set foot in a filthy place like this.
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Fu Wenxiao leisurely sitting down on a stool that Yu Li had brought.
The stool was covered with black stuff, which looked dirty, but it was not actually dirty stuff, but just precipitated pigment. Fu Wenxiao did not refuse, but sat down with a smile, because he was tall, with long arms and legs, and the stool was relatively short, so it seemed that his long legs had nowhere to go.
Yu Li sat beside him, poured him some water, and said, "Sit here and rest for a while. We'll go to Jucai Lane and visit Second Sister's store later."
Fu Wenxiao agreed with a smile.
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