Chapter 286 Writing Couplets for the Village
Wan Qiqi was completely unaware that there was anything wrong with her.
Wan Ziyan's face darkened further because of her words: "Men and women are different. You shouldn't have lifted his clothes."
Wan Qiqi was charmed by Wan Ziyan's serious expression!
She thought it was something serious, but it turned out that it was because she had lifted Wu Gousheng's clothes and stuffed the couplet inside, which displeased this very polite older brother!
In Wan Qiqi's opinion, it was no big deal; it was just a little tugging.
However, Wan Ziyan believed that since Wan Qiqi was already married, she should keep her distance from other men.
Even if the two people have a very good relationship, they cannot touch each other casually.
Wan Qiqi looked at Wan Ziyan with an innocent expression and said, "It was just normal contact, it's nothing, I didn't steal anyone!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Wan Ziyan's face turned red with anger. "You're a girl, how can you be so careless? You'll give people something to talk about and damage your reputation."
Wan Qiqi turned her head to look at Wan Ziyan, and seeing how serious he was, she sighed inwardly.
She plopped down on the stool, lowered her eyes, and said, "If someone truly approves of you, why would they care about your reputation? If they don't approve of you, no matter how good your reputation is, they can fabricate something out of nothing. Reputation is both useful and utterly useless!"
Master Wan did so many good deeds and gained such a good reputation.
Even after he died, he was still smeared and cursed.
In ancient times, reputation was very important; it could drive a person to their death.
Unfortunately, she wasn't from ancient times, so she didn't care about this kind of fame.
Throughout history, Qin Shi Huang was an extraordinary figure, a great emperor of all time, and also a notorious tyrant.
However, his notoriety pales in comparison to his accomplishments.
Wan Qiqi didn't have any grand ambitions; she just wanted to live a good life, so that her family could live in peace and stability, without having to worry or go hungry. That was enough for her.
Wan Ziyan remained silent for a long time, perhaps moved by her words.
“Brother, men and women are different, but women are no less than men. Please don’t be prejudiced against women like the world does, okay?”
The sincerity in Wan Qiqi's eyes struck Wan Ziyan's heart like a heavy blow.
He admitted that Wan Qiqi was right, but that it did not match some of the sayings in the sages he had read.
Is Master Wan here?
The sounds outside the courtyard broke Wan Ziyan's thoughts.
He raised his eyes, bowed to the stranger outside, and said, "My name is Wan Ziyan. May I ask what brings you here?"
"Ah...no, it's nothing, I just wanted to ask you to write some Spring Festival couplets for my family." The villager seemed a little embarrassed, scratching his head. "I can pay you..."
Wan Qiqi smiled, her tone slightly joking: "Master Wan's Spring Festival Couplets Shop is now open!"
Wan Ziyan glared at Wan Qiqi and said gently to the person at the door, "It's alright, I'll write it for you, no need to pay."
He felt somewhat helpless about his sister's lack of manners, yet he also felt that this was the real Wan Qiqi, different from ordinary women, and worthy of his attention.
When the villagers at the door heard that he wouldn't charge them money, they felt a little embarrassed to come in.
In the past, it would cost at least three coins to have Spring Festival couplets written by the old scholar.
I've heard that a good inkstone costs a hundred taels of silver.
Although he didn't know how much silver the ink on Wan Ziyan's table was worth, he could tell that it was better than the ink in the old scholar's house.
Master Wan was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, so his calligraphy was naturally superior to that of the old scholar.
Even charging ten or twenty coins wouldn't be excessive.
"Three coins a piece. If you don't have money, you can pay with other things."
Wan Qiqi replied, a sweet smile on her face.
Wan Ziyan glared at her again.
Why does he think his sister is obsessed with money?
Upon hearing this, the villager timidly walked in, holding the red paper, saying, "Thank you... thank you so much, Master Wan!"
Wan Ziyan sighed, said nothing more, and spread out the paper to start writing.
The villagers were stunned by the fluid and graceful brushstrokes.
The Spring Festival couplets were written in no time!
The villager took out three coins and handed them to Wan Ziyan, but Wan Qiqi took them.
Wan Qiqi said, "You've struck gold! My brother's calligraphy and writing materials will cost at least several hundred coins. He's a scholar who passed the imperial examination, so having his calligraphy displayed on the door will bring good fortune!"
Wan Ziyan remained silent and did not refute Wan Qiqi.
After the villagers left, he frowned and looked at Wan Qiqi, saying, "You must not speak falsehoods, and you must not deceive others."
Wan Qiqi stood up and placed the copper coin in her hand into Wan Ziyan's palm. "You owe Brother Tao so much silver. How do you plan to pay it back? Earn whatever you can."
"If I really needed it, I could simply copy the book; there's no need to sell this."
"But the village needs a scholar to write couplets. If you don't accept some bribes, they won't feel at ease. In previous years, the old scholar also charged this much..."
"..."
Wan Ziyan found that Wan Qiqi was really eloquent, and he was speechless.
However, Wan Qiqi has lived here for many years and naturally knows the villagers of Lotus Village better than he does.
The two had only been sitting for a short while when more villagers arrived.
This time it wasn't just one or two people who came, but a whole group.
"I heard that Sanwen can get Master Wan to write Spring Festival couplets?"
“That’s right,” Wan Qiqi replied.
"Could you please write a couplet for me, Master Wan?"
"And me..."
One after another, villagers poured into the Chen family's courtyard.
The spacious courtyard was packed with people, creating a lively atmosphere.
Chen Yongliang was carrying paste to put up the couplets when he was startled by the scene in front of the door, and he almost dropped the paste on the ground.
Hearing the commotion, Chen Yongnian came out and quickly steadied the bowl of paste.
Some villagers were standing too far away to squeeze in, but when they turned their heads and saw Chen Yongnian, they started talking to him.
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