Chapter 81 [VIP]
When did you arrive in Jizhou?
"I arrived yesterday afternoon. After arriving, I went to find a place to stay, and I almost got ripped off."
Wang Ying asked worriedly, "How did we end up getting scammed?"
"As soon as I entered the city, I encountered many people soliciting fares, so I asked Ershun to find out a reasonably priced one and went with them. When we arrived, we were told that it would be three superior rooms for 300 coins a day, but when we got there, it turned out to be a dilapidated and dirty dormitory, and the price was still 300 coins."
"You've settled down there?"
“No, we’re not stupid. How could a place like that be worth three hundred coins? Besides, there are too many people and too much stuff. How could we possibly stay in a place like that with all our luggage and books?” Chen Qingyan paused and continued, “We wanted to leave, but those people wouldn’t let us. They threatened us with hammers and sticks, saying we had to leave our things behind before we could leave.”
Wang Ying nervously broke out in a cold sweat. "Isn't this a robbery?!"
"Fortunately, Chen Guang knew martial arts. He grabbed one of them and dislocated his arm, which scared them so much that they immediately released us."
"He knows kung fu?"
Chen Guang was an attendant sent by Fourth Uncle. Wang Ying had previously thought he was similar to Chen Boershun, just a servant responsible for taking care of Liang Lao and Qing Huai's daily life. She never expected that he would know kung fu.
"Chen Guang's kung fu is quite impressive. I wonder where Fourth Uncle got it from. He's also exceptionally loyal to Qinghuai."
Wang Ying thought to herself, "My fourth uncle, Chen Jing, is practically living the protagonist's life. He passed the imperial examination in a small town, rose through the ranks to become a fifth-rank prefect, a position equivalent to a provincial governor in later generations. It's as if his family's ancestors were incredibly lucky to get to that position. He's also befriended the most talented scholar in Jiangnan and has highly skilled bodyguards by his side."
Tsk tsk, the more I think about it, the more outrageous it seems.
However, having a follower who knew martial arts by her side made Wang Ying feel much more at ease, at least she didn't have to worry about them being bullied when they went out.
"After leaving that shabby inn, Old Liang went directly to find an old friend of his, a man surnamed Wang who was serving as the Assistant Magistrate of Jizhou. Upon learning that we would be staying here for more than ten days, Magistrate Wang found us a house, which was the old post station, a place specifically for receiving officials from other places and important foreign merchants. Because a new post station had been built, the old post station was vacant, but it was always cleaned and was very tidy."
Wang Ying said, "That's much better than living outside."
"Yes, I treated him to a meal today, and I also had two drinks. I really can't hold my liquor."
Wang Ying smiled and touched his face, which was as red as a monkey's bottom. "You've been traveling for so many days, you must be tired. Go back and rest early, we can talk again next time."
Chen Qingyan hugged Wang Ying reluctantly, then lowered his head and kissed Yuanbao in his arms again, "Then I'm going back."
*
The next day, Yuanbao woke up and immediately went to find his father.
Wang Ying was so frightened that she quickly coaxed him, "Father is busy and can't visit us every day. He'll take you to see him next time he has time."
"No, I want to find Daddy..." The little brat was quite persistent, insisting on going into the experimental field.
Wang Ying was afraid that if he went in suddenly, the servants wouldn't be able to find him and it would cause panic, so she had no choice but to take him inside to play for a while. She only took her son out when Li knocked on the door, and told him not to tell anyone.
However, the child didn't understand any of that and immediately turned to tell his grandmother that he had seen his father and that his father had hugged him.
Li didn't think much of it, assuming Yuanbao was dreaming. She gently touched her grandson's cheek and said, "Our Yuanbao must be missing his father. Don't worry, he'll come back to see you once he's finished with his work outside."
The weather is getting warmer day by day, and it's almost March, which means Chen Qingyan's birthday is just around the corner.
His birthday is on the sixth day of the third lunar month. In previous years, he would celebrate it at home, but this year he is studying abroad and can only celebrate it away from home.
In the city of Jizhou, Qingsong came to knock on the door early in the morning.
"Why are you up so early?"
Happy birthday, brother!
Chen Qingyan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "I don't even remember myself, and you still remember it."
"Hehe, it was my sister-in-law who remembered it. She gave it to me before she left, saying that I should give it to you on my birthday."
Chen Qingyan took the wooden box; it was heavy. "What's inside?"
"I don't know either, I haven't opened it yet."
Chen Qingyan carried the box into the house, opened it, and found a book and three clay figurines inside.
These three little figures are easy to identify: the tall one is Chen Qingyan, the shorter one next to him is Wang Ying, and the one who is only half the size of the two of them is their son, Yuanbao.
The clay figures were sculpted to lifelike detail and painted with colors. Chen Qingyan wore the dark blue he often wore, Wang Ying wore sky blue, and Xiao Yuanbao wore a vermilion jacket. They looked quite pleasing to the eye.
Chen Qingyan played with it for a while, reluctant to put it down, and then quickly put it away on the bedside table.
I didn't have time to read the book before the teacher called me away. Today I have to go to the prefectural school to visit a teacher named Lu Zhongqi.
"You may not be familiar with Master Lu, but you must have read his poems: 'Floating fragrance encircles the winding bank, round shadows cover the splendid pond. I often fear the early autumn wind, that they will drift away unnoticed.'"①
Chen Qingyan exclaimed excitedly, "Is it Mr. Lu, the author of 'Lotus in the Curved Pond'?!"
"Yes, that's him."
Qinghuai and Qingsong were also excited. This was the poem that taught them rhyme when they were learning rhyme. They never expected to meet the author in person today!
Old Liang stroked his beard with a proud expression and said, "I met Old Lu more than ten years ago. At that time, I was feeling frustrated and was traveling around. I happened to be in Jizhou when they held a poetry gathering, so I went there uninvited."
At the poetry gathering, participants composed five-character quatrains on the theme of spring scenery. Liang Boqing's poem "Knowing Spring" amazed everyone, and people flocked to make his acquaintance. It was at that poetry gathering that he met Mr. Lu, and the two became friends.
Liang Boqing wrote him a letter last year, and the old man replied to him.
Old Master Lu is already sixty years old this year, more than ten years older than Liang Boqing, but he is in good health and still teaches at the prefectural school.
Upon arriving at the prefectural school, Liang Boqing instructed Chen Qingyan to take the pre-prepared visiting cards to the gate to inquire. Shortly afterward, the gatekeeper opened a small door next to the gate and allowed them to enter.
The Jizhou Prefectural School was larger than I had imagined, covering an area of more than ten acres, which is more than 20,000 square meters in modern units.
Entering through the main gate, you can see a huge artificial mountain and a pond. It's springtime, and the trees on the artificial mountain are sprouting new buds, making it look lush and beautiful. Red carp are swimming leisurely in the pond below.
Beyond the artificial hill lies a courtyard paved with fine pebbles, where a row of neat buildings comes into view.
This is where the students have their daily classes. At this hour, they are having their morning reading session, and the sound of their reading aloud can be heard coming from inside the room.
Qinghuai and Qingsong craned their necks to look curiously, and Chen Qingyan coughed softly to remind them not to be impolite.
After walking for a while, they encountered a scholar dressed in a blue Confucian robe. Chen Qingyan quickly stepped forward to inquire, "Young master, please wait. May I ask where Master Lu is? We have come here specifically to visit him."
The man looked up at the four of them and said kindly, "I was just about to go find Master Lu. Why don't you come with me?"
The group followed him to the back. Besides the row of houses in front, there were other buildings behind, with pavilions and towers scattered around in a seemingly chaotic yet orderly manner.
Master Lu is currently in the library. Since last year, due to insufficient energy to teach students, he has been managing the books in the library. Students can also ask him questions on weekdays; this student is the one who came to ask a question.
Upon arriving at the library, I saw the old man sitting at the entrance, basking in the sun and taking a nap.
The students stopped in their tracks. "Master Lu is resting. Please wait over there for a while."
Liang Boqing didn't care about any of that and immediately called out, "Zhongqi!"
"Hey, who called me?" The old man jolted awake, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw the person standing not far away. "Liu Fang? What brings you here!"
Lu Zhongqi quickly got up and went to greet him. The two hugged each other warmly and patted each other on the back.
"It's been almost ten years, I never thought I'd see you again!"
Liang Boqing sighed, "Who says otherwise!" Old Lu is old. The average lifespan of people in ancient times was between thirty-five and forty years. Although wealthy people tend to live long lives, it is rare for them to live to be over sixty. He was afraid that he would not be able to see him this time.
The two separated after a long while, sizing each other up.
"You're getting old, your hair is all white."
Old Lu laughed heartily, "I'm already old enough to be buried in the yellow earth, how could my hair not be white? But your hair is gray too. I remember when I first met you, you were so full of vigor, I was truly envious of you."
Liang Boqing waved his hand. At that time, he was only outwardly successful. In fact, he was very conflicted. He watched his classmates and old friends achieve success one by one, while he himself was just a nobody with the title of the number one talent in Jiangnan.
The two reminisced for a while before remembering the people beside them. Old Lu looked at the young men behind him and asked, "Are these your nephews and nieces?"
"I guess so. They're all my apprentices. I'll take them on a study tour next year when I have time for the county exam."
Lu Zhongqi's eyes lit up. "You've taken on an apprentice?"
"Well, one is a friend's son, and the other two are his nephews. He was herding one sheep, and since he was also grazing all three, he decided to bring them all in."
The three people who were compared to sheep bowed respectfully to Master Lu.
"Junior members Chen Qingyan, Chen Qinghuai, and Chen Qingsong pay their respects to Elder Mr. Lu."
"No need for formalities, please come in and sit down. Changyi is here too."
Liu Changyi was also Lu Lao's last disciple. He was about the same age as Chen Qingyan. Full of curiosity, he followed the others into the house.
The library is filled with the scent of ink, and hundreds of years of tradition are preserved here, with a total of more than 1,380 books.
In addition to paper books, there are also bamboo slips. These bamboo slips need to be maintained regularly to ensure that they do not get moldy due to dampness or crack, which is a really troublesome task.
However, Mr. Lu is not afraid of trouble. At his age, he has no other hobbies. His favorite thing is these books. He treats them like family members and cherishes each and every one of them.
There were cushions in the room, and several people knelt down to sit. Old Lu took a book and handed it to Chen Qingyan. "Take a look, this is a collection of your master's writings."
Sitting to the side, Liu Changyi glanced over and was instantly shocked, his mouth agape. The teacher had just called the person next to him "Liu Fang"—could this old man actually be the famous Liang Liu Fang?!
A note from the author:
Note ① is a quote from Lu Zhaolin's "Lotus in the Curved Pond" from the Tang Dynasty.
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