Chapter 104 [VIP]
Chen Qingyan and the other two rested until evening when a servant knocked on the door to wake them up.
"The master is already waiting for you in the front yard. Please bathe and change your clothes and come over as soon as possible."
Chen Qingyan rubbed his face and quickly got up. Before he could find a change of clothes, two servants came in carrying a pile of things.
"These are clothes prepared by the Third Master for the young master. I hope the young master will not find them offensive."
"No, no." Chen Qingyan awkwardly accepted the clothes. Without even looking at them, he could tell from the fabric that they were very valuable.
After taking a bath, changing clothes, and tying her hair up, she came out and saw that her two younger brothers were also wearing new clothes. The styles were similar, but the colors were slightly different, and they fit her very well. It was clear that the third master was good at reading people.
Upon entering the main hall, Liang Boqing sat at the head of the table, with his three half-brothers sitting on either side. Seeing the group approaching, he waved them over and said, "Come in, these are my apprentices."
A somewhat overweight man said, "Big brother's judgment is definitely correct. These three young masters are clearly intelligent and quick-witted, and they will surely pass the imperial examination with flying colors." The speaker was the second brother, Liang Botao.
Another man who nodded slightly, bearing a resemblance to Liang Boqing, was the fourth son, Liang Bojin. He was also the youngest among his peers, seventeen years younger than Liang Boqing, and only thirty-six years old this year.
After bowing with his younger brother, Chen Qingyan stood beside Elder Liang.
Liang Bojin whispered, "Brother, can you stay a little longer this time?"
Liang Boqing snorted, "If you want to ask something, just ask it directly."
Liang Bojin's expression froze for a moment, then he quickly lowered his head, "I wouldn't dare."
Liang Lao Er, standing nearby, patted his younger brother on the shoulder with a gloating expression, "Big brother has always been outspoken, don't take it to heart."
"Don't pretend to be a good person. Your father has been gone for many years. This kind of act doesn't work on me."
Liang Botao's smile faltered, and he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, not daring to speak again.
Chen Qingyan was taken aback by his teacher's fiery temper, but he quickly got used to it. His master was always like this; he never gave a kind look to anyone he disliked.
Liang Bozhan coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness and said, "Brother is back this time to take several young masters on a study tour. He has to go back before the New Year, so let's treat him well these days and not think that we have nothing."
When the fourth brother heard that his eldest brother was leaving at the end of the year, his expression didn't improve much. Instead, he lowered his head and fiddled with the ring on his hand like a child who had done something wrong.
"I've made a reservation at Wangyue Tower for dinner tonight. I wonder if you and the other gentlemen would like to eat at home or go out?"
"Let's go out to eat. These three kids have never seen the world. Let's show them the night view of Yangzhou."
"Then I'll go and tell the servants to prepare the carriage." As soon as Liang Bozhan left, Liang Lao Er couldn't sit still anymore. "My elder brother doesn't want to see my old face either. If there's nothing else, I'll go back first."
Liang Boqing waved his hand and walked out quickly as if relieved. When Liang Laosi saw him leaving, he wanted to say something to stop him, but after thinking about it, he shut his mouth and sat there quietly without saying a word, seemingly intending to go with him.
Before long, the carriage was ready, and Chen Qingyan and the other two followed their teacher out. Liang Bojin stood at the door, somewhat hesitant, wondering if he could come along.
Liang Boqing took a few steps, frowned, and said, "Are you waiting for me to invite you?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Bojin quickly followed, a happy expression appearing on his face.
The servants prepared two carriages. Master Liang and the three students sat in the first carriage, while Liang Bozhan and Liang Bojin sat in the second carriage.
The brothers rarely get together on weekdays. After Liang Bojin got married, he moved out and now he rarely comes back as he works as a registrar.
"Don't take what your brother said to heart. He's always been like that; he meant no harm."
"I know." Actually, Liang Bojin wasn't angry. He had admired his older brother since childhood. Unfortunately, there was a big age gap between him and Liang Boqing. When he was born, his older brother was already famous throughout Yangzhou. Later, after he entered school, he was often compared to Liang Boqing because he was Liang Boqing's younger brother.
But he was mostly happy, otherwise, how could an ordinary person like him have met so many famous writers and poets?
Unfortunately, his elder brother was not close to them. In private, Liang Bojin asked his mother why his elder brother did not like him, and learned a story from his mother.
It turns out that the eldest brother cheated on the imperial examination back then because of his family members, since no one except his close relatives could enter his study and use his writing materials.
However, the culprit was never found out. After that incident, Liang Boqing had no feelings for his half-brothers anymore.
Liang Bojin was only two years old at the time, so it was impossible for him to have done it; he was just being blamed for the crime.
"Whoa~" The driver in front pulled on the reins. "Gentlemen, we've arrived."
The two got out of the car and saw that the elder brother was leading three students toward Wangyue Tower. Liang Bojin looked at the children beside him with a hint of envy in his eyes.
Wangyue Tower is considered one of the best restaurants in Yangzhou. It is located on the banks of the Huai River. The entire building is six zhang high and has four floors. At night, colorful lights are hung on each floor, and the reflections in the river shine brightly, creating a beautiful scene.
Chen Qingyan and his two younger brothers stood downstairs looking up for a long time before following them inside.
As soon as you enter, the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments fill your ears. Several handsome young men dressed in red are playing music, playing the zither, the flute, the drum, and the bell. It is as if you are hearing celestial music and your ears are instantly enlightened.
Liang Boqing couldn't help but laugh at his three apprentices' dazed expressions. He reached out and flicked the head of Chen Qingsong, who was closest to him, and said, "Kid, don't let this glittering world blind you."
The three of them quickly came to their senses, lowered their heads in shame, and continued walking forward with Old Liang.
A servant led the way; the private room Liang Bozhan had booked was on the second floor. Actually, the best room was on the fourth floor, but it was very difficult to book, and besides, Old Master Liang's legs ached, making it inconvenient for him to go up and down the stairs.
The waiter led the group to a private room, which was still brightly lit, making the room as bright as day.
Chen Qingyan said, "It's really bright here. How many lights are on in this room?"
Liang Bozhan took the initiative to introduce the place to the group, saying, "I've heard that this Moon Gazing Tower burns more than three hundred tallow candles every night."
Chen Qingsong couldn't help but exclaim, "Three hundred sticks? How much money would that cost!"
"A tallow candle costs four hundred coins, so it comes to about one hundred and twenty strings of cash."
The three of them were astonished. The money spent on candles in just one night at Wangyue Tower was enough to cover their family's expenses for a year.
Chen Qinghuai asked with some curiosity, "Why use tallow candles? Can't we use ordinary oil lamps?"
"Because butter candles are brighter, burn longer, and have less of a smell after burning, they won't give guests an unpleasant odor."
The three nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of the extravagance of Jiangnan.
The food was served quickly. With each dish, Liang Bozhan patiently introduced its name, origin, and interesting story behind it. His attentiveness made the three boys feel so humbled that they dared not even pick up any food to eat.
Liang Boqing tapped the table with his chopsticks. "Alright, sit down and eat your own food. They won't remember even if I tell them."
Liang Bozhan smiled and sat down, occasionally serving some food to Old Liang.
Chen Qingyan and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief and no longer needed to be so reserved.
Southern cuisine is exquisite but has a relatively light flavor, and the three people, who are used to the strong flavors of the North, found the taste just average.
The desserts were quite good, sweet and soft, and Chen Qingyan couldn't resist eating a few more. He thought to himself that it would be great if he could bring them out and put them in the experimental field for Aying and Yuanbao to try.
The meal lasted until 7 PM, and just when everyone thought they were done eating and ready to leave, Liang Bozhan made them look out the window again.
A melodious flute tune came from below, and everyone got up and went to the window. They saw a huge painted boat slowly sailing in and finally stopping in the middle of the river.
As the drums began to beat, dozens of beautiful young women dressed in sheer dresses emerged and began to dance gracefully on the boat.
Several courtesans playing the zither nearby sang "Qinhuai Night," their soft, melodious Wu dialect unique to Jiangnan, filling the air with decadent charm.
When the song ended, some people upstairs clapped and cheered, while others threw strings of coins at the boat. Those that were too far away couldn't hit the target and ended up in the river, making a series of splashing sounds that made one's teeth ache and one's flesh hurt.
The meal was only considered finished after the music was played. On the way back, Chen Qingsong was all smiles, constantly praising how wonderful Wangyue Tower was. In contrast, Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai frowned and looked sullen.
Liang Boqing looked at Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai, "Why aren't you two saying anything?"
Chen Qinghuai said, "My disciple thinks that such a place is good, but it's enough to come once to broaden one's horizons. If you come too often, you will lose your true self."
His father, Chen Jing, was an honest and upright official, and over the years, Chen Qinghuai had also developed a rather straightforward personality from being influenced by his father, so he was quite resistant to such places.
Chen Qingyan's thoughts were all on Wang Ying and her son, worrying that they weren't eating or dressed well. Having just arrived in the prefectural city and unsure of what to do, she had no time for leisure.
Chen Qingsong belatedly blushed, but since he was still young, Elder Liang didn't criticize him too harshly.
The old man stroked his beard and nodded slightly, confirming that he hadn't misjudged the situation.
Too many people come to Yangzhou and succumb to temptation, losing their true nature. Even if such people become officials in the imperial court, they will not be good officials and will bring harm to the people in the future.
The purpose of bringing them to Yangzhou this time was not only for study tours, but also to broaden their horizons and teach them how to be good people before pursuing academic knowledge.
*
Although the Chen family, living far away in Jizhou, couldn't enjoy the delicacies of Yangzhou, their food was still quite good.
It was a cold day, so Wang Ying made hot pot for everyone.
The hot pot featured fresh slices of mutton and pork, while the vegetables were freshly picked from the experimental fields. Dried shrimp and scallops were also sold in the city, so we bought some to add to the pot as well. The flavor was incredibly delicious.
Since moving to the prefectural city, the family has cut back on expenses and hasn't had meat like this in a long time. Today, we ate to our hearts' content, and everyone's mouths were greasy with oil.
Mrs. Li sighed and said, "It's so comforting to eat a hot pot when it's cold."
Qingyun chimed in, "Yes, it's been a long time since we've eaten like this. It's a pity we didn't bring our hot pot, otherwise we could have made a yin-yang pot."
They left in a hurry and didn't bring many things with them. The hot pot they're using now was a makeshift solution by Uncle Chen. It's a small iron pot with an iron bucket underneath, where they put burning charcoal to make do.
"How's the shop being tidied up?"
Wang Ying said, "Everything is ready, and we plan to open the day after tomorrow."
The newly rented shop used to be a steamed bun shop. Over the years, the walls were covered with a layer of grease, and the floor tiles were cracked.
Wang Ying simply repainted the walls with lime, relaid the floor tiles, repaired the windows and pasted paper on them, and had a carpenter make four large countertops. She cleaned everything up and made it bright and shiny.
In addition, a large sign was specially made, with the name of Wang's Restaurant still on a red background and white lettering.
It has to be said that strychnine was a great help; this kid was born to do business.
He's sweet-talking, perceptive, and capable; most importantly, he's quick to grasp business without needing to be taught.
During this period, he visited almost every shop in the entire Jizhou Prefecture, saving Wang Ying a lot of trouble in setting prices.
There are no fresh vegetable shops in the city now, only four dried vegetable shops. Opening a shop there would definitely be the first of its kind in the prefectural city!
While having the only one available is certainly desirable, Wang Ying also has other concerns. She fears that selling these vegetables might attract unwanted attention, potentially leading to trouble instead of making money.
The prefectural city is not like a town. They are new to the place and unfamiliar with the people. Wang Ying plans to visit Magistrate Wang tomorrow, which can be regarded as finding a backer for herself.
A note from the author:
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