Chapter 121
Fang Zichen took the book and went over to Gu Daji, tossing it onto the counter.
"Hello, please wrap this book up for me," he said, leaning half of his body against the counter in a roguish manner. Gu Daji said, "Young master, that will be six taels and ninety-eight coins."
This book was rather expensive. Excluding rare editions, ordinary books usually only cost two or three taels.
Fang Zichen didn't take out any silver. Upon hearing the price, he merely glanced lightly at Sun Shangcheng.
Sun Shangcheng felt provoked instantly. Just as Gu Daji was about to wrap the book, Sun Shangcheng pressed a hand down to stop him: "I'll pay seven taels."
"Well, well! Seven taels, you?" Fang Zichen said with a mocking smile. "With such a big tone, I thought you were going to offer seventy or eighty taels!"
He said to Gu Daji, "Wrap it up, I'll pay eight taels!"
Gu Daji looked up at him and said with a grin, "Alright, young master, please wait a moment."
Sun Shangcheng, looking at Fang Zichen's expression that seemed to say 'so you're this poor and weak,' felt his anger surge. The fury burning in his chest grew even stronger.
"Wait, I bid thirteen taels."
Fang Zichen raised his head high. "Tch, only thirteen taels? Look how cocky you are. I bid fifteen taels!"
Sun Shangcheng gnashed his teeth. "I bid twenty taels."
Fang Zichen raised an eyebrow, completely unconcerned. "Twenty-six taels."
Sun Shangcheng's face turned ashen and gloomy. "Thirty taels."
"Thirty-two taels," Fang Zichen said.
Sun Shangcheng's eyebrows furrowed slightly. A scholar beside him tugged at his sleeve. "Brother Sun, maybe... let it go?"
"But," another scholar said with difficulty, "Bai Huanan and the others have already bought copies. If we don't have one, we'll fall far behind again."
Birds of a feather flock together. The academy was divided into cliques and factions. Sun Shangcheng and his group were extremely at odds with Bai Huanan and his friends, always competing to be better in everything.
Bai Huanan was from Yuanzhou and looked down upon Sun Shangcheng, a hypocritical gentleman.
As soon as this batch of books arrived, he got the news and bought them first. The Problem Collection wasn't particularly amazing, but Bai Huanan held it like it was the imperial jade seal, 'showing off' in front of Sun Shangcheng and the others multiple times, extremely pleased with himself, walking with an air of importance.
Most of those who followed Sun Shangcheng were poor students from villages. The Yuanzhou natives looked down on them. Studying away from home was often difficult and bitter, so they could only stick together for warmth.
They had passed the Tongsheng exam and had been in the academy for several years. They hadn't learned much else, but they became increasingly vain.
Sun Shangcheng, considering himself the leader and used to being praised, was naturally unwilling to fall behind.
Today, they were lucky to encounter a 'fish that slipped through the net,' but this fish wasn't easy to catch. Without spending a significant amount, they probably couldn't land it.
[漏网之鱼 (lòu wǎng zhī yú): lit. a fish that slipped through the net; fig. someone or something that has escaped capture or punishment.]
Sun Zongze, afraid that Sun Shangcheng, studying away from home without supervision, would repeat his old mistakes and get into messy trouble if he had too much silver, only sent him thirty taels of silver each month.
Thirty taels of silver sounded like a lot. In the village, it could last over ten years, but it wasn't quite enough for Sun Shangcheng.
There were expenses for writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. There were expenses for inviting classmates and friends to listen to operas and visit brothels. A single trip to a teahouse cost five or six taels.
But Fang Zichen was truly arrogant, and his words were hard to hear. Seeing him hesitate, Fang Zichen provoked him again: "Oh dear, you're not that poor, are you? Can't even come up with thirty-something taels? So poor, yet with such a big mouth, you're truly making a spectacle of yourself!"
Sun Shangcheng: "..."
Fang Zichen shook his head, put his hands behind his back, clicked his tongue a few times, and spoke to Sun Shangcheng with a tone of earnest advice: "What's wrong with young people these days? They don't even weigh their own capabilities. See what happens now! Made a spectacle of yourself, didn't you? How embarrassing!"
Sun Shangcheng: "..."
Gu Daji looked at Sun Shangcheng's face, black as ink, and pursed his lips tightly, not daring to laugh out loud.
Sun Shangcheng was losing face, and the lackeys with him also felt their faces burn. They felt that Fang Zichen's words had implied meanings. Although on the surface he was only referring to Sun Shangcheng, he had actually offended every single one of them..
"Do you have any silver on you?" Sun Shangcheng turned his head and asked. "Lend it to me for now, I'll pay you back."
"Brother Sun, I..." Everyone hemmed and hawed. After searching for a while, they could only scrape together six taels of silver.
Sun Shangcheng threw the last thirty-two coins he had on him, along with the six taels of silver, onto the counter.
"I'm buying this book. Wrap it up for me."
Gu Daji looked toward Fang Zichen.
This was probably the 'limit' of Sun Shangcheng's spending. Fang Zichen straightened up, sighed, "Ah," waved his hand, and said, "Forget it, forget it. Seeing you like this... forget it, forget it. I'll yield it to you." He hefted his bulging money pouch at his waist. "Bullying a bunch of kids, I'd feel embarrassed."
The youthful look hadn't faded from his face. The 'youngest' among Sun Shangcheng's group was already in his early twenties.
Gu Daji: "..."
Gu Daji pinched his thigh hard, swallowing the laughter that rose to his throat.
Sun Shangcheng: "..."
Sun Shangcheng felt these words were like a plate of dung dumped on his head—stinky, infuriating, and disgusting.
Fang Zichen walked towards the door. Sun Shangcheng stared at his back, wishing he could rush up and take a hard bite out of him.
Gu Daji wrapped the book and handed it to him, but Sun Shangcheng felt that in this 'battle,' even though he was the winner, he hadn't gained any face. On the contrary, it seemed as if this 'victor' had been pitied and mercifully let win by the other party.
Sun Shangcheng took the book but was in no mood anymore. He walked out the door. When passersby on the road looked his way, he felt they were laughing at him, overwhelmed with shame.
He hurried his steps. The people behind called out to him, but he seemed not to hear.
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