Li Yisheng had returned, and the shop was closed. The family had a lively New Year together. During that time, worried that Liuliu might miss him, Liu Xiaowen and Zhou Ger even had the imperial guards bring back a letter, asking if he'd like to come to Anhe Village and spend the New Year with them.
After hearing the letter, Aunt Liu nearly shook her head: "Still want him to come? Liuliu is having so much fun with Guaizai he's forgotten all about home. They follow Fang Zichen around every single day—learning to ride horses, learning archery, playing on the drop-tower, playing on skateboards—not a moment's rest. He's probably forgotten his own father's surname by now."
But Liuliu knew Zhou Ger missed him, so he told Zhao Ger he wanted to go to Anhe Village to spend the New Year with his father and dad. So on the first day of the new year, Zhao Ger packed up a stack of practice sheets for him, arranged a carriage, and sent him off to Anhe Village with Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu.
Liuliu rode there on horseback.
Zhou Ger and Liu Xiaowen knew they were coming and waited at the village entrance since noon. From Hezhou City to Anhe County normally took about three days, but now with the cement roads, it was faster—the county itself hadn't started roadworks yet, but the official road had already been extended all the way to the outskirts of Hezhou City.
Leave in the morning, arrive in the afternoon.
When they saw Liuliu galloping toward them—such a tiny little thing, yet riding so steadily—both Zhou Ger and Liu Xiaowen were astonished.
It's only been a few days!
Liuliu actually knows how to ride a horse now?
When he came closer and they asked, it turned out Guaizai and Zhao Ger had taught him.
Over the New Year break, Fang Zichen also taught Xiao Feng how to ride. Horses were fast, while carriages were heavy and much slower. If they ever headed north in the future, being able to ride would make things a lot more convenient.
He was teaching Xiao Feng, so naturally Liuliu was taught by Guaizai and Zhao Ger.
Zhou Ger felt deeply gratified and thought coming to Hezhou was the right decision. If they had stayed in Yuanzhou, would his son ever have learned to ride? Or shoot a bow?
The Six Arts of a gentleman—these were things only taught in the major academies. Qinghe Academy taught music, painting, etiquette, and chess, but not archery or horsemanship. Why?
Horses were expensive, riding grounds required a great deal of land, and Qinghe Academy had only been founded after Old Master Wu returned to his hometown and joined forces with the prefect. Though it ranked first among all the academies in the area, it still lacked deep-rooted resources.
Other academies were even worse off—with tiny riding grounds and scrawny horses. And since the imperial examinations didn't test these skills, getting to so much as touch a horse once a month was already considered good fortune. Only in Shangyang, Xiayang, and Hengyang—where they were prosperous—did the academies truly teach these subjects to their students.
Fang Zichen had been frustrated back when he was at Qinghe Academy and saw no riding ground, but he hadn't been all that surprised. Even in modern times, there were poor places where schools didn't offer music classes.
So, of course people racked their brains to send their kids to city schools—because city schools had better resources than county or village schools.
Hearing Zhou Ger say this, Liu Xiaowen remembered: "Have you told Zhao Ger about the Wu family matter yet?"
He was referring to the business about Old Master Wu's daughter-in-law, Madam Chen.
Old Master Wu's literary talent was excellent, but his son Wu Zeyu wasn't much to speak of. He'd been trying for the provincial exam for years and still hadn't passed; he'd failed again the year before last. Now that he was older, his chances were even slimmer.
Old Master Wu was getting on in years—scholars tended to have frail constitutions—and who knew how many more years he had left. Among the Wu grandsons, only the eldest legitimate grandson, Wu Haojie, showed promise. He'd taken the exam the previous year and passed, becoming a tongsheng—but his ranking hadn't been very good.
The Wu family's standing in Yuanzhou rested entirely on Old Master Wu. If he passed, Wu Zeyu—who had spent all those years entirely focused on his studies and never involved himself in anything else—would surely be unable to manage the academy, which had only grown larger and harder to maintain. It would be difficult for the Wu family to preserve their wealth and status.
Qinghe Academy had produced many juren, but most of them, like County Magistrate Jiang, ended up as minor officials in distant posts. Their ties were too remote. If anything happened to the Wu family in the future, they probably wouldn't be able to help.
Word had it that Fang Zichen was charging ahead triumphantly—within just one year of entering court, he'd been promoted to the third rank and had even gained the favor of the Qin family in Hengyang. Madam Chen was absolutely shaken. Hengyang and Yuanzhou weren't far apart, so she thought about currying favor—but then she remembered the earlier incident...
The Yuanzhou prefect was also a third-rank official, but he was even older than Old Master Wu, with only half a year or so left before retirement. His ancestral home wasn't in Yuanzhou either, so after he resigned, he'd definitely go back.
Madam Chen didn't have much ability, but she had high standards. She considered seventh-rank county magistrates useless—she wanted someone connected in the capital, someone with real power, who could help her children find opportunities in the future. Once the prefect was gone, the only person they could rely on would be lost. But if they could get in with the Qin family, the Wu family might even rise to a higher level. When Madam Chen brought this up with Old Master Wu, his face had turned ashen.
This was just trying to suck up to Fang Zichen.
But how could he have the nerve?
How many years had he taught that boy? To put it bluntly, the fact that Qinghe Academy's reputation had spread and attracted so many students—he'd been riding on Fang Zichen's coattails. Back when he'd invited Guaizai to study at his home, it was partly because the child was bright and he loved talent, but also to draw the two families closer.
His son was a failure, and his grandsons were still young. How could he not know the family's situation? His disciples were scattered across the land, but over the years, he'd also made his share of enemies.
Fang Zichen had struck him as a promising young man with good character and a grateful heart. If they built a good relationship, then after he was gone, if anything truly happened to the family, Fang Zichen would surely lend a hand.
But what happened instead?
The gifts the man sent—his daughter-in-law thought they were too shabby and had them thrown out without a second thought. That was an outright insult.
And Guaizai had been bullied in his own home—that wasn't even the worst of it. His daughter-in-law had gone and said those things—that Guaizai ate too much, like a starving ghost reborn, that she found him repulsive, mocked him for being from the countryside, said that once he tasted good food he ate like a pig and wasn't afraid of bursting. Guaizai heard it all—which meant Fang Zichen heard it too.
Fang Zichen doted on his children—Old Master Wu was well aware.
But Guaizai wasn't wolfing down food because he'd been given something good; he simply ate a lot to begin with.
Those words Madam Chen had spoken were harsh and humiliating—worse than a slap to the face. And when the children fought, Madam Chen had taken her nephew's side without even bothering to find out what happened, forcing Guaizai to apologize. In doing so, she'd thoroughly offended them.
After that, Fang Zichen remained respectful toward Old Master Wu, but Old Master Wu could tell—things were not as they once were. There was resentment in the man's heart now.
How could Old Master Wu still have the nerve to curry favor with him after that?
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