CHAPTER 749: CHAPTER 749: ENVY

Gu Jin’an and He Jinseng were the last to board the cart, after bidding farewell to Village Chief He, Third Grandma, and Mrs. Cui standing at the doorway, they let Zezi drive towards the town.

Feng Lian drove another mule cart, which was loaded with New Year’s gifts for Scholar Shang’s Family, Village Chief Shang’s house, and Master Ouyang.

Village Chief He looked at the two mule carts leaving one after the other, filled with true envy. With these two carts, the Gu Family and Gu’s Workshop now possessed a total of five mule carts; their wealth was truly astonishing.

Gu Jin’an did not head straight for the town but first went to Shang Family Village to see Scholar Shang.

Scholar Shang was delighted to see him and dragged Gu Jin’an’s hand towards the study, laughing, "Haha, you lad, you’ve finally come back. I was worried you might spend the New Year abroad."

He then asked, "How did you handle the matters?"

With many people around, it was not appropriate to speak freely, so Gu Jin’an simply responded, "Everything went smoothly. I’ve caused the teacher concern."

Scholar Shang nodded, "As long as it’s smooth, now that you are back, focus on reviewing your studies. Even though your knowledge is commendable, you must not neglect it. Remember, there is always someone better."

"Yes, the student has taken note," Gu Jin’an deeply bowed to Scholar Shang and when he looked up, he suddenly noticed a few white hairs at Scholar Shang’s temples, feeling a tightness in his heart and a tinge of sorrow.

Scholar Shang was younger than his father, yet over these three years, his father seemed to grow younger while Scholar Shang gradually showed signs of aging.

"Have you been feeling unwell lately?" Gu Jin’an asked. "Please do not conceal it from your student."

"Brother Jin’an." Yuanyuan, upon hearing that the brothers had come, specifically ran to the study. Overhearing the conversation, she said angrily, "It’s because he’s been sick, yet he refuses to take his medicine obediently. If it weren’t for Yuanyuan and mother watching over him and ensuring he took the bitter medicine, he would still be bedridden now."

Shang Yuanyuan was now six years old, a plump little girl with a cute appearance, much like she was three years ago, and still very fond of eating.

Hearing this, Gu Jin’an urgently said, "How can the teacher act childishly and not take good care of oneself?"

Scholar Shang waved his hand and smiled, "It was just a minor cold. Many people catch a cold during the winter, and it’s already gotten better now, no big deal."

He then looked at Yuanyuan, "Why don’t you quickly greet Brother Jin’an, Brother Cheng, Brother Dexing, and Brother Jin Sheng with a proper courtesy?"

Yuanyuan was a good child, obediently saluting everyone, then ran over to Gu Jin’an and asked, "Brother Jin’an, is Jinling Prefecture fun? What did you bring back? Is there something for Yuanyuan?"

Gu Jin’an smiled and said, "Jinling Prefecture is bustling with activity. Sister Xiao Yu got you a whole chest of things, including edibles, toys, and utilities. Zezi and Lianzi are moving them in right now; you’ll be able to take them to your own courtyard shortly."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zezi and Feng Lian each carried a load of items inside.

Yuanyuan was thrilled to see so many things and rushed over to grab the loads exclaiming, "Ham, it’s ham! Father, Brother Jin’an has sent our family hams."

Scholar Shang knew that hams fetched a high price, with just the Yanfu Building able to auction off one for nearly two thousand taels of silver. It was said that the ones who bought hams were all Great Shang, planning to take them to Jiangnan, the Capital, and other places for auctions, with prices starting at at least three thousand taels.

"Why send such valuable gifts? We already received some for Dongzhi and haven’t finished them yet. Take these hams back and sell them for money," said Scholar Shang, reluctant to indulge in such costly delicacies.

Gu Jin’an replied, "Please accept them, teacher. This is a small token of my student’s gratitude. Moreover, the cost of the ham itself is not high; it is the time put into its making that’s valuable. Xiao Yu always prepares an extra batch of hams for gifting every year, and this batch is meant for giving away. There’s no need for the teacher to worry."

"Sister Xiao Yu is really kind!" Yuanyuan, loving Gu Jinli the most, quickly complimented Gu Jinli, "Sister Xiao Yu is always so meticulous when she does things. Mother has also told me to learn well from Sister Xiao Yu."

Then she asked, "When does Sister Xiao Yu have free time? Will she come to town for the Lantern Festival this year?"

Gu Jin’an replied, "The pharmaceutical workshop is scheduled to deliver goods for two consecutive days. After delivering the goods, she’ll be busy paying everyone’s wages and distributing silver and New Year’s gifts until the eve of New Year. She loves lively occasions, so she’s likely to come to the town for the Lantern Festival."

Shang Yuanyuan felt a bit disappointed: "I was thinking of going to see Sister Xiao Yu after she got back, but I didn’t expect her to be so busy."

Brother Cheng said: "You can go help make medicine at the pharmaceutical workshop, Second Sister likes workers who don’t ask for pay the most."

Shang Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up, she really wanted to go.

Scholar Shang smiled and patted her head, saying, "Don’t go and cause trouble for your Sister Xiao Yu, the pharmaceutical workshop is already so busy, if you go, she’ll have to be distracted to take care of you."

Yuanyuan wasn’t happy with this, but she knew her father was right, so she could only nod and say, "Okay."

However, looking at all these things, she cheerfully called to Ah Jiu and Taozi: "Carry it to my parents’ courtyard, I want to look at the gifts with my mother."

"Eh." Taozi responded, picking up a load of gifts with Ah Jiu, they left the study and went to the back courtyard.

Yuanyuan was very well-behaved, and before she left, she bowed respectfully to Gu Jin’an and the others.

Scholar Shang watched her cheerfully running off, his eyes full of affection but also worry.

Seeing this, Gu Jin’an felt even more determined to ask Scholar Shang to be his teacher... In recent years, Scholar Shang felt that he and his wife were getting older, and without a son in the family, he was very worried that Yuanyuan would be bullied by her husband’s family after getting married.

"How are you feeling, teacher?" Gu Jin’an sat down and asked: "If you’re feeling up to it, you should come with us to see Master Ouyang, I just got back and need to visit him."

Since recovering from his cold, Scholar Shang hadn’t left home. After thinking it over, he said, "Alright, I’ll go with you."

Because of Brother Cheng’s connection, he had also met Master Ouyang and truly admired his knowledge.

"Brother Cheng is incredibly fortunate to be taught by him, he must study well under Master Ouyang."

Brother Cheng smiled and nodded: "Uncle Shang, rest assured, I will study hard."

He then came by to pull Scholar Shang along: "Uncle Shang, let’s go."

Scholar Shang stood up, and everybody headed to the town together.

The Xia Mansion in the town, now the residence of Master Ouyang, had its signboard removed.

"Brother Dexing, Brother Jin Sheng, you guys wait outside first; we will go in and after asking Master Ouyang, we will come out to get you," said Gu Jin’an as he got off the mule cart to Gu Dexing and the four others on the cart.

Gu Dexing and He Jinseng said somewhat nervously, "Eh, you go ahead, we will wait outside."

Gu Jin’an nodded, told Feng Lian to stay outside with them, and Zezi carried the New Year’s gifts into the house.

Master Ouyang sat in the flower hall of Tingshui Garden, worrying about the garden, and when he saw Gu Jin’an and the others, he just nonchalantly said, "You’re back."

Beside Master Ouyang sat Zheng Qing.

The little guy was very well-behaved, sitting very neatly, and when he saw them, he smiled and called out, "Uncle Shang, Brother Jin’an, Brother Cheng."

On the tenth day, when it became known to County Magistrate Zheng that Ouyang Hu had agreed to teach Brother Cheng, he was so upset that his meals didn’t taste good anymore.

Why does the Gu Family always encounter good things? His son Brother Qing wasn’t bad at all.