The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 92 Storms
While the Tao family uncle and nephew were analyzing Wen Gu's purpose, Wen Gu and his group had already arrived at Old Master Hong's house.

For large families like the Hong family, with many members, there are many family matters to attend to. When those working away from home return, it is a time for them to connect with each other, socialize, and maintain relationships.

Old Master Hong was also swamped with many matters.

This is the last time I'll come here before the New Year to revisit the old place; the next time won't be until after the New Year.

It was a bit windy outside today, so the old man didn't practice his swordplay in the yard. Instead, he was writing furiously in his study.

He Xiaodi didn't get to see the sixty-year-old man practicing swordplay in the snow. But seeing Grandpa Hong's condition, he knew he was indeed in good health. He didn't show any signs of being frail or old; on the contrary, he had more fighting spirit than many young people.

At this moment, only the teacher and student were in the study.

Without looking at what the old man was writing on the paper, Wen Gu sat to the side and, seeing the old man's energetic state, roughly guessed the reason.

After the other person stopped writing, Wen Gu asked, "Did it pass?"

"Ok!"

Grandpa Hong responded forcefully.

The Zhao family allowed and supported the establishment of the academy.

"However, it will not be located in the existing wards, but in a separate ward."

The old man told Wen Gu about the location where the academy would soon be built.

Wen Gu had a map of the city's neighborhoods and markets in his hand. Listening to the location mentioned by Grandpa Hong, he quickly and accurately pinpointed it in his mind.

That was also an empty ward, near the inner city wall. If you looked at the ward map, it was almost symmetrically distributed with Jingxing Ward along the central axis, on either side of the central axis.

"It's close to our Jingxingfang."

It doesn't take long to walk from Jingxingfang to Wengu.

In comparison, Old Master Hong was a little further away.

This was no problem for the old man at all. While others traveled by carriage or sedan chair, he could probably ride a horse and arrive in no time.

Besides, once the college is built, faculty dormitories will definitely be built as well. Given Mr. Hong's ambition, he will most likely move there directly.

Since the Zhao family has agreed to let Old Master Hong set up a branch of "Cen Tai Academy" here, they will allocate a batch of money, food and materials for construction, including the creation of the "school emblem".

In the future, people wielding the "Cen Tai" sword will probably be everywhere in this city.

"When will construction begin?" Wen Gu asked.

"We'll choose an auspicious day to start construction after the weather warms up," said Grandpa Hong.

Wen Gu thought to himself: "The fact that they started construction so quickly means that Lao Zhao has a lot of extra money, food, and supplies! We can rob a little more."

Grandpa Hong gets excited whenever he talks about the academy.

He told Wen Gu that he had contacted several old friends in the city to get the blueprints for the library first.

Following the old man's lead, Wen Gu offered a few suggestions.

However, as the old man spoke, his excitement subsided, replaced by a serious expression.

A teacher must understand a student's heart in order to correct their mistakes.

Although Wen Gu was not formally accepted as a disciple, he was, after all, a student learning from him, and it was necessary to remind him when necessary.

He looked at Wen Gu and said:
"A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind; a person who excels above others will be criticized by the masses. This Xinzhou City is neither small nor large. Although I am in charge of running the academy branch, anyone who is interested in investigating will soon discover that you are also behind it."

How long has Wen Gucai been in Xinzhou City?
Winter has only just arrived, and the New Year hasn't even passed yet, but its fame has already spread!
There are shrewd and capable businessmen who can make money for the Zhao family.

There were also many outstanding scholars who could manage the various neighborhoods.

The benefits that reviewing the past brings to some people also block the interests of others.

Excessive sharpness will inevitably harm oneself.

"If the wind and waves are too strong, you can come to the academy to take shelter."

Grandpa Hong's idea was to let Wen Gu learn calligraphy and painting here, assist in running the school, and keep things quiet for a while.

Wen Gu rose and bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir!"

He appreciated the old man's good intentions and understood the underlying meaning of his words, but...

Is this going too far?
I haven't even used much force yet.

I have no intention of restraining myself from reviewing the past.

If storms arise, find someone to hold the line!

Grandpa Hong had expected that Wen Gu would be restless and uneasy after his reminder. However, when he was painting, things didn't seem to go as he had imagined.

The young man sitting there was focused and calm, wielding his brush with composure, without a trace of restlessness or anxiety.

Grandpa Hong smiled with satisfaction.

What he admires most about reviewing is this ability to calm down and remain composed!
After silently praising it a few times, Old Master Hong walked over to look at the painting on the paper.

"..."

The old man's face was full of question marks.

What is this drawing?
After watching for a while longer, I felt I understood it.

Wen Gu is currently painting two main objects, one of which is a clock.

The bronze bell is steady and upright, and its sound is clear, resonant and far-reaching, just like the virtue of a gentleman, which is firm and unwavering, and adheres to his true nature.

The other object depicted in the picture looks like a cloth shirt.

It is not flashy, but rather simple, lacking some elegance but possessing more strength.

Simple and upright, a true gentleman!
Old Master Hong stroked his beard and nodded.

When the old man finished reviewing the painting, he asked with a kind face, "Does this painting have a title?"

Review: "Golden Bell Cover and Iron Shirt!"

"..."

For a moment, Old Master Hong was bewildered.

He didn't understand, but he could sense that the meaning of the painting was different from what he had imagined.

"What do you mean by that?" Wen Gu said, "I just suddenly remembered a folk tale I heard during my studies, about two kinds of self-protection skills."

Grandpa Hong, unaware of the existence of such miraculous powers among the common people, asked, "Can it protect you from being scratched or bitten by evil spirits, preventing you from being possessed?"

Wen Gu thought for a moment and said, "I don't know."

"...Go! Practice your sword! Stop thinking about those folk tales, whether true or false!"

Even after the coursework was finished and Wen Gu left, Grandpa Hong stayed in his study, looking at the painting Wen Gu had drawn, and pondered for a long time.

Was the boy drawing the literal meaning of the words, or was it a metaphor?
I feel like today's reminder didn't have much effect.

……

Jingxingfang.

He Xiaodi returned to the office with a heavy heart. Cheng Zhi asked him, "You learned a lot this time you went along, didn't you?"

He Xiaodi sincerely said, "I've learned something new!"

The human heart in this world is unpredictable, and truth and falsehood are hard to discern!

He didn't say much until the next day, when Tao San came to the guild hall for an interview.

Since Wen Gu personally recruited the person, the interview was conducted by Wen Gu and Zhou Shan together.

After the initial assessment, there were no problems, and Tao San began his internship.

He Da: Holy shit!

At the beginning of her internship, Tao San was quite well-behaved and presented herself as a serious and polite person.

Two days later, Wen Gu called Tao San over.

First, they asked how the other person was adapting to life here, and then they inquired about the living conditions of local residents like the Tao family.

Tao San cautiously replied, "This year is actually much better than last year. This year, each workshop was given two coal stoves, a batch of honeycomb briquettes, and some relief grain. If we use them sparingly and help each other out, we can get through this..."

Let's review and understand the general situation at the grassroots level.

"And after spring arrives? What will be the biggest challenge for you after the weather warms up?" Wen Gu asked again.

Tao San thought for a moment and said, "When the weather gets warm, the biggest difficulty... is probably chopping firewood."

In terms of food and supplies, they can actually earn some money by doing manual labor. I heard that another batch of people from Xinzhou's villages have been assigned to farm there and have been given farm tools. Next year, the fields will produce even more grain.

However, with the current outbreak of various epidemics, drawing water from the communal wells within the wards is no longer safe, and firewood is needed for cooking. But the area around Xinzhou City has been almost completely cleared out.

Wen Gu nodded. Overall, water and firewood remained major problems.

Coal supply remains limited, and the supply to impoverished communities will be even less.

The cleanliness of the water source cannot be guaranteed.

"It will be alright," Wen Gu said.

Tao San pondered to himself, was Wen Gu's words merely a consolation, or did they reveal some hidden information?
Just then, Wen Gu said, "The Jingxingfang Association is holding a small internal banquet at the beginning of the year. To make it more lively for everyone, the association is planning to find some people to rehearse a play. Can you take on this task?"

Tao San was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "No problem!"

My anxious heart finally settled down.

Chief Wen really recognized my acting skills!

I was a little disappointed, thinking I'd be assigned something important. The technical difficulty was too low; it wouldn't showcase my exceptional talent!

Although it was below expectations, there was still work to be done, and Tao San knew this was the first test.

If he does well, he will become a member of the Jingqing Public Office after his promotion!

The kind that's officially registered!
Tao San roused himself.

"As for the selection, will we choose people from Jingxingfang?" he asked.

"No restrictions. You can also recommend suitable people in your local area."

Tao San mustered his courage and said, "Yes! There are men, women, young and old. They used to be shills for people, they cried at funerals for people, and they can do some miscellaneous performances. They can't compare to professional troupes, but compared to ordinary people, they are passable."

“You can pick people who seem suitable, but no more than nine,” Wen Gu said.

Locals might still have some costumes and props at home that haven't been burned, which they could use.

There wasn't much time for rehearsals. When you're struggling to get enough to eat and wear, who has the energy to do anything else?
Therefore, Wen Gu did not make complicated requirements for them, but let Tao San lead the people to select some popular folk performances and prepare a few programs.

The performers are provided with a meal and paid a fee, but the fee is paid in Jingxingfang food coupons.

Tao was overjoyed.

They even provide meals and food coupons!
He understood the meaning behind the review; it was an opportunity for him to help his fellow villagers.

They repeatedly assured Wen Gu, "We will definitely prepare well and make sure everyone enjoys watching!"

A banquet during the Chinese New Year is definitely a festive event, so we'll put on some entertaining performances and sing some folk songs.

The wealthy and powerful would certainly look down on it, but as the neighborhood head said, it's meant for the local people, mostly commoners, who just want to enjoy the spectacle.

Having received permission, Tao San ran back to select people to prepare for the performance.

Wen Gu looked at the schedule in the neighborhood.

During the Lunar New Year's Eve period, he was not in Jingxingfang. His aunt and uncle invited him to the Zhao family to celebrate the New Year together.

He would have to go there after everyone in the neighborhood had their New Year's Eve dinner together.

The Zhao family holds a family banquet on New Year's Eve.

Following that, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, there will be a grand banquet, which will invite all the powerful and wealthy people in the city to attend.

The banquet schedule for those few days would be quite tight, making it inconvenient to travel back and forth, so Wen Gu would bring Tie Tou and stay directly at the Zhao family's house.

Perfect timing, the New Year's gifts are almost ready.

The Zhao family's banquet was secondary; the grand feast on the first day of the Lunar New Year was the main event.

In that kind of setting, there are rules about which table you sit at.

He didn't want to sit at the "kids'" table.

(End of this chapter)