He was pleased that he could at least drink the fine wine from the First Restaurant here at the academy, but unhappy that it was just peach blossom wine. If it were his favorite Zhuyechun, it would be perfect. But Zhuyechun was only available in limited quantities each day, and it was impossible to get even in Lingcheng, let alone here.
Young Master Lu regretfully handed the pot of wine to his followers, telling them to take it and share it to taste.
"Is it really the fine wine from the No. 1 Restaurant?"
The scholars didn't mind that it was the cheapest wine; after all, it was already quite expensive for them. The aroma alone made them feel intoxicated, and they longed to taste it on the spot. However, it was inconvenient to be out on the road, so they had to wait until they returned.
The vendor watched them leave, tears welling in his eyes, but at least he had helped confirm the wine was genuine. Seeing the people who had rushed over to buy the wine earlier now approaching angrily demanding explanations, he shrank back, cursing his bad luck. He thought to himself, "I should have come back tomorrow. That young master isn't going out every day."
No one was interested in watching the farce that followed. After exchanging glances, they all turned and walked back. The show was over; it was time to go back and put away the New Year's goods they had bought.
"Sister Xuan's restaurant is truly a hotbed of controversy; even after traveling this far, I can still see the disputes it's caused." Mo Bei clicked his tongue. "No wonder it was causing trouble every day for the past month."
His business in the capital went remarkably smoothly, without any trouble. Thinking about the various buffs Ye Xu had purchased, he felt Jiang Yuexuan's antics were excessive and somewhat unrealistic. Why was everyone else's business running smoothly while hers was full of drama? Now it seemed it really wasn't fake; it truly was that exciting.
Jiang Yuexuan was used to it: "I do this all the time when I run a shop."
To accumulate one billion points as quickly as possible, she will use many aggressive methods. She has no patience for Ye Xu to quietly and slowly accumulate points; she always wants to make a big splash. So even with a lot of buffs, she can still stir up trouble and cause a great uproar.
Those people clearly hated her to death, but thanks to the buff, they couldn't bring themselves to ruin the shop. They could only sulk in silence, which was actually quite amusing. She loved seeing everyone unable to get rid of her despite their dislike for her; it was so satisfying.
Ye Xu, with her laid-back, easygoing personality, felt out of place with Sister Xuan: "Sister Xuan is probably the only one in the shop with such a strong drive..."
“I’m also very ambitious,” Mo Bei said unhappily. “I just don’t have her kind of drive.”
Mo Bei doesn't think he loves being a lazy bum. He's a phoenix destined for greatness, unlike those unambitious, stinky dragons.
Ye Xu: "??" This is going too far by praising one person while belittling another!
What's wrong with being a salted fish? Laziness is human nature! A life without laziness is no fun!
However, a closer look reveals that Han Yingchen, the shop's manager, is also ambitious. Or rather, he's quite conscientious; as a shop manager, he wants to be a responsible one and try to make as much money as possible.
If you really think about it, it seems only the newly arrived Daoist Ji Ling is as easygoing as him. No wonder his daughter caught the Daoist's eye; birds of a feather flock together!
Ye Xu decided to raise his daughter Zhenzhen to be a free spirit as well. With him as her adoptive father, the little girl already had a high starting point, so there was no need for her to work so hard. She had already missed out on a large part of her childhood under her aunt and uncle's care, and he would make up for it for her later.
It's best to always be relaxed and happy. Never become a workaholic like Sister Xuan; workaholics have no fun.
"Did you remember?" Ye Xu asked earnestly after rambling on for a while.
Zhenzhen looked completely bewildered: "Huh? I... I remember."
The little girl is still young, not even ten years old yet, so she doesn't really understand the good intentions of her elders. Fortunately, children these days are quite mature and have their own ideas, so they can understand adults to some extent.
Zhenzhen has some plans for her future, although she only wants to learn all the classical instruments. Her plans are still rather rudimentary, but at least she has some ideas. What she doesn't understand is why her father thinks Xianyu is better than Juanwang, and she herself doesn't have a clear understanding or preference for either of them, remaining neutral.
Since her father didn't like Juan Wang, and she didn't have a strong liking for him either, she might as well listen to her father for now. If she had other ideas later, she could secretly change them later.
The little girl carefully considered the solution, found it sound, and nodded in satisfaction.
Ye Xu was also quite satisfied. He didn't expect his daughter to immediately grasp his intentions; he just wanted her to listen attentively. There would be plenty of time to teach her later. He planned to tell her more stories about overwork and self-destruction, so that she wouldn't deliberately cause trouble for herself if she didn't have Sister Xuan's abilities, lest she go too far and crash and burn.
Fortunately, the other people in the shop didn't have any objections to Ye Xu's parenting style. It's her daughter's choice how to raise her, and outsiders have no right to interfere. Regardless of whether they agreed or disagreed, they maintained a neutral stance, neither supporting nor opposing.
Neither lifestyle is inherently superior or inferior; either choice is acceptable. Even Mo Bei, who usually disagrees with Ye Xu, refrained from interjecting. When the little girl curiously pressed him on why he wasn't arguing with his father this time, he even offered a frank remark.
Mo Bei said, "Your father loves you very much and wouldn't harm you."
“But I’ve heard some people say that elders sometimes make choices that are actually detrimental to children under the guise of doing what’s best for them.” Zhenzhen sighed with the maturity of a child. “How can I, as a child, tell whether my father’s behavior is truly beneficial to me, or whether he thinks it’s beneficial but it will actually harm me?”
Zhenzhen herself wanted to believe her father, but when she went to participate in piano competitions, she always encountered other children who were having conflicts with their parents. Those children would always complain that their parents forced them to learn piano, saying that playing the piano well would be a great advantage when they grew up, but they themselves felt that learning the piano was more harmful than beneficial to them, and they would rather not have that benefit.
Hearing certain things repeatedly can easily take to heart. Zhenzhen is a little worried right now. Her aunt and uncle say that since it's her dad's first time being a father, he might make mistakes. She's concerned that if her dad makes the wrong decision, he'll regret it and blame himself for not being a good father. She doesn't want her dad to feel like he owes her anything.
Mo Bei, completely oblivious to the little girl's delicate thoughts, casually remarked, drawing on his own experience, "If you're unsure, just ask a few more adults. If everyone agrees that your father's actions are correct, then he's right. I used to think that the old fogies in the clan didn't understand me; they were too stubborn because of their age. But it turned out that the elders were right. I, a young phoenix, was too naive, yet blindly confident that my ideas were perfect. I feel ashamed when I think about it now."
Everyone has a dark past from their youth, and Mo Bei is one of those with a lot of dark history. From a young age, he arrogantly contradicted his elders many times. At the time, he thought he was right and it did make his life more comfortable. Only when he grew up did he realize that he was digging his own grave.
Mo Bei remembers most clearly how the elders forced him to practice calligraphy, insisting that he write exceptionally well. He was furious, feeling that practicing calligraphy was completely useless, and even slacked off for a while. It wasn't until he accompanied the elders to visit the Peacock Clan and was mocked by the peacock cubs that he realized writing well wasn't entirely pointless; at least it was useful for showing off and humiliating others.
After hearing this story, Zhenzhen looked blank: "..." She thought practicing calligraphy would bring Uncle Mobei a lot of benefits, but this is all.
No, I can't think like that. How can I only look at the good aspects when doing things? Practicing calligraphy can cultivate one's character, and writing beautifully can make one feel happy, which is enough.
Uncle Mo Bei was right. None of the other uncles and aunts said her father's decision was wrong. Although not everyone supported him, at least no one objected. That proved that being a "couch potato" wasn't a bad choice. She could rest assured that her father wouldn't blame himself for it later.
Zhenzhen left happily, leaving Mobei alone to reminisce about the past. He wanted to share more of his childhood stories with Zhenzhen, but when he turned around, the child had already run off, leaving him with only regret and suppressed his sorrow.
Meanwhile, Zhenzhen ran to Ye Xu's side and excitedly asked her father, "How do you become a salted fish? What do you have to do?"
Ye Xu glanced at his daughter and answered seriously, "A salted fish is someone who does nothing."
Zhenzhen: "?"
"And then you push the work onto others."
Zhenzhen: "??"
"If we can't push it out..."
Zhenzhen: "??"
"Then let's find a way to save the effort required and complete this task with minimal effort."
Zhenzhen: "!!" So, so this is what a salted fish is like? I've learned something new!
The next day, everyone saw a father and daughter lounging around like slackers. Two reclining chairs were placed next to the charcoal brazier, one on the left and one on the right, and two small tables were placed in front and behind, with tea and snacks on them.
The father and daughter remained in a semi-reclining position, occasionally reaching for snacks to pop into their mouths. In addition, a virtual screen floated in front of them, one watching cartoons and the other watching variety shows—they seemed quite content.
After a long silence, everyone began to reflect on whether it was a mistake to let the store manager lead the little girl astray.
"Dad, you're right, salted fish is so satisfying." Zhenzhen let out a small, contented burp. If it weren't for her lingering love for musical instruments, she wouldn't have wanted to get up for her piano lesson.
Ye Xu took a sip of juice and sighed, "Sweet and sour drinks are still the best. It's so comfortable during the New Year; you don't have to do anything."
"Get up." Jiang Yuexuan walked over with a stern face and gently kicked Ye Xu's recliner. "We have to do a big clean-up today, and no one is allowed to slack off."
Before the New Year, the shop must be thoroughly cleaned inside and out; this is called "getting rid of the old and welcoming the new." Even if the shop is already very clean, this step cannot be skipped; it's mainly for the sake of ritual.
Ye Xu reluctantly sat up: "Can't we just leave cleaning to robots?"
“The shop can indeed be handed over to robots,” Jiang Yuexuan smiled. “However, we discussed it and decided to volunteer our time to help out at the academy.”
The academy is so large that the servants hired within the academy can't handle it all. Han Yingchen has had quite a bit of dealing with the academy's canteen staff lately, and the two sides have a pretty good relationship. He has also received some preferential treatment from them on several occasions, so he wants to take this opportunity to return the favor.
Actually, there wasn't much for them to do. As Ye Xu said, there were hardworking and capable robots. So Jiang Yuexuan directly told Ye Xu to get up and not fall behind in group activities, otherwise he would get sick from lying around in the shop all day.
When Ye Xu heard that the robot would go to help, he knew that he probably wouldn't have much work to do, so he readily agreed: "Then go ahead. Zhenzhen doesn't need to go. She can stay home with the Taoist priest and study the zither properly."
It's not as spotless outside as inside the store; when cleaning, dust fills the air. It's best not to let the little girl go there to be a vacuum cleaner. The air quality in this modern world is already bad enough. My precious daughter has been breathing in smog for so many years; let's avoid PM2.5 as much as possible now.
"Alright, then she can stay at home." Jiang Yuexuan nodded indifferently and agreed.
Chapter 44 Headmaster
The group set off with brooms and rags, which Ye Xu had suggested they bring.
Ancient cleaning tools weren't very practical, especially rags, which didn't have as many variety as modern ones. Ye Xu brought several different kinds; some were highly absorbent, some had strong cleaning power, and others were particularly good at absorbing oil.
It's a pity we can't bring cleaning agents to remove cooking fumes; those are the most troublesome things. Fortunately, people in ancient times ate relatively lightly, and canteens rarely cooked stir-fried dishes, so there shouldn't have been much cooking fumes.
As they walked along, they discovered that the academy was built at the foot of the mountain, so they didn't have to climb it.
I heard that this academy has been established for hundreds of years, and the current headmaster is a very learned female teacher who was exceptionally granted the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince by the emperor. However, the emperor is still young and has not yet established a crown prince, so this Grand Tutor does not need to stay in the capital to teach the crown prince.
Mo Bei knew quite a bit about this headmaster; the noble ladies in the capital loved to talk about her.
In the eyes of some noble ladies, this Master Xiao was a remarkable figure who brought honor to women like them.
It's important to understand that while women in this dynasty could hold official positions, they could only hold certain specialized roles, such as female physicians. Most of the time, the traditional roles of men managing external affairs and women managing internal affairs remained largely unchanged.
Under these circumstances, it was already quite remarkable that Xiao Shanchang, a woman, could become the head of the academy. To receive an imperial decree from the emperor was even more extraordinary.
I've heard that she was exceptionally gifted from a young age, studying various classics under her great Confucian scholar grandfather. She is learned and eloquent, able to speak fluently and eloquently. Originally, the position of headmaster should have been passed down to a male member of the family, but unfortunately, her family line has dwindled. Not to mention her main branch, there are very few people in the collateral branches, and none of them are particularly successful.
"Xiao Shanzhang has a younger brother from the same mother. She and her brother are among the few descendants of the Xiao family in this generation. Unfortunately, her brother's academic performance is average, and he prefers to study painting. After searching around the family, Xiao Daru could not find a more suitable candidate than his granddaughter. He could only promote his granddaughter and go to great lengths to push her to become the head of the family."
This academy is a family business, and it cannot be passed on to outsiders unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, running an academy is just a facade of prestige; it doesn't bring any real power, and there aren't many people truly willing to take it over. In fact, Headmaster Xiao doesn't have many competitors.
Now that the great scholar Xiao has passed away, Headmaster Xiao took over the academy from his critically ill grandfather at the age of fifteen. He served as headmaster for over ten years, bearing immense pressure and the schadenfreude of outsiders. Fortunately, he did not tarnish his ancestor's reputation. On the contrary, he gained the attention of the new emperor with his several masterpieces and was granted an additional title, which can be considered as allowing the great scholar Xiao to rest in peace.
"What about her brother?" Han Yingchen asked curiously.
Although Han Yingchen had been staying near the academy for over a month, he really didn't know any of this. It wasn't that his ability to gather gossip had diminished; it was simply that the academy students who frequented his area didn't know the inside story either. Those who did know were generally from aristocratic families, and those young masters had plenty of money; why would they come here for fast food?
"It seems that Xiao Shanchang's younger brother has gone out to travel. He loves painting and landscapes, and said he wants to depict the great rivers and mountains of our dynasty while he is away."
As they spoke, the group arrived at the academy's dining hall kitchen. Ye Xu then remembered to ask Han Yingchen how the kitchen staff had become his acquaintance. Apparently, they had helped him several times, which piqued Ye Xu's curiosity, as they should be competitors.
Han Yingchen explained, "Whether students eat in the cafeteria or not, the monthly allowance for the kitchen staff remains the same. After my shop opened, many poor students no longer had to eat in the cafeteria. Both sides were relieved. The kitchen staff's workload was reduced by more than half every day, but they still received the same amount of money. Of course, they were happy."
So, in order to get paid to slack off, these people would sometimes secretly help promote Han Yingchen's shop.
If students don't eat here, the cafeteria will receive less money for meals. But what does that have to do with the kitchen staff? The college cafeteria was originally opened to benefit impoverished students, and it will continue to operate no matter how many people come to patronize it.
Ye Xu was silent for a moment. Sure enough, whether in ancient or modern times, office workers always work very hard to reduce their workload. Fortunately, the headmaster wasn't a capitalist; he was an upright teacher who benefited the students and wouldn't care about the kitchen staff shirking their duties, as long as the students didn't go hungry.
"You've finally arrived!" Several farmhands greeted them immediately.
Previously, most students in the academy ate in the canteen, so the canteen was quite large, and it was impossible for just a few long-term workers to keep it very clean. In previous years, the academy would pay some money for poor students to come and help, as a way to earn money while studying. This year, Han Yingchen volunteered to bring robot shop assistants to clean, which saved them this step.
Actually, the cafeteria isn't that dirty. After all, it's a place where food is prepared. In previous years, the dirtiest areas were mostly the dining areas, mainly because the place is too big to clean every day. Fortunately, the students are quite hygienic, otherwise it would be even dirtier.
However, given the environment in ancient times, and the fact that it wasn't a wealthy household, it was inevitably a bit dirty and messy. Ye Xu glanced around and felt that the dining environment wasn't much better than a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. But the students from poor families were used to it; their own hometowns were probably not as clean as this place.
This year, with half the number of students attending, they had some free time to clean up. According to the farmhands, it was usually much dirtier, and the current condition was already the result of their hard work in cleaning.
—After all, they came to help for free, so they felt embarrassed to really push all the work away.
Jiang Yuexuan nodded after checking, not taking it seriously: "Then let's start cleaning. Don't worry, it will be cleaned up quickly."
She quietly signaled to the robot to take out some cleaning agent when no one was looking, just make sure the natives didn't see it. Some corners had stubborn grime that would be very difficult to clean without the cleaning agent. Fortunately, the ground was compacted soil, not tiled, so a simple sweep wouldn't remove all the dust.
Ye Xu took a rag and started wiping the table. This was a convenient way to sneak some cleaning agent; he just smeared some on the rag, and from a distance, it was impossible to see. He hadn't brought any cleaning agent with him and thought he wouldn't be able to use it, but Sister Xuan had given everyone a bottle. It was unclear whether she had brought it beforehand or synthesized it on the spot using energy.
The cafeteria had few windows, making it somewhat dim. Mo Bei, lacking the patience to carefully clean away the grime, unconsciously moved closer to Ye Xu. He then followed Ye Xu's lead; Ye Xu used detergent to remove the stubborn grime, and Mo Bei simply wiped it clean with a damp cloth, completing the task.
Ye Xu glared at him speechlessly: "You're really good at slacking off."
Cleaning the table is too easy; just wipe it a couple of times to remove the dirty water and detergent. Ye Xu was a little annoyed. He scrubbed for ages, and then Mo Bei came over to pick the peaches.
“I’m not very good at housework,” Mo Bei said matter-of-factly. “I’ll learn from you.”