Hua Zhi's visiting card only said the seventh day of the first lunar month, but did not specify the time. However, almost all the people who received the visiting cards chose to come early in the morning, and many people had arrived before the 4th hour.
The tightly closed door made everyone look at each other in confusion, somewhat at a loss. Should they go up and knock on the door or what
As they were hesitating, the front door of the Hua family slowly opened from the inside, and the group of refined scholars saw two servants carrying a table and placing it under the steps. Then a child about ten years old walked out. He was wearing a Confucian robe, and his hair was wrapped on his head with a Confucian scarf. His little face was pale and quiet, and his whole body exuded a clean scholarly air.
Behind him stood about twenty children dressed similarly, each holding a basket in their hands, and no one knew what was inside.
"I am Hua Boyu, thank you all for coming as promised." Hua Boyu performed a standard scholar's greeting.
The students were surprised and returned the greetings one by one.
Seeing that no one was bullying him because of his young age, Hua Boyu breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little. He took the basket from his brother and put it on the table in front of him. "The Autumn Examination is coming soon. I don't want to waste your time. Here are some food that my sister asked someone to make. They can be kept for a long time without going bad. I hope you all will pass the Autumn Examination."
Everyone looked surprised.
"In order to avoid being accused of being a favor, these things can only be sold to you."
Everyone was surprised again.
"Please prepare a copper coin, no more and no less. If you don't have any, it's okay, I will send it to you later."
"…" Whether it was the onlookers or the students, their hearts were moved by the twists and turns of the conversation. For a moment, everyone was wondering: Is this the end? Is there anything else to say
After a moment's silence, when the scholars saw that Hua Boyu was sure that he had no intention of speaking again, they were sure that this was all the Hua family wanted to express. The few people standing in the front saw the child who was a little at a loss because he didn't wait for everyone's reaction. The child was the first to react. He felt around and those who felt out a copper coin hurried forward and handed it over.
Hua Baiyu breathed a sigh of relief, two dimples formed on her face as she smiled. She pushed an empty basket in front of him and said, "Just put it in here."
The scholar really put it in, and Hua Boyu immediately handed the basket he had been holding for a long time to him. When the scholar picked it up, he realized that it was not light. He took a look at the copper coin and asked, "Are you sure?"
Hua Boyu was stunned for a moment and shook his head, "Eldest sister is talking about a penny."
The scholar felt that he had said something stupid after he finished speaking. Even if the weight was light, it didn't mean that he hadn't lost a penny. This exquisite basket alone could not be bought with a single penny.
Once someone took the lead, others naturally followed. No matter what they thought in their hearts, since they had submitted the letter in the first place and had come here, no one wanted to embarrass the Hua family. Even if it was just an empty basket, even if she wanted ten taels of silver, they would not leave empty-handed.
There was a type of font in the Daqing Dynasty called Yanti, which was created by Hua Jingyan, the ancestor of the Hua family.
The Daqing Dynasty was the dynasty with the best ending for its meritorious officials in history. Hua Jingyan used himself to teach them how to be a meritorious official and how to preserve their integrity in old age.
Even the poorest scholar must have a few manuscripts that have been read so many times that the corners are all frayed. Although the Hua family is not a family that will produce books from generation to generation, they have the rule of leaving behind ink writings, regardless of the number.
The most recent one was published the year before last. Mr. Hua used all he had learned in his life to publish a commentary on "The Great Learning". According to the old rules of the Hua family, he published the book at his own expense and placed it in academies, book clubs, bookstores, etc. in various places. He also provided pens, ink, and paper, and students could copy it if they liked. The Hua family has persisted in this kind of thing for as many years as it has been established, and it is hard to tell how many poor students have benefited from it.
How great the contribution of the Hua family was to the Daqing Dynasty and how far-reaching the influence on students was, this was something that even the Hua family's political enemies could not deny. They had always acknowledged the Hua family's status as the top literati and were eager to replace them.
Precisely because of the Hua family's status, these students from all over the world, whether they are aloof, arrogant, or overconfident, are willing to give face to the Hua family, even if what they can do is insignificant.
The copper coins in the basket accumulated more and more, but the children did not make a fuss. When their hands were empty, they would go back and pick up one and stand behind their brothers, and repeat this process over and over again.
Hua Boyu was no longer nervous. If the other party put down a copper coin, he would hand over a basket. If someone gave silver, he would stop them and look at you with his dark eyes. No matter what the person was thinking, when being looked at like this, he would either quickly borrow a copper coin from someone behind him or say he would come back and give it to him, and then he would receive a basket.
As time went by, the line did not shorten even though the total number of people who posted had already exceeded the limit. Instead, there were more and more people, and the baskets prepared by the Hua family were still being given out one by one, and it was obvious that they had prepared far more than that.
Zhu Ziwen was also in the queue, and when it was his turn, he smiled, "Little Boyu has grown up."
Hua Baiyu lowered his head in embarrassment and said, "My elder sister has already sent it to my cousin."
"I want this one too." Zhu Ziwen put down the copper coins and took the basket with a serious expression, "I am also a student."
Hua Baiyu's eyes suddenly turned red. Before, he only vaguely understood the purpose of his elder sister's doing this, but now he completely understood that his elder sister not only wanted to let the Wei family know the gap between them and the Hua family, but also wanted him and his younger brothers to know the meaning of the Hua family name.
Zhu Ziwen looked up behind the gate, where he could occasionally hear skirts fluttering. He knew that his cousin was there.
She may not be unaware that doing so would do more harm than good, but she did it anyway. Perhaps, she was just feeling a little angry, so she used this method to speak up for the Hua family and to remind the world how much the Hua family had done for the Daqing Dynasty.
Not everyone may understand her intention, but those who should understand will understand.
Someone tapped my shoulder and said, "There are many people behind us, don't stay there."
Zhu Ziwen turned around and glared at his bad friend in annoyance. It was possible that the others came for the Hua family, but at least half of these people came for the food. He didn't even eat a few bites of the basket of food he took away from his cousin that day, as it was all divided up.
But it’s good that they are here. They are different from ordinary students. Standing here, they represent the families behind them, and their attitude is their family’s attitude towards the Hua family.
No one noticed that the scholar standing in front of Zhu Ziwen walked away, looked around inconspicuously, and after seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he walked towards the carriage parked on the side.
Apart from looking more refined, the carriage doesn't look much different from other carriages. If there is any difference, it's that the coachman is too muscular and his eyes are too vigilant.
The scholar approached and was about to ask for instructions when he heard a small, hoarse voice, "Come up and talk."
"yes."