Chapter 1020: A Visit

Sheng Hualan sat in the study, feeling blissful, her hands cupping her face as she gazed at the scroll spread out on the table, which had already been mounted. Naturally, it was the first piece personally penned by Wang Yan: "A Cut of Plum Blossoms: Rain Beats Against Pear Blossoms, the Door Deeply Closed."

Sheng Hong truly loved his future son-in-law's calligraphy; the lyrics were good, but the calligraphy was even better. In particular, these lyrics had a story behind them, composed by Wang Yan out of longing for his eldest daughter. Once spread abroad, it would surely be hailed as a beautiful tale.

In this era of contradictions—where scholars were seen as both spineless and iron-willed, romantic and otherwise—such a love story between a man and a woman was bound to spread with extreme speed. With Ouyang Xiu providing a critique and Sheng Hong putting in some effort, it would reach the Liao lands in less than two months.

By then, it would be a multi-party victory. Sheng Hong would be able to show his face among scholars and officials, thereby entering the sight of the imperial court and the Emperor. Wang Yan, on the other hand, would become famous for a single lyric, widely known before even showing his face. Reputation was the most important thing for a scholar. In the future, whenever Wang Yan went out, he would only need to start a sentence, and others would immediately act as if they had long admired him, offering greetings of "I have long heard of your name," while lavishly praising Wang Yan's romantic literary talent and refined sensibilities.

By that time, it would basically mean Wang Yan had truly established himself.

However, Sheng Hong did not lose his head; he still remembered to urge Wang Yan to transcribe another copy. Sheng Hong even found a piece of high-quality jade that had been kept for a long time, intending to carve a seal for his future son-in-law so that once stamped, the work would be complete.

What Sheng Hualan was looking at now was the first piece Wang Yan had written.

Naturally, she loved it even more than Sheng Hong did. In her heart, Wang Yan was truly a valiant and romantic man.

She had heard many stories of scholars and women, but she knew those were ultimately the minority. The romance and gallantry of scholars seemed to be reserved for the courtesans in brothels. Someone like Wang Yan was truly rare. Moreover, the protagonist in this story was her.

"Watching the sky at dawn, watching the clouds at dusk. I think of you while walking, I think of you while sitting." Hualan murmured softly; she truly loved this lyric to the core, and naturally, she loved Wang Yan to the core as well.

In just a few short days, a man she had never known had appeared so suddenly, breaking into her heart and taking root. She really did think of him while walking, and think of him while sitting...

"Eldest Sister, it is time for lunch."

Sheng Changbai opened the door and walked in, shaking his head like a little adult. Seeing his eldest sister like this was truly unbearable to watch; no wonder their mother was always complaining that Eldest Sister had no ambition.

"I'm not hungry." Hualan replied simply, not even raising her head.

"Eldest Sister, since the marriage has been settled, there will be no going back on it. Brother Wang is a man of talent, skilled in both literature and martial arts. You should read more books now so that you will have things to talk about with Brother Wang in the future. This lyric is well-written, and the calligraphy is even better, but they are Brother Wang's lyrics and Brother Wang's calligraphy. After you are married, won't you have as much as you want? It's only a year away, why is Eldest Sister so impatient?"

"That may be so, but it is truly hard to endure."

"I wonder if this might relieve Eldest Sister's lovesickness?"

Sheng Changbai smiled, pulled a letter from his sleeve, and placed it on top of the calligraphy Wang Yan had written, blocking Hualan's view, but also catching her eye.

The words "Personally opened by Hualan" caught her eye. The familiar handwriting made Hualan's heart skip a beat, and she hurriedly moved to tear open the sealed envelope.

Seeing her actions, little Changbai said from the side: "Brother Wang just had someone send this over. He even urged me, saying that when Eldest Sister writes back, I should deliver it when I have time, to exercise my body and relax my mind."

Hualan responded unconsciously, her whole being already immersed in the letter.

After a long while, Hualan put the letter away and picked up a brush in the study to write a reply. She hesitated for a long time before finally writing it out. After sealing it, she stood up and slapped it onto Sheng Changbai.

"Go deliver the letter this afternoon. Come on, let's go have lunch."

Changbai tucked the letter back into his sleeve and shook his head with a laugh: "Didn't you say you weren't hungry?"

*Smack! * Hualan slapped Changbai on the forehead: "You talk too much, hurry up and go."

At this time, regardless of how strict the etiquette was or how much men and women were kept apart, frequent meetings before marriage were not allowed, but exchanging letters was fine. It was considered a way for the couple to get to know each other before marriage, avoiding too much awkwardness later on.

Compared to women, it was much more convenient for a half-grown boy like Changbai to go out. Usually, he also had to go out to study and socialize.

After a lunch during which Madam Wang nagged Hualan incessantly, Changbai was chased out of the house by Hualan before he could even take a nap, urged to go out of the city to deliver the letter to Wang Yan.

Changbai, who was gentle and mature for his age like a little adult, had a feeling of a gentleman as pure as jade. He did not refuse, and he himself quite admired his future brother-in-law, so he gladly agreed to go.

After walking for a while and riding in a carriage for a while, Changbai finally arrived at the territory of Wang Family Village.

There was no need to ask where Wang Yan lived. Looking around, there was only that one high-walled mansion in the best location, and only that one stone-paved road that stretched from the main road all the way to the mansion. That must undoubtedly be the Wang residence.

Following the stone-paved road, crossing a small stone bridge over a stream, and going up a small, gentle slope, he arrived in front of Wang Yan's house.

After saying a word to the gatekeeper, they didn't even need to announce him; they took Changbai and his attendants directly inside, and someone even led the coachman to take the horses to rest.

Bypassing the spirit wall, they saw the courtyard was a hive of activity. Wang Yan was wearing an undershirt, standing in front of a pot, gesturing and giving instructions.

"Changbai is here." Wang Yan greeted with a smile.

"Greetings, Brother Wang." Little Changbai bowed formally. He leaned in to look at the green, unfurling tea leaves in the pot and asked curiously, "Is Brother Wang making tea himself?"

"Just trying it out. I made a pot yesterday, come and have a taste."

Letting the servants continue their work, Wang Yan took Changbai to the study in the backyard to sit down. The little maid of the house brought over the tea that had been stir-fried yesterday to brew.

"Have a taste." Wang Yan gestured, taking a sip himself first.

"Drink it just like this?"

"Drink it just like this!"

Accustomed to tea soup that required serious cooking, suddenly drinking this kind of clear tea, he was naturally extremely unaccustomed to it.

Changbai held the teacup, took a careful sip, felt it carefully, and nodded repeatedly: "The entrance is fragrant, bitter and astringent at first, with a sweet aftertaste. It has a unique flavor. Brother Wang truly has ingenious ideas. If sold, it would surely earn a lot of money."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "It's still far from it. I need to continue experimenting, and even more so, use better tea. This is wild rock tea from the surrounding area, not comparable to Longjing or Biluochun at all. If I were to make tea a business, in a few days, others would be able to figure out the stir-frying method, and I would definitely not be as good."

"You can always earn some."

"Did Changbai bring Hualan's letter?" Wang Yan asked about the serious business.

"I came specifically to deliver the letter."

Changbai did not mention how his own sister was acting, just simply took the letter out of his sleeve and handed it over, then walked silently around the large study.

The study was really big, with several rows of bookshelves filled with books, so much so that the study was permeated with the unique smell of paper and ink. He pulled out books at random to read; some were hand-copied by poor scholars, some were hand-copied by Wang Yan himself, and most were printed. Many of the books had Wang Yan's own annotations. He couldn't help but get absorbed in reading them.

Noticing Changbai's actions, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled. Those annotations were written by him, but they were written in another time and space; the "Living Father" (System) moved them directly, just to perfect his learning trajectory.

Even in the Song Dynasty, the cost of learning was relatively much lower, but in fact, books were not cheap either. Just like in modern times, books printed by publishing houses were divided into paperback and hardcover; it was the same at this time, with printing also distinguishing quality.

Although Bi Sheng had already invented movable type printing at this time, it was far from popularized, and woodblock printing was still applied. Printing was difficult to be detailed at this time; some had blurred ink, some had missing ink, which were very common, and this distinguished different prices.

Like Wang Yan's landlord family, which had one foot out of primitive accumulation, they couldn't afford this room full of hardcover books, and most of them were inferior books.

As for those copied by poor scholars, they were more expensive than hardcover ones; they were all hard work, and Wang Yan didn't have many of them here.

But all in all, this room full of books was a huge fortune, especially since many of them carried his annotations. If he met a buyer who knew the goods, they could still be sold to buy back some land. If he passed the imperial examination, this pile of books would truly be worth its weight in gold; it was a real golden house. The celebrity effect was very effective at any time.

Not disturbing Changbai, who was absorbed in reading, he sat down at the large desk, ground the ink, and began to write a reply to Hualan.

This belonged to the first formal exchange between the two. Although it was inevitable to mix in some blushing love words, it was mainly to let both sides understand each other. His letter detailed the situation at home, as well as some of his small hobbies, and he shamelessly praised Hualan, recalling the various things that happened when they met at the market that day.

Hualan's reply was very restrained and very shy. She roughly talked about the situation of the Sheng family she knew, mainly revolving around what she did and said on weekdays.

It was no different from chatting online, except that the speed of information transmission was slower, and the amount of information transmitted at one time was larger.

Compared to Hualan's difficulty in writing letters, Wang Yan was truly like a god with a pen, shamelessly...

At the same time, in Yangzhou City, Sheng Hong finally met Ouyang Xiu.

Although Sheng Hong was a top-tier figure in Yangzhou, those who sought to see Ouyang Xiu were also figures, such as local wealthy families. Although it was not difficult for Sheng Hong to want to see someone, it was quite difficult to get things done.

It was not easy for him, a judge who had only been here for a year, to do his job.

Following the guidance of Ouyang's old servant, Sheng Hong came to a pavilion in the courtyard.

Ouyang Xiu was forty-one years old this year, in the prime of his life. However, the encounters of the past few years had made him haggard, and his political ambitions could not be realized, which extinguished the fire of his spirit. Even if he was open-minded enough to build the Drunken Old Man Pavilion and write the famous "Account of the Drunken Old Man Pavilion," although it showed his open-mindedness, in this historical background, it was more like a stiff-lipped denial of pain, like a provocation to the conservatives: "Come over here..."

He had a broad nose, a square mouth, and a square face, with a goatee, and his hair was mixed with black and white due to his haggard heart. His black and white hair was messily tied up with a green hairpin, with a few strands of hair hanging down, which, although lightly lifted by the breeze, added a bit of otherworldly meaning.

Sheng Hong held the scroll, stepped into the pavilion, and bowed respectfully: "Your subordinate pays respects to Master Ouyang."

"Gu'an, no need for formalities, sit down and talk."

Ouyang Xiu waved his hand casually. Seeing him sit down, he glanced at the scroll Sheng Hong was holding and asked, "Gu'an, what brings you to me?"

"Returning to Master Ouyang, my eldest daughter recently got engaged, and it's quite interesting. Just six days ago..."

Sheng Hong was also quite cunning. He started with a lead, and seeing that Ouyang Xiu didn't look impatient, he continued to tell the story of Wang Yan and Sheng Hualan's meeting, and then talked about Wang Yan's move to propose marriage directly, talked about how Wang Yan moved him, and finally, finally, he landed on the "A Cut of Plum Blossoms" originally created by Wang Yan.

Ouyang Xiu was dismissive at first and did not interrupt Sheng Hong's words, just because he had only arrived not long ago, and Sheng Hong was also one of the few figures with real power in Yangzhou. He had to give corresponding respect, even if he was considered a big shot before. However, if Sheng Hong talked nonsense without focus this time, then there would definitely be no chance for Sheng Hong to talk nonsense next time.

But after hearing Sheng Hong describe Wang Yan's behavior, he became interested, and the more he heard, the more interesting it became. Just like that, he listened from beginning to end.

He smiled and pointed to the scroll Sheng Hong was holding: "Is this the lyric composed and written by this Wang Ziyan?"

"Master Ouyang, please take a look."

While speaking, Sheng Hong bowed and stood up, unfolding the scroll in front of Ouyang Xiu.

"Rain beats against pear blossoms, the door deeply closed..."

Ouyang Xiu recited the lyric once, then held the scroll, leaning close with his somewhat nearsighted eyes to look at Wang Yan's calligraphy.

"Truly a talent." After a long while, he smiled and said, "The lyrics are good, and the calligraphy is even better. I am not as good as this Wang Ziyan either. Gu'an, you have truly raised a good daughter. Meeting such a sincere and true lover, you have also gained such a good son-in-law. You are blessed."

"Master Ouyang's words are absolutely right. If it weren't for this, how could I be willing to marry off my eldest daughter? It was precisely because I valued his character and talent that I fulfilled the two of them."

Ouyang Xiu nodded with a smile: "Where is Wang Ziyan now?"

People get smarter as they get older, and horses get more slippery as they get older. How could Ouyang Xiu not understand Sheng Hong's meaning? It was just that he really wanted to see Wang Yan, so he didn't reject Sheng Hong's little thoughts. After all, this was seriously introducing talent to him.

"In Wang Family Village, ten miles outside the Nancheng, studying and preparing for the exam at home."

"Early tomorrow morning, come find me, and we will go to Wang Family Village together. Gu'an, you must not inform him in advance."

"It should be so. Master Ouyang observes the feelings of the people, it is necessary to see the true feelings." Sheng Hong responded, not forgetting to flatter him.

Ouyang Xiu was almost immune to such high-sounding words; he had heard too many. Whether it was serious business or not, there were always people who thoughtfully found a legitimate reason for him.

Seeing his smiling appearance, Sheng Hong stood up tactfully, arched his hands: "I will leave this piece of calligraphy for you to correct. I won't disturb Master Ouyang anymore. Your subordinate takes his leave."

"Gu'an, walk slowly." Ouyang Xiu nodded with a smile.

Seeing him leave, he waved his hand again, and the old servant of the house walked over: "Master."

"Go and inquire about someone named Wang Yan, whose courtesy name is Ziyan, eighteen years old this year, living in Wang Family Village, ten miles outside the Nancheng."

"Yes."

Watching the old servant leave, Ouyang Xiu drank a glass of wine and picked up Wang Yan's calligraphy to appreciate it again.

"Truly good calligraphy~"

Wang Yan didn't know that Ouyang Xiu was coming to see him. In the past two days, besides tinkering with stir-fried tea, he was recruiting people to prepare for business and trade.

This kind of thing was actually not difficult. He had the capital and knew the output of various places, saving the time of investigation and trial and error. The overall development route was also quite clear, nothing more than first developing the areas around Yangzhou, then expanding business to distant places, and finally conducting trade with Liao, Western Xia, Tubo, and Dali.

The only thing missing was suitable manpower.

After all, he was going to develop foreign business, and it was impossible for him to run to open up trade routes himself, so the requirements for the manager were quite high. He needed to be able to communicate, understand flexibility, know how to calculate, have decisiveness, and know how to recognize people. Basically, someone who lacked nothing but background and capital could make a career for himself. Such talents were basically working for big families; there must be buried ones, but they were hard to find.

On the other hand, although the internal contradictions of the Great Song were not overly prominent now and the social environment was relatively stable, there were many people who couldn't live on, finding a mountain to become bandits, calling each other brothers, while farming on barren land, while coming out to rob and plunder. This kind of semi-agricultural and semi-black bandit group was also very common in the Great Song.

After all, the local army couldn't beat them, and mobilizing a large army to suppress bandits was not worth it. Plus, these bandits didn't have much of a climate, and they knew who could be moved and who couldn't. Most of the time, they collected road money and didn't kill people for goods. Maybe there was support from local big families behind them, and local officials really couldn't handle it.

Therefore, if you want to do business, combat-capable guards are also necessary. One is to ensure that your property is not lost, and the other is naturally to establish armed forces by the way to cultivate officers.

This requirement was also not low; loyalty was the first priority, and the second was the brain. The Song Dynasty was flourishing in literature, and not everyone could read.

Another thing was to live in harmony with the village. Wang Family Village only had his high-walled mansion, and other villagers were destitute, which wouldn't do.

In terms of buying people's hearts, he was the landlord and opinion representative of Wang Family Village, and all the villagers of Wang Family Village should be his most loyal supporters. In terms of self-marketing, Wang Family Village becoming rich would have a significant impact on his reputation in the future, and it could also strengthen the villagers' belief in following him.

Compared to his family property that had broken away from primitive accumulation, the 242 villagers of Wang Family Village were his true wealth. People and land were the foundation of power. He was the local emperor in Wang Family Village. In the current environment, imperial power couldn't even reach him.

So early this morning, all the people in Wang Family Village came to gather in the open space in front of Wang Yan's house, just like the open space in front of the village committee...

"Villagers, listen carefully. The young master thinks that it is not easy for the villagers, so he specially bought seedlings of pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese from the surrounding area, and today he will distribute them to the villagers to raise at home, without charging money. By the end of the year, the young master will collect the pigs, kill them, and distribute meat to each family, which will be considered as supplementing the previous feeding expenses. Chickens, ducks, geese..."

While the Wang Family Village villagers' meeting was going on, at the intersection of Wang Family Village and the main road, two carriages stopped one after another. Ouyang Xiu supported the servant, stepped on the stool and got off the carriage, and together with Sheng Hong, who jumped down in a hurry, walked slowly on the stone-paved road to Wang Family Village with his hands behind his back.

From afar, Ouyang Xiu saw the villagers gathered in front of Wang Yan's house: "Gu'an, I didn't expect this small Wang Family Village to be so lively."

Sheng Hong shook his head repeatedly: "Master Ouyang, your subordinate has never informed Wang Yan in advance, and your subordinate is also coming here for the first time."

"Well, then there will be excitement to watch." Ouyang Xiu smiled and continued to walk slowly with his hands behind his back.

Sheng Hong couldn't understand Ouyang Xiu's meaning, carefully coping with Ouyang Xiu's evaluation of the surrounding environment, as well as his exclamation at the strong contrast between Wang Yan's high-walled mansion and other dilapidated houses.

He was cautious, following Ouyang Xiu's footsteps, walking slowly... ===== CHAPTER 1021 =====