Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 271 The Reasons for Growing Up
"grandmother!"

Sheng Changquan first stood up from his seat, then bowed to the old lady and said, "Actually, your grandson has been thinking of everyone all these years!"

Sheng Changquan did not reveal his plans, but instead answered the old lady's first question.

Although the old lady's words didn't mean anything by them, Sheng Changquan quickly defended himself to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from overhearing them and accusing him of being unfilial.

"However, I cannot disobey my master's orders!"

"After all, Master is not young anymore!"

"This trip may very well be the last long journey he can take!"

"Therefore, as his disciple, I naturally cannot refuse!"

Because Master Zhuang had already accepted Sheng Changquan as his successor, he addressed him as Master at this time. Otherwise, he would have had to address Master Zhuang as Scholar, just like Sheng Changbai and the others.

After all, a master and a scholar are not the same.

The former is a relationship like that of a teacher and a father, not like relatives but even closer than relatives.

To some extent, apart from a few relationships that were difficult to pass on due to family bloodlines, almost all of Mr. Zhuang's connections in his life had been handed over to Sheng Changquan.

Because during those six years, they did more than just travel all over this beautiful land. Mr. Zhuang also took this opportunity to lead Sheng Changquan to visit many of his old friends and introduce Sheng Changquan to them.

Mr. Zhuang's purpose in doing so was very simple: to entrust all these connections to Sheng Changquan so that he could inherit this vast network of relationships.

After all, the so-called officialdom is about making as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.

Now, with Mr. Zhuang's help, Sheng Changquan's foundation in the first half is already extremely solid!

It should be noted that Mr. Zhuang's primary role was that of a teacher. Besides his old friends, he was even more concerned with the students he had taught.

These people are all from the same school as Sheng Changquan, so they naturally have a good and close relationship.

If Sheng Changquan were to enter officialdom in the future, as long as it doesn't involve their own interests, these people would naturally have a favorable impression of him.

In politics, goodwill is extremely important!

After all, these people might even band together and form a small, dedicated group.

Therefore, in general, Sheng Changquan has truly gained a lot from becoming a disciple of Mr. Zhuang.

Both his own knowledge and his external connections have made a qualitative leap.

"grandmother!"

At this point, Sheng Changquan's expression turned serious.

“Grandmother, you also know Master’s temperament and his temper.”

"Over the past few years, he has been eager to pass on as much knowledge as possible to his grandson, so how could the grandson refuse?"

"Therefore, I can only accompany my master all over the country first, and only after he has had his fill can I return home to fulfill my filial duty to my grandmother."

"Grandson has not returned for many years, please forgive him, Grandmother!"

Sheng Changquan spoke very well, explaining the whole story to the old lady from beginning to end, and finally apologized to her, thus exonerating himself from the accusation of being "unfilial".

In this era, there is absolutely no room for filial impiety!
Since ancient times, the imperial court has ruled the country based on filial piety. If anyone dares to be unfilial, let alone become an official, they will not even be able to live as a human being and will be beaten to death by their neighbors!
Seeing how earnestly Sheng Changquan spoke to her, Old Madam Sheng naturally wouldn't be truly angry.

Of course, even if Sheng Changquan hadn't said those things, the old lady wouldn't have been angry. After all, it was she who had strongly supported Sheng Changquan's decision to travel and study abroad.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to talk to Madam Wang.

That's right. Among the heads of the Sheng family at that time, only Madam Wang disagreed with Sheng Changquan going on a study tour with Mr. Zhuang.

However, she didn't have any bad intentions; she was simply reluctant to part with it.

You see, if Sheng Changquan were to go on a study tour, it wouldn't be a matter of just a day or two; he might have to be away for several years. How could the emotionally rich Madam Wang possibly accept that all at once?

After all, having raised Sheng Changquan for so long, Madam Wang still had a lot of affection for him.

As the saying goes, the kindness of raising is greater than the kindness of giving birth. In Madam Wang's eyes, Sheng Changquan was different from other children, such as Changfeng, Molan, and even Minglan, who were definitely not as good as him.

Sometimes, even Madam Wang felt that Rulan was not as likable as Sheng Changquan!
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Sheng Changbai was the only boy she gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy, Wang Ruofu would probably have really regarded Sheng Changquan as her own son.

After all, in this world that values ​​the continuation of traditions, the concept of inheritance carries immense weight!
"Well, good boy!"

"Grandma knows you're a filial child!"

Grandma Sheng patted Minglan, who was leaning against her, and then beckoned to Sheng Changquan, saying, "Child, come here quickly!"

"Let your grandmother see how you've been all these years!"

Because it was nighttime, and the old lady was old, no matter how bright the candlelight was around her, she still couldn't see Sheng Changquan's face clearly.

In the old lady's slightly dim eyes, she could only see that Sheng Changquan's figure was extremely robust; everything else was blurry and unclear.

"Yes, Grandmother!"

Sheng Changquan was still thinking of replying to the old lady when he was unexpectedly given such instructions.

However, since his grandmother wanted to see her grandson, Sheng Changquan naturally dared not refuse. Moreover, he was also very close to the old lady.

After all, when he was a child, he often lay in the old lady's arms.

"grandmother!"

Sheng Changquan strode forward and in just a few steps walked directly to Old Madam Sheng. He bowed respectfully and smiled at the old lady.

"Grandmother, your grandson is here!"

"Good child, let Grandma take a look!"

When she saw her grandson approaching, Grandma Sheng was immediately excited!
"Wow, it's only been a short time since I've grown up!"

She gently stroked her grandson's face and looked at him carefully.

It was clear that Sheng Changquan, who had been wandering for six years, had changed drastically!

Putting everything else aside, just look at his facial features; they've fully developed, and he's become a real adult.

That makes sense, after all, Sheng Changquan is thirteen years old now, which can be considered an adult in this era. In fact, among some farm children, he is already old enough to be a father.

"Hmm, not bad, you haven't gone astray!"

The old lady looked at him for a long time, and then finally smiled and gave Sheng Changquan an evaluation.

"Ah? Grandmother?"

Sheng Changquan was both amused and exasperated, as he had no idea that his grandmother had such an interesting side. However, despite his surprise, he still wore a happy expression on his face.

After all, no one dislikes being praised.

"Oh, old lady!"

"It's not that Quan-ge'er hasn't gone astray, he's clearly become perfectly upright!"

Standing beside the old lady, Fang's mother also spoke up with a smile, joining in the fun by "roasting" Old Madam Sheng: "With Quan'er's looks, he's probably going to charm quite a few girls!"

After saying these words, Fang's mother exclaimed sincerely, "Quan-ge'er is so different now compared to before! And he's getting more and more handsome!"

As a close friend of the old lady, Fang's mother had witnessed the growth of Minglan and her brother. Now, seeing the dramatic changes in Sheng Changquan, she naturally had the right to say these things.

"Mom!"

Upon hearing what Madam Fang said, Sheng Changquan immediately smiled and nodded to her as a gesture of greeting.

Although Fang Mama was the old lady's confidante, she was not the master of the Sheng family after all, so Sheng Changquan's actions were not unreasonable.

"Humph!"

Grandma Sheng rolled her eyes at her old friend and said, "Do you even need to tell me that?"

"Quan-ge'er is the best-looking of all the children in the family!"

"Even Ming'er, as his older sister, is no match for him!"

Grandma Sheng started stirring up hatred for Sheng Changquan in front of Minglan.

In fact, apart from their different figures, Minglan and Sheng Changquan are quite similar in other aspects.

After all, they are siblings by blood, so it's not surprising that they look alike.

Speaking of which, the most striking resemblance between them is their facial features. It can be said that the faces of the siblings almost entirely inherited the best features of Wei Xiaoniang and Lord Sheng, making them both extremely handsome.

In contrast, besides their different physiques, the biggest difference between the two is Sheng Changquan's skin.

Sheng Changquan's fair and "charming" skin was enough to drive any woman crazy. Even though Minglan was Sheng Changquan's older sister, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when she saw his skin this time!
When Minglan was little, every time she saw Sheng Changquan, she had only one thought in her mind—"It's such a waste that this body is on my younger brother's body..."

"hehe!"

Madam Fang chuckled, then teasingly said to the old lady, "Grandma, aren't you afraid that Sixth Miss and the others will be unhappy if you say that..."

"you……"

……

"Brother!"

Just as the two old friends were talking, Minglan also spoke up.

"Sister!"

Sheng Changquan stood in front of Old Madam Sheng, still bowing. He turned his face slightly to look at his sister, and then greeted her.

"Hehe, all done!"

Upon noticing her grandson's actions, the old lady immediately released Sheng Changquan, then stopped her "argument" with her old friend next to her, and said, "Quan'er, go to your sister's place quickly!"

"For the past six years, she has always been thinking of you!"

The old lady smiled and glanced at Minglan beside her. Seeing that Minglan seemed to have a lot to say to Sheng Changquan, she gently patted Sheng Changquan, signaling him to go over to Minglan.

"Go over there!"

"These past six years haven't been easy for her either!"

"Ah, Grandmother?"

Hearing the old man speak like that, Minglan felt a lump in her throat, as if she had been understood.

However, after the old lady finished speaking, a look of weariness suddenly appeared on her face.

"grandmother?"

Seeing that Old Madam Sheng was not in good spirits, Sheng Changquan frowned and immediately offered a gentle greeting.

"Grandmother, if you're tired, why don't you go back to your room and rest?"

"If you have anything to say, why don't we wait until tomorrow when I pay my respects to my grandmother?"

Sheng Changquan didn't know what was going on, but he could see one thing clearly: Old Madam Sheng's appearance was not just that of someone who was a little sleepy!
If he guessed correctly, the old lady must have something on her mind, and it must be something that is extremely troublesome and exhausting!
"Ugh!"

"When you get old, you just can't do it anymore!"

Feeling the fatigue in her body, Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but sigh softly.

However, she did not refuse Sheng Changquan's words. She simply waved to Minglan and her brother and said, "In that case, I'll go and rest first!"

"You two shouldn't chat for too long, especially you, Quan'er!"

As if she had thought of something, Old Madam Sheng immediately pointed to Sheng Changquan.

"Quan'er, don't forget, tomorrow you still need to pay your respects to the elders at the two neighboring residences!"

"Never forget manners!"

"Yes, Grandmother!"

Sheng Changquan naturally understood what his grandmother was saying. He nodded and said, "I will go to the residences of the First and Third Madams tomorrow to pay my respects!"

"And I will also visit some of the elders in the clan one by one!"

"Ok!"

Grandma Sheng nodded, but didn't say anything more.

She was truly exhausted this time. Unable to resist her weariness, she simply shook her head slightly and then, with the help of her mother, got up and went back to rest.

Upon seeing this, Minglan and her siblings naturally stood up and watched the old lady leave.

then.

"ah!"

Seeing that her elders had already left, Minglan excitedly ran forward, grabbed Sheng Changquan, and exclaimed, "Brother, you're finally back!"

"hehe!"

Sheng Changquan smiled slightly, raised his sharp eyebrows, and said with a smile, "Sister, how have you been all these years?"

Because the conditions for studying abroad were not very good, and most of the time they were in remote areas, Sheng Changquan did not have time to maintain communication with Minglan.

Except for some special occasions, such as when he suddenly stayed in a certain place for a few days, Sheng Changquan could only choose not to communicate most of the time.

Therefore, Minglan was not very clear about Sheng Changquan's situation, only knowing that he had traveled all over the country.

"Yes, I'm fine!"

Minglan only reported the good news, not the bad: "Apart from not being able to return to the capital, everything is fine!"

Upon hearing Minglan mention this, Sheng Changquan's brows furrowed slightly.

"By the way, what's going on with this official?"

"Why are we suddenly holding a beauty pageant in the capital?"

(End of this chapter)