Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 327 Handover and Farewell
"Yes, Grandmother!"

Minglan responded cheerfully, then straightened up from the windowsill and jogged over to Old Madam Sheng's side.

"Grandmother, please tell me!"

"If we go back this time, will Father and the others still recognize me?"

Minglan pursed her lips, secretly smiling with anticipation, "After all, it's been six years since we last saw each other. I wonder if Father can still remember what I look like?"

Minglan always harbored feelings of admiration for Sheng Hong.

"Ah!"

Grandma Sheng glanced back, smiled, and comforted her, "Silly girl, don't worry!"

"Your father isn't so bad that he can't even recognize his own daughter!"

Grandma Sheng naturally knew what Minglan was thinking. She was simply worried that Sheng Hong would not care about her and would eventually forget what she looked like.

However, Minglan never thought that even if a girl changes a lot as she grows up, it would be impossible for Sheng Hong, a seasoned veteran who has been navigating the officialdom for many years, not to recognize her!

After all, Sheng Hong is quite talented in social skills and recognizing people.

Minglan's mindset stemmed from her excessive concern for her father, leading to a sense of insecurity and anxiety. Sheng Changquan, on the other hand, would never have such thoughts.

However, the old lady of the Sheng family was quite pleased that Minglan had such a "cute" idea.

What she admired most about Minglan was that Minglan was always so kind and cared so much about family, unlike the other girls in the Sheng family, who all had their own little schemes.

Those people are either bad or stupid, but in general, they all put themselves on a pedestal and thus ignore others.

Even Sheng Hong prioritized his official career and family interests above all else, thus losing some of his human touch.

In Old Mrs. Sheng's eyes, such a person was truly beneath her notice.

"Hehe, is that so?"

Minglan blushed a little after being told that by Old Madam Sheng, but then she thought about it and felt a little impatient to see her relatives soon.

"Grandmother, let's go down quickly!"

Minglan moved a little closer to her grandmother and stood on her other side, supporting her along with Fang Mama on either side.

"I reckon Father and Madam have already arrived, and they should be waiting for us on the shore by now!"

Minglan, supporting Old Madam Sheng, imagined the scene on the shore: "Perhaps even Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law have come over!"

Over the past six years, Sheng Changbai has been promoted due to his outstanding performance and the support of his wife's family. He is currently at a crucial moment and is about to be transferred to a local post as a high-ranking official. Therefore, he has been quite busy these past few days, spending his days either handling government affairs in the yamen or socializing with people. At this time, he has no time to greet them.

As for Sheng Changbai's wife, Hai, she was still pregnant and in the final stages of her pregnancy, so for the sake of the Sheng family's offspring, she did not come.

"hehe!"

"Okay! Okay!"

"Let's go now!"

Seeing Minglan's impatient look, Old Madam Sheng smiled and then simply went along with Minglan's wishes, speeding up her actions a bit.

As for Fang's mother on the other side, she just smiled and didn't say anything, letting the grandmother and grandson joke with each other.

"Oh? By the way, where's Quan'er?"

After chatting and laughing for a while, Old Madam Sheng suddenly asked Minglan beside her, "Where did this child go?"

Although Old Madam Sheng had been paying attention to what happened on the road, she had previously said that Sheng Changquan would be in charge of it as a test for him. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Old Madam Sheng would not speak up.

However, things are different now, because they have arrived at their destination, so Old Madam Sheng asked a question, wanting to know what Sheng Changquan is doing right now.

"grandmother."

Minglan knew very well about Sheng Changquan's movements. She lightly stepped on the wooden plank under her feet and said, "My brother went to the next floor to hand over some things with Uncle Wang and the others. He probably won't catch up until we get off the ship."

"He told me before that I should take you back to the Sheng residence first, and that he would go back on his own after that!"

Sheng Changquan had anticipated these things, so he had already told Minglan about them.

"That's right!"

Grandma Sheng nodded in realization, indicating that she understood.

However, since that's the case, the old lady simply decided to leave it at that. With a wave of her hand, she said directly, "In that case, let's go back first!"

With that, she took the lead and walked outside.

……

"Uncle Wang, since that's the case, then I'll leave the rest to you!"

Upon realizing that the journey had been successfully completed, Sheng Changquan had already gone ahead to the second floor of the ship to hand over some matters with Uncle Wang.

"Hehe, you're too kind, sir!"

With a sincere smile on his face, Uncle Wang said, "Now that we've arrived at the capital's dock, you're free to do as you please!"

"Other matters will be handled by our shipping company."

Wang Bo changed the subject and continued, "As for what we encountered on this journey, once I return to headquarters and report to my master, I will naturally give you an answer!"

"At that time, we hope that you, sir, will be lenient and forgive our shipping company for this mistake!"

Because they did encounter a lot of trouble on the road, especially Liang San and his men deliberately raising the toll, which led to a series of river bandit attacks later on.

Although this was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with the shipping company, the customers were even more innocent.

Moreover, strictly speaking, the blame should indeed fall on the shipping company.

After all, that's what they do. If you don't blame him, who else is to blame?

In addition, because the current dynasty intends to elevate the status of merchants and attach importance to commercial development, it has also formulated a series of laws to restrict commercial activities. Among them, there are many explicit provisions for this situation, in order to restrain merchants and prevent them from engaging in illegal activities.

Simply put, the imperial court imposed many obligations and responsibilities on merchants, most of which were biased towards the customers. Therefore, it was only natural that the Fulai Shipping Association would have such a saying.

"It doesn't matter!"

Sheng Changquan waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned about such things.

Wang Bo had done his best along the way, so there was no need to be harsh on him. Moreover, as long as they could reach Bianjing safely in the end, nothing else mattered.

However, Sheng Changquan's indifference to those things did not mean he was going to pass on those benefits. So, Sheng Changquan then said, "Uncle Wang, you can handle this matter yourself. Our Sheng family has no objections."

Sheng Changquan did not specify what kind of compensation he wanted, but he believed that the more reasonable they were, the more respect the other party would show them!
Given the size of Fu Lai Shipping, they certainly won't lower their standards, and the compensation they receive will likely be substantial.

Sheng Changquan squinted at Uncle Wang, looking at him with a cheerful expression, his face showing complete trust.

"Then thank you for your understanding, sir!"

Seeing that Sheng Changquan was so easy to talk to, Uncle Wang's expression softened considerably. Even his gaze towards Sheng Changquan became gentler, as if he were looking at his own grandson.

So "loving"!
"but!"

Wang Bo glanced at the warehouse not far away and asked, "I just saw that your household seems to have quite a few items to move. Do you have enough manpower?" "If not, we have quite a few people on our ship who can do their part to help you, young master!"

Sheng Changquan knew that this was the other party returning a favor, but it was indeed exactly what he needed right now.

After all, besides the Sheng family's trunks and crates that needed to be moved, the He family also had a lot of things to transport.

Especially for the He family, almost the entire ship was filled with precious medicinal herbs. Not only was it difficult to move, but there were also specific rules to follow, and it couldn't be moved casually. If there were enough people to help, Sheng Changquan would naturally not refuse.

"It's what you wish for!"

Sheng Changquan did not refuse, but instead readily agreed.

"Uncle Wang, then I'll trouble you to send some men over. My family does indeed have quite a lot of things this time!"

Sheng Changquan bowed to Uncle Wang and said gratefully, "Moreover, my brother He also needs your help to avoid his family being short-handed."

"You're too kind, sir!"

Uncle Wang quickly stepped aside to avoid the bow, saying, "These are all minor matters!"

Uncle Wang did not refuse, but said, "Actually, our shipping company also feels deeply sorry for Young Master He, and we will naturally give them an explanation in due time!"

Sheng Changquan was not surprised by this.

After all, when you think about it, these two pleasure boats are actually two separate deals for Fu Lai Shipping.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir!"

"..."

After exchanging a few more polite words with Uncle Wang, Sheng Changquan noticed someone nearby looking for him, indicating that he had a lot of things to do, so he took his leave.

After handing over these matters, Sheng Changquan did not disembark or meet up with Old Madam Sheng and the others. Instead, he went to another small boat alone.

The small boat was not large; it was just a covered boat that could only carry five or six people.

Clearly, this boat was not the one rented by the Sheng and He families, but rather a small cargo boat belonging to the canal gang.

At this moment, Gu Tingye and Shi Tou and the others were standing on it.

"Changquan, you're here!"

Upon seeing Sheng Changquan approaching, Gu Tingye immediately waved to him.

"Second Uncle Gu!"

Sheng Changquan stood atop a large ship ten feet high and easily leaped to stand in front of Gu Tingye.

After greeting Gu Tingye, Sheng Changquan asked directly, "Are you going back?"

"Not bad!"

Gu Tingye used a double entendre, answering the question while praising Sheng Changquan's skills.

To be honest, Gu Tingye was somewhat surprised, especially when he saw how agile Sheng Changquan was. He was even more astonished!

"Changquan's martial arts skills are quite impressive!"

As the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan, Gu Tingye naturally had a family tradition of learning. In addition, he had traveled all over the country with the canal gang for many years, which gave him a keen eye for talent.

Seeing that Sheng Changquan could leap one or two zhang (approximately 3.3-6 meters) without any apparent abnormality, he immediately understood some of the other party's capabilities.

Of course, for Sheng Changquan, who was also a master of cheating, this was just basic stuff. What appeared in Gu Tingye's mind was only a superficial understanding.

Gu Tingye knew that Sheng Changquan usually presented himself as a scholar, so he didn't point it out. He just smiled and nodded at him, then said, "Now that you have reached the shore safely, my escort mission is over."

"If we don't leave now, when will we ever get another chance?"

At this moment, Gu Tingye was no longer the dejected man he used to be; his face even had a hint of sunshine on it.

"Besides, I don't plan to go back to Bianjing now; I'll just leave!"

Gu Tingye chuckled self-deprecatingly and added the last sentence.

Sheng Changquan expressed his understanding of Gu Tingye's decision.

After all, he hadn't yet achieved fame and success, and going back would only add to his frustration, so he might as well leave.

"But Uncle Gu, aren't you going back to see my second brother?"

“My second sister-in-law is about to give birth soon. Aren’t you going to even look at your little nephew?”

Sheng Changquan wanted to keep Gu Tingye here, at least until he had met Sheng Changbai before leaving.

"Haha, no need!"

Gu Tingye shook his head and refused, saying, "Changbai is very busy right now, so I'd better not disturb him!"

"Anyway, we're still young, and we'll meet again someday."

"But, Second Uncle, you..."

"Ugh!"

Gu Tingye reached out to interrupt Sheng Changquan, saying, "Changquan, don't worry about what's between me and your second brother!"

"You should mind your own business and prepare for the provincial examination as soon as possible!"

Gu Tingye patted Sheng Changquan on the shoulder, took out a booklet from his pocket, and said, "Changquan, this booklet contains my previous records and insights from my imperial examinations."

"Right now, I no longer have the opportunity to conduct scientific expeditions, so I'll pass this experience on to you!"

"Thoughts and insights?"

Sheng Changquan took the thick booklet, his face showing some emotion.

"Second Uncle, I didn't expect you to still carry these things with you all the time?"

"Haha, of course!"

Gu Tingye laughed heartily: "In any case, this is my hard work over the past ten years, how can I just give it up?"

"However, now that I've handed this booklet over to you, I can finally rest easy!"

"From now on, I will never dwell on this matter again!"

Clearly, Gu Tingye had finally let go of his resentment at not being able to continue taking the imperial examinations and was beginning to face a new chapter in his life.

"correct!"

Gu Tingye suddenly called out, then took out a piece of white jade from his pocket and said, "Changquan, this is a gift I prepared for your second brother's son. When the time comes, just give it to your second brother for me!"

"This is just a small token of my appreciation as your uncle!"

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone! May your families be reunited! (It is said that from today onwards, handsome men and beautiful women will be surrounded by peach blossoms~)

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(End of this chapter)