Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 77 The Confluence of Four Waters Steals Tranquility; Ten Years of Hard Study Lead to a Fortune

The rain didn't come out of nowhere; the sweltering heat and the dark clouds that completely obscured the green hills already indicated that a storm was brewing.

"Sir, my father said that if it starts to rain, I should go home early." When the student's words reached his ears, Guan Yin's gaze was still fixed on the raindrops on the eaves. The misty rain shrouded everything in a gloomy atmosphere, including Guan Yin's thoughts.

"it is good."

Before his mind had fully returned to normal, his mouth had already responded faster. By the time Guan Yin turned his gaze back to the student who had just stood up, the latter had already pushed open the door and stepped into the rain, holding a brown umbrella.

Guan Yin then realized that he had even forgotten to give a few words of advice: "If you want to go back early, then get up and be careful of potholes on the road. Stay away from streams and the lake at the entrance of the village. Once you fall, it will be no small matter."

Guan Yin used to hate the safety education before holidays, but now he cares so much about saying these words to the students in front of him. In the summer, a student went out and never came back. It was because he went to play in the river with his friends. When danger came, his companions didn't even have time to react.

"Since most of those who wanted to leave early have already left, let's have a chat." Even the most focused students have moments when they want to slack off. Guan Yin knew that if a third of the students in the class were absent, the remaining students would naturally be unlikely to concentrate.

"Sir, could we start working on today's lessons first?"

"Sir, why don't you finish the lesson..."

Guan Yin has always been an easy-going teacher. He was like this when he was learning to lead a class from the veteran teachers. As long as the students study hard and don't cause trouble, everything is negotiable: "If you want to write, then write. If you want to chat with me, then let's chat."

The students then began to express their gratitude for the rain.

"If one day you pass the imperial examinations and your territory and hometown are all facing drought, what do you plan to do?"

The students, who had no interest in their studies, were eager to respond to Guan Yin's words, but Guan Yin added a restriction before they could speak: "Even if the court allows the granaries to be opened and grain distributed, it is impossible to feed so many people... If there is a problem with this year's tax revenue, I'm afraid the higher-ups will hold you accountable. What are your plans?"

Since he couldn't offer much help to Liu Jiao'an and Cheng Heng at the private school, Guan Yin felt he could try a different approach to make an effective deduction about what happened back then.

“My father is rich. I want him to buy grain from other places and sell it to the people at a low profit. This way, we can fill the tax gap and avoid a lot of trouble.”

Guan Yin, the student who spoke, remembered that his father had done a good job in business, taking his business all the way from the Grand Canal to the capital. The family never lost money. His only hope for his son was that he could become a scholar or a candidate for the imperial examination, which would be a way to honor his ancestors.
"Sir, you haven't said where our future territory will be. This question is not rigorous."

“Then let’s talk about where we live now.” Guan Yin didn’t intend to be too specific, but the students pointed out a problem instead: “If there’s a drought, what good solutions do you have?”

"Praying for rain."

"What's the use of praying for rain? If it doesn't rain, it's all for nothing."

As more students joined in, those who were busy with their studies or daydreaming also started to participate in Guan Yin's conversation.

"Praying for rain is nothing more than a way to calm the people's hearts. At this time, we should draw water from major rivers into the farmland to ensure the growth of seedlings."

"But have you ever thought about what would happen if it were already the Lesser Fullness of Grain season? When it's time to harvest, the rain stops, and all the harvested fruit is shriveled? What would you do then?"

Do you think everyone is like you, with a father who can bail you out?

Seeing that the originally reasonable discussion was turning into an argument, Guan Yin quickly cleared his throat, trying to stop the students from applying their original assumptions to the actual situation of any one of them.

"So what if I rely on my father? An official is the people's father, not someone who makes money for himself... Haven't you heard of the term 'hoarding and speculation'? If I were to use any means necessary to make money, and such methods were already uncontrollable, wouldn't that be..."

"Bang!" The student, enraged, slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"You're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"

"Even if you can save them for a year, can you do it every year?"

"It's the same every year. Do you really think you can cover this tax deficit?"

Upon hearing a sentence, Guan Yin instantly grasped a useful idea, but was also annoyed by the noise of the students. He turned his gaze to the door and said, "Alright, stop arguing, it's time to go back... The rain has stopped."

The private school, where students were gradually leaving, suddenly became quiet.

Guan Yin even began to admire Cheng Jianwei for how she had endured all those years living alone in this empty courtyard. A few days were already enough to make Guan Yin feel bored and lonely; what if it were a month, a year, or many years? Guan Yin really didn't understand why they had to drag two people like him, who couldn't be of any use, into this time-traveling world.

The rainwater falling on the ground and the water overflowing from the large vat merged together, making it difficult to distinguish the source of any single trickle. All that was known was that this water would slowly flow into the lake at the village entrance, gradually gathering and nourishing everything around it even when it wasn't raining.

"When can I go back... How can I go back?" Guan Yin was afraid, afraid that he wouldn't be able to go back, and also afraid that he would leave behind a mess when he returned.

Once he calmed down, Guan Yin finally had time to think about what the student had said earlier: how should the tax deficit be made up?
As for a good official—Guan Yin first assumed that the original owner's father was a good official, a good official whose words and deeds were consistent.

He wasn't corrupt, so he didn't have any extra money in his own family. But when the people in his hometown were in need, the first thing he thought of was using the disaster relief funds authorized by the imperial court. After that... the only thing he could use was taxes.

What else is there besides taxes? Guan Yin was stumped here once again.

There must have been something that was handled by the father in that year or those few years, something that wouldn't affect the interests of ordinary people.

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar outside the window clearly indicated that the rain hadn't completely stopped as Guan Yin had thought. The brief pause just now was merely the prelude to the coming downpour.

"With such heavy rain, I wonder how the two of them are doing." Staring blankly at the dark mountains, Guan Yin was not worried about the impending storm.

"You're still doing this for him."

The first thing Liu's father said to his daughter revealed the truth, but Liu Jiao'an obviously couldn't accept it at this moment.

Faced with her father's questioning, Liu Jiao'an responded calmly: "He lied to me, why would I go back to him?"

What is he doing now?

"Teaching." "Oh? That's interesting." Liu's father's interest clearly wasn't just about the man's honesty. "What kind of person would entrust their students to a man from a brothel?"

"They have neither official rank nor family background. What do you think these parents are after?"

Liu Jiao'an did not respond. It would be much easier for her father to misunderstand that Cheng Jianwei had assigned some of the work to Guan Yin.

"That's true. These girls from the music academy are really good at charming people... they can act and perform, and they're probably able to completely fool parents and students."

Fortunately, Liu's father only made a sarcastic remark and did not mention the matter again.

Liu Jiao breathed a sigh of relief, but knowing that her father was not the type to give up easily, she dared not bring up Guan Yin again.

"Now that you're back, there's no need to dwell on the past. Your father will find you a good marriage." Looking at the tea his daughter had brewed, tears welled up in the old father's eyes. "I told you long ago, the more sweet talk someone gives, the less trustworthy they are."

"Yes." Liu Jiaoan nodded, not disobeying her father. "Father is right. I was too young to see people's true nature back then."

Having not seen each other for over a year, the father and daughter had so much to say, yet could say so little. After a brief conversation, one sat and the other stood until the father's teacup was empty. Just as Liu Jiao'an picked up the kettle to refill it, her father finally spoke: "Don't rush to serve your father, please sit down."

Liu Jiao'an didn't make things difficult for herself. Her father offered her a seat, so she sat down opposite him, but her gaze remained fixed on his teacup.

"I'm not thirsty, but you yourself, why have you been arguing with your father these past few days?"

"If I don't go on a hunger strike, will my father see me?"

In truth, even Mr. Liu himself wasn't sure of the answer to his daughter's question. But since she brought it up, he instinctively wanted to argue: "When have I ever been that kind of person? Is I really that despicable in your eyes?"

"When you become a mother, you will know that everything your father did was for you."

Her father had just said not to believe anything too sweet, and in Liu Jiao'an's increasingly chaotic thoughts these past few days, the idea of ​​directly asking her father's thoughts suddenly popped into her head: "Father, what is..."

Liu Jiao'an didn't finish her sentence, but her father clearly didn't want to pretend he hadn't heard her.

"Are you still unhappy with the marriage your father arranged for you?"

Liu Jiao'an pursed her lips, taking it all as an answer for her father.

"Your own choice wasn't exactly what you wanted, was it?" Liu's father's single sentence left Liu Jiao'an speechless.

Putting aside Liu Jiao'an's true, hidden motives, let's just say that the two girls were barely keeping each other company; their relationship wasn't true love or marriage in the real sense. If Liu Jiao'an were to choose a man to marry herself, she might very well be deceived by the superficial sincerity of a "poor boy."

When people aren't being deceived, everyone is intelligent. And the deceivers and the deceived are never separated by gender or age.

"The person I arranged for you is someone whose family is not lacking in power or money... I'm not monitoring you and that boy, am I? I'm just afraid you'll suffer some injustice but stubbornly refuse to tell the family?"

"He's just a poor boy from a brothel. If it weren't for you, daughter, he would never have even had a chance to meet me. Why should I bother with such an insignificant boy?"

Her slightly lowered eyes concealed all of Liu Jiao'an's emotions, leaving only silence to convey to her father.

Is what her father said reasonable? Liu Jiao'an knew how little the former cared about the servants in the house—but Guan Yin, Tongtong, is different, isn't she? She was originally a young lady from a respectable scholarly family, no less capable than herself.

Guan's father and his own father were both Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the same year...

But Father doesn't know that Yin Yunshan is Tongtong. What would Father do if he did? It's said that there's a bond between those who study in the same field. What would Father do if he knew that Tongtong is still alive, and that this seemingly insignificant young man from the music academy is Tongtong?
Would her father step in to help? Liu Jiao'an suddenly felt an urge to expose Guan Yin's true identity.

“There are plenty of good-for-nothing brats like him in the world. A natural disaster can leave them lying dead in the street, with no one to collect their bodies. If it weren’t for you, why would your father bother to argue with him?”

Noticing his daughter's absent-minded state, Mr. Liu gently tapped the octagonal table beneath him: "Jiao'an, are you listening to what your father is saying?"

Liu Jiao'an was certainly listening.

What Liu's father didn't expect was that his next words would make Liu Jiao'an, who had been wavering, pull back from the brink.

"nothing."

“Father, I’m listening…”

As expected, Liu Jiao'an was still absent-minded. Her father smiled helplessly, with a hint of doting affection that both of them could sense: "Jiao'an, have you ever heard of the saying 'parents are good to their children'... never mind, it's just nice words. When you reach my age, you'll naturally understand."

What could he do for his own daughter? If he tolerated one step, ten or even a hundred steps would follow. But no matter what, Liu Jiao'an was still his daughter.

"Father, do you think that if it's a natural disaster... many people will really die?"

"You're still thinking about that kid." Father Liu sighed. His daughter hadn't listened to anything he said; it was only the topic of that so-called Yin Yunshan who caught her attention. "Sigh, what can I say to you?"

Looking at her father's expression, Liu Jiao'an said solemnly, "Father, I'm not doing this for that... unfaithful man."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Where are there so many natural disasters these days?" Mr. Liu said, about to tell his daughter to go home and rest.

"An official must not dare to disregard human life, a businessman must not dare to be solely driven by profit, a student must not dare to waste time, and a person must not dare to do evil." These words, which she had just told Cheng Heng not long ago, were repeated to her father by Liu Jiao'an. "These are the words that Father wanted us to remember. I just remembered these words and thought that personal feelings between children are secondary."

"Ah."

Faced with his daughter's plea, Mr. Liu remained silent for a moment: "If only you were a man."

This wasn't the first time Liu Jiao'an had heard these words; she had even said the same thing to people around her more than once. But this was the first time she had heard them from her own father.

In an instant, silence replaced everything, even the sound of rain outside the window.