Chapter 009: Parallelism in Four and Six

Two children also came out. Sima Yan was still young and had no strict rules about not going outside. The two little ones followed the adults, sifting through the piles of fabric, making no fuss at all. The shopkeeper found it amusing and cheerfully teased them: "Young master, how old are you this year?"

Zhang immediately replied, "That is only natural." She did not dare to go out with the Wu family and their child again. After discussing this matter, she turned to Sima Guang and said, "Sir, you and Mr. Wang seem to share similar interests. Recently, whenever you have free time, you have been reading and writing with Mr. Wang in the study. I have never seen you so close to anyone before."

Sima Yan also noticed this. She exchanged a glance with Wang Fang, and together they grasped the hems of Wu and Zhang's garments. Both Wu and Zhang were holding items in their hands, and without hesitation, they bent down to ask: "What is it? Are you thirsty or craving something?"

"It's nothing, I just found out that someone is abducting children for begging." Wang Lang actively took Wu's hand, "Mother, you must hold me tightly, or I might get taken away!"

Initially, Sima Guang was not very fond of writing "Five Years of Imperial Examination, Three Years of Simulation." Wang Anshi persuaded him, saying, "This can help the candidates reduce detours and focus their energy on what truly matters."

Zhang was deeply convinced. Usually, they would scare the children by saying there are beggars outside, but in reality, they felt quite secure about the public order in the capital. This time, they almost encountered a situation directly, how could they not be worried? The two returned home, and after putting down her things, Zhang spoke to Sima Guang about the incident they had just encountered. After finishing, Zhang sighed, "That child is really bold and clever. My sister and I didn't notice anything unusual, but he discovered it right away and even went directly to the constable to report it."

Fang Hong is a person of considerable initiative. With the New Year approaching in just over a month, families, regardless of their financial situation, will manage to set aside some money for the celebrations. Those who have both leisure and wealth are gathered together, so how could there be any worry about not being able to sell the paper cards?

Wang Anshi tightly closed the opening of the money bag and handed it to Wu: "You take good care of it." The household finances had always been managed by Wu, so it was unreasonable for him to keep the extra money.

Fang Hong listened in a daze, but after Wang Lang and Sima Yan explained back and forth, he was inspired, as if receiving a sudden enlightenment. He had painstakingly tried to insert the books printed by his own bookstore into the Taixue and Guozixue, precisely to leverage the students of these prestigious institutions to make a name for himself, allowing the most outstanding scholars of the Song Dynasty to serve as living advertisements for him

Wu spat several times and scolded, "Do not speak such words"

Fang Hong felt assured, having accumulated a certain quantity of playing cards, and immediately began to intensively prepare for the release date. With a lively mind, he quietly sent a deck of cards to various teahouses and gathering places for idlers, teaching them how to recognize the cards and play the game. He encouraged them to play well and, if they enjoyed it, to promote it as well.

The scholars soon took the playing cards home and invited their family members to join in the game. Most of these scholars studied at the Imperial Academy or the National University, and there were officials in their families. A few of them belonged to prominent official families, and even the sisters at home could recognize several characters.

Wu is usually a straightforward person, but when faced with such matters, he still feels quite frightened. He hurriedly led Wang to return to the outer city. Wu also said to Zhang, "In the future, it would be better to buy things directly around here; we are all scholars, and there aren't so many idle people wandering about."

Wang Anshi cast a sidelong glance at him and said: "How can you be with *illustrations*? The money you earn cannot be kept by your mother?"

As the New Year approaches, the Wu family and the Zhang family have arranged to visit the Daxiangguo Temple. To be precise, they are going to explore the bustling market outside the temple. This place is lively, with performers, singers, vendors selling flowers, birds, insects, and fish, as well as fortune-tellers; it has everything. The Wu family is financially comfortable now and wishes to buy some fabric to make new clothes for her son and husband, and she is currently asking Zhang to help her choose the fabric.

Wang Fang: "... ..."

Sima Guang could not help but ask: "Have you caught the person?"

"I have it." Wang Lang nodded seriously, "Can it be purchased?"

She has truly never encountered someone so shameless and brazen. Fortunately, Wang Fang is still young and quite adorable, so most people do not hold it against him

The middle-aged man, who also had children at home, harbored a deep hatred for child traffickers. Without a second thought, he decisively led others to pursue and confront the middle-aged couple.

Sima Guang nodded and said, "Next time you go to the Da Xiangguo Temple, be sure to invite us to accompany you"

Sima Yan: "... ..."

At the end of the month, Wang Fang received the first sum of money sent by Fang Hong

Fang Hongxiao understood that this business would not last long, as there would always be imitators. Thus, under Wang Lang's encouragement, he made an additional mold and printed a design bearing the Fang family bookstore's mark on the back. This added an extra step to the process, but it allowed him to take advantage of the New Year opportunity to make a name for himself. What did Wang Lang say? He called this a "brand," which also served an "advertising" function.

Wang Fang had been watching eagerly from the side, and upon hearing Wang Anshi say this, he immediately exclaimed: "Father, I earned it!"

Because this money was used to purchase ideas, it cannot be considered as Wang Wang's involvement in commercial matters. Wang Anshi was exceptionally agreeable when helping Wang Wang accept the money. After Fang Hong left with the books, Wang Anshi finally opened the money bag he had brought. Upon opening it, both Wang Anshi and Wu were taken aback; the bulging money bag contained not copper coins, but silver!

In the evening, Wang Fang took Wang Anshi to the bathhouse for a comfortable bath, energetically spreading the extremely enchanting "Bathing Song" in the bathhouse.

Shopkeeper Yile: "It is possible, do you have any money?"

This was the first time Sima Yan witnessed Wang Fang haggling in person. This fellow was clearly using overwhelming computational ability to bully others. On the way back, Sima Yan couldn't help but whisper to Wang Fang, "You really seem to be having a great time"

Sima Guang readily agreed.

"Next time, I will give you the opportunity to bargain," Wang Fang said matter-of-factly. "My dad is too formidable; I need to regain some confidence! Bullying others is quite relieving; if you don't believe me, just try it next time."

After Wu and Zhang finished selecting the fabric, they turned around to see Wang Tang waiting there with a bulging bundle of cloth. Zhang asked in surprise, "What did you buy?"

Sima Guang said: "It is not really a book, just a reference book for the candidates going to the examination. Jie Fu has already discussed it with Fang Hong, so we do not need to spend any money; we only need to provide the manuscript. If it sells well, Jie Fu and I can earn some 'royalties'; even if it does not sell well, as long as this book can provide some assistance to the candidates, it is not a waste."

Zhang asked: "What book?"

Soon, many people went to the Fang's Bookstore to buy playing cards. The Imperial Academy and the National University also gradually concluded their courses, and some scholars who went out to buy books noticed ordinary citizens entering and exiting the bookstore, finding it quite unusual, as many common people are illiterate. After observing for a while longer, they discovered that these individuals were all carrying square paper boxes and books, calling out to their friends, saying, "Let's go play cards"

"By the time we left, we were almost catching up. Even if we couldn't catch them, we could at least make them leave the child behind," Zhang sighed, "This indeed spared a family from suffering. Those who exploit children are truly heinous!" No one understood better than Zhang how much effort and care it takes to raise a child to this age. Just putting oneself in their shoes makes it clear; if the child they cherished like a precious gem were to be abducted, she would cry her eyes out!

Under the active efforts of Wang Lang, Wang Anshi finally relented, agreeing to allow the Wu family to replenish Wang Lang's small treasury, and to take out a piece of silver to exchange for copper coins to prepare for "bathing expenses" and to purchase goods for the New Year.

Wang Fang answered earnestly, "I am four years old." He pointed to a pile of fabric scraps of various sizes in the corner and asked the shopkeeper, "Can I buy this?"

This type of easily learned and addictive gambling game has always spread the fastest; in no time, whether it is brothers meeting or friends gathering, most have taken to playing cards

Zhang learned from Sima Yan that they had narrowly missed encountering Pai Huazi, which left her feeling uneasy. She quickly said to Wu, "Let us return soon."

In this day and age, the imperial examination still requires the writing of "four-six prose." The so-called four-six prose consists of four characters in the first half of the sentence and six characters in the second half, while also adhering to strict rhythmic patterns, which is quite rigid! Sima Guang felt that spending too much time on this was indeed a waste of energy and time. Therefore, let us provide them with a shortcut!

The shopkeeper was just haggled down by Wang Fang, selling that pile of fabric at an extremely low price, which was quite painful. To avoid being further troubled by Wang Fang's calculating skills, the shopkeeper directly offered the Wu couple the most reasonable price, sincerely praising, "Rest assured, I cannot deceive this young gentleman." He said to Mrs. Wu, "This young man will surely achieve great success in the future."

Wang Lang shook his head and said to Wu: "You stay here, I will go ahead and speak a few words with the officer." Before Wu could object by saying, "This is not Yangzhou," Wang Lang had already nimbly slipped past, grabbing a seemingly honest-looking constable and pointing out the pair of men and women who were turning into the alley, quickly explaining the peculiarities of the situation.

At this moment, Wu had caught up and, seeing that the officials had all gone to pursue someone, could not help but ask: "What happened?"

When Wang Anshi was mentioned, Sima Guang's face brightened with a smile: "Jiefu is well-versed in knowledge and values practical work; he is a rare talent in this era. A few days ago, he proposed that we co-author a book together, which I found quite agreeable, so I often work with him in the study to organize the manuscript."

Two people were whispering as they walked when suddenly they heard the sound of a child crying not far away. Wang Fang looked up and saw a middle-aged couple in tattered clothes holding a beautifully chiseled child. The child was dressed in luxurious attire, looking unlike that of an ordinary family. Wang Fang noticed that the middle-aged couple had shifty eyes and were furtively glancing around, while the child was crying intensely. He immediately grabbed Sima Yan and said, "Something is amiss"

Fang Hong had his own printing workshop and could also produce paper himself. The papermaker was quite experienced; upon hearing Fang Hong's request, he immediately understood what was needed. The next day, he produced a batch of "card-specific paper" that was harder than ordinary paper. Since they could make the paper themselves, the costs were significantly reduced. All that was left was to find a few molds to carve the type and print the card faces, which didn't even require much effort at all