Chapter 6, The Scholar's Livelihood (Part 2)

With a loud crash, a liquid with a strong odor fell from the sky, drenching her completely. Immediately afterward, a clay pot fell, striking the plump woman's shoulder and shattering on the ground.

The feeling of suddenly becoming wealthy made Shen He somewhat lightheaded, and he actually bought a large fat chicken every day to bring back for Shen Mo to nourish his body

After being able to walk, the first thing that Silence did was to walk to the door and take a look at the courtyard where he had lived for seven or eight days, to see what it actually looked like

Father is an open-minded gentleman. Silence slowly shook his head and said: But the most difficult to guard against and the most cautious to deal with in this world are the petty people

After all, he is a distinguished scholar, and his slender gold script is both elegant and refined. Regardless of whether one can read or not, it is evident that his writing is far more beautiful than that of those scribes who merely make a living. This can be considered a form of comparative advantage. Furthermore, he is not greedy for wealth; he is willing to write for a hundred coins or even ten, and if there is truly no money, a bit of food or cured meat will suffice. People are more than willing to support his business.

The layout appears no different from the traditional siheyuan he is familiar with, but it is arranged more compactly, and the courtyard is much smaller. Although the architecture is exquisite and detailed, it gives a somewhat cramped feeling, lacking the spacious comfort found in the north. Shen Mo felt that this might be due to the high population density in Jiangnan, necessitating the conservation of space.

"What is this? Your skills have improved!" The stout woman did not expect him to be so sharp-tongued, and immediately her fighting spirit surged as she said, "You little girl, spending all day flirting with a little girl, becoming more and more shameless."

Although it is not as impressive as the northern siheyuan in terms of layout, it surpasses it in height. He observed that, apart from the main hall and side rooms of the second courtyard, the back courtyard was filled with two to three-story buildings. On both sides of each courtyard, there are symmetrical four rooms, with the main room at the front, side rooms to the east and west, and a reverse hall to the south, all facing each other, forming a square shape. In the center, there is a courtyard and a well, creating a series of small siheyuan.

The silence deepened as the brow furrowed tighter, and in a soft voice, it was said: "One must always maintain a sense of moderation. Since father has just arrived, if he were to take away someone else's livelihood, it could lead to resentment."

While eating the fragrant chicken soup, he remained silent and could not feel happy. He asked with some concern, "How is business for my father's colleagues?"

Silently rolling her eyes, she condescendingly said: "Old hag, what I meant was 'I am not sick', who told you and your man not to listen carefully?"

"Be careful in dealing with them? What a joke." Shen He took another sip and said, "Are you still counting on them to help?"

The plump woman finally came to her senses and caught a strong, unpleasant odor, which immediately turned her face green. In a fit of anger and embarrassment, she exclaimed, "You wait for me, kid!" and turned to flee down the stairs. Although she was eager to skin the "little girl alive," she could not ignore the filth on her body and decided to wash it off first.

Except for the first day of opening, from the next day onward, the daily revenue exceeded one hundred wen, and within a few days, it had completely taken over the surrounding businesses

But then Shen Mo held his nose and said: "Ah, you broke the family heirloom basin of mine, quickly compensate me! Quickly compensate me!"

I wouldn't know? Shen He was gnawing on a chicken wing in a rather uncouth manner, mumbling, "However, in recent days, more and more people have come to me for writing. They would rather wait until the next day for me to finish than seek someone else." As he spoke, he couldn't hide his pride, saying, "Chao Sheng, you should have seen the expressions on the faces of those colleagues. Tsk tsk... I reckon they've been completely captivated by my work."

The woman downstairs also fell silent for a moment, with no disturbances from food or drink. Her silent body recovered quickly; within six or seven days, she could support herself against the wall and walk. It seemed that in another ten days or half a month, she would be able to bounce back to life.

Without further ado, the next day Shen He returned to the grass hut by the river, took out his writing materials, carried a set of broken tables and chairs, and excitedly went to the City God Temple to set up his stall.

After a difficult climb to the attic, the stout woman, panting heavily, steadied herself and pushed open the slightly ajar door, preparing to enter.

From a distance, two five-zhang tall flags stand at the main entrance. Between the two flags lies the central axis of the entire courtyard. The buildings in the courtyard are completely symmetrical from south to north, with the main hall positioned along the central axis. On the left side, there are side rooms and wing rooms, and on the right side, there are similarly arranged side rooms and wing rooms, all interconnected and facing each other.

In the following days, Shen Mo stayed at home to recuperate in peace, while Shen He bought chicken, duck, fish, and meat every day. Miss Yin's personal maid, Hua Ping, would occasionally come over to deliver some nourishing medicines, and each time she would chat and joke with him for a while before leaving. Before she departed, she would ask Shen Mo to repeat the jokes and riddles they had discussed, claiming she wanted to show them off when she returned.

Of course, I cannot be of much help, " Shen Mo said softly, " I am merely on guard against their misdeeds.

When that woman saw Shen Mo return to the house, she thought that the "little girl" was afraid of her, which made her even more pleased with herself. She wiggled her plump backside as she climbed up, intending to reclaim the scene she had lost a few days ago

Entering from the third courtyard into the fifth courtyard where silence resides, six courtyards resembling independent yet interconnected spaces are delineated by a winding corridor. The houses are distributed in an orderly yet varied manner, with adjacent courtyards, facing doorways, and interconnected corridors, creating a network that is easily accessible. Additionally, there are artificial hills and flowing water, with red flowers and green willows embellishing the spaces between the pink walls and dark tiles, refreshing the spirit and making the summer feel less oppressive.

Silently lowering his head, he indeed saw that the plump woman had made her return. She was as corpulent as ever, dressed in a tight-fitting dress, holding half a watermelon, with a few black seeds stuck to her face, staring up at him with her neck craned.

Just immersed in the appreciation of beauty, Shen Mo suddenly heard a familiar curse from downstairs: "You little bastard, haven't you caught tuberculosis? Why haven't you reported your pregnancy yet?"

He remained silent and ignored her, turning to enter the house, leaving her with a perfect view of the back of his head. Encountering such an unreasonable shrew, if he were to engage in a verbal fight with her, it would only serve her purpose. Regardless of winning or losing, being dragged into the ranks of shrews and scoundrels is in itself a great insult.

This is a placeholder text and does not contain any translatable content.

The plump woman was stunned. With a thud, the watermelon fell to the ground, yet her chubby hand remained half-raised, standing there in a daze for quite some time, unable to comprehend the situation

Shen He, in a state of self-satisfaction, could hardly heed Shen Mo's unpalatable advice. He waved his hand, terminating the conversation, saying: "You need not worry about these matters; I am a man in my thirties or forties, and I do not require guidance from a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child." Shen Mo had no choice but to remain silent.

"Gloominess." Shen He extended his greasy right hand, lifted the wine cup, and with a slurp, drank a cup of yellow wine, saying: "I neither stole nor robbed; I earn my living through my own abilities. What is there to be cautious about? As for no one looking for them, it is due to their lack of skill. They should go back and practice their writing properly; that is the right course of action. How can they blame me for that?"

He resides in the northernmost attic, which is also the highest point of this grand estate. Leaning at the doorway and gazing out, the entire courtyard comes into full view. It is evident that this estate faces north and backs south, covering an extensive area. Counting the black-tiled rooftops, there are as many as five courtyards deep.