Chapter 0005: A Kind Father Often Spoils His Child

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two thousand or more acres

Fang Jifan secretly stuck out his tongue in his heart

Deng Jian was so anxious that he stamped his feet: "Master... Master... You have returned in triumph. Just now, the personal guards who accompanied you on the expedition sent word on horseback, saying that you have entered the city and will be home shortly. You were supposed to go to the palace to pay your respects, but you were worried about the young master, so you came home first. Young master, please get up quickly."

Fang Jifan sighed inwardly, knowing that what was meant to come would eventually arrive: "What bad things can a son do? He merely sold a bit of land."

Fang Jifan had a vague sense of impending doom

The steward Yang, the doctor, and Doctor Fang all displayed expressions of astonishment.

Sigh

Fang Jinglong said this, when he suddenly noticed that Yang, the manager beside him, had a look as if he had just lost his mother, and his heart sank: "How many acres are we selling again?"

Fang Jifan, however, was in a state of great confusion, allowing Xiao Xiangxiang to assist him in dressing. Once everything was donned, he noticed Xiao Xiangxiang with her head bowed, her face flushed as she gazed at the tips of his embroidered shoes. Fang Jifan suddenly realized, almost forgetting, and revealed a mischievous expression: "Xiao Xiangxiang, you have grown up again..."

... ...

Fang Fu, named Fang Longjing, had a stern and intimidating demeanor. As he looked around, a palpable aura of menace surrounded him. However, upon seeing Fang Jifan, his sharp gaze instantly softened. He quickly stepped forward, supporting Fang Jifan with one hand, and said: "Jifan, you have suffered from a brain ailment. Your father has been anxiously worried in the southern frontier. Due to the ongoing war, I was unable to return sooner. In a moment of desperation, I took risks and pressed forward. Fortunately, heaven has favored us, and we managed to quell the barbarian threat early. That is why I rushed back. On the way, I unexpectedly learned that your illness has improved. Truly, it is a blessing from our ancestors."

Over a hundred thousand taels of silver were entirely spent on purchasing ebony, to the extent that the ebony available in the market was completely bought out. This indeed became a significant event that shook the capital. Fortunately, people had long been accustomed to the extravagant behavior of the Fang family's spendthrift, and aside from mocking it as a topic of conversation, they quickly cast aside such absurd actions.

Indeed, no one knows a child better than their father

Fang Jifan knew that he was throwing a tantrum. For the past two days, Deng Jian had been looking at him with a complex expression. He initially thought to let it go and not argue with this fellow, but then he considered that if he let it go, he would no longer be Fang Jifan. The prodigal son of the Fang family, could he just let things slide? One must be cautious; it had only been a few days since he last performed acupuncture, and he must not reveal any flaws.

He could only cough: "Young master has grown up, can't you be a bit more sensible? You dare to interrupt before the young master has finished speaking, hum, what I mean is, I have to go greet that old man, my father!"

Beast!

Upon reaching this point, he unexpectedly choked up, overwhelmed with joy and tears.

In a hurried manner, as soon as he heard the sound of firecrackers outside, Fang Jifan rushed out of the room as if fleeing. Upon reaching the main gate of the Fang residence, he saw a valiant man dressed as a military officer just dismounting from his horse, while Manager Yang led a line of more than ten servants standing in formation.

His teasing and relaxed tone suggested that even if he had done something wrong, it was not a big deal

Deng Jiandong immediately broke into a smile, as if he had just breathed a sigh of relief: "This is it, I was just scared to death earlier, truly worried that the young master’s illness hadn’t fully recovered. Manager Yang has already written to the master to report the good news. If the master returns and finds out that the young master’s illness isn’t completely cured, he will definitely punish me. Now that I see the young master is as good as new, I feel in my heart..."

Fang Jifan shivered

Surely, I cannot be the offspring of the neighbor, Old Wang

Deng Jian cried, tears falling with a plop, suddenly kneeling at Fang Jifan's feet: "Young Master, could you... could you perhaps take up a different hobby, go to a brothel, go to a gambling house, anywhere is fine, just don't engage in major affairs anymore"

Fang Jifan could only harden his heart and then laughed heartily, saying: "You old fellow have finally returned."

Deng Jian squinted his eyes, seemingly feeling that Fang Jifan's illness had recurred, and couldn't help but murmur: "The young master has never called the uncle 'father' before."

Fang Jifan felt a sudden jolt in his heart, wondering what was going on and what mistake had occurred this time

Father... has returned?

Haha! Fang Jinglong laughed heartily, his doubts completely dispelled. How could my son Fang have any mental illness? This is perfectly normal! Just like before! He patted Fang Jiban on the shoulder and said, "Good son, let's go inside and talk. Now that you are well, you haven't done anything bad, have you?"

On this day, early in the morning, Xiao Xiangxiang hurried in, while Deng Jian exclaimed: "Young Master, Young Master, wake up... wake up..."

Fang Jifan immediately felt a deep sense of paternal love, and his heart melted. He looked up at this stranger and, deeply moved, said: "Father..."

As soon as the words "my father" left his mouth, Deng Jian suddenly looked at him with alertness

Deng Jian rolled his eyes and directly uttered two words: "None."

He pretended to be unhurried and calmly said: "Oh, loosen your clothes, I need to welcome my father..."

With a change in expression, he shouted angrily: "What is it, you dog-like creature?"

Fang Jinglong continued to laugh heartily and said: "It's just selling land, haha, selling a few dozen acres is nothing, just sell it casually. If there's no money, just tell Dad, in the future..."

As soon as the word "father" left his lips, a trace of doubt flickered across Fang Longjing's face

No wonder that Fang Jifan has turned out to be such a prodigal son; with such indulgence, any kind of son would inevitably be raised to be flawed.

The rumors outside do not bother Fang Jifan at all; he is currently busy with his accounts. A few days later, Wang Jinyuan began to invite people over to help with the moving. Manager Yang cried bitterly once again, nearly fainting from the distress.

Fang Jifan suddenly realized that he had sold with great enthusiasm at the time. If the ebony were to skyrocket in price, it would mean several times the profit. Driven by greed, Fang Jifan sold everything he could for the sake of money

The tea set has all been sold. Deng Jian was indeed a bit afraid of Fang Jifan, and he softened a little.

In fact, even if the price of ebony does not skyrocket, it is still of little concern, as ebony is indeed rare in this era and will not result in a loss: "Why didn't you say so earlier? Later, you and Liu the accountant should go out and purchase some household items. Be frugal with the money; buy as much as you can when it's cheap. The young master needs to save money for significant matters!"

Fang Jifan slightly raised his eyes and, upon seeing that the sky outside was still dim, was immediately infuriated: "What do you mean by this so early in the morning? Have you taken the wrong medicine? Is it customary to wake someone up at such an early hour?"

Fang Jifan cursed inwardly, wondering if this person was even human, worse than a pig or a dog, not even recognizing his own father

The military officer, with a robust build and a strong presence, appears quite formidable. He has a square face and a square jaw, which stands in stark contrast to the refined and handsome young gentleman, Fang Jifan, who possesses the elegance of a young master, creating a striking distinction

Fang Jifan felt a sense of lamentation in his heart, wondering if not engaging in significant matters would lead to being nurtured into a useless person by all of you, both high and low in status

Several thousand acres! Fang Jifan said: "To be precise, it is more than two thousand acres."

It turns out that it was because of his own illness that his father took the risk to expedite the use of troops, no wonder he returned so early

Fang Jifan's antics had thrown the Fang family into chaos for a full month. At this time, the scorching summer had arrived, and the weather had become hot and dry. The Xiangfei fan finally found its purpose, no longer needing to be used in the cold winter to fan away the chill while pretending to be graceful and carefree. In fact, such behavior was merely ridiculous in Fang Jifan's eyes, but there was nothing to be done; he was Fang Jifan

He felt helpless inside, yet with his hands behind his back, he whistled loudly: "If you keep nagging, I'll break all three of your legs"

Deng Jian was pitifully following behind Fang Jifan, who was very courteous to the people recruited by Wang Jinyuan: "Brothers, please lift it slowly and be careful. This is a treasured heirloom of the Fang family. Although the surname has changed now, it still holds sentimental value. This porcelain vase must be handled with extra care; it is a Ru kiln vase passed down from my great-grandfather. If it gets chipped or damaged, I will feel uneasy. Come, little Deng Deng, pour some water for the brothers. They are guests from afar, so let us not neglect them."

Didn’t they say they wouldn’t be back so soon? This expedition is to suppress the local chieftains' rebellion in Yunnan, where there are many miasmas, and the barbarian soldiers are cunning, unwilling to engage in a decisive battle with the court easily. It should have taken until the end of the year, yet it is only the beginning of summer.