Then, with reddened eyes, he said to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, you truly have eyes like a dog’s. I said I would defer the room paynt for two days, and once I find my relatives in the capital, I would repay you. Why do you have to get so angry?"
The woman also wiped her tears with her sleeve, feeling at a loss for what to do with the situation before her.
The shopkeeper sneered; he had seen many such scholars. Poor students dreaming of passing the imperial exams to beco high officials, yet unaware that this is the foot of the Emperor, gathering talents from all over the world. How easy is it to make a na for oneself?
Every day, students leave their hotowns to co to the capital to study. However, most of them do not pass the entrance exams of the famous academies in the capital, while the tuition fees for those small academies are exorbitant. If you are skilled at one of the major academies and earn a rank during the monthly exams, you can get a tuition reduction.
So most of these scholars don’t have much Silver to begin with, and can’t afford the expensive tuition of the small academies, resulting in a high but unattainable situation. Despite this, there are still many candidates longing for the reputable schools in the capital, like moths flying into a fla.
So scholars are so destitute that they rely on selling books to make a living. Just last month, he chased two away. He was indeed angry; this is just a small inn, and it doesn’t make much Silver each day. People living in the capital, even officials, know how big the expenses are to live here.
He couldn’t possibly run a charity and allow these scholars to stay and eat for free. Initially, so students without money would say to defer for a few days, and he believed them. But later on, he couldn’t recover even a single penny, so naturally, he couldn’t defer any longer.
It was just his bad mood today, coupled with such an incident again, that made him speak harshly. Well! Leave a margin while dealing with others, so it would be easy to et again later.
Ye Zhiqiu also saw the scene and felt deep sympathy for the scholar because he too was a poor student. He heard the harsh words the shopkeeper said to the scholar, which he found very unpleasant and infuriating.
"How could the shopkeeper speak so viciously? If that scholar is without Silver, then driving him away would suffice, why must he humiliate others?"
Ye Zhiqiu appeared indignant, wishing he could order Ming Yan to stop the cart so he could go down and teach that shopkeeper a lesson.
Gu Chengyu also felt that the scolding was indeed too harsh. Scholars value their reputation, and as a businessman shopkeeper, he should understand that harmony begets wealth.
However, Gu Chengyu took a glance at the inn’s sign and found it was a small inn, with the red paint on the windows peeling off. This inn also relied on small business, and if the scholar truly had no Silver and still refused to leave, that wouldn’t be fair.
In the capital, land is extrely expensive. So small inns’ rooms aren’t owned but rented. Each year’s profit has to cover the rent, leaving not much behind.
Living expenses in the capital are high, and this inn is small, so it couldn’t possibly afford to let people stay for free.
Even those large inns have no reason to offer free stays. Besides, businessn are profit-driven; it’s common for a shopkeeper to drive people away. It’s just that his scolding was too harsh.
But such matters aren’t rare in the capital, and Gu Chengyu wasn’t planning to stop the cart to intervene. After all, one should rescue ergencies, not poverty.
If you go help, how much Silver should you give? You can’t possibly keep covering their food and lodging expenses indefinitely, can you? If it’s just for two days’ room cost, the shopkeeper clearly doesn’t want it, so there’s no reason to intervene.
Holding back Ye Zhiqiu, who wanted to order Ming Yan to stop the cart, "There are countless injustices in the world, how can you manage them all? If you indeed stepped forward and gave them Silver, they might just see it as charity, and might not appreciate it."
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu paused, then sat back unwillingly with a bitter expression, "Right! I’m relying on others’ help myself! How could I ddle in other people’s affairs?"
Upon hearing these words, Gu Chengyu frowned, feeling a bit displeased. Ye Zhiqiu seed overly concerned with this, always speaking like that, showing he minded it a lot, and Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but start blaming himself for ddling too much.
Ye Zhiqiu was different from Sun Xian; Sun Xian’s family was poor before, but he spoke openly about it and gratefully accepted Gu Chengyu’s help. He even promised to return the favor in the future. As it turned out, he did just that.
When Gu Chengyu was seized, Sun Xian hurried around, trying to find solutions, even willing to spend all his family’s wealth to settle things for Gu Chengyu.
Ye Zhiqiu was also a person who valued relationships, but he was too sensitive, sotis making people uncomfortable. He tended to dwell on small matters, like people often say, "getting stuck on sothing trivial."
"You’re quite mistaken. Who besides parents would help you without reason? Your food and living are all earned by Aunt Ye and Ye Family’s Sister, never anyone’s charity. Don’t say such things again so as not to hurt Aunt Ye and the others’ feelings."
Actually, Ye Zhiqiu was just being closed-minded! Once older, his outlook would be much broader; after all, he’s still a young man.
After saying this, Ye Zhiqiu also realized his mistake. Hearing Gu Chengyu’s words now made him feel guilty.
He felt sowhat inferior; Jinyu had gained fa at a young age, led the family to prosperity, and gave him imnse pressure. He couldn’t help but compare himself to Jinyu, feeling inadequate everywhere.
At that mont, he understood it was his own obsession with trivialities. anwhile, he secretly resolved not to be like this again in the future, as being prickly hurt both himself and those around him.
"You scholar, don’t bla for speaking harshly. Wear a hat that fits your head size, don’t have unrealistic dreams. You’ve faced setbacks at the academy these days and still refuse to give up? Consider your family, and while you still have so Silver, go quickly to your paternal family!"
The shopkeeper was also trying earnestly to advise this ti. As for the scholar saying he has relatives in the capital, the shopkeeper didn’t believe it. Even if there were, surely they wouldn’t be in the capital anymore, otherwise, why hadn’t they been found after several days?
"Fang?" Since the head of the family wasn’t present, she had no idea and could only rely on the eldest grandson.
The scholar felt a bit helpless, looking at the bundle before him with eyes filled with tears, not caring about the shopkeeper anymore and just standing in front of the inn waiting for his grandfather to return to discuss. His third sister was still in the clinic, and the clinic also refused further credit; if worse cos to worst, they’d have to return.
But how could they return with their younger brother still in the hands of those people?
Gu Chengyu’s carriage, which had been a distance away, happened to pass right in front of the inn just then. Gu Chengyu initially wanted to lower the curtain but inadvertently t a pair of anxious and dejected eyes, coincidentally locking gazes with him.
Gu Chengyu looked at him calmly, then lowered the curtain. The scholar saw the people inside the luxurious carriage were two young n dressed in official uniforms. They truly seed like young n, appearing quite young.
He felt a bit envious. These young nobles from aristocratic families began their education early, taught by famous teachers from a young age, already becoming officials at such a young age.
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