Song Wei and Xie Zheng entered the room one after the other, Wen Wan had already made tea to entertain them.
Hao Yun, who had just sat down, stood up again and bowed to Song Wei.
Song Wei took the tea bowl Wen Wan handed over, sat on the armchair, and after taking a sip, said, "Brother Hao, no need to be so formal, please sit!"
Hao Yun didn’t rush to sit down, but expressed his intention directly, "Brother Song, I’ve come this time because I have quite a few unclear points in my studies, and I’d like to seek your guidance. I hope you won’t hesitate to enlighten me."
Scholars are not like the wily old hands in the officialdom; they don’t engage in many intrigues. Those who gather because of their studies often become friends, and there’s more of that pure quality between them.
In such matters, Song Wei had nothing to criticize about the other party. He nodded, glanced at Hao Yun’s book basket, and pretended not to know, asking, "And this is...?"
"Our home is more than twenty miles from here. I’m afraid running back and forth will waste time, so I’m thinking..."
Xie Zheng didn’t let him finish, and directly took up the conversation, "How about this? I happen to have a vacant room at home. It’s not anything superb, but it can shelter you from the wind and rain and provide a place to sleep. If Brother Hao doesn’t mind, I’ll take you back to settle in later."
Of course, Hao Yun wanted to live closer to Song Wei, so he could observe Song Wei’s daily routine, how he studied, and if there was anything he didn’t understand, he could consult in time.
But when asking someone for help, one must adopt the proper attitude. This, Hao Yun understood well.
He then looked at Xie Zheng and cupped his hands, "I’ve come from afar, and I’m troubling Brother Xie."
Xie Zheng waved his hand, "Although we cousins aren’t classmates with you, since we’ve met, it’s fate. We are all scholars heading in the same direction, helping each other is just right."
Hao Yun thanked him again, then took out some things from the book basket, saying it was cured meat and sausages made by his mother, brought here for everyone to taste something new.
He also brought several jin of Shaodaozi for Old Song, and bought two tea bricks for Song Wei, dividing one for Xie Zheng.
The Song family had bought quite a bit of tea, and Song Wei could tell at a glance that what Hao Yun bought wasn’t cheap. He half-joked, "Brother Xie is selling pots and smashing iron just to come to our house?"
Xie Zheng was momentarily stunned before reacting, "It’s not exactly selling pots and smashing iron. It’s that a landowner in town took a liking to a few plots of our land and bought them at a high price. My mother wanted me to use that money for business, I didn’t let her. Isn’t this because I still want to struggle in the examination halls for a few more years? So I boldly came seeking advice from Brother Song."
Xie Zheng, having been through this, heard the clue in one sentence, "So it seems, Aunt wants you to do quite a significant business, enough to scare you into fleeing to the Song family."
Hao Yun was embarrassed, he really didn’t expect that what he had hidden so deeply could still be uncovered.
Afraid that Song Wei would overthink, he had to admit, "That’s right, my mother doesn’t want me to continue the exams, she wants me to take that money and find another wife to settle down with. But I’m just not willing."
Even just becoming a scholar would be good, as having a title would broaden the range for choosing a wife. Unlike now, where he had achieved nothing, his family circumstances weren’t good, and in choosing, he couldn’t escape the robust village girl options.
Which man doesn’t wish to marry a warmhearted beautiful lady to bring home and warm the bed? Hao Yun certainly thought so too.
Fortunately, he used to be quite self-deprecating, had a precise understanding of himself, and knew better than anyone that to aim high, he must first be able to "match."
The story of rich daughters and poor scholars only exists in opera scripts; reality is reality.
Song Wei smiled lightly, "People strive upwards as water flows downwards, there’s no fault in it."