My classmate Zhu Houzhao

Chapter 1 The Young Man, Fang Heng

The Ming Dynasty was located outside Liangxiang County, under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture.

As the sun climbed above the treetops, a group of teenagers, around ten years old, crowded in front of a small earthen slope, all craning their necks and staring intently at the boy standing on a large blue stone at the top of the slope.

The young man was not tall, but he had a certain air about him. Although his clothes were old, they were washed clean, and the cuffs were rolled up twice, revealing his two thin but strong forearms.

The boy glanced down at the faces looking up at him, a slight smirk playing on his lips. His expression was just like that of a general reviewing his troops on the parade ground.

"What would you like to hear this time?"

The boy spoke casually, with a hint of cynicism, but it wasn't just that; there seemed to be something more to it.

As soon as he finished speaking, an uproar erupted below.

"Second Brother, continue telling the story of Lin Daiyu drunkenly beating Jiang the Gatekeeper!"

A round-faced boy squeezed to the front, his eyes shining.

"What's so good about that?"

Another boy nearby immediately objected.

"I want to hear the part about Lin Daiyu and Sun Wukong. Last time you mentioned Sun Wukong going to the Rongguo Mansion to borrow the Banana Leaf Fan, but you only got halfway through!"

"No, no, last time we were talking about Lin Daiyu uprooting the willow tree!"

"Bullshit, that's Lu Zhishen!"

The group of teenagers argued heatedly, their faces flushed, and they were about to roll up their sleeves.

The boy on the bluestone wasn't in a hurry. He just crossed his arms and watched them argue. When the argument had subsided, he waved his hand leisurely.

"Alright, alright."

The sound wasn't loud, but the noise below immediately fell silent, as if someone had choked it.

"This time I'll tell you something new, something you've never heard of before."

The young man glanced around and saw that his underlings below were all looking on with anticipation, so he immediately stopped keeping them in suspense.

"Lin Daiyu captured the emperor seven times, and war broke out on Cybertron."

The crowd looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion. They recognized each word individually, but couldn't understand them at all when put together. But it was precisely because they couldn't understand them that they found them so impressive.

For a moment, all the boys fell silent, even their breathing became lighter.

"On this day, Lin Daiyu was burying flowers..."

The boy sat down on the rock, crossed his legs, and swished open the folding fan in his hand. There was nothing on the fan, just a blank sheet of paper. Nowadays, it would cost a lot of money to have a teacher write or paint on the fan. Even so, the boy's fan, when unfolded in his hand, exuded the air of a storyteller.

This lecture lasted for an hour.

The boy spoke with great enthusiasm, and the audience listened with rapt attention.

Until the boy slapped the folding fan in his palm.

To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter.

The boy deliberately dragged out his tone, and when all the eyes below were shining brightly, he suddenly looked up at the sun in the sky.

"Alright, it's time to go home for dinner."

"Second brother, tell us another part."

Just one paragraph!

The boy stood up, dusted himself off, looked at the unwilling faces below, and smiled.

"If we don't go back now, there won't be any food left at home. Would you rather stay here and listen to my story, or go hungry?"

These words were more effective than anything else. Only then did the group of teenagers notice that the sun had already climbed overhead, and their stomachs were immediately rumbling with hunger.

Just as they were hesitating, the sound of horses' hooves came from the distant official road.

A tall, fine horse was carrying a man around thirty years old, dressed in a green brocade robe. He was tall and strong, with shoulders as broad as a wall, and a spring-embroidered knife hung at his waist. His imposing presence clearly indicated that he was no ordinary person.

"It's Uncle Jiang!"

A sharp-eyed boy shouted first, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Their excitement was understandable; the kids had figured it out, and Uncle Jiang would bring them delicious treats every time he came.

As the horse approached, the man dismounted swiftly and cleanly. Without a word, he took a package from the horse's back and tossed it into the arms of the boy on the bluestone.

The boy caught it, opened it, and took a look.

A dozen or so steaming buns, made of white flour, wafted out, their aroma a blend of wheat and meat, making the children below's eyes light up.

The boy didn't stand on ceremony, reached out and took one, and finished it off in a few bites. His eating manners weren't exactly refined, but they weren't messy either; instead, they exuded a sense of enjoyment.

After finishing one, the boy tossed the package directly to the boy who was closest to him below.

"Same as always, one for each person, no one can have more than one."

His tone was calm, yet his words left no room for argument.

The man stood to the side watching, a barely perceptible hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.

This child is always like this. Even if he is not full himself, he will not let the people around him go hungry. He is clearly a half-grown child, but he lives like a little adult and has a maturity that should not be in his age group.

The man sighed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

"Fang Heng".

The man looked at the boy and spoke.

"Can you still make that dessert you made last time?"

Fang Heng was wiping the crumbs from the corner of his mouth when he heard this and looked up.

"Sweets?"

"That one, what was it called again..."

The man frowned and thought for a moment.

"It's the one that's a bit yellowish, crispy, sweet, and has an egg added."

The man thought for a moment and described the dessert based on his memory.

"I know a very important person who has been thinking about it ever since he ate it last time. This time, I happened to be on vacation, and he repeatedly told me that I had to bring some back for him."

Fang Heng didn't answer immediately; his eyes flickered.

I do know how to make this, but ordinary people generally can't afford it. Only high-ranking officials and nobles can afford it. There are very few people in Liangxiang who can afford to eat it as a snack. Only in the capital, where high-ranking officials and nobles are everywhere, can one afford it.

Fang Heng was originally unwilling to do much. Making this required icing sugar and other things. Icing sugar was not something that ordinary people could afford, and the finished product would be too flashy. In Liangxiang, as long as one could make a living, that was enough. The nail that sticks out gets rotten first. Fang Heng understood this principle better than anyone else.

But the boy looked at the man in front of him again.

This man has treated me well, and besides, he works in the capital and is said to hold a fairly high official position. Fortunately, he is a high-ranking official, so I don't have to worry about being coveted by others.

Moreover, Fang Heng does need money.

After only a moment's hesitation, Fang Heng nodded.

"It can be done."

"However, this stuff is troublesome to make. It requires a lot of icing sugar and freshly made shortcrust pastry, so it's quite expensive."

Money is not a problem.

Upon hearing this, the man breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the thing Fang Heng had made last time was just something he did on a whim, and that Fang Heng himself might not have remembered the recipe. But now it seemed that this was not the case.

"Icing is a rare commodity for you and me, but for that distinguished guest, it is nothing more than a common delicacy."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes, pulled out a silver ingot, and placed it in Fang Heng's palm.

Five taels.

It was white and heavy.

It was so bright under the sun that it made people dizzy.

The eyes of the surrounding teenagers widened. In all their lives, the most money they had ever seen was a handful of copper coins; they had never seen silver ingots before.

"Make it according to the amount of this ingot of silver."

After saying this, the man patted Fang Heng on the shoulder. He knew the boy's character better than anyone else. He was a rare kind-hearted child. If others were in the boy's family situation, their mentality would probably have been twisted long ago. But Fang Heng not only did not, but also helped the people around him.

"You should earn what you deserve; there's no need to save money for your benefactors."

Fang Heng looked down at the silver in his palm, said nothing, and simply tucked it into his robes, keeping it close to his body.

"It takes three days, mainly because making the oil-based pastry takes time."

"Okay, I'll come pick it up in three days."

Without a word, the man mounted his horse. He glanced at Fang Heng, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded, spurred his horse, and headed towards Liangxiang County.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, and the dust slowly settled back onto the ground.

Fang Heng watched the figure disappear at the end of the official road before reaching back into his pocket and taking out the silver ingot.

The silver ingot lay in the boy's palm, slightly warm, perhaps because of the sun.

Fang Heng knew very well that five taels of silver was something that an ordinary family would probably not be able to save up for several years. It was already extremely difficult for ordinary people to support their families, let alone save money.

If these five taels of silver were in the hands of an ordinary boy, it would be like a child carrying gold through a bustling market, and sooner or later he would get into trouble.

But the silver is in Fang Heng's hands, and it was given to him by Uncle Jiang.

Throughout Liangxiang, perhaps some people don't know the county magistrate, but very few don't know this Lord Jiang. With Uncle Jiang's name in charge, the silver won't burn your hands, and no one dares to have any crooked thoughts.

The surrounding boys looked at the silver ingot with envy in their eyes.

But it was just envy.

There was no jealousy, and even less greed.

These kids all knew very well that with their second brother's abilities, he deserved the money. Besides, whenever their second brother had extra money, he would never mistreat them.

"Dog Egg".

Fang Heng carefully put the silver away again and called out a name.

A chubby-faced boy immediately pushed his way out of the crowd, his chest puffed out high.

"Take two people to Wang's shop and buy twenty catties of milk. Just say it's what I want, and give him the money later."

When Gou Dan received the task, his expression immediately resembled that of a victorious general. He straightened his neck and glanced left and right.

"Who's coming with me?"

"Wow!"

"I!"

"I'm going too!"

In an instant, followers flocked to him.

Dog Egg picked three people and led them arrogantly toward the county town.

"Third brother."

Fang Heng called out another name.

A tall, thin boy stepped forward in response, his eyes sparkling.

"Take two people with you to Butcher Zhang's to buy two lamb legs, and also two cabbages and a bundle of vermicelli. We'll make lamb soup later, and everyone can eat together."

Upon hearing this, the third brother's eyes lit up even more, and he nodded repeatedly. Just before turning around, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and spoke with a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Second brother, you don't know, every time that butcher Zhang hears that you want a leg of lamb, he gives you the best one, with a much larger piece of meat than others. He also gives me all the cut fat for free every time."

This is true.

Merchants in the area who know Fang Heng will give him some face.

Some valued Fang Heng's character, while others had received his assistance or help in the past. Butcher Zhang, for example, belonged to the latter group.

Zhang the butcher's family has a long-standing butchering tradition. He has two sons. The elder son is honest and hardworking, just like his father, but not very bright. He is a good candidate to inherit the family business. However, the younger son, Zhang Qu, is different. He is very clever and has shown some talent for studying since he was a child.

Zhang the butcher was so happy that he almost put his ancestral tablets in the courtyard. His family had been butchers for generations, and for a scholar to emerge was truly a stroke of good fortune. Zhang the butcher spent a lot of money to send Zhang Qu to the private school, and there was never a shortage of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.

But Zhang Qu was lazy and didn't care much about studying. Zhang the butcher was so worried about this that he developed blisters around his mouth. He wanted to hit him but couldn't bear to, and he almost knelt down to his son.

Later, when Fang Heng learned of this, he agreed.

Zhang Qu was one of Fang Heng's lackeys, always listening to what Fang Heng said.

No one knows exactly how he was persuaded, but they know that after that, Zhang Qu was like a different person. He would get up before dawn to memorize his lessons and practice calligraphy by the light of an oil lamp at night. This made Zhang the butcher wish he could worship Fang Heng.

Zhang Qu is only twelve years old now. He has already passed the county examination, but failed the prefectural examination. However, given his current momentum, he is almost certain to pass the prefectural examination next year. Once he passes the prefectural examination, he will become a student of the lowest rank.

A thirteen-year-old prodigy, though not unique in Liangxiang County, certainly deserves the title of child prodigy.

After passing the preliminary examination, a student who has passed the preliminary examination becomes a proper scholar.

Therefore, Butcher Zhang was genuinely grateful to Fang Heng. In addition, Fang Heng's character was widely known in the surrounding villages, so every time Fang Heng went to buy meat, Butcher Zhang would give him the best meat from a whole sheep. In many cases, when Butcher Zhang bought some top-quality sheep in the countryside, he would ask Fang Heng in advance if he wanted them. Only if Fang Heng declined would he sell them to someone else.

At this moment, Zhang Qu was at home preparing for the provincial examination, staying indoors and unable to mingle with Fang Heng and the others. Otherwise, given his personality, he would have already run out to listen to Fang Heng's storytelling.

After the third brother led his men away, Fang Heng assigned tasks to the remaining boys. Once everyone had received their tasks and dispersed, the boy leisurely dusted off his clothes and walked alone towards Liangxiang County.

The wild grass on both sides of the official road was wilted by the sun, and it rustled when the wind blew.

The sun was high in the sky, but the young man didn't seem to mind the heat, walking slowly and steadily along the official road.

The silver ingot in his arms pressed slightly against his chest with each step, feeling heavy.

Three days later, I must make the sweets that the important person is thinking about.

But before that, let's stew a pot of mutton soup so that everyone can have a good meal.

After all, nothing in this world is more practical than having enough to eat.