Vanity

Dear readers,

For those of you who might have missed it, in the previous chapter, I introduced an important poll that allows us to shape the direction of our story together. Your input is invaluable, and I'd love for you to have a say in our journey.

If you haven't had a chance to vote yet, please consider going back to the previous chapter and casting your vote. Your choices will have a significant impact on the path we take, and I can't wait to see your collective decisions.

Thank you for being a part of this adventure, and I look forward to the exciting twists and turns that lie ahead.

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Chen Shaofeng returned to his private room, holding the bag of white sugar in his hand. His classmates, seeing that he didn't have his own folding fan with him, but instead came back with a cloth bag, were curious.

"Hey, Chen Shaofeng, what do you have in your hand?" "Weren't you looking for your fan?" "This cloth bag is just an ordinary bag made of coarse linen. What's inside?"

Chen Shaofeng proudly replied, "What do you guys know?" "The more extraordinary something is, the more ordinary the container it's kept in." He asked He Gongzi, "Is that white sugar from Wu Yuanwai's house?"

He Gongzi replied, "That's right." "Isn't the biggest grocery store in town owned by Wu Yuanwai?" "Recently, they received a lot of white sugar from somewhere." "So, they used this white sugar as gifts for many households." "My father also received some from him."

He Gongzi's father, He Xiucai, is a scholar in the county, with a respectable status. He Xiucai is also the teacher of Wu Yuanwai's son. Therefore, after Wu Yuanwai's store received the white sugar from Zhao Ce, they used this rare item to give gifts. After speaking, He Gongzi shouted, "Why isn't your chef here?" "I want to eat the snacks he made with this white sugar."

Chen Shaofeng put the cloth bag on the table and sat down. "What good things can you make with that bit of white sugar?" "Or should I treat you all instead?" Saying that, he opened the cloth bag in his hand.

His classmates listened to Chen Shaofeng's proud words and were quite surprised. When they saw the bag of white sugar he opened, their eyes widened involuntarily. "Why do you have so much white sugar?"

Chen Shaofeng proudly replied, "Naturally." "Who is my father? He is Chen Yuan!" "As for that little bit of white sugar you have, put it away. Today, I will treat you all to pastries!" Chen Shaofeng called a waiter and asked him to take the white sugar downstairs and have the chef make some better-quality snacks with it.

The others curiously asked him, "Where did you get so much white sugar?" "We didn't see you carrying it earlier." He Gongzi also said, "Yeah." "When Wu Yuanwai sent it to our house, he said this white sugar is rare." "But he didn't sell any of it in his store." "He gave it all away as gifts." "Where did you get so much?"

Chen Shaofeng proudly replied, "Naturally, we got it from our restaurant."

Someone curiously asked, "From whom did you purchase it? And do you have any left?" "I also want to buy some to take home."

Chen Shaofeng saw that these people kept asking him incessantly. The vanity in Chen Shaofeng's heart was satisfied. He casually said, "It's that...". As he was halfway through his sentence, he suddenly remembered Zhao Wenhua's reminder not to disclose the information about the supplier. He abruptly cut off the topic and put on a secretive expression. "I definitely won't tell you." he said.

Upon hearing this, the others were on the verge of speaking but held back, continuously pressing for an answer. However, Chen Shaofeng remained tight-lipped. "This is our family's business secret. How can I casually let you know?" he said.

Upon hearing this answer, the group of people looked at Chen Shaofeng and made a disapproving sound. Chen Shaofeng looked at their frustrated faces with satisfaction, thinking to himself, "You want to trick this young master into revealing the information? Not a chance!"

Despite the others' attempts to indirectly extract the information, Chen Shaofeng still did not reveal anything. He was straightforward in his speech and not lacking in intelligence. How could he casually disclose the business matters of his family restaurant?

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On the other side, Zhao Ce held the signed contract and the money as he walked out of the restaurant. He patted the freshly baked contract and couldn't help but feel delighted. With this, his livelihood for the coming period was secured. The next thing he needed to resolve was his study arrangements, and then he could temporarily settle down.

When he arrived at the house where he had previously placed the order for the pottery, Zhao Ce asked if the items had been crafted. The residents of the house replied, "Coincidentally, they were delivered this morning. However, we are not responsible for the delivery. As we mentioned last time, we can only bring the goods to the city gate on a cart. Then, you'll have to find an ox cart by yourself."

This arrangement had been agreed upon during the previous delivery. Zhao Ce naturally had no objections and nodded, saying, "Alright, then please help me deliver the goods to the city gate." The shop assistant then loaded Zhao Ce's merchandise onto the cart and helped him pull it to the city gate.

On the way, they saw many scholars wearing long robes. The academies had already finished classes for the day, and tomorrow would be a day of rest. Many people who lived outside the city were hurrying home today. After pulling their goods to the city gate, fortunately, there was an ox cart available. Zhao Ce negotiated the price with the cart driver, and the shop assistant helped load the goods onto the cart. Just as the cart was about to leave, two people approached from behind. One of them was dressed in a long robe, while the other wore a short jacket. The two individuals looked somewhat similar, possibly brothers. The person in the short jacket spoke up, saying, "Wait."

The cart driver replied, "My cart has already been hired. If you want to ride on the ox cart, you'll have to wait or walk back."

The young man in the short jacket glanced at the nearby scholar in the long robe and asked, "May I ask which direction you're heading?"

The cart driver looked at Zhao Ce with a troubled expression. Zhao Ce thought it wouldn't hurt to be accommodating. If it was on the way, he could give them a ride. After all, his goods weren't that many, and there was enough space for two more people on the cart.

Zhao Ce said, "We're heading towards Shuiqiao Village."

Upon hearing this, the two individuals happily exclaimed, "That's the same direction we're going! We live in Xiahe village downstream. After reaching Shuiqiao Village, could the ox cart take us to Xiahe Village? We're willing to pay for the second half of the journey."

The person in the short jacket introduced himself, saying, "I'm Su Changsheng, and this is my brother, Su Changxing. He's a student at the county school." He emphasized his brother's identity as a scholar, obviously trying to see if Zhao Ce would give them some face.

The cart driver was naturally willing to earn some extra money, but he had made an agreement with Zhao Ce and couldn't make a decision on his own. Thus, he looked at Zhao Ce with a troubled expression.

Zhao Ce glanced at the person speaking and felt like he had seen him somewhere before. Moreover, Xiahe village was the village where Su Caier resided. However, after searching his memory, he couldn't find a clear answer and could only temporarily set aside this matter. He casually said, "I don't mind." After all, he was the first to arrive.

Seeing Zhao Ce's generous attitude, the two individuals happily boarded the cart.