Chapter 23: Li Dabao Becomes a Beggar

  On the second day, Gu Shijiu brought people to transport away 500 catties of Youfen. Wang Kuang dictated a detailed introduction to its uses and storage methods that night, which was recorded by Sun Zhanggui on several large sheets of paper. Gu Shijiu treasured these papers like a precious gem, wrapping them in three layers of silk cloth and carefully placing them in his bosom. He even called over the two men who had helped transport the Youfen to escort him back, one on each side. He understood that these papers were crucial; with them, he could support wine shops and restaurants with cooperative value when he returned to Chang'an, and within two years, the Lin family's status in Chang'an would rise to a higher level. After the Lin family took away 500 catties of Youfen, the remaining amount at Fuli Inn was only a few hundred catties. Calculating that they used two catties per day, they would need around 400 catties to last until the summer harvest of new sweet potatoes next year. This meant that they could only sell about 300-400 catties, which was just right as an opportunity to raise prices.

  Not long after the 19th return, Lin Xuanmiao came to visit again. This time he brought his father Lin Zhubu's intention, which was roughly to thank Fuli Inn for their generosity and to inform them that if there was anything they needed help with in the future, as long as it was reasonable and legal, they would not let Fuli Inn suffer a loss. This time, Wang Kuang had Sun Zhanggui come out to express gratitude to Lin Zhubu's kindness and Lin Xuanmiao's personal visit. From now on, if the Lin family ordered dishes from Fuli Inn for any banquet, it would be 60% off. He also gave Lin Xuanmiao a copper plaque with Wang Kuang's special mark on it. With this copper plaque, guests could eat at a discount of 70% regardless of how many people they brought. If Lin Xuanmiao came alone, he would be exempt from payment.

  Lin Kuang was overjoyed, although he still had to maintain a composed demeanor on the surface. In his heart, however, he had already flown to the county school, thinking about how to quickly return to his father and bring back a few people to show off. He wanted to let them see that Lin Da, the great talent of Jian'an, was extremely popular, even the wealthy guests at the inn would give him face. It's worth noting that so far, no one has ever been able to get a discount on wine at the inn, except for high-ranking officials like the governor and his deputies who occasionally come to drink and can get a small discount. But do they have this copper plaque of mine? And it's not limited in number!

  Wang Kuang had his own plans, and Wang Xiao was currently following Mr. Liu, making great progress. In just over a year, he could already write small articles, although they were only a few hundred words long. Although the quality of his writing was not to be discussed, his learning speed was remarkable among the many students in Jian'an. According to Mr. Liu's words, Wang Xiao's intelligence and talent were naturally incomparable to those of great geniuses, but compared to ordinary students, he was also outstanding. In the future, passing the imperial examination would be uncertain, but if there were people in power who could help, then there would still be hope. Therefore, Wang Kuang had to prepare well for Wang Xiao now, first letting him get acquainted with some of Jian'an's talented scholars and poets, so that he would have the opportunity to meet more famous scholars later. Although Wang Kuang believed that talent was 80% innate ability, 10% effort, and 10% opportunity, this small 10% chance was actually the most important thing. Without opportunities, even the best talents would be wasted, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people who were talented but not recognized. It is often said that "a hundred clever ideas are useless without connections", referring to the fact that people with talent often live in poverty due to lack of relationships and backing. Throughout history, truly talented individuals who were recognized were few and far between, and most of them relied on having an effective network of relationships. Take Zhuge Liang for example - he was certainly talented, but if he hadn't had so many friends from his school days, or the recommendation of Master Sima, it's unlikely that Liu Bei would have taken notice of him. Most people were buried in obscurity until old age.

  In Wang Kuang's view, being an official is not about how great your talent is, but rather how extensive your network of relationships is. This principle applies universally, regardless of the country or time period. Having talent or not is secondary; with a strong network to support you, even a mediocre person can be promoted as a great talent. Now that he has Lin Xuanmiao as an intermediary, Wang Kuang naturally won't let slip the opportunity to build a bridge for Wang Yan.

  In short, getting along with Lin Xuanmiao is the same as getting along with Lin Zhuobo. Wang Kuang has already listed Lin Zhuobo on his list of potential future patrons, which will also provide a convenient door for Lin Zhuobo to entertain officials in the future.

  There are several meanings in it, so the copper plate must be sent. If not for fear of Lin's suspicion, Wang would even think of giving a full exemption token directly.

  Lin Xuanmiao didn't feel too good about bringing his classmates to the Fuli Inn to drink on that day, so he waited for two days before bringing a few close friends over. Sun Zhanggui roughly knew Wang Kuang's intentions and thought it would be greatly beneficial for the Fuli Inn as well, so he gave the order to take care of them properly. The dishes served in the kitchen were generous in portion, and the waiters, including Gao San, were extremely attentive, making Lin Xuanmiao show off a bit, which made his classmates envy him so much that their eyes grew wide with excitement, staring at the copper plaque on Lin Xuanmiao's chest. It was said that only Jian'an had such a plaque, which could get a 30% discount.

  This day, as usual, Gao San got up early and tidied up the hall before opening the shop door. Now Fulu Inn has started serving breakfast, with a combination of porridge and side dishes, as well as several salty dishes, which are not expensive. According to Wang Kuang's words, this is to cultivate the feeling of guests treating the inn as their home. After a long time, many foodies will naturally think of Fulu Inn as their first choice for meals. Some families who are not willing to get up early and have a slightly better financial situation have already become regular customers of Fulu Inn for breakfast.

  Just took down a few door panels, and Gao San saw someone curled up at the edge of the inn, with tattered and dirty robes. The person was unconscious, but his hands were tightly clutching a small package. Since Wang Kuang came to Fuli Inn, they had been helping beggars as much as possible. Now that Gao San saw this beggar-like person, he naturally didn't dare to neglect him. Not only would he be punished by Xiao Dongjia if he was seen, but Gao San himself had also been a beggar for a period of time. He had fallen ill at the Taoist temple where Xiao Dongjia used to stay and was discovered by Xiao Dongjia, who brought him back and nursed him back to health. Seeing him recover, he kept him on. Now that he saw a beggar lying in front of the door, his sympathetic heart arose.

  No time to continue with the next plank, Third Brother quickly ran back to the hall, called over another fellow who was also new here, lifted up the beggar and put him on a table in front of the hall, then ran to the kitchen and heated up a big bowl of hot sugar water to pour down his throat. Once the beggar woke up, they would find him some old clothes and a few steamed buns to send him off with. There was no need to notify Manager Sun Er or Master Sun about this sort of thing; it had always been handled this way in the inn.

  Before long, the beggar came to, opened his eyes, looked around and asked if this was indeed the Rich Guest Inn. After confirming it, he said something that made Gao San laugh and cry at the same time: "Quickly, quickly, bring me a bowl of loach soup, I haven't eaten for over a year, I'm starving to death." As he spoke, he didn't forget to tighten his grip on the package in his hand, afraid someone would snatch it away.

  It was the first time I had seen a beggar ask for something good to eat, and I was quite surprised. He didn't have the right to give away the scarce loach paste to a beggar, let alone that he, as a beggar, encountered such kindness at the Rich Guest House and still dared to make demands? So I said in an unpleasant tone: "I'm telling you, brother, that loach paste is precious. Do you want to eat it? If all the beggars wanted to eat it, our guest house wouldn't be able to afford it."

  "Newcomer?" The beggar also didn't have a good temper.

  "What's wrong with you? Do you think the innkeeper can give you a free meal just because you're staying here?" Gao San also got angry, "If it weren't for Xiao Dongjia being kind-hearted, we would have only given you a bun at most, and wouldn't have even let you in. How dare you make demands?"

  "It's no use telling you, go, go, go! Quickly call Xiao Dong's family over and get me something to fill my stomach first. Hurry up, what are you standing there for? Just tell Xiao Dong's family that Li Dabao is back."

  It turned out that this was the Li Dabao who went out to find chili peppers. The old men in the inn had never mentioned Li Dabao's affairs, so they naturally didn't know either. To say that the people in this inn were also very clever, knowing that Li Dabao had been away for such a long time and hadn't returned, they must have had something important to do, and it was related to Xiao Dong's family. Therefore, they all seemed to have sewn their mouths shut, not mentioning a word. Even Li Dabao's old mother, who hadn't seen her son return home in several months, ran out from the mountain gorge tens of miles away to find him, but they all kept their mouths shut, not mentioning where Li Dabao had gone, only saying that he had gone out on business and would be back after a while. To comfort the old people, during the New Year's festival, Sun Ming would send someone to deliver some gifts.

  When the beggar opened his mouth, he mentioned Xiaodongjia every time. The third year of high school was also surprised. This beggar was likely to have a big background, so he quickly went to call Sun Er, who was in charge. He didn't dare to go and knock on Xiaodongjia's door. Everyone in the inn knew that Xiaodongjia didn't like to get up early, not even Sun Er, who was in charge, dared to disturb Xiaodongjia's sleep easily, let alone him.

  Upon hearing the news, Sun Er hastily rushed to the front of the hall and, upon seeing the beggar wolfing down a bun, immediately exclaimed: "Ah, you scoundrel Li Dabao! You've been out gallivanting for so long and have ended up in such a state? How did the matters entrusted to you by Young Master Dong turn out? And what's with that silly High Third just standing there like a fool? Quick, quick, bring over a bowl of mudfish soup to treat him. Oh dear, I say Li Dabao, slow down your eating, don't choke, slow down, first drink some hot broth."

  Division -

  Signed, thank you for everyone's support. Grey Sparrow is a bit moved, thank you all.

  Still need votes, recommendations and collections, your support is the motivation for Grey Sparrow.