vstars Chapter 419 Keep a low profile and don't flaunt your wealth.
Chapter 419 Keep a low profile and don't flaunt your wealth.
Chen Hanlin rode a donkey, carrying a food box all the way.
Upon arriving home, he immediately handed the donkey to his son, grabbed the food box, and went to find his wife.
"Hey? Dad! ...You run really fast!"
The eldest patriarch of the Chen family scratched his head, led the family's precious donkey to the livestock shed in the backyard, and fed it a couple of handfuls of beans.
Upon returning to the main house in the second courtyard, Lord Chen put down the food box and closed the door, his demeanor unusual for someone nearing sixty.
"Old woman, come quick!"
"What's wrong, old man? What's this thing that's so precious?"
Old Madam Chen glanced at the somewhat chipped octagonal table in the house, on which sat a familiar-looking food box.
"Hey~ I thought it was something big, but it's just a few plates of tasty snacks. I'll take them to Da Bao later."
Lord Chen didn't keep them in suspense any longer; he opened the food box and took out the two plates of pastries from the first layer.
"Oh, flower cakes! These are great, these are great. Only two plates? What about the bottom layer?"
Lord Chen opened the second layer directly. Of course, there were no snacks on the second layer. It was only when he took out the plain and unadorned purse that Lord Chen realized something was wrong.
Is this silver? It's so heavy!
"What? There's a purse too?"
The purse's drawstring was opened, revealing a dazzling yellow hue that nearly blinded the elderly couple.
"Gold! How can there be so much gold?! Old man, where have you been?! How can you have so much money?!"
Old Madam Chen nearly fainted. How much money was that? A hundred taels of gold? That would be worth a thousand taels of silver!
Even if it's just a few dozen taels of gold, that's still several hundred taels of silver!
Lord Chen himself was a little confused. No wonder, no wonder the food box was so heavy. He had thought it was because of the plates and the purse that it was so heavy.
It turned out that the purse contained not silver, but gold, which was ten times more valuable!
This Lord Jiang—no! This God of Wealth Jiang! He truly lives up to his name as a miserly spendthrift!
"Old woman, don't be afraid. This is not ill-gotten gains. It's a favor from a colleague in the Hanlin Academy who asked me to do something for him."
"What kind of momentous matter could you possibly be doing? Are you out of your mind? Giving so many gifts as a token of gratitude, you must be in danger!"
Madam Chen was worried that this was money to buy her life. How much was a Hanlin scholar's annual salary? This money was equivalent to several years' salary!
"It's nothing serious, and there's no danger. It's just that they value my seniority in the Hanlin Academy. Don't forget, although my official position is small, I am indeed the only person who has served two dynasties and is still sitting in the Hanlin Academy."
Having experienced dynastic changes, what else is there to fear? I'm truly sorry for the poverty you and your children have endured with me all these years.
Sigh, I've come to terms with it. I didn't have the opportunity before, but now that I finally have some value that can be used by others, I'm so happy I could laugh in my sleep.
Value can be converted into price, and price can be exchanged for real money. Look around, have you bought a single new piece of jewelry in all these years?
And the two daughters-in-law, their clothes were hardly those of officials' wives; they weren't even as presentable as the wives of merchants who roamed the streets.
"Alright, sir, don't blame everything on yourself. If your daughters-in-law aren't dressed well, it's because their husbands are incompetent."
After the eldest and second eldest sons passed the imperial examinations, they made no further progress. Alas, we can only place our hopes on the eldest and second eldest sons.
Looking at Da Bao now, he doesn't seem to be cut out for studying. He might only pass the imperial examination at best and become a scholar.
The second child is too young to show any signs of illness, so let's just focus on living well in the present. Don't overthink it, it'll only tire you out.
Mrs. Chen comforted her husband, then remembered that there was still a large sum of money lying on the table, and they couldn't keep the doors and windows closed forever.
"Sir, how much is this?!"
“It looks like a hundred taels. Old woman, you should put it away. For daily expenses, just use the loose silver at home. Don’t flaunt your wealth; it’s best to keep a low profile.”
Madam Chen nodded and pulled her money box out from under the bed. Now that there was so much gold, she felt that the place where she kept the money was no longer safe.
The house wasn't big to begin with, and it was quite spacious. It was a rented house, so there was no way to modify it or dig a hole to hide money.
"Sir, is this windfall a one-time thing, or will there be more in the future?"
Lord Chen didn't quite understand what the old woman meant. "There might be more, or it might be a one-off deal."
Madam Chen nodded, "Then let's save this money for now. A few thousand taels can buy a small, secluded courtyard. With our own house, we can save on rent."
Lord Chen also felt that his wife was right, so he decided to save the money and not spend it, hoping to have the opportunity to buy a house of his own in the future, even if it was a little remote, small, and dilapidated.
"Okay, I'll do as you say! I'll save it up and try my best to move before I die!"
The elderly couple fiddled around for a long time before finally managing to hide the money.
After dinner, Da Bao also got to eat those two plates of snacks.
The plates in the Chen family's house are all small and the same style. If you look closely, they are the same style as the plates used for desserts.
It must be said that Lord Chen really knows how to live frugally; he doesn't waste a single thing.
"Boss, take this empty food box and sell it to that store. Don't let them try to lower the price. Look at the workmanship and the carvings. This is no ordinary product."
It's so exquisite, giving it two taels of silver is too cheap. I absolutely cannot sell it for any lower. I'll use the money to buy some writing brushes and ink for Da Bao.
The child's grades have declined significantly recently, and you, as his father, should bear the main responsibility. How can a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations not even be able to teach a primary school student?
Do you expect your father to spend money to hire a tutor from outside? I can't afford to lose face like that, nor can I afford the money!"
Chen, who had just put down his chopsticks and was scolded, didn't dare to say a word of dissent and could only nod in agreement.
Old Chen is in his thirties, almost forty, while his eldest son is only six. He is considered to have had his son late in life, so he usually spoils him a bit.
The eldest daughter is already married, and the second daughter, along with Madam Chen, all three of them usually dote on this precious little one.
Although the Chen family didn't have many servants, Chen Dabao lived the life of a young master.
The second son of the Chen family also has two daughters and a son. His eldest daughter is newly engaged, his second daughter is ten years old, and his youngest son, Chen Erbao, is still an infant in swaddling clothes and cannot speak yet.
No wonder Master Chen said that Erbao's aptitude is still not apparent, since even at the earliest, one can only begin formal education at the age of three.
The main source of income for the Chen family now comes from Master Chen, with the two daughters-in-law and three unmarried granddaughters occasionally supplementing their income by doing embroidery.
Master Chen and Master Chen were too proud to admit it; otherwise, they could have earned more money by working as shopkeepers or accountants to supplement their household income.
But these two were too proud to admit their mistake, so they continued to live off their parents and daughter.
Lord Chen increasingly felt that his wife's decision was right; it was the right thing to keep them from knowing that there was a large sum of money in the house.
Otherwise, those two lazy bums might cause some trouble. It's better to stay poor like this, so as not to attract attention to the changes in our family.
With the occasional snack (food box) subsidy from Young Master Jiang, the family was never truly starving.