87
Chapter 87
“To celebrate the opening of our flower shop today, we have prepared a raffle event. The first prize is this pot of Yao Huang peonies. Master Zhou, if you like, why not try your luck?” He glanced at the number on the potted plant and handed it to Zhou Wen.
“Quite a grand gesture from Shopkeeper He!”
Zhou Wen had seen the promotional flyer before coming, and he knew about the first prize being the Yao Huang peonies, though he had his doubts. Now, seeing the peonies for himself and hearing He Ze reiterate it, he was both surprised and tempted.
A Yao Huang peony! In the capital, it would cost at least a thousand taels of silver. When he participated in the imperial examination, he saw one at a banquet hosted by a second-rank official, valued at three thousand taels. Only noble families could afford such a plant. This one before him was no less beautiful than the one he remembered, and the fragrance and charm seemed even better. Truly rare!
Thinking this, Zhou Wen no longer hesitated. “Since the young shopkeeper insists, I’ll join the fun.”
The middle-aged scholar behind him took out a money pouch from his waist and handed ten wen to He Ze. He Ze accepted it calmly.
Zhou Wen gave him a second look.
He Ze, seemingly unaware, cupped his hands and said, “Master Zhou, with your luck, you’ll surely get what you wish for.”
“Then… I’ll take the young shopkeeper’s blessing, haha.”
Zhou Wen laughed heartily and turned his attention back to the two pots of peonies, occasionally conversing with the middle-aged man beside him, expressing admiration.
Feeling bored, Luo Zhanming greeted them and wandered off on his own. He Ze stood quietly to the side, occasionally chiming in, neither appearing wooden nor annoying.
It took nearly half an hour for Zhou Wen’s desire to appreciate the flowers to be temporarily satisfied.
He Ze then led him around the shop. They saw many famous varieties of camellias and roses, as well as winter plums, begonias, and lilacs, which, although more common, were all flourishing and lovely.
Before they finished their tour, the frenzy over the potted plants had reached a boiling point. The crowd was noisy, people pushing and shoving. From a distance, all that could be seen were heads, with He Dalang and Zhao Cheng busy managing the chaos.
In no time, the last pot was tightly hugged by a skinny man, looking as if he feared someone might snatch it away.
He An ran over to call He Ze.
“Master Zhou…”
“Haha, if Young Brother He has something to attend to, please go ahead!”
Seeing He Ze’s courteous manner, Zhou Wen’s attitude became more friendly. He turned and had the middle-aged man call Luo Zhanming over, and they all followed He Ze, but didn’t get too close.
At the flower shop entrance, He Youcai was explaining the raffle rules.
It was simple. To ensure the fairness of the raffle, He Ze and Old Cai would write down exactly three hundred numbers from one to three hundred, crumple them into balls, mix them in a wooden box, and then draw three times for the third, second, and first prizes in that order.
Cai Xing was responsible for the first 150 numbers, and He Ze for the latter 150. When He Ze reached number 221, the petals of the Yao Huang peony in the shop trembled slightly, and a wisp of energy attached itself to the paper.
It wasn’t a secret that Magistrate Zhou loved flowers. In fact, He Ze had considered this angle when he first planned to open the flower shop, even before Luo Zhanming. At that time, he had thought of the simple and direct approach of sending a rare flower to the magistrate’s residence, essentially as a bribe.
However, after some research, He Ze discovered that this Magistrate Zhou had an excellent reputation among the people for being upright, honest, and caring. Even if some of the praise was exaggerated, it was clear that this official was well-loved by the populace.
So the original plan was scrapped, and He Ze decided to let things take their natural course. Knowing that the local official was trustworthy, he felt his earlier concerns were unnecessary. Unexpectedly, the opportunity still presented itself, and now was the best time to connect with Zhou Wen.
Even currying favor requires skill.
With the last stroke completed, Lin Yu took the paper, blew on it, crumpled it into a small ball, and threw it into the wooden box in front of everyone. By this time, Cai Xing had also finished writing his numbers.
The noise in the crowd grew louder, and He Youcai hurriedly shouted, “Quiet! Quiet!”
The prizes were drawn by He Ze, and unexpectedly, the first draw went to an acquaintance.
“Number 157, third prize.” He Ze unfolded the paper and held it up, repeating the number three times.
“157, I have 154, just three numbers off!”
“157, who has 157? I bought three pots and didn’t win, who is so lucky!”
“The third prize is a Soft Fragrant Red. Old Cai said it’s worth at least thirty taels! This person is going to be rich!”
Amidst the chatter of disappointment and envy, Guan Duo squeezed through the crowd with the potted plant, his face showing rare excitement. “Brother He.”
“Brother Guan.”
What a coincidence.
From the original owner’s memory, there were only a few classmates in the academy that He Ze had a good impression of, and thanks to the last Lantern Festival, Guan Duo left the deepest impression on him.
This person had a bit of arrogance, but he also had real talent and learning. Despite his difficult situation, he did not wallow in self-pity. He was talented, hardworking, adaptable, and principled. Most importantly, he had ambitions.
If he lacked anything, it was probably luck.
The original owner had heard some discussions in the academy. It was said that Guan Duo’s family used to be medium-sized landlords in a nearby town. They weren’t very wealthy, but they were quite well-off. Unfortunately, a few years ago, his family was attacked by bandits. Their well-kept yard was burned to the ground, and his parents were killed, leaving only him and his three younger siblings who had been hiding in the cellar.
Of those three younger brothers, two were gers. The oldest was only sixteen at that time, which was also Guan Duo’s age.
Normally, with their family being landlords, the few dozen acres of good farmland they had left would have been enough to support the children until they grew up. But misfortune seldom comes alone.
Taking advantage of his parents’ funeral, Guan Duo’s rogue uncle, in collusion with the clan leader, claimed that Guan Duo was too young to inherit the family estate. They transferred ownership of the land to his uncle under the pretense of managing it until Guan Duo came of age.
Come of age? By now, four or five years had passed, and Guan Duo should have reached adulthood long ago. Whether he had reclaimed his family’s land was unknown, but judging by his situation, he likely hadn’t.
Indeed, people are reluctant to give up what they’ve taken. Guan Duo’s uncle and the clan leader’s tricks were just enough to deceive a young boy who had suffered such a great loss.
He Ze sighed inwardly but showed no sign of it on his face. After all, their acquaintance was superficial, and he had no need to interfere in others’ affairs.
However, thinking of how Guan Duo had single-handedly raised his three younger sinlingd while excelling in his studies, He Ze couldn’t help but admire him. He wouldn’t hesitate to help if he could. “If you need to convert the Soft Fragrant Red into cash, you can come by tomorrow.”
Next February, the county would hold the county exam, followed by the prefectural exam, and the academy exam. If Guan Duo wanted to take the provincial exam, he would have to travel far and spend even more time. If his younger ger sibling, who was already sixteen, didn’t find a match soon, it would cause further delays.
He Ze’s words hit Guan Duo right where it hurt. Guan Duo was momentarily stunned, then deeply bowed, “Brother He, thank you.”
He Ze’s guess was exactly what Guan Duo was worried about, and even more urgently. The family introduced by the matchmaker was liked by his younger ger sibling, and Guan Duo was also satisfied. The wedding was likely to be this year, so he urgently needed money. Moreover, if he wanted to take the county exam next year, he would have to spend a lot of time studying, which meant no income for the household.
If this third prize could truly fetch thirty taels of silver, it would solve his immediate problem!
Last year, he had already tried to reclaim his family’s land, but his uncle, besides being malicious, was extremely unscrupulous.
After taking over the land, his uncle moved his entire family to the town. The originally agreed monthly allowance of five qian for the four brothers lasted only six months before it stopped due to constant excuses.
During that time, thanks to his skills in painting and calligraphy, Guan Duo could earn a few qian each month. Being a scholar with pride, he didn’t press too hard, keeping a mental note to settle accounts after he came of age.
However, when he went to confront his uncle last year, he found out that after moving to town, his uncle had become addicted to brothels and gambling dens. The annual rent income wasn’t nearly enough to cover his expenses, and within two years, he had pawned off all the family’s land.
By that time, Guan Duo had already enrolled in the academy and rented a house in town for himself and his brothers. When the thugs from the gambling den showed up in the village with the land deeds to claim the land, nobody even bothered to inform him!
Ironically, he remembered clearly that in years with poor harvests, his parents would always waive most of the rent for their tenant farmers. They would repeatedly give money and food to those who couldn’t make ends meet, and they never hesitated to help out during weddings or celebrations in the village. Back then, the village elders treated them with kindness and respect…
But in the blink of an eye… he could only blame himself for being too naive back then, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been taken advantage of so badly!
However, things had come to this point, and there was no use in regretting or resenting. Now, the imperial examination was his only way out. He was confident in passing the first three levels of the provincial exams, and he felt he had a 50-60% chance of passing the subsequent exams as well. He couldn’t afford to give up now; he had already waited too long.
Before that, he needed to gather enough dowry for his younger ger sibling.
With both parents deceased and their family background in such a miserable state, he was afraid people would look down on his younger ger sibling, so he had to focus on providing a substantial dowry. Today, he was just trying his luck, not expecting to have such good fortune. It was truly a blessing.
Receiving the Soft Fragrant Red peony as the third prize from He Ze, Guan Duo immediately squeezed out of the crowd. There were too many people, and if the Soft Fragrant Red in his arms got damaged, he would be heartbroken.
Moreover, with He Ze’s promise earlier, he no longer needed to worry about converting the Soft Fragrant Red into cash.
Guan Duo left, and the lottery continued, with the crowd’s enthusiasm undiminished.
The second prize was a camellia, specifically the “Eighteen Scholars” variety that He Ze and his brother had discussed earlier. The winner was a middle-aged ger with a thin body and a sallow complexion, wearing a brown headscarf. When he heard He Ze announce his number, he was moved to tears and nearly knelt to thank the Buddha. Fortunately, Lin Yu was quick to pull him up.
With the third and second prizes awarded, it was time for the first prize, the prized Yao Huang peony.
The crowd fell silent as He Ze slowly unfolded the paper ball. He looked around the crowd before announcing, “The winner of the first prize is… number 221!”
“Number 221!”
To prevent any commotion, He Ze quickly repeated the number and displayed the side of the paper with the number written on it to the crowd.