A Yan curiously picked up a hefty gold ingot.
The gold was pure and heavy, too big to fit in one hand.
He had never seen anything like it.
He looked at his teacher with a puzzled, inquisitive gaze.
The old man gave a faint, cool smile and pursed his lips. "Your 'senior brother' really does take us for poor relations who've come begging. He treated us to a meal, then sent over a whole tray of this stuff. It's obvious he wants us to take the hint and get lost. Hmph. How novel."
Everyone knew what Sibao Prefecture was like.
The prefect really had it easy. He'd just handed over two hundred taels of gold without a second thought—truly treating money like dirt!
A Yan said, "Senior brother, good."
He had eaten lots of delicious things today.
The old man was both amused and exasperated. He lightly poked A Yan on the forehead and asked, "So, in your eyes, anyone who gives you food is a good person?"
A Yan turned the words over in his mind twice.
After a long while, he nodded firmly. "Mm."
A moment later, he added,
"But Teacher is the best."
Teacher not only made him food, but also taught him all sorts of things. Though he didn't know what use any of it would be, it was one of the few pleasures in his otherwise dull daily life.
"Mm, Teacher knows."
He let out a heavy breath.
Although he'd heard A Yan say this many times, it always warmed him to the core, easing his displeasure considerably.
It was almost laughable. His career had gone smoothly all his life, and he had countless former students and subordinates. How many people had called themselves his students and honored him as their Seat Master and