When Meng Anci returned, it was already 5:45 PM. Qing He set out the food and then left.
Meng Anzhi put away the ledger and casually asked, "Why are you so late today?"
"We're going on a river cruise tomorrow, so the teacher kept us in the classroom to explain the rules."
Jin Shanyao walked in from outside, asking in confusion, "What river are you going to swim in?"
After washing his hands, Meng Anci sat down at the dining table, picked up his chopsticks, and casually said, "The activity organized by the academy is to take a boat trip on the river and write an essay on 'Seeking Advice by the Water'."
There is a river in Qingzhou Prefecture called the Huntong River, which originates from White Head Mountain. It is one of the important water sources of the Sheng Dynasty, and it floods every two or three years, causing disaster to the villages on both banks.
Su Wenqian devoted a great deal of energy to managing this river.
Seeing that he was only focused on eating meat, Jin Shanyao picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks and put them in his bowl. "You can't swim, so let Dahuang go with you..."
Meng Anci was both amused and exasperated. "Auntie... we're going on a river cruise... the boat is full of people, it's inconvenient to bring Dahuang."
Jin Shanyao thought for a moment, "Then how about letting Dahuang wait for you on the shore?"
Meng Anzhi couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly suppressed it... Clearing her throat, " Dahuang accompanies you from dawn till dusk every day. Apart from not being able to speak, what's the difference between it and a servant?"
You went swimming in the river, and you left it behind... Doesn't your conscience hurt?
Meng Anci for mercy, "Alright, alright... to prove I still have a conscience, I'll rent it a separate boat, okay?"
"That's more like it... Rent it a bigger one, don't let Dahuang suffer."
Meng Anci paused slightly with his chopsticks, then said seriously, "Sister, if I and Dahuang fell into the water, who would you save first?"
"I'll save you..." Meng Anzhi answered without hesitation.
Meng Anci in satisfaction. It seemed that he still held a certain weight in his sister's heart.
The next day, Meng Anci took Dahuang to the ferry. Dahuang carried a food box in its mouth, trotting along beside Meng Anci, its tail wagging so hard it almost flew to the sky.
The ferry crossing was already bustling with activity, with people unloading boats, fishing, selling food, and renting boats – it was quite a lively scene.
Meng Anci and Dahuang walked through the crowd toward the ferry. In the distance, they saw students waiting there. Just as he was about to go over, they heard a loud bang.
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man unloading cargo, who had fallen to the ground along with the goods.
Meng Anci instinctively stepped forward, "Uncle, are you alright?"
The man had dark skin and grinned honestly, "It's okay, it's okay." When he saw Meng Anci reaching out to help him carry the rice bag, he quickly stopped him.
"No, this bag is heavy, don't get your clothes dirty," he said, supporting himself on his knees as he stood up. He rubbed his lower back, gritted his teeth, and tried several times before Meng Anci finally helped him lift the rice bag onto his back.
Just as he was about to turn around to thank him, he heard the foreman shout gruffly from afar, " Zheng Laosi, what are you dawdling for? Don't you want to work here anymore?"
"Hey... coming, coming..." the man hurriedly replied, carrying the rice sack and trudging towards the truck.
Meng Anci didn't linger; he wanted to find a boat for Dahuang first. But Master Li, with his sharp eyes, caught Meng Anci red-handed with just a glance.
" Anci, why did you bring the dog? What if it bites someone?"
Dahuang's cheerful tail froze in mid-air, its eyes sweeping contemptuously over Master Li before it picked up the food box and headed towards the riverbank.
Zhao Boyong, afraid of dogs, hid behind Zhao Yushan. " Anci... it won't come boating on the lake with us, will it? I was bitten by a dog when I was little, I'm afraid of dogs..."
Meng Anci reassured him, "It's alright, it's just here to enjoy the river view, it won't sit with us."
"Ah... a dog enjoying the river view?" Zhao Yushan had barely finished speaking when he saw Dahuang carrying a food box onto a boat, startling the boatman who cried out in surprise.
"Whose dog is this...? Whose dog is this?"
Meng Anci hurriedly ran forward, "Boatman... I'll rent your boat. Just take this dog and follow behind us."
The boatman was slightly taken aback. "You're renting a boat for a dog?"
Meng Anci laughed, "Yes... Don't underestimate this dog; it has a very high status in my family."
Upon hearing this, Dahuang raised its head high... Out of the corner of its eye, it saw Meng Anci hand half a jiao (0.5 yuan) to the boatman before standing contentedly at the bow, gazing at the river.
"I'm chartering this boat for you. Don't let anyone else on board."
The boatman beamed, "Don't worry, young master! I'll take good care of this dog for you; I guarantee there won't be any mishaps."
For the same fare, but only one dog was on board, which was both less strenuous and more cost-effective, making the boatman extremely happy.
Meng Anci glanced at Dahuang standing at the bow of the boat, "I'm leaving... Call me if you need anything."
Dahuang Yellow gave him a dismissive glance and continued admiring the scenery...
Shiyan saw him return, she reminded him, "You forgot your food box."
"That's Dahuang's food box."
"What... it came to enjoy the river view, and even brought its own food?" Shiyan was shocked. Was Anzhi Hall's dog being treated too well?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, a sarcastic voice came from the side, " Meng Anci, look at those men carrying heavy loads down there. Their shoulders are all chafed and raw after each trip, and they only earn a few dozen copper coins."
You, on the other hand, rent a boat for a dog to enjoy the scenery, preparing its food more meticulously than a person's... Don't you feel ashamed?"
The speaker was Shao Lishan. His grandfather was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. He considered himself to come from a scholarly family and looked down on scholars from merchant backgrounds.
The surrounding students fell silent for a moment, their gazes turning to Meng Anci with a mixture of disdain, curiosity, and anticipation for his downfall.
Meng Anci suddenly laughed, "I don't understand what Senior Brother Shao is saying."
"Don't pretend you're confused!" Shao Lishan was most annoyed by Meng Anci, who always had a smile on his face and kept calling him "Master" this and "Master" that. It wasn't enough for him to flatter and fawn over her.
No wonder he's in business; he's a sycophant, filthy rich, and has plenty of money to show off!
Meng Anci met his gaze and smiled, "The money I used to rent the boat isn't yours, so you don't need to feel bad about it."
Secondly, I gave the money to the boatman, who could then buy meat and rice. On a smaller scale, I solved his livelihood problem; on a larger scale, I boosted the business of the butcher shop and the rice shop.
Brother Shao, don't you understand the principles of money circulation? Or were you sleeping while the Master was teaching?
Shao Lishan was speechless for a moment. "You're just being unreasonable. You're not helping the boatmen at all; you're humiliating them!"
"Humiliate??" Meng Anci's gaze swept across the dock, pointing at the man who had just fallen. "That uncle twisted his back, why didn't Senior Brother Shao buy him some medicine to humiliate him?"
Shao Lishan's face flushed instantly. "What... what does delivering medicine have to do with humiliation?"
Meng Anci said dismissively, "Then you deliver it. If you don't, I'll look down on you."
Shao Lishan was swayed and momentarily embarrassed in front of everyone, so he stubbornly said, "I... I'll deliver it in a bit, it's none of your business."
Meng Anci raised an eyebrow, turned around, and boarded the painted boat.