For a moment, Fu Wenyu’s mind was racing.

Based on the original host’s memories and the information he had researched while writing dramatic novels in modern times, ancient society placed immense importance on filial piety. Especially in the father-son relationship, the father’s authority could practically dictate matters of life and death. For example, a father could sell his son, and the authorities wouldn’t even hold him accountable.

The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren was similar.

Even though the Fu family had already divided their household, and the first branch had been treated unfairly, Fu Dashi was still his legitimate paternal grandfather. In a society that valued filial piety, respecting and obeying one’s elders was essential. Especially since Fu Wenyu was only fifteen years old—an “unmarried minor” by ancient standards—Fu Dashi still had a certain degree of authority over his affairs.

For instance, renting out the farmland shouldn’t have been done without informing him.

While Fu Wenyu was still in a daze, Fu Qingtian sensed that something was off. He quickly set the basket down and said, “Wenyu, I still have work to do at home, so I won’t stay long. These eggs are for you—just take them, no need to be polite with your uncle.” After saying this, he greeted Fu Dashi, Fu Qingshi, Zhou, and the others before leaving.

Once he left, Fu Dashi’s expression darkened. “Wenyu, come here.”

Zhou and Fu Rong looked at him with concern.

Fu Wenyu smiled at them reassuringly before walking toward Fu Dashi.

As he walked, he thought things over. If Fu Dashi asked, he would answer honestly. After all, everyone knew he didn’t know how to farm. Whether Fu Dashi understood or not didn’t matter much—after all, the family was already divided, so he didn’t need to care too much. As the saying goes, if you don’t care, the ones who do will be the ones troubled.

The worst-case scenario was that Fu Dashi would complain about his lack of filial piety, tarnishing his reputation and potentially impacting his future in the imperial examinations. If that happened, he could publicize the unfair terms of the division. This would diminish Fu Dashi’s authority, and Fu Wenyu could even gain sympathy points, eventually restoring his reputation.

Having considered the worst possible outcome and deemed it acceptable, Fu Wenyu’s steps became more confident.

Unexpectedly, after Fu Wenyu sat down, Fu Dashi, who had been silent for a while, didn’t ask about the farmland. Instead, he hesitated before saying, “Are you dissatisfied with the household division?”

Fu Wenyu: “…Huh?”

He hadn’t expected Fu Dashi to ask about this, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

From his perspective, the household division was indeed unfair. The justification given by Fu Qingshi and the second aunt was that Fu Qingshan had spent a lot of the family’s money on his education, so the second branch deserved compensation in the division.

But in reality, Fu Qingshan had only used some family funds for his education before getting married. After his marriage, he primarily relied on his own earnings or Zhou’s contributions. When he needed money for exams, Zhou even sold her dowry, so their use of the family’s money was minimal.

Moreover, after Fu Qingshan became a scholar, he was exempted from taxes and corvée labor.

Over the years, the difference likely amounted to just a few dozen taels.

Was a few dozen taels a lot?

Not really.

And even if Fu Qingshan had spent money, could it be said that Fu Qingshi hadn’t spent any at all?

Although Fu Qingshi didn’t pursue the imperial examinations, he did attend the village school. Later, his marriage, having children, and the family’s living expenses over the past thirty years, while not as much as Fu Qingshan’s, surely added up to twenty or thirty taels. So logically and emotionally, it was unfair for the first branch to receive only 20% of the family’s assets.

In this matter, his grandfather Fu Dashi had shown clear favoritism.

But this was human nature. After all, Fu Dashi only had Fu Qingshi left as his son, and he needed him to rely on for his later years. Fu Wenyu didn’t judge him for this.

Compared to the few extra acres given to the second branch, what mattered more to Fu Wenyu was the freedom of being the head of his own household. He had grown accustomed to a carefree life and had no desire to be controlled.

So Fu Wenyu replied, “Grandfather, I understand.”

“I don’t blame you or Second Uncle for the household division. It’s natural for Second Uncle to get a larger share since he’ll be taking care of you in your old age. As for renting out the farmland, it’s simply because I don’t know how to farm.”

After brushing the issue aside, Fu Wenyu added, considering that he didn’t want Fu Dashi interfering too much in their household in the future, “Oh, and Grandfather, my mother and I went to town this morning and found work. I’ve taken up a job copying books for Kaiyuan Bookstore, earning 800 cash a month. They said if my handwriting improves, they’ll pay even more.”

Since the printed storybook wasn’t ready yet, he cautiously used book copying as a cover.

Even so, 800 cash was enough to delight Fu Dashi. “800 cash a month?”

That was nearly ten taels of silver a year, equivalent to the income from farming for a year.

“Not bad, not bad.” Fu Dashi’s furrowed brows finally relaxed. The household division had weighed heavily on his mind, but hearing about his grandson’s promising job prospects lifted a significant burden.

He sighed and said, “I was thinking of having your Second Uncle and me help with your fields this year. Next year, I planned to teach you how to farm myself.”

“I didn’t expect you to find such a good job.”

“This is good—very good.”

Fu Dashi was actually only fifty-six years old, but years of hard labor had aged him prematurely. He looked more like someone in their sixties or seventies. Most of his teeth were missing, his hair was mostly white, and his face and hands were covered in age spots and wrinkles. His skin was darkened from years of exposure to the sun.

When he spoke, a mixture of happiness and confusion appeared on Fu Dashi’s face.

“You’ve always been thinking about taking the imperial exams, but the exams aren’t easy. Your father…” He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I’m worried that if I gave you too much land, you’d sell it to fund your studies.”

“Wenyu, you must never sell the land!”

Fu Wenyu nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandfather, I won’t sell it.”

He hadn’t realized there was such a deeper reason behind the household division. Hmm, it seemed the original host had been encouraged by his parents to pursue his studies since he was a child, with the hope that he could earn fame and fortune, just like Fu Qingshan.

…

After leaving Fu Dashi’s house, Fu Wenyu sighed deeply.

It was all because of poverty.

He felt that in the future, he must work harder to earn money. Money wasn’t just the backbone of bravery—it also solved many practical problems in life. For example, if he had enough money, he could build a large house elsewhere to live in. That way, situations like today, where a family visitor caused the entire neighborhood to know, wouldn’t happen again.

Thinking about how he needed to build a new house in the future, Fu Wenyu returned to his desk.

It was time to continue writing.

Since he had already sold The Real and Fake Young Masters for an excellent price, Fu Wenyu now felt full of motivation whenever he picked up his pen again.

Previously, the plot had reached the part where the real young master, Zhang Gousheng, endured hardships. With the help of Old Dog, the tutor, and his own perseverance, he had grown into a promising young man.

When Fu Wenyu resumed writing, he picked up from this point in the story.

To establish a connection between Wang Fugui and Zhang Gousheng, further propel the plot, and give ancient readers a deeper understanding of the two characters, highlighting their differences in strengths and weaknesses to evoke more sympathy for Zhang Gousheng, Fu Wenyu decisively wrote that the now-thirteen-year-old Zhang Gousheng went to the city with his father, Zhang.

…

“Father, is this the city?”

In Fu Wenyu’s writing, the thirteen-year-old Zhang Gousheng, though thin, was not short. In fact, when he stood up straight, he was almost as tall as his father.

Not only was he tall, but he was also handsome.

Unlike the slightly timid rural farmer Zhang, the boy was fearless, bold, and confident. Although his skin was dark, his face, neck, and even his calloused hands were all clean. His patched clothes were free of any stains, giving him an overall impression that left people with a favorable first impression.

At this moment, he was curiously observing his surroundings without the slightest fear. His bright, shiny eyes reflected the passersby, shops, and the occasional horse-drawn carriage on the street.

“Father, look! That’s a horse!”

Zhang Gousheng pointed excitedly at a passing carriage. “The tutor said…”

Beside him, Zhang’s expression grew complicated as he glanced at the boy.

Zhang knew that Zhang Gousheng wasn’t his biological son. His real son, now called “Fugui,” was living the high life as the young master of the Wang family.

Thinking about this, Zhang grumbled irritably, “What are you gawking at? Watch out, or you’ll offend someone important!”

“Hurry up. Today, we’re going to the Wang family to see your grandmother. Your elder sister is fifteen this year. If we can arrange a good match for her in the Wang family, she’ll enjoy endless wealth and fortune in the future!”

Hearing this, Zhang Gousheng frowned slightly.

“But marrying into the Wang family as a servant would make Big Sister a servant too.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang immediately scolded, “What’s wrong with being a servant?”

“You ungrateful brat! In our family, your grandmother has the best life. She’s the wet nurse of Master Wang and now looks after the Wang family’s only heir, Young Master Fugui. She even has maidservants serving her and lives better than the wives of landlords!”

“And in the future…”

Zhang glanced at Zhang Gousheng, and quickly stopped himself. Then, he barked, “What are you standing around for? Pick up the baskets. These are special gifts I prepared for Young Master Fugui!”

“You can’t even do this little thing properly. Always so slow and dawdling…”

Zhang Gousheng said no more. He bent down and lifted the baskets.

In truth, he had wanted to say that his grandmother’s contract with the Wang family wasn’t a lifetime servitude contract but an employment agreement.

According to the laws of this dynasty, an employment contract didn’t equate to true servitude. Once the contract was terminated, it wouldn’t affect the family’s eligibility for imperial examinations. The reason he wanted to bring this up was that he had secretly started studying under the village tutor, who believed he had talent and encouraged him to pursue scholarly success.

If he wanted to take the imperial examinations, he needed to persuade his grandmother to terminate her contract with the Wang family.

But since Zhang interrupted him, he decided to leave it for a few years before raising the issue again.

The two soon arrived at the back gate of the Wang family estate.

Zhang instructed Zhang Gousheng to stay far away, warning him repeatedly not to get close. Only then did he ask the gatekeeper to summon his mother, the nanny Zhan mama.

The moment Zhang mama saw Zhang Gousheng in the distance, she gasped sharply.

Her plump face, which looked much younger than her age due to a life of ease and no heavy labor, showed a look of panic. She first pinched her foolish son hard, then lowered her voice to reprimand him.

“Why did you bring him here?!”

“Don’t you know he looks just like Master Wang when he was young? Fugui only resembles him a little, but this boy… he looks at least 60% like him! If anyone sees, what will happen to my precious grandson Fugui?”

“Our Fugui is the only grandson of the Wang family now!”