In the end, Fu Wenyu decided to decline.

To be honest, if the other party hadn’t offered so much—say, if they had only offered one hundred taels of silver—he might have accepted it. After all, he did contribute to the matter, and refusing might make the other party uneasy.

But Mr. Tang offered far too much!

What is one hundred acres of land worth?

In these times, as land annexation is gradually resurfacing, even with money, it’s hard to buy land. The value of one hundred acres of land is definitely over one thousand taels of silver. Moreover, this land is clearly contiguous, and there would be no shortage of people willing to pay even more for it.

However, if he accepted this gift, his family’s wealth would instantly skyrocket into the top three in the village. Sudden wealth isn’t necessarily a good thing for a family of three.

Didn’t you see how, after Mr. Tang presented the land deed, everyone present, including Clan Leader Fu Wencheng, stood up, their breathing became rapid, and whispers could be heard both inside and outside the room?

That’s one thousand taels of silver!

Fu Wenyu simply couldn’t convince himself to accept such a large sum.

So he solemnly said, “This is too valuable. Please take it back.”

To persuade the other party to take it back, Fu Wenyu even came up with a reason, “This matter was actually due to the blessings of your ancestors and has little to do with me. Otherwise, when you and your wife were discussing the story, the maid wouldn’t have coincidentally entered, nor would she have been so distraught over the lost child.”

“So I can’t accept such a valuable gift.”

Mr. Tang hesitated slightly, but upon seeing Fu Wenyu’s resolute gaze, he eventually took back the land deed. However, before Fu Wenyu could breathe a sigh of relief, Mr. Tang pulled out another one.

This time, Mr. Tang spoke earnestly, “Wenyu, if one hundred acres of land is too much for you to accept, then you must take this fifty acres. Don’t you scholars often talk about the stories of Confucius, Zigong, and Zilu? Confucius said it’s not good to do a favor and not expect anything in return.”

“Our Tang family has been charitable and grateful since my great-grandfather’s time. We’ve done many things like building bridges and paving roads. That’s why we’ve had the support of many friends and relatives, allowing us to accumulate the family fortune we have today.”

“Now, everyone in Liuzhou City knows that it’s thanks to you that my son was found.”

“If you don’t accept my gratitude, wouldn’t it make people think the Tang family is ungrateful? If that were the case, I would have no face to meet my ancestors. Please, don’t refuse any longer.”

Now it was Fu Wenyu’s turn to be at a loss for words, “…This.”

He was familiar with the stories of Confucius, Zigong, and Zilu.

Zigong redeemed a slave but refused to accept repayment, while Zilu saved someone and accepted their gratitude without hesitation. Confucius criticized Zigong but praised Zilu, saying that the former raised the moral threshold, making people hesitant to redeem slaves in the future. These two stories combined illustrate the concept of ‘leading by example’ and ‘gratitude.’ Accepting repayment for a good deed isn’t a bad thing, nor is it morally flawed. In fact, it fosters a positive social atmosphere.

In other words, Mr. Tang was saying, ‘Don’t feel embarrassed about accepting gratitude. Even Confucius said that accepting repayment for a good deed is the right thing to do, so don’t feel burdened.’

‘If you accept my gratitude, I’ll be very happy.’

Fu Wenyu thought for a moment and replied, “But this is still too valuable.”

At this moment, Shopkeeper Zhang, who had been silent since entering, also chimed in, “Wenyu, just accept it.”

“Mr. Tang is sincerely grateful to you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come here personally. These gifts aren’t too much for Mr. Tang. If he gave less, it would actually be an insult to him.”

Mr. Tang nodded, “Exactly.”

Originally, he had planned to give a sum of silver, but after learning about the Fu family’s situation and that the eldest branch of the Fu family only had a widow and her child, he changed the silver to a land deed.

At this point, the other members of the Fu family also gave Fu Wenyu meaningful looks.

Fu Wenyu wasn’t blind, nor was he oblivious. He understood their hints. Moreover, since things had reached this point, refusing any further would only offend people. So he reached out and accepted it.

“Then I thank you, Brother Tang.”

Mr. Tang laughed heartily, “I should be thanking you.”

After delivering the gift, Mr. Tang didn’t linger in Fu Village.

He stood up to take his leave, “Yishan is still ill, and I’m very worried about him, so I won’t stay any longer. Once he recovers, I’ll bring him to thank you in person.” Then he paused and added, “Wenyu, if you ever run into trouble in the future, you must come to me. Within Liuzhou, the Tang family still has some influence.”

“There’s no need to see me off. Farewell, farewell.”

Although Mr. Tang said there was no need to see him off, it was impossible not to.

Fu Wenyu immediately walked at the front, accompanying Fu Wencheng and the others to personally escort Mr. Tang out. They watched as Mr. Tang and Shopkeeper Zhang boarded the carriage they had arrived in, while Zhang Er went to another carriage. Before leaving, Zhang Er quietly told Fu Wenyu that his storybook had already begun printing and that he would bring a copy for Fu Wenyu to review once it was ready.

Fu Wenyu was delighted. He hadn’t expected them to work so quickly.

After seeing off Mr. Tang, the group returned to the house.

Now that only the people from Fu Village were present, the atmosphere relaxed considerably. Fu Dashi, who had been too nervous to speak in front of Mr. Tang and had only exchanged a few pleasantries at the beginning, was the first to speak up.

“Wenyu, let me see it.”

“Did Mr. Tang really give you fifty acres of land?” he asked nervously. “Did you see whether the deed specifies paddy fields or dry land, fertile fields or poor ones?”

“Where is the land located? Is it close to the village?”

“It’s actually fifty-three acres.”

Fu Wenyu took out the land deed. After accepting it, he had noticed that while Mr. Tang had said it was fifty acres, the deed actually listed fifty-three acres. Moreover, aside from a little over ten acres of medium-quality land, the rest were high-quality fields, as noted on the deed.

“It’s actually fifty-three acres!”

Fu Dashi’s hands trembled as he took the deed and examined it carefully.

Meanwhile, Fu Qingshi couldn’t help but say, “What’s fifty-three acres? Earlier, Mr. Tang offered one hundred acres. Why didn’t you take it?”

Fu Wenyu calmly replied, “One hundred acres is too much.”

“How is one hundred acres too much?” Fu Qingshi said enviously. “Landlord Chen only has two hundred acres. Aside from him, the family with the most land in our village is Wencheng’s family, and they only have a little over one hundred acres.”

“One hundred acres of land, a full one hundred acres…”

Fu Qingshi rambled on, almost as if in a daze. “How much grain can one hundred acres of land yield in a year? How much money can that grain sell for? You’ve struck it rich, struck it rich.”

At this point, Fu Wencheng suddenly said, “Wenyu did the right thing.”

Noticing everyone looking at him, he explained further, “Today, Mr. Tang clearly brought two land deeds. He first offered the one for one hundred acres. While expressing his gratitude to Wenyu, he was also testing him. If Wenyu had been greedy, Mr. Tang would have used the one hundred acres to sever any further ties of gratitude between him and the Tang family.”

“No one could have faulted him for that.”

“But Wenyu firmly refused, saying that what he had done didn’t merit such a generous gift. That’s why Mr. Tang then brought out the deed for fifty-three acres. Moreover, before leaving, he told Wenyu to come to him if he ever encountered difficulties in the future. That last part is the crucial one, something that can’t be measured in acres of land.”

Fu Wencheng turned to Fu Wenyu and solemnly reminded him, “Wenyu, you might not know this, but the Tang family isn’t just any wealthy household in Liuzhou. Since their great-grandfather’s time, they’ve been known for their charity and have formed good relationships with many people. I’ve heard that some officials from Liuzhou have also received their help.”

“Having a good relationship with them will benefit you.”

Scholar Zou also nodded, “That’s right. When I was studying in the city, I also heard about the Tang family.”

“They have a library, and scholars who gain their favor can go there to read. That’s why their reputation among scholars is excellent.” As he said this, he looked at Fu Wenyu with admiration, clearly thinking that with Mr. Tang’s promise, Fu Wenyu’s future would be different.

Fu Wenyu cupped his hands in gratitude, “Thank you, Brother Wencheng and Brother Zou, for your advice.”

Earlier, he had only been thinking that the gift was too valuable to accept and hadn’t considered this perspective. However, judging by how Mr. Tang had later produced the deed for fifty-three mu, this interpretation was likely correct.

Mr. Tang’s reasoning was probably that if Fu Wenyu were a greedy person who accepted anything offered, then his relationship with the Tang family would end there. It was precisely because he refused that Mr. Tang made that final remark. This was also evident in how Mr. Tang hadn’t mentioned bringing Tang Yishan to thank him in person earlier but brought it up just before leaving.

Mr. Tang was no simple man.

In fact, this could also be seen in how he dealt with the Huang family. Huang Dalang and his wife had confessed to their crimes and were awaiting execution in the autumn. As for the maid and the fake young master, they had been sent elsewhere.

Who wouldn’t praise the Tang family for their kindness?

But a young woman, who had never ventured out into the world, and a five-year-old child raised as a young master—even if they had money, could they really live well? Even if others didn’t harm them out of respect for Mr. Tang, it was easy to imagine that their lives would be filled with hardship and poverty.

One must never underestimate the people of ancient times.

Fu Wenyu reminded himself inwardly.

Meanwhile, Fu Qingshi was still resentful, muttering under his breath, “…Still, it’s not as good as one hundred acres.”

Fu Dashi, however, didn’t notice the conversation. He tightly gripped the land deed, feeling somewhat dazed. Only the piece of paper in his hand felt real.

Fifty-three acres of land—something that would take several lifetimes to accumulate—had just fallen into their laps?

As for Fu Wencheng and Scholar Zou, who had also heard Fu Qingshi’s words, they simply smiled and said nothing more.

One was the clan leader and village head, with extensive family assets and broader experience than most. The other had studied for many years. While one hundred acres of land would shock them, the shock would pass quickly. They wouldn’t dwell on it like Fu Qingshi or be unable to snap out of it like Fu Dashi.