The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 345 Liu Fei's Family Affairs
Liu Ji couldn't help but think that Xiao He must have thought he was stupid, which was why he didn't say much in the letter.

This is normal. Whenever he caused trouble when he was still the head of Sishui Pavilion, he would go to the county to find Xiao He for help. Every time, Xiao He would blame Liu Ji.

At these times, Liu Ji would always swear to God that he would never cause trouble again.

That's why Xiao He sometimes seemed annoyed by Liu Ji's nonsense and would rush to help clean up the mess.

In Liu Fei's memory, his father's relationship with Uncle Xiao He was mostly like this.

When his mother brought the food, the family of three started eating. Liu Fei hadn't eaten his hometown food in a long time, so he wolfed it down.

Now Liu Ji has to bow to his son, because his son's official position is higher than his own as a county magistrate, and he also receives a salary from the Qin court.

After the meal, Liu Ji led Liu Fei toward the county government.

When Liu Fei entered the county government building, everyone inside had to bow to him.

Liu Ji held his son's wrist in one hand and walked with his son, looking quite smug.

Liu Fei glanced at his father and felt that his father had lived the happiest and most carefree life.

Thinking back on his childhood, Liu Fei recalled that it had always been like this. Although his father's life had some minor troubles, it was always full of happiness, and he was always surrounded by a group of good older brothers.

And his father's life has always been so happy, and this happiness has also influenced Liu Fei.

Compared to Guanzhong, the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere of Peixian County is very comfortable.

People here have no worries other than the troubles of daily life.

Liu Ji led his son to the backyard and met Lü Zhi.

Beside Lü Zhi was a daughter, who looked to be about eight years old. She whispered, "Brother."

Upon hearing this, Liu Fei suddenly smiled and looked at Lü Zhi.

Liu Fei took out a roll of paper and handed it to him with both hands, saying, "This is a letter from Liu Ying. He should be going to serve in the army now."

Upon hearing this, Lü Zhi took the letter, opened it, and read its contents.

Liu Ji held his daughter and coaxed her from the side; the father and daughter were especially happy.

After reading the letter, Lü Zhi said respectfully, "Please sit down. There's some roasted tea at home..."

Liu Fei hurriedly said, "No need, I still need to go to the study."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji added, "Let Fan Kuai take you there."

Liu Fei nodded again, bowed to his family, and then left the county government.

The family hasn't changed at all; it's still the same as before. The mother, Mrs. Lü, and the father are still vying for power.

There are five academies in Pei County. Apart from one inside the county town, the rest are all outside the town.

At this time, the father was most likely still talking with Madam Lü.

This home is still very familiar, and Liu Fei knows his father very well.

Walking back to the county government building, I saw Uncle Fan Kuai leading his horse at the entrance. The sunlight shone on him, revealing his thick, black beard and his head held high, making him look quite spirited.

Liu Fei said, "Uncle Fan Kuai."

"Oh!" Fan Kuai turned around with a smile and said, "Good nephew, you've come out!"

"This time when I returned to the Imperial Academy, they also gave me some official business. I need to go and take a look at the academy in the county."

"Alright," Fan Kuai said, "I'll lead the horse for my good nephew."

Liu Fei repeatedly told Fan Kuai that he didn't need to lead the horse, but the other man held on tightly to the reins, even though the passersby around them were laughing at him.

Given Fan Kuai's fearless attitude, Liu Fei had no choice but to let him lead the horse.

But Liu Fei didn't sit on horseback; instead, he walked alongside Uncle Fan Kuai.

Whenever he encountered an acquaintance on the road, Uncle Fan Kuai would pat that person on the shoulder and tell everyone, "This is my good nephew."

As per the official duties assigned by the Imperial Academy, Liu Fei needed to verify the number of teachers and confirm the quantity of books.

Qin Ting has been teaching in rural areas for twenty years, and during these twenty years, he has taught a generation through this method.

Liu Fei's generation benefited from teaching in rural areas, and now the scale is growing larger and the number of people receiving education is increasing.

In the future, there may be even more opportunities, and it may not be difficult for ordinary families to get an education.

Liu Fei arrived at a study and saw that there were three classrooms with more than sixty students, of all shapes and sizes, rich and poor, all studying in the same study.

In fact, the knowledge here is not much different from that in Guanzhong. Liu Fei needs to guide the teachers here and improve the teaching.

For the next two weeks, Liu Fei stayed in Pei County, where he worked together to expand the county's bookstores and collect books for teaching.

Paper books are not very common in Pei County; most students here still use bamboo slips.

Paper remained expensive, and apart from the Qin court and Tongguan, it was not used on a large scale in other places. This was inevitable, as papermaking workshops were only located in Guanzhong and Sanchuan County. These two huge workshops produced the paper needed by the entire world.

Moreover, paper has a cost, and printing requires ink; none of this comes from nothing. Pei County cherishes paper and books, and they are kept in the study for teachers to read only, for fear that students will damage the paper. Many paper books in Pei County only have one copy.

Liu Fei recalled a scroll he had seen in Tongguan. It was written by Zhang Jing at that time. The paper produced in Guanzhong was limited and could only be made in specific seasons.

The paper is collected in spring, worked on in summer, and dried before autumn. Once the autumn rains cool the water and the river freezes, papermaking and printing can no longer be carried out.

Zhang Jing once said that if there were a solution to this problem, people all over the world would have no shortage of paper to read.

Liu Fei still remembered the article written by Zhang Jing. This article differed from the other philosophers' evaluations of human nature and politics. The article he wrote was titled "Creation and Life".

That was a rather unique piece among the books of the pre-Qin philosophers, and Liu Fei was deeply impressed by it.

Things will get better.

Liu Fei addressed the troubled teachers before him.

In addition to building the study in Peixian, Liu Fei would also help his father manage affairs within the county.

There aren't many things going on in Pei County, and the various pavilions and townships get along fairly well.

Today, seeing his son still calculating this year's taxes in the county government office late into the night, Liu Ji looked at his son and said, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

Liu Fei replied, "It's alright, these matters are much easier than those in Guanzhong."

Compared to the conflicts Xiao He encountered with various counties when he developed Weibei, the intensity of these conflicts was much less severe than in Pei County.

Because of his return, Liu Fei discovered that his father's reputation in Pei County had also improved.

Liu Ji said, "You're over twenty years old now, it's time for you to settle down and start a family."

Liu Fei went to the border army to guard the frontier when he was twenty years old, and now he is twenty-two years old. The new emperor has been on the throne for six years.

Liu Fei spent his childhood in Sishui Pavilion and grew up in Guanzhong.
Liu Ji sat down next to his son and said in a low voice, "You have been away from Pei County for so many years. Your father and mother have missed you very much. It is good that you have come back, but you have your own future after all. You are very knowledgeable, and the teachers here all respect you. You are young and already have a military rank of three hundred shi."

Hearing his father's words, Liu Fei sensed that something was wrong.

Liu Ji continued, “Look at Pei County. It’s so small. The people here don’t have much experience. You would be better off staying in Guanzhong than coming here. I can’t handle things here. It would be easy for you to govern Pei County. My child… it would be a waste if you only used your talents here.”

Liu Fei looked at his father's face. His father's beard had grown longer, and his face had many wrinkles.

"I have arranged a marriage for you. Once you are married, your mother will be at ease. After you are married, you can return to Guanzhong."

After saying this, Liu Ji patted his son on the back and made the decision for him.

Liu Fei lowered his head, looking at the documents by the oil lamp, and remained silent.

The next day, Liu Fei followed Liu Ji to a house outside Pei County and met the woman he wanted to see, Si Shi.

The person speaking with the father was one of the nobles of the Spring and Autumn Period. The Si family was a very ancient family, and its members still had dealings with the old nobles in the former lands of the six states.

Facing this ancient family that has existed since the Spring and Autumn Period, Liu Fei first showed them the utmost respect and spoke with them cautiously.

It seems that the family and the father had a very pleasant conversation. In Liu Fei's memory, his father had always been good at making friends, and there was no one he couldn't befriend.

Back in Guanzhong, Liu Fei had heard Liu Ying mention that his father had befriended a fierce warrior named Xiang Yu.

The two parties quickly agreed on the wedding date and the wedding ceremony.

Because her father was the county magistrate, all of this was much simpler.

Liu Fei accepted all of his father's arrangements without objection, because he understood that he had to follow his father's arrangements. Only when he, Liu Fei, started his own family could he take his mother away from Pei County in the future, and only then could his mother live a better life.

Just as his father said, his talents could not be confined to Pei County; there were better places for him to use them.

At this moment, Liu Fei remembered what Gongzi Heng had said to him when he left, the words he hadn't replied to.

So Liu Fei let the marriage go its own way, and the woman was also very good; both in her demeanor and in the opinions of those around her, she was a very suitable wife.

Obeying his father's every arrangement is what Liu Fei must do right now.

Just after the sweltering heat of summer, Pei County was filled with joyous occasions. The county magistrate's son, Liu Fei, was getting married, and many people came to celebrate.

The wedding was held at Cao's restaurant. Today was Cao's happiest day, and she welcomed every guest.

For the first time, Cao, who was usually very frugal, brought out a great deal of wine and meat to entertain her guests.

This surprised Liu Ji as well; Cao Shi, who had lived frugally all these years, never expected to save so much money.

The wedding ceremony lasted until night, with Madam Cao personally seeing off each guest.

The day after Liu Feicheng's wedding, he went back to dealing with the affairs of the study.

Having grown accustomed to a busy life following Xiao He, who would wake up and immediately go about his business in the county.

Liu Fei is the same now; after getting married, he went to the study to keep busy early on.

Meanwhile, Cao and her daughter-in-law Si managed the restaurant.

(End of this chapter)