Chapter 8: Young Master Hong Er

“Is that the second young master of the Hong family?”

Nearby, Mistress Gao hurried out of the courtyard gate, greeting him with a smile, “Please, Second Young Master, come this way for a cup of tea. Please wait a moment; class is almost over. During lessons, no one is allowed to disturb us, so please forgive the inconvenience.”

“Greetings, Mistress Gao. I am Hong Zhenye, a fellow student of Li Xuedong from the same year.” Second Young Master Hong dismounted his horse, gave Mistress Gao a deep, respectful bow, and followed her into the small courtyard of the Gao residence.

Before long, class ended, and Li Xuedong came running into the adjacent courtyard.

Master Gao stood at the entrance of the schoolroom, hesitating for a moment before deciding not to follow.

He had thought long and hard about Magistrate Huang's guidance yesterday, and by this morning, he felt he had grasped a portion of its essence.

Old Master Hong liked to sponsor talented but poor scholars, surely intending to bestow kindness and build connections before those *juren* and *jinshi* rose to prominence. It was much like Old Master Kuan of the Li family's Wang branch, who sponsored Li Xuedong for the prefectural and metropolitan examinations before he had even become a *xiucai*. If Xuedong passed, Old Master Kuan could use him to exert influence over the Li clan, yielding massive benefits; if Xuedong failed, it was merely a loss of a few taels of silver, a trifle they didn't care about.

Coincidentally, Xuedong and the second young master of the Hong family had both passed the prefectural exam in the same year. Having the second young master step forward to foster a friendship between two youths was a way of building a bond of classmates and peers—one established in humble times and through shared hardship. This was far deeper, longer-lasting, and more meaningful than mere financial sponsorship.

This Old Master Hong, much like that Old Master Kuan, was a formidable man!

In the adjacent Gao courtyard, seeing Li Xuedong running toward him, Hong Zhenye hurriedly set down his teacup and stood up, greeting him with clasped hands: “Brother Li!”

“Hong—” Li Xuedong's voice caught in his throat the moment he uttered the surname.

To call him Brother Hong felt too presumptuous and arrogant; to call him Senior Brother as he did in the schoolroom would certainly be incorrect. In his agitation, Li Xuedong followed his instinct, bowing slightly with hands clasped, “Second Young Master.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Hong Zhenye’s eyebrows shot up high.

“No, no!” Li Xuedong waved his hands frantically, his face flushing with embarrassment.

“You really are a bookworm! We are classmates of the same year; I call you Brother Li, so naturally, you should call me Brother Hong. I am older than you, after all.” Second Young Master Hong patted Li Xuedong’s shoulder from a position of superiority.

He was a full head taller than Li Xuedong.

“Brother... Brother Hong, please forgive me.” Li Xuedong was utterly mortified.

Half of his embarrassment stemmed from having never experienced such social interactions, and the other half came from the fact that he was the one in need, making him feel instinctively guilty and subservient.

“Your family...” Second Young Master Hong moved from Li Xuedong's left to his right, eyeing the worn, patched clothes Li Xuedong was wearing.

When he had seen Li Xuedong before, though his clothes weren't fine, they at least hadn't been patched. Now, they were covered in layers of patches of different colors, making him look as shabby as a beggar.

Wengweng had told him: Li Xuedong's parents were both deceased, and his family was extremely poor.

Seeing him so thin, with such a sallow complexion and these patched clothes—sigh, this Li Xuedong was much poorer than he had imagined!

“My home is far away.” Li Xuedong thought Second Young Master Hong intended to visit his house and immediately grew nervous.

If he went to his house, how could they host him for lunch at this hour? There were few chickens left, and only one silver coin remained—and that one coin was being saved by his eldest sister to buy cotton for weaving cloth.

“That’s just what I meant—your home is far. How about this: before the provincial exam, why don't you come stay at my house? We can live together. If you aren't comfortable with that, I'll have someone prepare a small courtyard for you to live in by yourself. What do you think?”

Second Young Master Hong quickly corrected himself; he had almost blurted out the words "truly poor."

“No, no need, I...” Li Xuedong hadn't fully processed the suggestion and instinctively began to decline.

“I'm telling you, don't be polite with me. We are classmates in the county exam and the prefectural exam; we are very close! Besides, regarding your home, I don't mean anything else. We are brothers, so don't be formal, and don't overthink it.” Second Young Master Hong scratched his head.

Seeing Li Xuedong so thin and so timid, he didn't quite know what to do.

“To allow me to study alongside you would be a great kindness. Great kindness needs no thanks, but if...” Li Xuedong finally remembered Master Gao's instructions and hurriedly expressed that he would remember the kindness and repay it.

“We are brothers, don't say such polite things!” Second Young Master Hong gave Li Xuedong a pat that sent him stumbling downward.

“My family is poor, Brother Hong's kindness is...”

“That is exactly my point!”

Hearing Li Xuedong use the word "poor," Second Young Master Hong breathed a sigh of relief and gave him another pat that sent him even lower.

“Since your family isn't wealthy, don't be polite with me. I didn't dare use the word 'poor' earlier for fear of hurting your feelings.”

“What harm is there in saying it's poor? Thank you, Brother Hong. Your kindness is immense.” Li Xuedong truly couldn't think of any other words, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his nervous forehead.

“Don't mention it, don't mention it! I knew you were a man of character—as they say, poverty cannot shake one's principles. How about this: pack your bags, and I'll bring a carriage tomorrow to pick you up?”

“No, no, that's not it. I mean, it's like this: my studies are not good. Aside from Natural Philosophy, my other subjects are also quite poor, so I must continue studying under Master Gao. Would it be possible for me to visit your home for five or ten days at a time to study with Master Shao for half a day or a day?”

“That... if it's inconvenient, you... well...” Li Xuedong stammered, his words tripping over each other.

To go to someone's house to sponge off their teacher without paying a single copper, while also making such requests—he was already embarrassed enough, yet this Brother Hong's enthusiasm was hotter than fire!

Sigh, he didn't dare stay at the Gao house for months!

Visiting every five or ten days to seek direct guidance was something he and his sister had discussed; it was the best way. If that didn't work, he would see if he could borrow some books on Natural Philosophy to study on his own.

“Convenient, very convenient! Why wouldn't it be? Three days, five days, eight days, ten days—whatever works! Let me think about it.”

Second Young Master Hong pinched his chin with two fingers.

“How about this: I'll go back and tell Master Shao, and let him see which days would be most suitable for you to visit. I'm telling you, this subject of Natural Philosophy is quite specialized; you can't just read the books by yourself—you won't understand them!”

“Thank you, Brother Hong. Your kindness is immense.” Li Xuedong breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed deeply again to express his gratitude.

Second Young Master Hong burst out laughing. “You! You just said that great kindness needs no thanks, and now you're thanking me again. In the future, don't say 'thank you' or talk about 'great kindness.' We are brothers; there's no need for formalities.”

Li Xuedong became embarrassed once more, his hands clasped and his mouth open, yet unable to speak.

He still wanted to say thank you, to say it was a great kindness, but the other man had just said that great kindness needs no thanks.

Looking at the awkward, stunned Li Xuedong, Second Young Master Hong laughed loudly, patting Li Xuedong's shoulder as he laughed. “You really are a bookworm! Alright, I'll go back and speak with Master Shao first, and I'll come back tomorrow.”

“I'm telling you, we are legitimate classmates and fellow students; you must not be formal with me. Alright, we'll meet tomorrow.” Second Young Master Hong gave Li Xuedong a quick bow, loudly bid farewell to Mistress Gao, mounted his horse, and rode off.

Li Xuedong walked him to the courtyard gate. Watching Second Young Master Hong shake the reins and gallop away, he let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and let his shoulders slump.

Sigh, Brother Hong's enthusiasm was too much pressure for someone like him who had never dealt with socialites; it was truly overwhelming!

(End of Chapter)