Chapter 49: Leading by Example

Chapter 49: Leading by Example

Hu Qian and Tie Niu followed Meng Yuan to Xun Mei's place, only to see that Meng Yuan had already summoned Jiang Tang.

"Brother, why are you here?" Jiang Tang was delighted and, seeing Hu Qian and Tie Niu as well, quickly greeted them, "Sister Qian, Tie Niu, hey, what happened to your arm, Tie Niu?"

"I was..."

"He got injured while practicing martial arts and was cut by a sword, but it's not serious," Meng Yuan interrupted Tie Niu with a smile.

"What's going on, Sister Qian?" Tie Niu was about to explain further, but Hu Qian gave him a nudge.

Jiang Tang already believed them, and she said earnestly, "We have medicine at home, prepared by Grandpa. Wait here, I'll go back and get it for you!"

As she took a step forward, her braid was grabbed by Meng Yuan.

"Don't rush." Meng Yuan smiled and said, "Go home and wait first. I'll talk to Xun Mei about something, and then I'll come back to find you."

Jiang Tang nodded obediently and quickly returned.

Hu Qian watched from the side. Seeing Jiang Tang leave, she said, "She's with Xun Mei, and she lives nearby, so she'll eventually find out."

"It's good that she finds out a little later. She's only had a few good days, and when she's a little older, we won't have to avoid her anymore." Meng Yuan smiled.

Hu Qian nodded in agreement. Seeing Meng Yuan's doting on Xun Mei and his consideration for them at the training ground, she indeed felt his maturity, and said, "She's not that young anymore. Since you don't have any female relatives, and Sister Xun Mei is too serious, I'll take her to visit my mother another day."

As she spoke, she winked at Meng Yuan.

"Thank you." Meng Yuan bowed in gratitude.

The two exchanged a smile, but Tie Niu was left confused, not understanding why they were laughing.

They entered the courtyard, and the three of them saw Xun Mei.

Upon hearing that there had been another fight, Xun Mei wasn't surprised. She asked Hu Qian and Tie Niu to wait outside, and only let Meng Yuan explain.

Meng Yuan naturally spoke without holding back.

After Meng Yuan finished, Xun Mei called Hu Qian in and listened to the whole story again.

Finally, it was Tie Niu's turn, but his words were tangled and unclear. After a few sentences, he started talking about how Elder Brother Ah was also forced and such.

"Alright, I understand. Now that I've heard the confession and clarified the reason, let's take a look at your wound." Xun Mei said, turning to Meng Yuan, "Why did you go to the training ground so late? And you even went drinking with Uncle Nie?"

Eh? Meng Yuan was taken aback. He had prepared a whole speech, and at this moment, he was supposed to talk about the fight, but how did it turn to drinking? Women's thoughts are always a bit strange, and Meng Yuan immediately admitted, "I had a little drink."

"He loves to drink, but you're at the age of learning. You must not indulge in it. Remember, learning is like rowing against the current; once you let go, you'll drift a thousand miles. A gentleman should have self-control." Xun Mei said.

"Yes." Meng Yuan immediately agreed.

"This incident wasn't your fault. He injured someone first, and since you're in charge of the training ground, it's right for you to step in. But since blood was drawn, in the future..." Xun Mei hadn't finished speaking when the sound of heavy footsteps approached from outside.

"This is outrageous!" Nie Yanian exclaimed, even before he arrived, "You unfilial child! Fighting against your own, you're attacking your own people now!"

"Uncle Nie, don't be angry. I asked, and it turns out that the one fighting against his own was someone else. He stopped the fight with his sword." Xun Mei explained.

"It's still his fault! Deduct the cost of the medicine from his monthly allowance!" Nie Yanian, annoyed, grabbed Meng Yuan and started walking outside, "Let's go! Go to the training ground to receive your punishment!"

"I've already been punished..." Xun Mei wanted to say more, but she saw that Nie Yanian had already released Meng Yuan and even patted his shoulder. There was no sign of punishment at all.

"You're something else! Daring to fight beyond your rank, you have a bit of my old man's flair!" Nie Yanian laughed heartily.

"Nie Shi, Mei Sister was going to let the matter go, but you unnecessarily stirred things up, and now the cost of the medicine is on me." Meng Yuan had eaten and drunk his fill, but his earnings were meager, so he was particularly stingy with his money.

"You miser! A few coins are nothing!" Nie Yanyan opened his mouth to scold, "Let's go! I'll treat you to a drink!"

"Then let's just do a favor for the both of us!" Nie Yanyan cursed, "Fine, I'll give you face!" He kicked Zhao Tieniu's butt, "Go and call everyone out, we're eating at the Intoxicating Moon Tower!"

"Nie Shi, the canteen is almost done preparing meals, why go out to eat?" Zhao Tieniu, accustomed to hard times, couldn't bear to see waste.

Hu Qian smiled upon hearing this.

"You're also spineless!" Nie Yanyan was about to scold Zhao Tieniu for his stinginess, but stopped mid-sentence, "Then let's go back to the training ground to eat. Zhao Tieniu still has some sense!"

Instead, he praised him.

"You two go out and buy a couple of jars of wine!" Nie Yanyan patted Meng Yuan's shoulder, "I don't have any money, Meng Scholar, give some money for wine."

Seeing that Nie Shi was trying to save money, Meng Yuan decided to not spend a penny, so he could only shrug, "My money is all managed by my little sister, I don't have any on me."

"I still have some silver." Zhao Tieniu, being the most honest, immediately reached for his sleeve, but Hu Qian slapped his hand away.

Before Zhao Tieniu could understand, Nie Yanyan laughed, "Then we'll make a detour to your place!"

Seeing that he was being taken advantage of, Meng Yuan could only obediently lead the way.

Upon arriving home, Jiang Tang, upon hearing that Meng Yuan wanted to treat his colleagues and Nie Shi to a drink, directly handed her money pouch to Hu Qian, "Sister Qian, I don't understand wine, please buy some good ones, don't save money for me."

"Don't worry, I won't embarrass your good brother." Hu Qian smiled and took the pouch, leading Zhao Tieniu away in a hurry.

Jiang Tang's face turned red upon hearing the words 'good brother'. After seeing Zhao Tieniu leave, she took out a small medicine bottle, "Brother, remember to use this, it'll help you recover faster."

"Even a little girl has more face than you!" Nie Yanyan pushed Meng Yuan to the edge of the training ground and said, "Now tell me how you fought."

Meng Yuan naturally spoke the truth. His victory was due to his endurance, persistence, and courage. Of course, it was also because he dared to fight back when provoked.

"Winning against a higher rank is common among warriors, but it's chokes. Once you reach the Seventh Rank, defeating a Sixth Rank becomes incredibly difficult. Be more careful in the future." Nie Yanyan advised, "Don't casually challenge higher-ranked opponents. Running away and admitting defeat isn't shameful."

"I know. Back at the medicine shop, I said that his prejudice against me didn't matter. As long as he doesn't provoke me, I don't care. Even if he bullies me, I'll endure it. I'm an honest person." Meng Yuan sighed, "This time, I was truly forced into a corner."

"After reading a few books, you didn't learn the good stuff but instead picked up a scholar's hypocrisy. You've been wanting to fight him, right?" Nie Yanyan tapped Meng Yuan's nose, "You have a problem, you're fierce but not ruthless! When he provokes you, you should just attack directly, but you insist on having a reason to fight!"

"Nie Shi, this is called being upright and righteous." Meng Yuan, even when exposed, wasn't angry and instead had a different opinion, "I'm the Concubine's person. The Concubine loves books, is well-read, and pities the weak. I see that the Concubine handles matters reasonably, so I should do the same. This is called emulating the virtuous."

"Emulating the virtuous?" Nie Yanyan stroked his chin, tasting the words, "There's indeed some twisted logic to it!"

He appraised Meng Yuan, praising, "Meng Scholar is indeed Meng Scholar! Not only loyal, but also virtuous. Those books weren't read in vain, impressive!"

"Nie Shi, your praise is excessive." Meng Yuan accepted the compliment.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end