Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 374: Giving gifts is indeed a science

When Lu Lang saw Shen Yu come in, he searched around the bookshelf and pulled out a rectangular box from the top shelf in the corner.

He opened it, took a look, confirmed that it was what he was looking for, nodded, then turned around and handed it over.

Shen Yu took the box in confusion, and found three brushes neatly placed inside.

Lu Lang smiled and said, "This is a hard brush made of badger hair. The hair is harder than the common wolf hair brush."

"It was a good friend of mine in Beijing. By chance, he got a dozen of them."

"Knowing that I can draw some fine brushwork paintings on weekdays, they gave me three."

"After trying to draw a few strokes, I felt the brush was too hard and I was not used to it, so I cleaned it and put it away."

"The girl complained that the brush she used for calligraphy was too soft. I guess the brush she uses on a daily basis is made of goat hair."

“Although this pen is not as hard as a charcoal pencil, it is much easier to write than a goat-hair pen.”

"Miss, why don't you try this pen to practice calligraphy? If it works well, I'll ask someone to find you some more."

Shen Yu was very surprised to hear this.

The brushes I own were recommended to me by the owner of a bookstore when I went there.

Yucheng and the others said it was very good, but no matter how she held the pen, she couldn't write as smoothly as when she used a charcoal pencil, which greatly undermined her confidence in practicing calligraphy.

Lu Lang smiled and said, "I have some paper and ink on my desk. Would you like to try writing?"

Shen Yu picked up a brush and looked at it carefully.

This hard-bristle brush is exquisitely made. The most rare thing is that it is different from ordinary brushes. It has another layer of bamboo tube on the outside.

After use, you can directly put it on with a bamboo tube, which is a bit like a fountain pen and is very convenient to carry.

Shen Yu, who was always calm and generous, was rarely shy: "It still doesn't work. I'll try again when I get home, but it's the same. Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Lu Lang guessed that she was afraid of being laughed at for writing in front of him, so he said gently: "When I first learned to write, I couldn't hold the pen steadily, and the words I wrote looked like ghost paintings."

"But if you practice more, you will naturally figure out the tricks."

"Only when you can write steadily and write the strokes well, can you talk about fonts and other things."

"You'll know when you go home and try it."

As he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something, and took a thin booklet from the top shelf, and said with a smile: "This is the copybook that Benchu ​​used for practicing calligraphy. You should be able to use it."

Shen Yu took it and took a look. It was a copy of "Hundred Family Surnames" written in large regular script.

I opened it and took a look, and I found that the font was indeed square, each character was written in large size, and the stroke structure was clearly visible, making it very suitable for copying.

It seems to be easier to write in than the copybook that Yucheng and the others brought back.

Shen Yu accepted it without hesitation and thanked him with a smile: "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Lu. I will practice calligraphy well when I go back."

Lu Lang smiled, then said after a pause, "Miss Shen, I have another thing here."

"I was thinking that I would come back to give it to you after the birthday celebration in two days."

"Since you are here today, I will give it to you now."

As he spoke, he handed over another sealed envelope.

Shen Yu was happily flipping through the calligraphy in his hand, fantasizing that one day he would be able to write decent calligraphy.

When I heard Lu Lang talking at this time, I thought it was another copybook of calligraphy.

Her eyes were still fixed on the copybook in her hand. She took it without thinking, but it felt very light in her hand, not like a book.

She then put down the copybook in her hand, regained her attention, and saw that what she was holding was an envelope.

The envelope was not sealed and there was no writing on the cover. It was a blank envelope with no features.

Shen Yu opened the envelope puzzledly and pulled out a few sheets of stiff paper from it.

Upon closer inspection, they were actually several silver bills.

I looked at the denominations and saw that each one was worth two hundred taels. I counted them and found there were five of them, totaling one thousand taels.

Shen Yu took the banknote and looked at Lu Lang in confusion, "Mr. Lu, did you take the wrong one?"

"There are banknotes inside, not some calligraphy."

As he said this, he put the banknote into the envelope and handed it back.

Lu Lang did not extend his hand, but smiled and pointed to the high-backed chair next to the square table by the window: "Miss Shen, please sit over there. I did not take the wrong one. This one thousand taels of silver note is for you."

Shen Yu no longer had the leisurely mood he had just had.

She was full of doubts and puzzlement, and couldn't figure out why Lu Lang gave her one thousand taels of silver for no reason.

She couldn't help but put away her smile, put the envelope in her hand on the desk, and then sat down on the chair next to her, wanting to hear Lu Lang's explanation.

This is not a reward of ten or eight taels of silver, one thousand taels of silver is not a small amount of money. No matter what the reason is for giving it to you, you should think carefully.

Seeing Shen Yu's serious expression, Lu Lang hurriedly explained with a smile: "Miss Shen, don't be nervous. My father asked me to pass this 1,000 taels of silver to you."

"It's just that I've been so busy preparing for the birthday celebration these days that I can only leave it with me for your safekeeping for the time being."

"I was thinking that after I finish the work at hand and the Longevity Festival is over, when everyone will be free, I will specially call you over and give you the banknote."

Then Lu Lang explained the whole story of the one thousand taels of silver, and Shen Yu finally understood what was going on.

It turned out that Shen Yu had asked Xu Chu to follow him to the county government office that day, wanting to give the handwritten scriptures given by Master Ci'en to the county magistrate.

Unexpectedly, I met Lu Lang on the way to the county government office.

Because Lu Zheng was having dinner at that time, and after dinner he had to stay in the small Buddhist temple for a while, and he would not be able to come out for more than half an hour.

Lu Lang didn't want Shen Yu to wait in the county government office, so he accepted the scriptures and agreed to pass them on.

At that time, Lu Lang felt that as long as the scriptures were not in Shen Yu's hands, Shen Yu's family would no longer have to worry.

As for transferring it to my father, it will be the same when I finish the work at hand and give it to him.

Lu Lang was busy that day, so he put the scriptures in the study.

The next day, I went to discuss something with Lu Zheng. When I entered the study, I saw that the most capable butler Lu, who had just arrived at the county government office yesterday, was also there, talking about something with Lu Zheng and the two secretaries.

Lu Zheng and his advisors were worrying about what would be the most appropriate New Year gift to present to the Emperor during the Spring Festival. When they saw Lu Lang coming, they asked him for some advice.

Lu Lang was puzzled and asked, "Didn't father just send gifts for the Wanshou Festival? Can't we just buy some more according to that standard during the Spring Festival?"

However, Lu Zheng looked at the smiling old housekeeper Lu beside him and sighed.

Master Qian, the lawyer next to him, quickly explained the reason why Lu Zheng was worried.

Giving gifts is indeed a science.

Giving gifts after becoming an official is even more of a science.

Considering Lu Zheng's family background, he should choose an expensive gift, but considering Lu Zheng's official position, it would be best to give him a local specialty.

During the Wanshou Festival, Lu Zheng racked his brains and finally came up with an idea.