nashuaworldcup Chapter 39 The Not-So-Clever Old Father
Chapter 39 The Not-So-Clever Old Father
Jia She patted his son and said:
"I already said it's nothing, it's just hot."
Jia Hu glanced at the yellowing, falling leaves outside the window, wondering if this was the lingering heat of late summer. But then he thought, even if his father wasn't very bright, he couldn't dislike him; after all, a son doesn't despise his father for being ugly.
Jia Zheng almost burst out laughing again.
Jia She was speechless, looking at his younger brother struggling to hold his breath and Jia Zhu staring curiously at his face. He must have been out of his mind to ask this kid.
Besides, why would he say he's ugly? Ask around the whole city and everyone will say that the eldest son of the Jia family in the Rongguo Mansion is handsome. Otherwise, his wife wouldn't have insisted on marrying him after just one meeting.
Jia Hu looked at his not-so-bright father and said:
“Father, I think you are quite suited to do something.”
Jia She pretended not to know and asked:
"what?"
“I noticed that my father really likes antiques and calligraphy and paintings, and he has a deep understanding of them. So my father could become a collector and connoisseur, and could open an antique shop or antique dealer.”
Jia She, who had been preoccupied with shame and anger, now thought it was feasible. The imperial court had not explicitly prohibited noble families from engaging in business, and his family owned many shops. He hadn't paid much attention to these businesses before, only needing the steward to report the profits during festivals. He was quite confident in his own judgment and discernment. Rather than staying at home doing nothing, he might as well venture out and build a business.
Seeing his father remain silent, Jia Hu assumed he also looked down on business and added:
"It's not about having my father go into business; it's just that he might be able to build a reputation by appraising antiques and calligraphy for others."
He recalled that in ancient times there were great collectors who were highly respected. In any industry, anyone who reaches the top and possesses genuine talent will be respected.
Jia She said with a smile:
“It’s worth a try. My son has excellent judgment.”
Jia She grew up surrounded by antiques and calligraphy. His grandparents doted on him, showering him with all sorts of rare and precious items he had never seen or used before. His grandmother even left him her entire dowry, which included antiques and calligraphy that filled several warehouses. It wasn't just his pride; his knowledge of antiques and calligraphy was unmatched in the city.
Jia She felt extremely remorseful, then smiled and patted Jia Hu on the shoulder, saying:
"I'll buy you candy when Dad earns some money."
Jia Hu looked at his father with amusement, thinking it would be good to find something for him to do. His only worry was that his father wasn't very bright and might get scammed.
Jia She chose not to hear these words. What a good-for-nothing brat, always complaining in his heart that his father wasn't very smart and what his own shortcomings were.
Jia Zhu, however, didn't care whether his uncle was clever or not. He immediately jumped off his father's lap, ran over, and tugged at Jia She's sleeve, saying:
"Uncle, Pearl wants some candy too."
Jia She pinched his little face, picked him up, and said with a smile:
"Alright, alright, buy some for our Pearl too. Pearl, do you think your uncle can make a lot of money?"
Jia Zhu, thinking of the candy, sucked in her saliva and answered loudly:
"Uncle is the most powerful man in the world, he must be able to make a lot of money."
Jia Hu sighed and rubbed his forehead. Ever since he told little Jia Zhu a few heroic tales, Jia Zhu now insists on using phrases like "the best in the world," "the most delicious food in the world," "the cutest thing in the world," and now, "the most powerful thing in the world." But looking at his father's delighted expression, he really wasn't very bright.
Jia She happily tossed Jia Zhu into the air a few times, which startled Jia Zhu, who screamed and cried but was actually quite pleased with himself.
Seeing Jia She toss Jia Zhu and then look at himself, Jia Hu fearlessly puffed out his chest. Jia She glanced at his well-fed and chubby son, then assessed his own abilities, looked away, and thought, "Never mind, I can't toss this one."
Jia Hu forced himself not to laugh, fearing it would hurt his elderly father's feelings.
After everyone played around for a while, Jia Hu and Jia Zhu were sent to Grandmother Jia's for dinner. Jia She would suddenly find his direction, feeling full of energy, with a million ideas running through his mind.
Jia Zheng also felt that his elder brother had suddenly become much more energetic, so he offered his congratulations:
Congratulations in advance on your grand opening!
Jia She smiled and stopped his younger brother, saying:
"Look how good things are now! It feels like our lives are getting better and better."
Jia Zheng smiled slightly. It was quite good; he felt much more open-minded.
Jia She glanced at his younger brother curiously. If he had acted this way before, he would have immediately started nagging his brother about his improper behavior. Remembering seeing him holding Jia Zhu earlier, and how his brother could hold his grandson but not his son in an envelope, he asked suspiciously, "Aren't you always intolerant of this kind of behavior? If we were talking about doing business before, you should have said it would only lead to being covered in the stench of money. How can our official family do such things? I also saw you holding Zhu'er today; you've never held him before."
Jia Zheng sighed and said somewhat embarrassedly:
“I was wrong before. I only held the sage’s words to high standards, but I didn’t realize that I only learned the superficial things and did not truly understand what the sage was talking about. I just memorized the sage’s words and was complacent about it.”