"Is this what you meant by taking me out to meet friends?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Qian Jue replied, "What's wrong? Do you have a problem with them? You're quite young to be judging people by appearances."
Feng Qingyi said, "I'm not judging by appearances. I just think you're particularly unreliable."
Qian Jue responded, "There aren't many entertainment options here, so I have to find my own amusement. These are some of my old card-playing buddies. Come and get acquainted with everyone."
Feng Qingyi looked at the three elderly men sitting in chairs. Despite their white hair, they appeared spirited and alert.
"Qian Jue, why did you bring a young girl today? Is she your granddaughter?"
Qian Jue said, "Don't talk nonsense. This is my new apprentice."
"Apprentice, eh? You're always luring in new apprentices. How many is this now?"
"That's right. Little girl, don't let him fool you. He takes on apprentices just to con them."
"The Wenyuan Pavilion was just an empty shell years ago. If it weren't for his daily schemes and tricks, it might still be just him alone there."
"We old fellows were all once fooled by him."
"..."
Qian Jue protested, "How can you talk like that? Back then, you all wanted to make bets with me. It's not my fault you weren't as skilled. How did this turn into me tricking you?"
"If you hadn't played dumb back then, we wouldn't have rashly agreed to compete with you."
"He deliberately made a mess of his painting, wrote illegibly, and even composed a doggerel poem to mislead us."
"Who knew he'd only reveal his true skill during the actual competition, making us fall for his trap."
Qian Jue laughed, "You were just too easy to fool. This little girl here is much more discerning than you lot."
Feng Qingyi listened to their conversation from the side, finding it quite amusing. It seemed Qian Jue was doing well for himself here.
Standing behind Qian Jue, Feng Qingyi watched him play cards. Good hands or bad, they were all useless in his hands, as he couldn't win anyway.
Feng Qingyi sighed, "You're not going to gamble away everything you own, are you?"
"Don't worry, little girl. He's quite wealthy. It'll take a while before he loses it all."
"This old fox is always talking about being indifferent to fame and fortune, not bowing for a meager salary, and how scholars shouldn't be tainted by money. But then he turns around and goes into business."
"He's been making a fortune these years. Us old fellows have to team up to win some of it back from him."
Feng Qingyi laughed, "With his skills, you could win with your eyes closed."
"The girl seems to know her stuff. Want to give it a try?"
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "I'm fine just watching."
"Girl, we heard Qian Jue took you to the Spring Poetry Meeting today. Were you able to beat him?"
Feng Qingyi replied, "I might not be his equal yet, but I'll work hard."
"That's the spirit! Girl, try to surpass him soon. It'll be like getting revenge for us."
Feng Qingyi smiled awkwardly, "I'll do my best."
After watching Qian Jue for a while, Feng Qingyi found it uninteresting and sat down nearby, taking out her phone to look at.
They played cards all afternoon. Qian Jue only won occasionally, losing most of the time. His money pouch visibly shrunk.
"That's enough for today. I'll take the girl to the Literary Garden to check the results now."
Their card-playing spot wasn't far from the Literary Garden, so they decided to walk.
On the way, Feng Qingyi asked, "I feel like you were deliberately losing. You kept playing bad cards."
Qian Jue explained, "You don't understand. If I kept winning, who would want to play with me? It's just for fun. Losing a bit of money isn't a big deal."
"After all, if I played seriously, they wouldn't stand a chance. I'm the one who taught them how to play in the first place."
"Alright, I get it. You're amazing. Let's hurry up and get there!" Feng Qingyi walked ahead.
As soon as they entered the Literary Garden, Feng Qingyi noticed everyone staring at her and Qian Jue. She quickly distanced herself from him.
Xu Linghe emerged from the crowd, "Qingyi, you're here!"
Feng Qingyi walked over to her, "What's going on? Why is everyone looking at me like this?"
Xu Linghe replied, "You don't know yet? You won first place! The Zither Academy tallied all the votes, and you received the most."
"Not only that, but your painting was also recognized by everyone. After discussion among the masters of the Painting Academy, your work and Qian Jue's were both awarded first place."
"You always seemed so low-key. I had no idea you were this talented."
Feng Qingyi herself hadn't expected to take first place in such a gathering of experts.
Although her painting tied for first with Qian Jue's, she knew her skills weren't quite on his level yet. This was probably meant as encouragement.
As for her zither performance, part of the reason was that she played a piece they had never heard before.
"What about Zhao Yiqing?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Xu Linghe said, "As expected, his calligraphy won first place. To celebrate, should we go out for another meal tonight?"
Feng Qingyi smiled, "We'll see about that later. You mentioned earlier that winning first place comes with a gold prize. When will that be given out?"
"Qingyi, at a time like this, you're still thinking about the gold? You're famous now. You'll be able to get whatever you want in the future," Xu Linghe said.
Feng Qingyi shrugged, "That's all in the future. Right now, I just want to get my hands on that gold and replace some of the tables and chairs in the teahouse. Do you think it'll be enough?"
Xu Linghe sighed, "I don't even know what to say to you. Let's hurry to the Poetry Academy. They'll be announcing the final results there soon."
As the Spring Poetry Meeting came to a close, Feng Qingyi hugged a large box of gold, beaming with joy.
The two hundred taels of gold would be a fortune back home. It was quite a windfall, and her personal savings had grown considerably.
Xu Linghe looked at the grinning Feng Qingyi with exasperation. She usually seemed so composed, but two hundred taels of gold had her this excited.
"Linghe, Zhao Yiqing, it's getting late. I should head back now," Feng Qingyi said.
Xu Linghe nodded, "Alright, we'll meet again soon!"
"Goodbye, Miss Qingyi!" Zhao Yiqing said.
After bidding farewell to the two, Feng Qingyi searched for Qian Jue in the crowd, finally spotting him among a group of people.
Feng Qingyi made her way through the crowd to Qian Jue's side and tapped him, "What are you all doing?"
"Nothing, girl. Let's go quickly."
Before Feng Qingyi could react, Qian Jue grabbed her and ran out of the Literary Garden.
Feng Qingyi asked, "What did you do to them?"
"How can you say that? I didn't do anything to them. They're the ones chasing after me."
"Don't tell me you owe them money!" Feng Qingyi said suspiciously.
