They were not greedy; each took only one lantern and then stopped.

De’an had a Beauty Lamp, Huang Chen a Jade Rabbit Lantern, and Chu Xun a revolving lantern, while Zhao Jing held a Lotus Lantern. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The four of them had also left behind samples of their calligraphy at Moxiang Pavilion. With that, they now had a spare set of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

At that moment, De’an could truly appreciate the painstaking efforts of Moxiang Pavilion’s owner.

These things were nothing to the scions of wealthy families, but for poor scholars, they were a solution to a pressing need.

There were truly many scholars struggling financially these days. The inkstones they used were cracked and their Wolf Hair brushes were worn down to a tiny tuft, yet they couldn’t bear to buy new ones.

But if they didn’t replace them, they might face the predicament of a broken inkstone or an unusable brush once they were in the examination hall.

These dignified gifts from Moxiang Pavilion were a true godsend, serving a great need.

On the way back, the men discussed the Moxiang Pavilion owner’s philosophy, speaking of his benevolence and shrewdness. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of Wangyue Inn.

Four children were playing nearby. It was hard to say if they were the Shopkeeper’s offspring or the children of a guest.

When the children saw them, they stopped playing with their spinning tops and simply stared, wide-eyed, at the lanterns in their hands.

Huang Chen, though plain in appearance, was a man of great kindness. He was the first to act, giving his Jade Rabbit Lantern to the smallest child.

De’an was extremely reluctant to part with his, but the little girl with the puffy cheeks looked so sad she was about to cry. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and hand his lantern over as well.

Following their lead, Chu Xun sighed and gave his revolving lantern to the other of the two little twin girls.

Taking the lanterns, the two little girls instantly broke into smiles through their tears. In their sweet, childish voices, they thanked the men. "Thank you, Misters."

De’an forced a smile. "You’re welcome. A grown-up like me shouldn’t be playing with lanterns anyway. Since you like them, they’re yours. Right, Jing?"

Zhao Jing agreed. "Right."

De’an glared at him. ’Right, my ass! If you think it’s so right, why don’t you give your Lotus Lantern to the kid over there?’

The boy across from them looked to be seven or eight years old, likely the oldest of the four. But that’s how it is with children and toys: either everyone gets one, or no one does. If some have one and others don’t, the one left out is sure to cry from envy.

This child was a stubborn one, though. He stared intently at the lantern in Zhao Jing’s hand but didn’t say a word.

Finally, Zhao Jing spoke. "Do you want it?"

The boy nodded. "Are you going to give it to me, Mister?"

Just as the boy reached out to take it, Zhao Jing pulled the lantern back.

"Playing with toys saps one’s ambition. You’re about seven or eight, aren’t you? At your age, studying is what’s important. So, you should focus on your studies, and I won’t give you this lantern."

Huang Chen couldn’t hold back a chuckle, De’an rolled his eyes, and Chu Xun couldn’t help but shake his head.

They had never imagined that Zhao Jing, who appeared so prim and proper, could be so mischievous.

’So this was the real Zhao Jing. Now they felt they truly knew him.’

The boy was an interesting one, too.

He hadn’t particularly liked the Lotus Lantern to begin with; it was just that his younger siblings all had one, which made him feel left out. But it wasn’t something he absolutely had to have.

But now that this mister was refusing to give it to him, he found he really wanted it.

"Mister, you shouldn’t be strict with others but lenient with yourself. You’re a scholar here for the examinations, aren’t you? Your exams are what’s most important, so you’d better give me the lantern to avoid being distracted by such trivial things."

A burst of laughter erupted from the onlookers, but the boy’s expression remained unchanged, his composure unshaken. He continued, "Besides, this Lotus Lantern is far too exquisite and delicate. It’s not suitable for a grown man like you to be playing with..."

At that, Zhao Jing couldn’t help but laugh as well. "You have a point. But I wasn’t keeping this for myself—I’m planning to give it to my wife! She has always adored such exquisite, delicate things. If I bring this back to her, she will be overjoyed."

In the end, Zhao Jing did not give the Lotus Lantern to the boy.

However, before leaving, he took a few pieces of malt candy from his coin purse and gave them to the boy alone. "Here, take these. Consider it my apology for not giving you the lantern."

And just like that, the boy became the most envied of all the siblings.

His three younger siblings all crowded around him, calling out, "Big Brother!" and "Big Brother, I’ll give you my lantern! Just give me one piece of candy!"

This scene was enough to make Huang Chen, De’an, and Chu Xun keel over in frustration.

The three sighed. "Our sacrifice was in vain."

Shaking their heads, they glared at Zhao Jing before huddling together to gossip about him.

"So devious! Who would’ve thought of that?"

"Compared to him, we look like complete fools."

"We really got the short end of the stick."