Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 1 Wang Qinian and Xie Bian

In an antique study room, a child who looked about five or six years old was leaning over a small desk, writing with a brush in his hand and frowning.

The small desk is equipped with an inkstone, paperweight, and pen holder. Incense is burning in the upper right corner of the desk. The lingering smoke is refreshing and long-lasting. It is the best incense - Jianan.

There were a few large, crooked characters written vertically on the white rice paper. Although the shapes were not beautiful, one could still barely make out what they were.

Mei Chengan.

That is his name now.

After finishing the last stroke, the child raised the brush, looked at his work and nodded with satisfaction.

Not bad! It seems that the calligraphy skills I learned in elementary school in my previous life are still there.

He put the brush down and called out.

A servant immediately came in from the door, leaned over and asked respectfully.

"Master, what are your orders?"

"My father hasn't come back yet?"

"The master is still in the hall. Maybe there is some difficult case. Please be patient and wait."

The child nodded and waved his little hand.

"I'm hungry, bring me some snacks."

The servant retreated in response.

In a moment, he brought a plate of snacks and placed a pot of tea on the side of the small desk, then retreated out the door again.

The child was attracted by the five different colored dim sums on the plate, which were neatly arranged together in beautiful shapes. He thought they were so beautiful that he didn't know which one to eat first.

After hesitating for a moment, he picked up a green snack, opened his little mouth and took a bite.

The child's eyes lit up. Not to mention the delicate taste and sweetness without being greasy, the taste alone made the child feel quite surprised.

Matcha flavor!
Good times.

He quickly finished what he had in his hand and picked up another pink piece.

Hmm? The taste of the flower cake is pretty good.

After eating three or four pieces of snacks the size of a baby's fist, the child finally stopped.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to eat, it’s just that his stomach is so small now.

He picked up the tea beside him and poured it into the cup. He drank three cups in a row and burped.

I am trying to rearrange the remaining snacks.

Suddenly, I heard the servants outside the window calling "Master".

The child's heart moved, and he withdrew his hand from the snack and looked towards the study door.

The door is pushed open.

A middle-aged man in official uniform walked into the study and looked at him.

The child looked at the middle-aged man's face, which looked like the exact same face as the veteran actor Li Jianyi in his previous life, but much younger, and felt deeply moved.

It’s you, Mei Zhili!

Although it has been predicted that this world might be Joy of Life, we still couldn’t confirm it without seeing this face. Now the dust has settled.

When Mei Zhili saw the child, a smile appeared on his stern face.

"An'er, are you feeling better now?"

Mei Cheng'an came to his senses and quickly stood up and saluted.

"The doctor said the child is fine now."

"That's great." Mei Zhili stroked his beard, took two steps forward, and saw the rice paper on the small desk. "Are you practicing calligraphy? Hahaha, let your father take a look."

After saying that, Mei Zhili looked at the big words on the paper.

"Hiss~ An'er, you can actually write your own name?"

Mei Zhili didn't mind the crooked handwriting. What surprised him was that the child who had been bedridden for many years could now write his own name.

Mei Chengan blushed, thinking that just because she admired her calligraphy didn't mean she could show it off.

"The child has just recovered, so his writing is weak and his handwriting is indeed a little ugly."

"Silly child, you are so young, it's not easy for you to write a few big characters. Your father is already very pleased."

Perhaps it was because the man in front of him never laughed at his ugly handwriting, or maybe it was the first familiar face he met in this strange world, Mei Chengan felt that his cheap father was much more friendly.

"But your words have reminded me. Now that you have recovered, do you want to go to school to learn to read and write?"

When Mei Cheng'an heard that he had to go to school, he felt dizzy. He had finally gone to college in his previous life, but now he was hastily arriving here before he even started working.

After studying for more than ten years, I have to live my life again. Do I have to study again?
Then wouldn’t I be wearing it in vain?
"Dad, I want to learn martial arts!"

Mei Zhili was stunned when he heard this. He had never expected this answer, so he asked curiously, "Why do you want to learn martial arts?"

"My child is in very poor health and always gets sick every other day. I heard that practicing martial arts can strengthen the body, so I want to practice martial arts. I don't want to take medicine all the time, which is very painful."

Mei Zhili's heart trembled when he heard this. He got married late, and it was even later when he had a child. After An'er was born, perhaps because of his innate deficiency, he was always sick every now and then. Not to mention compared with children of the same age, even compared with children two years younger, he looked much thinner, which was also considered to be younger in another sense. Although Daqing was founded on martial arts and the literary world was weak, the way to move up still depended on the imperial examination. There was no such thing as a martial arts champion in Qing. If he practiced martial arts, he might only have one way to get ahead in the future, which was also where Mei Zhili hesitated.

But when he saw his little darling's pitiful eyes and heard those words that pierced his heart, Mei Zhili could no longer say no and could only nod his head to show his agreement.

Let’s talk about the future in the future. As long as the child is healthy, it is more important than anything else. Mei Zhili feels that he has let it go.

"Since An'er wants to learn martial arts, I will find the best martial artist for you."

The child was overjoyed when he heard this, and hugged Mei Zhili's thighs, smiling and looking up with a smile.

"Thank you dad!"

This call of "Dad" was very sincere.

Mei Zhili laughed loudly, resisted the urge to pick up the child, and reached out his hand to pat the child's small shoulder gently. In this day and age, the bad habit of fathers not hugging their sons is still prevalent.

"However, you still have to study and learn to write. You can't be an illiterate man when you grow up."

Well, it seems that he can't pass the test of reading and writing, but Mei Cheng'an is already satisfied to be able to practice martial arts. As for studying, he can just muddle through it, and he has no plan to take the imperial examination anyway.

After coming out of the study, he quickly returned to his own yard.

After telling the servants not to disturb him and just to clean the place outside, Mei Chengan lay on his bed. His excitement about practicing martial arts was temporarily suppressed and his thoughts began to wander.

Joy of Life, ah Joy of Life, he really likes Joy of Life. He read the original novel a long time ago and almost forgot it, but he really loves watching the TV series.

He spent a lot of money to watch the second season, or even to watch a few episodes in advance.

Just because something is cute and looks good doesn’t mean he wants to come.

You said to get involved in Fan Xian's affairs, but here comes the question, how to get involved? He doesn't need people, why rush to be his younger brother? Not to mention whether he can get close to Fan Xian, once he enters the sight of Emperor Qing, who uses people's hearts as a battlefield, he doesn't know how he will be manipulated. He might be eliminated if he doesn't like him. He doesn't have a grandmaster as a bodyguard, Chen Pingping and Fan Jian as a backing. Even if he did, he didn't think he could have the same brain as Fan Xian to deal with various complex situations.

Not to mention, he also has Mei Zhili, a cheap father who doesn't survive more than one episode in the drama.

If you say you don't want to get involved, he will be even more confused. Why did you ask him to come here? What's the point of this time travel?
Oh my God, you are making things difficult for me, Fat Tiger.

Two flowers bloom, one on each side.

On the other side, the study.

"Mr. Chen, my An'er wants to learn martial arts. I don't know much about martial arts. Do you have any suggestions?" Mei Zhili had already changed into casual clothes and was sitting behind the desk.

The Mr. Chen mentioned by Mei Zhili is named Chen Dongfeng. He was originally a scholar from Mei County, Mei Zhili's hometown. He failed to obtain any honors in the imperial examinations for many years. He entered the Mei Mansion six years ago. Mei Zhili provided him with food and accommodation, and supported him in studying for the imperial examinations. He then worked as Mei Zhili's aide. He is now 40 years old.

Chen Dongfeng sat on one side, holding a fan. Hearing Mei Zhili's question, he was stunned for a moment. The frail appearance of his own young master emerged in his mind. He put away the folding fan and asked, "Young Master Cheng'an doesn't want to study but practice martial arts?"

Mei Zhili sighed: "An'er said that he didn't want to drink the bitter and spicy medicine soup anymore, and wanted to practice martial arts to strengthen his body."

Mr. Chen nodded. That’s right. The young master is indeed a little weak.

"In that case, let the guards in the mansion teach the young master some martial arts."

Mei Zhili shook his head: "They are all veterans who have retired from the battlefield. They are all equipped with battlefield killing skills. Every move is full of murderous aura. How can An'er learn them?"

That's true. Chen Dongfeng paced back and forth in the room for a few steps and said, "Leave this matter to me. I'll have people spread the news on the street, recruit martial artists, and collect martial arts techniques."

Mei Zhili asked: "I heard that those people in the martial arts world value their skills more than their lives. Can you be willing to hand them over?"

Mr. Chen smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Even a penny can stump a hero."

Mei Zhili's mind suddenly changed and he understood what his aide meant, and his brows relaxed.

"Then I'll leave this matter to Mr. Chen."

"I will definitely live up to your trust."

……

Mr. Chen was very efficient. In just seven days, seven or eight books of martial arts techniques were placed on Mei Zhili's desk. The people he recruited had also arrived and were waiting outside.

This time, a total of two people were recruited, one of whom was a young swordsman who was very skilled in using the sword and stood out on the private arena set up by Mr. Chen.

It’s a little hard to say about the other person because his identity is somewhat special.

"Is this person from the Overwatch Council? Did I tell you that?"

"Yes, this person's name is Wang Qinian. At first, he tried to hide his real name and tried to get away with it. I had someone check his background and found out that he was indeed a clerk of the Supervisory Council. When I questioned him, he was quite open and frankly admitted it. He just said that he had a meager income and wanted to make some extra money.

Considering his status as a member of the Overwatch Council, I refused. But he was so shameless that he kept asking me to apply for the job. However, his Qinggong skills were really good. I couldn't make up my mind, so I had to ask you, Master, whether to recruit him or not."

Mei Zhili pondered for a moment: "Since this person's identity is clear, it should not be arranged by the Supervisory Council, so just confess. It is not bad to learn some Qinggong. If An'er encounters a fight in the future, it will be convenient to save his life with better Qinggong. As for the other one, is the background of that young swordsman clean?"

"This man is called Xie Bian, from Yuntai County. He comes from a poor family. He has become famous in the martial arts world by challenging masters from all sides. He came to Kyoto last year. I went to the Ministry of Justice to check the files, but I didn't find any crimes he had committed."

Mei Zhili: "He challenges masters everywhere, presumably for fame? His sword skills are superb, but he has never used force to violate the law. I think he disdains it. This person has big ambitions, and he won't stay in the Mei family for long."

Mr. Chen: "Master, I have seen through this man with just a few words. He is indeed living a hard life. He must have been attracted by the monthly salary of twenty taels. In that case, do you want to recruit him?"

"Just treat me well and make a good relationship with me."

After Mei Zhili finished speaking, he flipped through the internal energy techniques in front of him. After flipping through a few books, he realized he couldn't understand them, so he gave up.

"Send these mental skills and those two people directly to An'er."

"Yes, sir."

(End of this chapter)