Chi Yong understood; Cheng Ying was taking the Old Madam for a stroll in the park. "Mmm, if you like it, keep going back. Everyone in there is around your age. It’s just for fun, for the old folks."

The Old Madam replied, "They look much younger than me! I wouldn't dare compare, but perhaps we can all go watch the excitement sometime."

The Old Madam wanted to say that they didn't charge admission, but seeing Chi Yong, she decided against it, lest she be thought stingy.

Chi Yong said, "Mom, Yingzi and the others are starting school soon. I was thinking of taking Yingzi out to see the schools."

The Old Madam said eagerly, "Then go quickly; that's important business. Do you need to prepare anything? Should we give the school something when Yingzi starts attending?"

Look how much the Old Madam understood about social graces.

Chi Yong glanced at the water vat outside. "Mom, if you can bear to part with them, could you give me those two fish?"

Chi Yong had received this suggestion from Old Man Chi.

Cheng family Old Madam said, "Are they presentable? Otherwise, I can get two bigger ones at the morning market."

Chi Yong’s cheek twitched; his philosophy on gift-giving was different. "No need, these are perfectly fine, they’re your treasures."

The Old Madam waved her hand dismissively, "What's the big deal? What do I treasure? I just have nothing to do all day, tending to two fish, changing the water daily, just for amusement. Take them, and take something else too!"

Upon hearing Chi Yong, Cheng Ying had already gone in to retrieve her exam scores and papers. She came out and told the Old Madam, "No need, this is enough."

What kind of shabby school gives away Koi carp right away? They're quite generous.

Chi Yong was in complete agreement. If you send a gift straight to someone's heart, it truly is enough.

Besides, for literati, when they receive gifts, they don't just look at the cost; they have very specific tastes.

In Chi Yong's view, these two on the left were sufficient.

Cheng Ying also felt that perhaps the two on the left weren't the most impressive, but since Grandma had raised them since bringing them from the countryside, they held a different meaning after so long. She decided to net the ones from the right tank instead.

Chi Yong felt a pang of reluctance; his own chubby son dearly loved playing with those two fish. His son would miss his toys.

Chi Yong led the way. "Let's go."

Cheng Ying holding the fish, the father and daughter set off on the journey of presenting gifts for schooling.

The person Chi Yong and Cheng Ying visited was his old headmaster. "Greetings, Old Headmaster."

The person inside had hair like white frost. Cheng Ying glimpsed the furnishings through the crack in the door and knew it was similar to the Chi family's home—a scholarly lineage.

The old man exclaimed, "Chi Yong is here! Come in, come in quickly, sit down!" He was quite warm.

Cheng Ying, clutching the fish and the exam papers, followed closely behind Chi Yong, genuinely unsure of how to sit properly while holding things.

Chi Yong said, "Old Headmaster, this is my daughter. We came today to bring you two fish; please don't think it's too little."

The old man looked over, his eyes gleaming. "Oh my, are these not the two fish your father has? A gentleman does not take what another cherishes."

But his hands had already accepted the fish from Cheng Ying. Was that his way of not taking what she cherished?

Chi Yong replied, "No, these are ones my mother-in-law kept for fun at her own home."

The old man placed the fish into a large, blue-and-white porcelain vat and barely paid Chi Yong any more attention.

Cheng Ying didn't have the discerning eye to tell if these were genuine or not. However, the fish swimming in the white porcelain tank were certainly more beautiful. It was easier to see them clearly now.

The old man looked at the fish, completely satisfied, and spoke without reserve, "I've been coveting your father's two fish for a long time. Since they were his, I won't return them now."

Chi Yong sighed with relief. No wonder when he mentioned finding a school for Yingzi, the old man immediately brought up the fish.

Chi Yong spoke humbly, "I really can't appreciate your shared hobby with my father; these fish are just nice to look at."

The old man said, "You don't understand. You really don't understand."

Cheng Ying thought to herself, I might not understand now, but I know the future price of these things will certainly be high. No wonder scholars are regarded as noble; their vision is indeed unique.

Chi Yong continued, "Old Headmaster, I came today to ask you to see if this girl can study in our school."

The old man looked at Cheng Ying, then at the fish. "How is her studying?"

If it weren't for these fish, the old man certainly wouldn't have spoken up; he didn't manage every trivial matter.

Chi Yong handed over Cheng Ying's papers. The old man shifted his gaze from the two fish. "Not bad. With these grades, why would you..." The sentence trailed off, implying, why bother bringing me fish? He certainly wasn't planning on returning the fish now.

Chi Yong said respectfully, "It's just that she's coming from the countryside. Even with good grades, she'd only get into a decent county school. Our No. 1 Middle School isn't easily entered. Old Headmaster, you see how good the child is; I'm just worried that if she stays out of No. 1 Middle School, her potential will be wasted here."

This was praise for the school.

The old man replied, "Any school would fight to have these grades. Don't worry. Come register when school starts, though we'll need a quick assessment during class assignment."

Chi Yong replied gratefully, "Thank you so much, Old Headmaster. This child definitely has a promising future."

Without needing a signal from Chi Yong, Cheng Ying stood up. "Thank you, Headmaster."

The old man swept a glance over Cheng Ying. "You called the wrong title. I am no longer the Headmaster."

Cheng Ying looked up, truly bewildered. Why didn't he correct her when she first called him that?

Chi Yong quickly interjected, "This is my old headmaster; call him Grandpa."

The old man then said, "Girl, does your grandmother really have these fish?"

Cheng Ying suspected the old man was greedy, trying to fleece them. "Yes, Grandma just keeps them for fun. How many do you have?"

The old man smiled broadly, "Girl, I'm your father’s old headmaster; I'm not an outsider. When can I visit your house? I heard you just moved in. Oh, we have such old ties; we haven't even shared a pot of stewed broth yet."

Cheng Ying thought, To see two fish, you're dredging up old friendships? You are quite persistent. "Are you planning a home visit, to check on my study environment? Grandma will surely be delighted by your arrival."

The old man looked at the girl. No wonder her studies were good; what a shrewd child. A home visit—that meant he wouldn't have to bring the stewed broth himself. "How about tomorrow? I must inspect the student's living conditions, after all."

This was much more convincing than his weak claims of friendship.

But Old Man Chi had mentioned that the fish at this girl's house were truly special.

This was also because Old Man Chi, seeing his old friend constantly coveting his two fish, couldn't resist bragging a little.

For people like this, a hobby borders on obsession; they are tenacious. Once they fixate on something, they must go see it.

It’s like the saying: better to fear the thief who covets than the thief who steals.

Chi Yong chimed in, "You are very welcome. We'd love to have you. My old mother makes exquisite fruit wine, brewed personally. My father will be coming over tomorrow too, so you both can have a good taste."

The old man feigned offense, "What are you saying? Like I'm some glutton for wine."

Chi Yong insisted, "I'm not lying to you, it's genuinely good stuff!" he said conspiratorially.

When Chi Yong and Cheng Ying left, he let out a breath of relief. "Mission accomplished."

Cheng Ying followed along, musing, "Having connections certainly helps. You know so many people." She realized she was rich, but in this era, she didn't know the proper channels for gift-giving.

Though she was praising Chi Yong, he didn't feel great hearing it. "Tomorrow, I'll have your mother visit. Nothing too formal—just a couple of simple dishes and our family's fruit wine will be enough to host them well."

Cheng Ying replied, "Okay, I'll head back first and check out the morning market."

Chi Yong and his daughter parted ways. He still needed to find his father to show support tomorrow.

On second thought, if his own father hadn't shown off, Yingzi wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble; those two fish could have essentially settled everything.

Where else could Cheng Ying go? Since people were coming specifically to see the fish, she had to pick out two good ones to keep.

Furthermore, she couldn't leave her own large water vat empty; the Old Madam would get bored.

It wasn't easy to find a secluded spot. After browsing the Flower and Bird Market, Cheng Ying finally found an empty place to slip into her spatial dimension. She picked out two beautiful Koi fish and two nice-looking aquatic plants.

On impulse, she also took out a ginseng plant with a bloom. Placing this in a pot as mere decoration would actually elevate the status of the yard; at least it would command respect. Not every family could afford to keep something like this just for show.

Cheng Ying figured that with this setup, no matter how much her Old Madam fussed, people wouldn't dare look down on them. Their collection of things was respectable; it had class.

Cheng Ying understood: people without real talent who deviate from the norm are called flamboyant show-offs. People with real talent who deviate from the norm are called aloof and noble. That’s society.

When Cheng Ying returned, the Old Madam was getting anxious. Seeing the fish in Cheng Ying’s hands, she said, "They didn't accept them? See, I told you I'd pick two bigger ones at the market."

Cheng Ying replied, "No, these are new ones I picked out for you outside. With your granddaughter's grades, she doesn't need these things, absolutely not."

The Old Madam looked at the fish, truly delighted by their beauty. "What a waste of money! Don't buy them next time."

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, they weren't expensive. I have a good eye; I picked them out from a whole pile of fish."

The Old Madam happily scattered the fish into the tank. "It's nice to have these things; it makes the yard look lively."

Cheng Ying took the other items to the backyard, found some clay pots, and planted the newly acquired flowers and the ginseng. She then moved them to the front yard. Cheng Ying didn't have the Old Man Chi's eye for aesthetics, so she placed them haphazardly. However, the yard was clean, and placed anywhere, they looked pleasing.

The Old Madam exclaimed, "Oh my, what is this? I've never seen this before."

Cheng Ying looked at the pot of ginseng. "You haven't seen it? I brought it back from the mountains; I was saving it for breeding. I figured since it’s ginseng, I should keep it hidden."

The Old Madam said, "You, child, you hide everything! This thing needs sun to be good for it."

Perhaps because the family had so much ginseng already, the Old Madam didn't think much of it.

Cheng Ying shook her head. Indeed, taste is built from deep heritage. Look at her own grandmother's magnanimity.

That evening, Cheng Ying told the Old Madam that the teacher was coming for a home visit. She didn't plan to mention anything else; her grandmother held teachers in very high regard.

Sure enough, the Old Madam exclaimed, "You child, why didn't you tell me sooner? I'm not prepared yet!"

Cheng Ying looked at her grandmother. "The teacher likes good wine. Prepare him a jar of wine and two small dishes."

The Old Madam looked at her granddaughter, then at Chi Wu, who had just returned and was washing his face outside. "Is this teacher reliable, Yingzi? We aren't afraid to spend money. Let Wu Zi's dad take another look and find a good school."

The Old Madam's concern was perfectly appropriate.

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, that's just how city people are; you'll get used to it. Wu Zi's Grandpa is coming over too, so he’s reliable. I heard he has some history with Wu Zi's Grandpa."